• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.10
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• pp.5-11
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• 2021

The compacted bentonite buffer is one of the most important components in an engineered barrier system (EBS) to dispose of high-level radioactive waste (HLW) produced by nuclear power generation. The compacted bentonite buffer has a crucial role in protecting the disposal canister against the external impact and penetration of groundwater, so it has to satisfy the thermal-hydraulic-mechanical requirements. Even though there have been various researches on the investigation of thermal-hydraulic properties, few studies have been conducted to evaluate mechanical properties for the compacted bentonite buffer. For this reason, this paper conducted a series of unconfined compression tests and obtained mechanical properties such as unconfined compressive strength, elastic modulus, and void ratio of Korean compacted bentonite specimens with different water content and dry density values. The unconfined compressive strength and elastic modulus increased, and the Poisson's ratio decreased a little with increasing dry density. It showed that unconfined compressive strength and elastic modulus were proportional to dry density. However, there was not a remarkable correlation between mechanical properties and water content.

• Water for future
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• v.9 no.1
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• pp.55-69
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• 1976

The purpose of this paper is to provide basic data for construction methods of leakage pretaction for estuary barrien which is constructed to in take restoration water from irigative use and a river flow in its ultimate dsicharge to ward to sea, The water, accordingly, has reviewed the discrepancis between theories and experiments based on the hydraulic analysis of ground water through a series of sourveys on equi-patential line of seepage flow and a series of some experiments. apparently, however, the research results herein might reflect in some part not more than inference since those experiments are not conducted in a real foundation but from an indoor experiment or calculation, conclusion in brief are itemized here-under. 1. small-scale barrier require cut-off wall, which should reach the complete impereable layer, 2. Duplication barrier is provided effective in protection saline water seepage. 3. a barrier with broad crest might enable protection of massive seepage by fresh water lens formed from precipitation.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 2002

The study was performed to evaluate the effect of landfill leachate on the hydraulic conductivity of Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL) with two types of leachate. GCL used in waste landfills have a significant ability as a barrier material, however, they also have a potential danger when exposed to some organic and inorganic leachate as well as humic materials. In this study, swelling tests and hydraulic conductivity tests were performed to evaluate the effect of humic materials and landfill leachate on the hydraulic characteristics of the GCL. The result of swelling tests showed that the amount of humic materials and high electronic conductivity caused a decrease of the swelling of bentonite. This is expected to increase the hydraulic conductivity of GCL. The increasing of hydraulic conductivity observed for GCL permeated with 0-leachate was significantly higher than that of Y-leachate. This result shows that humic materials are obviously affecting with the increasing of hydraulic conductivity of GCL.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.111-120
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• 1999

Leachate flow behavior due to intermediate cover soil of low hydraulic conductivity and the applicability of pumping method for reducing the leachate level in the landfill are analyzed with the numerical flow model, MODFLOW. Using the hydraulic conductivity and storativity data obtained from the field pumping and slug tests(Jang and Cho, 1999), the hydraulic condition within the landfill is validated. The optimum rate of pumping, the radius of influence, and the efficiency of horizontal drain are analyzed for reducing the leachate level in the landfill. From the results of the analyses, the barrier effect that the buried cover soil of low hydraulic conductivity prevents the vertical movement of leachate flow through the cover soil, which is found from the in-situ geotechnical studies(Jang and Cho, 1999), is identified again. Also, the installation of horizontal drains to the pumping well can increase the pumping rate from 120 ton/day per a well to 300 ton/day. The length of horizontal drain did not influence significantly on the drawdown-time curve of leachate in the landfill.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.1-9
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• 2011

Bentonite has been generally used as vertical cutoff barrier material and reported to have several problems regarding its low workability, drying shrinkage cracking by particle cohesion, and ineffective waterproof ability under sea water condition. In this study, the particle sealant, the furnace slag coated by the mixture of bentonite, sepiolite and guargum, was developed to compensate these weak points and the hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealant was evaluated. Drying shrinkage cracking and swelling index was estimated to find the optimal mixing ratio of bentonite, sepiolite and guargum. The hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealants having different amount of sealant (bentonite-sepioliteguargum mixture) coating the furnace slag was estimated using the rigid wall permeameter and flexible wall permeameter. The results showed that drying shrinkage cracking was not found in the bentonite-sepiolite mixture with 20% sepiolite contents and the results from free swelling tests for the sealant having 1 : 0.025, 1 : 0.05 and 1 : 0.075 of weight ratios of bentonite-sepiolite mixture and guargum under simulated sea water condition were higher than those for the bentonitesepiolite mixture without guargum under tap water condition. These three sealants were coated on the furnace slag with 50% and 60% of sealant in the particle sealant and the hydraulic conductivity was estimated. In the cases of the particle sealants having 20% sepiolite in the bentonite-sepiolite mixture and 1 : 0.075 weight ratio of the bentonite-sepiolite mixture and guargum, the hydraulic conductivity from the rigid wall permeameter was below $1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec under simulated sea water condition. The hydraulic conductivity of the particle sealant having $1.0{\times}10^{-6}$~$1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec by the rigid wall permeameter was estimated using the flexible wall permeameter and found to be below $1.0{\times}10^{-7}$ cm/sec.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.196-208
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• 2009

In this paper, wave responses of buoyant flap-typed storm surge barriers was studied numerically. Wave motions were modeled by using a linear potential wave theory, and behaviors of structures were represented as a Newton's 2nd law of motion. The near field region of the fluid was discretized as conventional quadratic iso-parametric elements, while the far field was modeled as infinite elements. Comparisons with the results from hydraulic model tests show that the present model gives good results. By using the model, the applicability of a buoyant flap-typed storm surge barrier in Masan bay was investigated considering field environmental conditions.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.251-260
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• 2016

Groundwater flow due to hydraulic gradients across a geologic barrier surrounding a dam reservoir can cause swamps or wetlands to form on the downstream side of the dam, thereby restricting land use. The difference in head between the reservoir level and the downstream groundwater level creates a hydraulic gradient, allowing water to flow through the geologic barrier. We constructed a drainage system at the Daecheong dam to study the effects on groundwater levels and soil moisture contents. The drainage system consisted of a buried screened pipe spanning a depth of 1-1.5 m below a land surface. Groundwater levels were monitored at several monitoring wells before and after the drainage system was installed. Most well sites recorded a decline in groundwater level on the order of 1 m. The high-elevated site (monitoring well W1) close to the reservoir showed a significant decline in groundwater level of more than 2 m, likely due to rapid discharge by the drainage system. Soil moisture contents were also analyzed and found to have decreased after the installation of the drainage system, even considering standard deviations in the soil moisture contents. We conclude that the drainage system effectively lowered groundwater levels on the downstream side of the dam. Furthermore, we emphasize that water seepage analyses are critical to embankment dam design and construction, especially in areas where downstream land use is of interest.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.863-870
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• 2017

With the increasing interest in using bacterial biofilms in geo-engineering practices, such as soil improvement, sealing leakage in earth structures, and hydraulic barrier installation, understanding of the contribution of bacterial biofilm formation to mechanical and hydraulic behavior of soils is important. While mechanical properties of soft gel-like biofilms need to be identified for appropriate modeling and prediction of behaviors of biofilm-associated soils, elastic properties of biofilms remain poorly understood. Therefore, this study investigated the microscale Young's modulus of biofilms produced by Shewanella oneidensis MR-1 in a liquid phase. The indentation test was performed on a biofilm sample using the atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a spherical indentor, and the force-indentation responses were obtained during approach and retraction traces. Young's modulus of biofilms was estimated to be ~33-38 kPa from these force-indentation curves and Hertzian contact theory. It appears that the AFM indentation result captures the microscale local characteristics of biofilms and its stiffness is relatively large compared to the other methods, including rheometer and hydrodynamic shear tests, which reflect the average macro-scale behaviors. While modeling of mechanical behaviors of biofilm-associated soils requires the properties of each component, the obtained results provide information on the mechanical properties of biofilms that can be considered as cementing, gluing, or filling materials in soils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.1264-1273
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• 2010

Soil-bentonite cutoff walls are widely recognized to be the effective barrier for containment of wastes and groundwater. Bentonite cake is usually found remaining on the trench surface due to the use of bentonite slurry during the excavation for the cutoff wall construction. Defects also inevitably take place due to the inappropriate construction procedures or improperly mixed soil-bentonite backfill. The defects include insufficient keys and windows in the soilbentonite cutoff wall. In this study, the performance of the soil-bentonite cutoff wall is evaluated based on the flow rates through the wall. Three-dimensional numerical models were applied to simulate the groundwater flow through the soil-bentonite cutoff walls of typical geometries with consideration of the defects and bentonite cake. Results of the simulations showed that the bentonite cake has no effect in the insufficient key cases. In the keyed wall cases, the bentonite cake with very low hydraulic conductivity significantly impedes the flow of groundwater through the wall. The presence of the bentonite cake not only compromises the window defect but also renders the wall construction more effective in blocking the groundwater flow. These findings show the significance of the bentonite cake in a soil-bentonite cutoff wall construction.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.81-89
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• 2001

Soil-bentonite mixture is often used for barrier wall to prevent seawater intrusion. In this study, the effect of seawater on the permeability of soil-bentonite mixture is examined, and the effect of permeability change on the seawater intrusion is investigated. Seawater intrusion in coastal areas was modeled using a finite element method. Seawater intrusion in the seawater-contaminated zone was determined by considering the hydraulic conductivity changes using the residual flow procedure (RFP) in the simulation model. Steady state and unsteady state conditions with variations in ground water levels in an inland area were investigated. The interface between fresh water and seawater, found by the proposed method, was located lower at the seawater side and the level at the fresh water side is higher than those by conventional methods.