• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2009.09a
• /
• pp.1435-1440
• /
• 2009

Geotechnical variability is a complex feature that results from many independent sources of uncertainties, and is mainly affected by inherent variability and measurement errors. This study evaluates the coefficient of variation (COV) of soil properties at Song-do region in Korea for evaluating inherent soil variability. Since soil variability is sensitive to soil layers and soil types, the COVs by soil layers (reclaimed layer and marine layer) and the COVs by soil types (clay and silt) were separately evaluated. It is observed that geotechnical variability of marine layer and clay is relatively smaller than that of reclamation layer and silt.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.25 no.6
• /
• pp.73-88
• /
• 2009

Geotechnical variability is a complex feature that results from many independent sources of uncertainties, and is mainly affected by inherent variability and measurement errors. This study evaluates the coefficient of variation (COV) of soil properties and soil layers at Song-do region in Korea. Since soil variability is sensitive to soil layers and soil types, the Cays by soil layers (reclaimed layer and marine layer) and the COVs by soil types (clay and silt) were separately evaluated. It is observed that geotechnical variability of marine layer and clay is relatively smaller than that of reclamation layer and silt. And, the highly weathered rock and soil show the higher cays in the interpretation of the strength parameters of the fresh and weathered rock. And the proposed COV of Songdo area can be used for the reliability-based design procedure.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.31-45
• /
• 2019

In this study the spatial variability of soils is substantiated physically and numerically by using random field theory. Heterogeneous samples are fabricated by combining nine homogeneous soil clusters that are assumed to be elements of an adopted random field. Homogeneous soils are prepared by mixing different percentages of kaolin and bentonite at water contents equivalent to their respective liquid limits. Comprehensive characteristic laboratory tests were carried out before embarking on direct shear experiments to deduce the basic correlations and properties of nine homogeneous soil clusters that serve to reconstitute the heterogeneous samples. The tests consist of Atterberg limits, and Oedometric and unconfined compression tests. The undrained shear strength of nine soil clusters were measured by the unconfined compression test data, and then correlations were made between the water content and the strength and stiffness of soil samples with different consistency limits. The direct shear strength of heterogeneous samples of different stochastic properties was then evaluated by physical and numerical modelling using FISH code programming in finite difference software of $FLAC^{3D}$. The results of the experimental and stochastic numerical analyses were then compared. The deviation of numerical simulations from direct shear load-displacement profiles taken from different sources were discussed, potential sources of error was introduced and elaborated. This study was primarily to explain the mathematical and physical procedures of sample preparation in stochastic soil mechanics. It can be extended to different problems and applications in geotechnical engineering discipline to take in to account the variability of strength and deformation parameters.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.35 no.3
• /
• pp.37-46
• /
• 2019

Recently, the use of CPT-based liquefaction assessment method has increased by providing more accurate results than other field tests. In CPT-based liquefaction evaluation, various soil properties are predicted and they are used for liquefaction potential assessment. In particular, fines content is one of the important input parameters in CPT-based liquefaction assessment, so it is very important to use correct prediction model and to make quantitative evaluation of estimating variability of fines content. In this study, the error evaluation of existing models for prediction of fines content through CPT was performed, and the most suitable model was selected for Pohang area, where the liquefaction phenomenon was observed in the 2017. In addition, the inherent variability of soil was analyzed, and the estimating variability of fines content was evaluated quantitatively considering the inherent variability of soil, measurement error of CPT and transformation uncertainty of selected model.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.17 no.6
• /
• pp.565-572
• /
• 2019

Spatial variability is an inherent characteristic of soil, and auto-correlation length (ACL) is a very important parameter in the reliability or probabilistic analyses of geotechnical engineering that consider the spatial variability of soils. Current methods for estimating the ACL need a large amount of laboratory or in-situ experiments, which is a great obstacle to the application of random field theory to geotechnical reliability analysis and design. To estimate the ACL reasonably and efficiently, we propose a micro-structure based numerical simulation method. The quartet structure generation set algorithm is used to generate stochastic numerical micro-structure of soils, and scanning electron microscope test of soil samples combined with digital image processing technique is adopted to obtain parameters needed in the QSGS algorithm. Then, 2-point correlation function is adopted to calculate the ACL based on the generated numerical micro-structure of soils. Results of a case study shows that the ACL can be estimated efficiently using the proposed method. Sensitivity analysis demonstrates that the ACL will become stable with the increase of mesh density and model size. A model size of $300{\times}300$ with a grid size of $1{\times}1$ is suitable for the calculation of the ACL of clayey soils.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.24 no.2
• /
• pp.167-178
• /
• 2021

Spatial variability is an inherent uncertainty of soil properties. Current reliability analyses generally incorporate random field theory and Monte Carlo simulation (MCS) when dealing with spatial variability, in which the computational efficiency is a significant challenge. This paper proposes a KL-FORM algorithm to improve the computational efficiency. In the proposed KL-FORM, Karhunen-Loeve (KL) expansion is used for discretizing random fields, and first-order reliability method (FORM) is employed for reliability analysis. The KL expansion and FORM can be used in conjunction, through adopting independent standard normal variables in the discretization of KL expansion as the basic variables in the FORM. To illustrate the effectiveness of this KL-FORM, it is applied to a case study of a strip footing in spatially variable unsaturated soil under rainfall, in which the bearing capacity of the footing is computed by numerical simulation. This case study shows that the KL-FORM is accurate and efficient. The parametric analyses suggest that ignoring the spatial variability of the soil may lead to an underestimation of the reliability index of the footing.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.529-537
• /
• 2009

A key parameter in the design of a laterally loaded pile is the determination of its performance level. Performance level of a pile is usually expressed as the maximum head deflection and bending moment. In general, uncertainties in the performance of a pile originates from many factors such as inherent variability of soil properties, inadequate soil exploration programs, errors taking place in the determination of soil parameters, limited calculation models as well as uncertainties in loads. This makes it difficult for practicing engineers to decide for the reliability of laterally loaded piles both in cohesive and cohesionless soils. In this paper, limit state functions and consequent performance functions are obtained for single concrete piles to predict the maximum bending moment, a widely accepted design criterion along with the permissible pile head displacement. Analyses were made utilizing three dimensional finite element method and soil-structure-interaction (SSI) effects were accounted for.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural and Forest Meteorology
• /
• v.1 no.1
• /
• pp.29-35
• /
• 1999

Soil structure and organic matter have been known to strongly affect water flow and solute transport, yet little information is available concerning soil hydraulic properties related to soil physical and chemical properties in the forest site. The purpose of this study was to quantify the spatial variability and spatial correlation of the measured parameter values from the plots established with the rainfall simulator on Japanese larch(Larix leptolepis) dominated site in Kwangju. Kyunggi-Do. Measurement of soil water flux and retention were made with the inherent soil texture, soil structure, and organic matter. The method was based on the observation that when water was applied at a constant rate to the soil surface on each plot. The method was simple to apply and consists of following steps: (i) Wet the soil from a rainfall simulator with several known discharge rates on a relatively leveled soil surface with and without organic matter. (ii) Once the borders of the ponded zone were steady, saturated hydraulic conductivity( $K_{s}$) and the matric flux function(F) was evaluated from a regression of flux vs. the reciprocal of the ponded area. A conductivity of the form $K_{i+}$$_1$ $_{c}$= $K_{i}$( $_{c}$) [1-d /dz] where flux continuity implies. For this, continuity of matric potential at the interface at all times are as follows: $_1$( $Z_{c}$) = $_2$( $Z_{c}$) = $_{c}$ for steady state intake from water ponded on the soil surface. Results of this investigation showed the importance of understanding spatial variability in wide differences of water retention and saturated hydraulic conductivity with respect to pore geometry and organic matter contents which influenced the water flux throughout the soil profile.l profile.ile.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.8 no.3
• /
• pp.85-90
• /
• 1988

A probabilistic model for the failure in a homogeneous soil slope is presented. The Safety of the slope is measured through its probability of failure rather than the customary factor of safety. The safety margin of slope failure is assumed to follow a normal distribution. Sources of uncertainties affecting characterization of soil property in a homogeneous soil layer include inherent spatial variability., estimation error from insufficient samples, and measurement errors. Uncertainties of the shear strength-along potential failure surface are expressed by one-dimensional random field models. The rupture surface, created at toe of a soil slope, has been considered to propagate towards the boundary along a path following an exponential (log-spiral) law. Having derived the statistical characteristics of the rupture surface and of the forces which act along it, the probability of failure of the slope was found. Finally the developed procedure has been applied in a case study to yield the reliability of a soil slope.

• Proceedings of the Korean Reliability Society Conference
• /
• 2005.06a
• /
• pp.69-73
• /
• 2005

The failure of geogrids used for soil reinforcement application can be defined as an excessive creep strain which causes the collapse of slopes and embankments. Accordingly, the lifetime is evaluated as a time to reach the excessive creep strain using two accelerated creep testing methods, time-temperature superposition(TTS) and stepped isothermal methods(SIM). TTS is a well-accepted acceleration method to evaluate creep behavior of polymeric materials, while SIM was developed in the last ten years mainly to shorten testing time and minimize the uncertainty associated with inherent variability of multi-specimen tests. The SIM test is usually performed using single rib of geogrids for temperature steps of $14^{\circ}C$ and a dwell time of 10,000 seconds. However, for multi-ribs of geogrids, the applicability of the SIM has not been well established. In this study, the creep behaviors are evaluated using multi-ribs of polyester geogrids using SIM and TTS creep procedures and the newly designed test equipment. Then the lifetime of geogrids are predicted by analyzing the failure times to reach the excessive creep strains through reliability analysis.