• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.133-144
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• 2003

The resonant column testing is a laboratory testing method to determine the shear modulus and material damping factor of soils. The method has been widely used for many applications and its importance has increased. Since the first use of the testing method in 1960's, the low-technology electronic devices fir testing and data acquisition have limited the measurement only to the amplitude of the linear spectrum. The limitations of the testing method are also attributed to the assumption of linear-elastic material in the theory of the resonant column testing and also to the incomplete understanding of the dynamic behaviour of the resonant column testing device. Recently, Joh et al. proposed a theory to overcome the limitations of the resonant column testing by deriving the equation of motion and providing its solution for the resonant column testing device. This study proposed the improved data reduction and analysis method for the resonant column testing, thanks to the advanced data acquisition system and the new theoretical solution for the resonant column testing system. For the verification of the proposed data reduction and analysis method, the numerical simulation of the resonant column testing was performed by the finite element analysis. Also, a series of resonant column testing were performed fir Joomunjin sand, which verified the feasibility of the proposed method and revealed the limitations of the conventional data reduction and analysis method.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.377-385
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• 2015

We constructed a model test apparatus to evaluate the dependence of the saturation velocity (V_s) in soils on rainfall intensity (I_R). The apparatus comprises a soil box, a rainfall simulator, and measuring sensors. The model grounds (60 cm × 50 cm × 15 cm) were formed by Joomunjin standard sand with a relative density of 75%. The rainfall simulator can control the rainfall intensity to reenact the actual rainfall in a soil box. Time Domain Reflectometer (TDR) sensors and tensiometers were installed in the soils to measure changes in the volumetric water content and matric suction due to rainfall infiltration. During the tests, the soil saturation was determined by raising the groundwater table, which was formed at the bottom of the soil box. [Please check that the correct meaning has been maintained.] The wetting front did not form at the ground surface during rainfall because the soil particles were uniform and the coefficient of permeability was relatively high. Our results show that the suction stress of the soils decreased with increasing volumetric water content, and this effect was most pronounced for volumetric water contents of 20%-30%. Based on a regression analysis of the relationship between rainfall intensity and the average saturation velocity, we suggest the following equation for estimating the saturation velocity in soils: V_savg (cm/sec) = 0.068I_R (mm/hr).

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.7
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• pp.55-61
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• 2014

The need of geothermal energy is constantly increasing for economical and environmental utilization. Horizontal ground heat exchangers (GHEs) can reduce installation cost and increase efficiency. There are many kinds of GHEs, and it is known that slinky and spiral coil type GHEs show high thermal performance. Therefore, this paper presents experimental results of heat exchange rates in horizontal slinky and spiral coil type GHEs installed in a steel box whose size is $5m{\times}1m{\times}1m$. Dried Joomunjin standard sand was filled in a steel box, and thermal response tests (TRTs) were conducted for 30 hours to evaluate heat exchange rates by changing different pitch spaces of horizontal slinky and spiral coil type GHEs. As a result, spiral coil type GHE showed 30~40% higher heat exchange rates per pipe length than horizontal slinky type GHEs. Furthermore, long pitch interval (Pitch/Diameter=1) showed 200~250% higher heat exchange rates per pipe length than short pitch interval (Pitch/Diameter=0.2) in both spiral coil and horizontal slinky type GHEs, respectively.