• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.281-294
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• 2012

Filtration using granular media such as quarried sand, anthracite and granular activated carbon is a well-known technique used in both water and wastewater treatment. A relatively new pre-filtration method called pebble matrix filtration (PMF) technology has been proved effective in treating high turbidity water during heavy rain periods that occur in many parts of the world. Sand and pebbles are the principal filter media used in PMF laboratory and pilot field trials conducted in the UK, Papua New Guinea and Serbia. However during first full-scale trials at a water treatment plant in Sri Lanka in 2008, problems were encountered in sourcing the required uniform size and shape of pebbles due to cost, scarcity and Government regulations on pebble dredging. As an alternative to pebbles, hand-made clay pebbles (balls) were fired in a kiln and their performance evaluated for the sustainability of the PMF system. These clay balls within a filter bed are subjected to stresses due to self-weight and overburden, therefore, it is important that clay balls should be able to withstand these stresses in water saturated conditions. In this paper, experimentally determined physical properties including compression failure load (Uniaxial Compressive Strength) and tensile strength at failure (theoretical) of hand-made clay balls are described. Hand-made clay balls fired between the kiln temperatures of $875^{\circ}C$ to $960^{\circ}C$ gave failure loads of between 3.0 kN and 7.1 kN. In another test when clay balls were fired to $1250^{\circ}C$ the failure load was 35.0 kN compared to natural Scottish cobbles with an average failure load of 29.5 kN. The uniaxial compressive strength of clay balls obtained by experiment has been presented in terms of the tensile yield stress of clay balls. Based on the effective stress principle in soil mechanics, a method for the estimation of maximum theoretical load on clay balls used as filter media is proposed and compared with experimental failure loads.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.73-79
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• 2018

In the west coast, south coast, and river basin, the use of geotextile mats has been increasing to improve the soft ground for making industrial facilities space and farmland. As an initial step to improve the vast and soft ground, the geotextile mats are laid and bonded to increase the bearing capacity of the wide ground for supporting construction equipment. Seam strength of geotextile mats exert a force only about 50% of the tensile strength of the fabric, which causes problems such as uplift and sinking in the soft ground. In this study, various types of geosynthetic matting techniques were investigated and the tensile strength of each method was compared and analyzed. Numerical analysis shows that stress increment in the ground due to the overburden load decreases when the seam strength of the geosynthetics mats is increased. When the seam strength was increased to 60, 70 and 80%, the bearing capacity of ground by geotextile mat was increased.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.255-264
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• 2009

This paper concerns the behavior of 2-Arch tunnel constructed under various conditions. A 2-Arch tunnel section adopted in a subway tunnel construction site is considered in this study. A calibrated 3D finite element model was adopted to conduct parametric studies on a variety of construction scenarios including lagged distance between left and right tunnels, overburden, and geological condition. The results of analyses were examined in terms of crown settlement, shotcrete lining stress, and load on center column in relation to the lagged distance, cover depth, and the ground condition. The results indicate that the shotcrete lining stress and the center pillar load are more influenced by the second tunnel excavation than the tunnel deformation. Also shown is that a greater lagged distance is required to minimize the interaction between two tunnels when the ground condition becomes weaker. Fundamental mechanisms of 2-arch tunnel were also discussed based on the results.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.93-102
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• 2003

Unconfined compression test (UC) has been widely used to determine the undrained shear strength ($c_u$) of clay, because it is convenient and economical. However, UC can not represent the behaviour of in-situ stress condition and the strength obtained by the test is generally underestimated compared to that of triaxial compression, due to no confining pressure. Therefore, a simple and practical method to correct the ($c_u$) for sample disturbance and to be used in geotechnical practice is needed. This study is aimed at proposing the method to estimate in-situ undrained shear strength from UC with suction measurement. The proposed method is based on theoretical shear strength equation of perfect sample (Noorany & Seed, 1965), and effective overburden stress and analysis results ($A_f,\phi'$) of effective stress behaviour by UC are needed for the equation. The shear resistance angle ($\phi'$) can be simply estimated through the result that $K_f$-line slope of the UC is 1.6 times higher than that of triaxial compression test. The result of this study shows that the measured strength by this method is very similar to that of the undrained shear strength by triaxial compression test (CK$_0$UC).

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.15 no.5
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• pp.455-468
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• 2013

In recent, various types of steel pipe-roof methods, which is reinforced by mortar after propulsion of steel pipe into the ground, have been used for the construction of trenchless underpass. Integrated steel pipe-roof has flexural stiffness and can resist against overburden load and reduce the stress acting on the concrete underpass structures. Due to arching effect, vertical and horizontal stress distribution around the steel pipe-roof is changing. In this study, therefore, the characteristic of stress distribution around the underpass induced by the construction of integrated steel pipe-roof is investigated by using numerical method. To examine the soil-structure interaction, interface element is introduced. Results show that vertical stress acting on the concrete structure placing inside the steel pipe-roof is significantly reduced due to arching effect and flexural stiffness of integrated steel pipe-roof. Design load can be reduced and effective design of underpass will be available if the earth pressure reduction due to arching effect is considered in the design stage.

• Journal of the Korean Geophysical Society
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• v.5 no.3
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• pp.199-209
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• 2002

We have carried out a nondestructive close examination for the purpose of the structural safety diagnosis of the Dabo Pagoda of Bulkuk temple located in Kyungju, Kyungbuk Korea. For estimating the mechanical properties of each rock block of the pagoda, ultrasonic measurements were conducted at 641 points of 255 blocks. The P-wave velocity ranges from 584m/sec through 5,169m/sec, and averages 2,901m/sec Based on this result, the uniaxial compressive strength was estimated to be $93{\sim}1,943kg/cm^2\;with\;396kg/cm^2$ of average, and the index of weathering is $0.07{\sim}0.88$ with 0.43 of average, which means the moderate degree of weathering. The comparison of the rock strength of each block with the overburden acting on the block reveals that the rock blocks related to the structure of the pagoda are relatively sound for uniform stress, but it is highly possible for a concentrated stress to lead to a partial failure. We suggest a monitoring of cracks due to the concentrated stress. The parapets of 1st and 2nd floors composed of small rock pieces are severely weathered. However, this is not directly related to the structural safety of the pagoda.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.33-40
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• 1988

The new technique has been used to determine the soil-reinforcement interaction. The testing apparatus is essentially a triaxial cell fitted with the capability to house a hollow cylinderical sample. A hollow cylinderical sand specimen with a concentrical layer of reinfarcing material sandwitched in the middle is used in this investigation. The reinforcement is fastened at the base. The hollow specimen can be viewed as a "unit sheet" of a soil-reinforcement composite system of infinite horizontal extent. Axial load as well as inner and outer chamber pressures can be applied to perform a test. The specimen is first subjected to an isotropic stress state corresponding to the overburden pressure. Next, an extension test by reducing the axial load is carried out. The specimen is "loaded" to failure by either the breakage of reinforcing material (tensile failure) or slippage which takes place at the soil-reinforcement interface (i.e. the overcoming of the bonding capacity). Since the reinforcement is fastened at its lower end to the base, any tendency of relative movement between the reinforcement and the sand during an extension test can induce tensile force in the reinforcement thus forming a "reversed pull-out" test condition. Preliminary test results have demonstrated positively of the new approach to test the soil-reinforcement interaction. Reinforcing elements of different extensibility were used to study the deformbility of reinforced soil. Furthermore, both the breakage and the pull-out modes of failure were observed.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.84-91
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• 2010

We built multi-purpose large triaxial testing system that can test and evaluate various geotechnical design parameters such as shear strength, deformation modulus and stress-strain behaviour for large diameter granular materials, which are the most commonly used construction materials in the railway, road embankments. The details of the built testing system and the results obtained from static triaxial test carried out for gneiss ballast material are discussed within the scope of this paper. Ballast is hardly saturated and is confined at low overburden pressure, since the depth is shallow and the permeability is very high. Herein we ascertained that the confining pressure can effectively be controlled by vacuum. The rational trend could be checked up through triaxial test results such as shear strength, deformation, and particle breakage. And the shear strength envelope could be non-linearly represented with the parent rock strength, confining pressure of the triaxial test and proper parameters.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.175-187
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• 2003

The earth pressure acting on the cylindrical retaining wall in cohesionless soils is different from that on the retaining wall in plane strain condition due to three dimensional arching effect. Accurate estimation of earth pressure is required for the design of vertical cylindrical retaining wall. Failure modes of the ground behind vertical shaft are dependent on ground in-situ stress conditions. Failure modes are actually divided into two modes of cylindrical failure mode and funnel-shaped mode with truncated cone surface. Several researchers have attempted to estimate the earth pressure on cylindrical wall for each failure mode, but they have some limitations. In this paper, several equations for estimating the earth pressure on cylindrical wall in cohesionless soils are investigated and new formulations for two failure modes are suggested. It rationally takes into account the overburden pressure, wall friction, and force equilibriums on sliding surface.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.19 no.12
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• pp.33-39
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• 2018

In this study, important characteristics were identified for the Geosynthetic-soil interface using overburden pressure and saltwater and fresh water to evaluate silt shear behavior of the Geosynthetic-soil interface. In addition, waste landfill can secure spaces for waste disposal in the sea and this spaces can be used for additional facilities which will be necessary in the future. Analysis of behavior characteristics on interface of Geosynthetic-soil shows that, if analyzed using standard consolidometers, the consolidation stress of fresh water increased significantly more than saltwater. When analyzed using cyclic shear apparatus, saltwater and freshwater in both conditions, the displacement value increases as the wire gauges become closer to the lower module, and the shear fracture tends to occur radically under saltwater conditions than fresh water. Therefore, seawater, fresh water that act on the interface of geosynthetic-soil, and installation of facility using geosynthetic should be considered as important parameters that are essential for the dynamic design factor of the water controlling facility.