• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.16 no.1 s.47
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• pp.1-14
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• 2006

Various measurements were carried out to estimate the modulus of deformation in two dominant rock types in Korea: granite and gneiss. Four most commonly used methods were utilized: Goodman jack tests, PS well logging, laboratory ultrasonic tests and laboratory uniaxial loading tests. Laboratory static and dynamic Young's moduli depend on the magnitude of the applied axial stress, range of Sequency used for measurement and the loading/unloading condition. As the laboratory measurement condition approaches to that in situ, the resultant moduli also appear to be comparable to that in situ. This suggests that the simulation of in situ stress condition is important when the modulus of rock is determined in the laboratory Dynamic Young's modulus is generally higher than static Young's modulus because of (micro)crack behavior in response to the stress, different range of frequency used for measurements, and the effect of the amplitude of deformation. Understanding of the relations in moduli from different measurement methods will help estimate appropriate in situ values.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.457-465
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• 2013

We integrated and correlated datasets from surface and subsurface geophysics, drilling cores, and engineering geology to identify geological interfaces and characterize the joints and fracture zones within the rock mass. The regional geometry of a geologically weak zone was investigated via a fence projection of electrical resistivity data and a borehole image-processing system. Subsurface discontinuities and intensive fracture zones within the rock mass are delineated by cross-hole seismic tomography and analyses of dip directions in rose diagrams. The dynamic elastic modulus is studied in terms of the P-wave velocity and Poisson's ratio. Subsurface discontinuities, which are conventionally identified using the N value and from core samples, can now be identified from anomalous reflection coefficients (i.e., acoustic impedance contrast) calculated using a pair of well logs, comprising seismic velocity from suspension-PS logging and density from logging. Intensive fracture zones identified in the synthetic seismogram are matched to core loss zones in the drilling core data and to a high concentration of joints in the borehole imaging system. The upper boundaries of fracture zones are correlated to strongly negative amplitude in the synthetic trace, which is constructed by convolution of the optimal Ricker wavelet with a reflection coefficient. The standard deviations of dynamic elastic moduli are higher for fracture zones than for acompact rock mass, due to the wide range of velocities resulting from the large numbers of joints and fractures within the zone.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09c
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• pp.3-10
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• 2010

Case study was carried out on the interpretation of the mechanical behavior of a severely damaged reinforced earth wall comprising geotextile with the concrete panel facing. In this part I, the outline of the damaged reinforced earth wall is in detail described. The background and cause of the damage are discussed based on the results of site investigation. The engineering properties of the fill were examined by performing various in-situ and laboratory tests, including the surface wave survey (SWS), PS-logging, RI-logging, soaking test, the direct shear box (DSB) test, bender element (BE) test, etc. The background as well as the cause for the damage of the wall may be described such that i) a considerable amount of settlement took place over a 3m thick weak soil layer in the lower part of the reinforced earth due to seepage of rainfall water, ii) the weight of the upper fill was partially supported by the geo-textile hooked on the concrete panels (n.b., named conveniently "hammock state" in this paper), and iii) the concrete panels to form the hammock were severely damaged by the unexpectedly large downwards compression force triggered by the tension force of the geotextile. The numerical simulation for the hammock state of the wall, together with counter-measures to re- stabilize the wall is subsequently described in Part II.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.8 no.1
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• pp.26-33
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• 2005

Inversion of multi-mode surface-wave phase velocity for shallow engineering site investigation has received much attention in recent years. A sensitivity analysis and inversion of both synthetic and field data demonstrates the greater effectiveness of this method over employing the fundamental mode alone. Perturbation of thickness and shear-wave velocity parameters in multi-modal Rayleigh wave phase velocities revealed that the sensitivities of higher modes: (a) concentrate in different frequency bands, and (b) are greater than the fundamental mode for deeper parameters. These observations suggest that multi-mode phase velocity inversion can provide better parameter discrimination and imaging of deep structure, especially with a velocity reversal, than can inversion of fundamental mode data alone. An inversion of the theoretical phase velocities in a model with a low velocity layer at 20 m depth can only image the soft layer when the first higher mode is incorporated. This is especially important when the lowest measurable frequency is only 6 Hz. Field tests were conducted at sites surveyed by borehole and PS logging. At the first site, an array microtremor survey, often used for deep geological surveying in Japan, was used to survey the soil down to 35 m depth. At the second site, linear multichannel spreads with a sledgehammer source were recorded, for an investigation down to 12 m depth. The f-k power spectrum method was applied for dispersion analysis, and velocities up to the second higher mode were observed in each test. The multi-mode inversion results agree well with PS logs, but models estimated from the fundamental mode alone show f large underestimation of the depth to shallow soft layers below artificial fill.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.349-356
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• 2015

Although geophysical methods are useful and generally provide valuable information about the subsurface, it is important to recognize their limitations. A common limitation is the lack of sufficient contrast in physical properties between different layers. Thus, multiple methods are commonly used to best constrain the physical properties of different layers and interpret each section individually. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) and shallow seismic reflection (SSR) methods, used for shallow and very shallow subsurface imaging, respond to dielectric and velocity contrasts between layers, respectively. In this study, we merged GPR and SSR data from a test site within the Cheongui granitic mass, where the water table is ~3 m deep all year. We interpreted the data in combination with field observations and existing data from drill cores and well logs. GPR and SSR reflections from the tops of the sand layer, water table, and weathered and soft rocks are successfully mapped in a single section, and they correlate well with electrical resistivity data and SPS (suspension PS) well-logging profiles. In addition, subsurface interfaces in the integrated section correlate well with S-wave velocity structures from multi-channel analysis shear wave (MASW) data, a method that was recently developed to enhance lateral resolution on the basis of CMP (common midpoint) cross-correlation (CMPCC) analysis.