• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.9-16
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• 2016

During the 2004 Niigata-ken Chuetsu, Japan, earthquake, more than 1,450 underground structures, known as sewer manhole, were uplifted up to 1.5m in Nagaoka and Ojiya city. The uplift damage can be a serious matter because they not only hinder the flow of wastewater systems, as a part of lifeline systems, but also disturb traffic flows. For restoration works, an open-cut investigation of damaged wastewater system was conducted by the Nagaoka city government. The results from the investigation compiled valuable data sets for buried pipeline damage due to earthquakes. In the present study, the factors affecting the uplift amount of the underground structure is investigated by using the data sets which include locations of damaged sections and inclination of pipeline before and after the earthquake and the SPT borehole logs in the affected area. Correlation analysis between the underground structure uplift and the geological settings in the affected area revealed that ground water depth and original subsoil, including thickness of clay layer, SPT N-value and fill thickness are the key parameters for the uplift phenomenon.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2007.09a
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• pp.266-292
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• 2007

Round Robin Test (RRT) on ground response analyses was conducted for three sites in Korea based on several site investigation data, which include borehole logs with the N values from standard penetration test (SPT) for all three sites and additionally cone tip resistance profiles for two sites. Three input earthquake motions together with the site investigation data were provided for the RRT. A total of 12 teams participating in this RRT presented the results of ground response analyses using equivalent-linear and/or nonlinear method. Each team determined input geotechnical properties by using empirical relationships and literatures based on own judgment, with the exception of the input motions. Herein, the characteristics of input motions were compared in terms of the frequency and period, and the selection of the depth to bedrock, on which the motions is impinged, was discussed considering geologic conditions in Korea. Furthermore, a variety of geotechnical properties such as shear wave velocity profiles and soil nonlinear curves were investigated with the input properties used in this RRT.