• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.16 no.2
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• pp.79-90
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• 2013

Geophysical investigation in non-destructive testing is economically less expensive than boring testing and providing geotechnical information over wide-area. But, it provides only limited geotechnical information, which is hardly used to the design. Accordingly, we performed electrical resistivity experiments on large scale of soil model to analyze the correlation between electrical resistivity response and soil water contents. The soils used in the experiments were the Jumunjin standard sand and weathered granite soil. Each soil particle size distribution and coefficient of uniformity of experimental material obtained in the experiments were maintained in a state of the homogeneous. The specifications of the model used in this study is $160{\times}100{\times}50$(cm) of acrylic, and each soil was maintained at the height 30 cm. The water content were measured using the 5TE sensors (water contents sensors) which is installed 7 ~ 8 cm apart vertically by plugging to floor. The results of the resistivity behavior pattern for Jumunjin standard sand was found to be sensitive to the water content, while the weathered granite soil was showing lower resistivity over the time, and there was no significant change in behavior pattern observed. So, it results that the Jumunjin standard sand's particle current conduction was better than the weathered granite soil's particle through contact with the distilled water. This lab test was also compared with the result of a test bed site composed of similar weathered soil. It was confirmed that these experiments were underlying research of non-destructive investigation techniques to improve the accuracy to estimate the geotechnical parameter.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.7
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• pp.15-24
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• 2016

To investigate the unsaturated characteristics of the Boeun granite weathered soil, matric suction and volumetric water content were measured in both drying and wetting paths using Automated Soil-Water Characteristics Curve Apparatus. Based on the measured results, Soil-Water Characteristics Curve was estimated by van Genuchten (1980) model. The relationship between effective degree of saturation and matric suction showed the non-linear curve with S-shape and the hysteresis phenomenon occurred during drying and wetting paths. Suction Stress Characteristics Curve was estimated by the Lu and Likos (2006) model. The suction stress in drying path was constantly maintained and that in wetting path tended to increase when the effective degree of saturation was low. But the suction stress in drying path was larger than that in wetting path at the same degree of saturation when the effective degree of saturation became larger. Meanwhile, Hydraulic Conductivity Function was evaluated by the van Genuchten (1980) model which is one of the parameter estimation methods. The unsaturated hydraulic conductivity decreased with increasing the matric suction, and the decreasing velocity regarding to the matric suction in drying path was larger than that in wetting path.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2005

In this paper, a method reasonably predicting soil water characteristic curve of domestic weathered granite soils was suggested, based on the test results obtained through experiments. In other words, a method to estimate the parameters of Fredlund and Xing's equation using an ANN (artificial neural network) was proposed. The particle size distribution, compacted water content and void ratio were used as input data in the ANN model for predicting the parameters, since it was found that these basic soil properties affect the parameters obtained from the test results and the fitting results of SWCC. The network model proposed in this study to obtain the parameters of Fredlund and Xing's SWCC equation produced reliable predictions, and the precision of the prediction results from the proposed method was high, in comparison with the prediction results of other methods.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.61 no.6
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• pp.103-110
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• 2019

The purpose of this study is to investigate the reaction mechanism of soil and bacteria solution by various mixing ratios. For this purpose, in order to understand the reaction mechanisms of microorganisms and weathered granite soil, the tests were carried out under various mixing ratios additives such as soil, bacteria solution, $Ca(OH)_2$ and fixture. The test results from this study are summarized as follows. Firstly, the reaction between the bacteria solution and fixture produced a precipitate called vaterite, a type of silicate and calcium carbonate. Secondly, as a result of SEM analysis, the resulting precipitates generated from the test results using the specimens with various mixing ratios except SW condition and the irregular spherical microscopic shapes were formed in the size of $150{\mu}m$ to $20{\mu}m$. In addition, it can be seen that the bacteria solution and the fixture reacted between the granules to form an adsorbent material layer on the surface, and the microorganisms had a biological solidifying effect when the pores are combined into hard particles. Finally, The XRD analysis of the sediment resulting from the reaction between the microorganism and the deposit control agent confirmed the presence of a type of calcium carbonate ($CaCO_3$) vaterite, which affects soil strength formation, as well as silicate($SiO_2$).

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.55-65
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• 2009

It has been well known that the infiltration of rainfall causes major surfacial slope failures in Korea. However, the hydrological and mechanical behaviors in unsaturated slopes are somewhat complex. When an analysis on unsaturated slope problems is performed, soil-water characteristics curves (SWCC) are considered as major parameters to apply. Since the weathered soil slopes are layered and stressed by overburden pressures, the response of SWCCs should account for its overburden pressure. To deal with this situation, in this study, laboratory testings were conducted to evaluate the SWCC under various overburden stress. In addition, the unsaturated shear strength was estimated using SWCC. Then the performance of unsaturated weathered soil slopes was evaluated under various conditions after applying the effect of overburden pressure on SWCCs. The results demonstrated that the effect of overburden pressure on SWCC could be substantial and the proper application to analysis is very important to enhance the prediction of slope stability.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.192-205
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• 2005

This study is for geochemical relationships between ginsengs and soils from three representative soil types from Keumsan, shale, phyllite and granite areas. For this study, ginsengs (2, 3 and 4 years), with the soils and their host rock, are collected and are analysed for the transitional elements. In the weathered soils, the shale area is high in the most of elements, but low in the granite area. High correlation relationships are shown in the shale area. In the field soils, the shale area is mainly high, but low in the granite area. Comparing with ages, most of elements are high in the 2 year soils, but low in the 4 year soils. Regardless of the localities, positive and negative correlations are dominant in the shale area. In the host rocks, high element contents are shown in the phyllite and shale areas. Positive and negative correlations are found in the shale and phyllite areas for large numbers of the element pairs. In the ginsengs, differences of the element contents with ages are not clear, but show high element contents in the 2 year ginsengs of the shale and phyllite areas, and low contents in the 4 year ginsengs of the granite area. Positive correlations are shown in the Cu-Zn pair in the shale and phyllite areas, and Co-Cu pair in the granite area. In the relative ratios(weathered soil/field soil), most of elements from the shale area are high, above I, suggesting high element contents in the weathered soils of the shale area relative to the granite and phyllite areas. In the relative ratios(weathered soil/host rock), most of elements are above 1, suggesting the high element contents in the weathered soils relative to the host rocks. Relative ratios (soil/ginseng) of the element contents are several to ten times. Regardless of the areas, big differences of the relative ratios are found in the Co and small differences are in the Cu and Zn, which suggest that differences between soils and ginsengs are big in the Co contents and small in the Cu and Zn contents. Regardless of the ages, differences among relative ratios are small in granite area relative to the shale area, which suggest more similar contents between ginsengs and soils in the granite areas.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.12 no.7
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• pp.31-37
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• 2011

Only a few studies have been conducted using reduced slag as recycled material. The reduced slag in electric furnace is produced as a by-product in making a steel and a few applications of the reduced slag as expensive additives and bonding materials or as the stabilized soils was reported. The purpose of this study is to present the feasibility of the reduced slag as recycled material, especially, in a field of civil engineering. In order to achieve the purpose experiments such as SEM and XRF analysis was conducted for the reduced slag in electric furnace. Based on the results various geotechnical experiments were conducted to know engineering properties of slag-soil mixtures. Weathered soils and clay are mixed with reduced slag for various ratios. As the ratio of reduced slag to weathered soil increases, the maximum dry unit weight of the mixture decreased with increasing optimum moisture content. The results indicates that there is no effect on a reduced slag by compaction efforts. The shear strengths of the weathered soil-slag mixtures are slightly higher or similar to those of weathered soils. The permeability of the weathered soil-slag mixtures is similar to that of silty or sandy soils. Therefore, it is possible to use the mixtures as embankment or backfill materials in the fields. The unconfined strength of the mixtures of reduced slag and clay is higher than that of clay and it tends to increase with the curing time. Therefore it can be used to improve the soft ground.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.625-636
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• 2022

The standard penetration test (SPT) obtaining the N value of the number of blows has been widely used in various subsurface conditions, including in weathered soil and rock on fresh bedrock, in geotechnical studies pertaining to the design of foundations and earth structures. This study examined the applicability of SPTs terminated conventionally after 50 blows for a penetration of less than 30 cm, particularly in weathered strata, at four sites in Korea. The N values obtained during practical SPTs are typically extrapolated linearly at 30 cm penetration, despite the possibility of a nonlinear relationship between blow counts and penetration. Such nonlinearity in weathered strata has been verified by performing special SPTs ensuring 30 cm penetration. To quantify the nonlinearity in dense strata, we conducted statistical regression analyses comparing the differences (DN) between the N values measured by the special SPTs and those extrapolated using the practical approach with the differences (DP) between the 30 cm penetration and the penetration during 50 blows. Bi-linear relationship models between DN and DP were subsequently proposed for determining the N values at 30 cm penetration in weathered strata. The N values reflecting nonlinearity could be determined from the linearly extrapolated N values by adding a modeled DN value.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.13-24
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• 1997

In Korea, granite is abundant and occupies around two-thirds of the country's ground. Bven though weathered granite residual soils are widely distributed, undisturbed sampling of this soil is extremely difficult because of the particultate structure. This difficulty has kept away the researchers from investigating !he deformational characteristics of weathered granite residual soil. Thus, a special undisturbed sampling device was developed and undisturbed samples were prepared for triaxial compression (TX), resonant column(RC), and torsional shear (75) tests. Local deformation transducer (LDT) was fabricated for internal strain measurements during TX tests. Both undisturbed samples and statically compacted samples of same density were tested by using TX with LDT, RC, and 75 test equipments. The behaviour of statically compacted specimens was almost the same as that of undisturbed samples in the strain ranges below 1 percent. The stiffness and strength decreased with increasing degree of weathering. In case of undisturbed specimens, strains at failure are widely varied from 2 percent to 11 percent, and planes of failure are irrelevant to the angle of internal friction due to the inhomogeneous nature.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.5-11
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• 2015

Recently the necessity of developing the Load and Resistance Factor Design (LRFD) for shallow foundation has been raised to implement to the domestic design codes related to geotechnical engineering since the limit state design is requested as international technical standard for the foundation of structures. In this study, applicability of LRFD for shallow foundation on weathered soils was investigated and resistance factor for this case was proposed. The quantitative analyses on the uncertainty and resistance bias for shallow foundation on weathered soil ground were performed by collecting the statistical data about domestic case studies for design and construction of shallow foundation. Reliability analyses for shallow foundation were first performed using FDA (First-order Design value Approach) method. Resistance factors were calibrated using the load factors obtained from the specifications of shallow foundations on weathered soil ground. The influence of the load factors developed in this study on the resistance factors were discussed by comparing with the resistance factor obtained from using AASHTO load factors.