• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.709-727
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• 2015

The main aim of this study is to introduce optimal design of homogeneous earth dams with oblique and horizontal drains based on particle swarm optimization (PSO) incorporating weighted least squares support vector machine (WLS-SVM). To achieve this purpose, the upstream and downstream slopes of earth dam, the length of oblique and horizontal drains and angle among the drains are considered as the design variables in the optimization problem of homogeneous earth dams. Furthermore, the seepage through dam body and the weight of dam as objective functions are minimized in the optimization process simultaneously. In the optimization procedure, the stability coefficient of the upstream and downstream slopes and the seepage through dam body as the hydraulic responses of homogeneous earth dam are required. Hence, the hydraulic responses are predicted using WLS-SVM approach. The optimal results of illustrative examples demonstrate the efficiency and computational advantages of PSO with WLS-SVM in the optimal design of homogeneous earth dams with drains.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.4417-4422
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• 1977

This thesis is a result of theoretical and electrical experimental studies for the shape of Seepage on various Earth Dams. The decrement method of seepage through of water amount to earth Dam's was tested by means of experiment by the model constructed in the water tank. A study of the seepage through earth Dam's is necessary for a satisfactory of the same. An attempt was made in these investigations to study the problem of the seepage through homogeneous earth dams with filters located near the axis of the dam and filters extending in to upstream portion of the dam by the electrical analogy method. The experimental results were at variance with the graphical solution given by A Casagrande method. Some of the results were checked by relaxation method and by the circle criterion for drawing flow nets.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.86-102
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• 1981

The soil test data of 28 earth dams, scheduled to be constructed in Kore3, were selected for this study. The safety factors of their side slops were computed using Fellenius' "slice Method" by computer. The results summarized in this study are as follows; 1. Dam sections can be easily determined by fig.10 without a time consuming trial and error calculations of assumed sections. 2. For the economical design of earth dam sections, it was found that more cohesive soil was suitable for lower dams(dam height less than 25m) and soils with a higher friction angle was better for higher dams 3. In the case that used soil materials have the same Internal friction angle, side slope increase was almost same. 4. The relationship between side slope and friction angle was found as log.S=a tan ø+b (Fig. 7) 5. The relationship between side slope and cohesion (c) was also found as log. S=a c+b (Fig. 8) 6. The change of safety factors due to the change of central core materials was very little (Table-2) 7. The decrease of safety factors according to the unit weight increase of embankment materials was negligible. 8. In general the relationship between the wet unit weight and the saturated unit weight was r sat = (rt)$^2$+0. 140. This study will contribute to the determination of economic and safe planning and designing of earth dams, embankments and cutting side slopes.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.22 no.6
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• pp.647-664
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• 2006

The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of transient stochastic analysis on nonlinear response of earth and rock-fill dams to spatially varying ground motion. The dam models are analyzed by a stochastic finite element method based on the equivalent linear method which considers the nonlinear variation of soil shear moduli and damping ratio as a function of shear strain. The spatial variability of ground motion is taken into account with the incoherence, wave-passage and site response effects. Stationary as well as transient stochastic response analyses are performed for the considered dam types. A time dependent frequency response function is used throughout the study for transient stochastic responses. It is observed that stationarity is a reasonable assumption for earth and rock-fill dams to typical durations of strong shaking.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.874-882
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• 2009

Continuous monitoring of dam performance is essential to earth and rockfill dams safety because it has to be guaranteed for safety during construction period of course and from initial impounding to a long term maintenance period of dam. Among the 31 dams managed by Kwater at present, the proportion of dams being over 20 years after completion of construction is 42% and it is estimated that the loss rate of monitoring devices will be increase as times. Monitoring devices would be impossible to repair since those are mostly installed in the dam body and foundation. If repairing of monitoring devices is possible, the expenditure will be expensive. Therefore reasonable decision making for abandonment, repair and alternation for loss of monitoring devices would be needed through the establishment of key instrument for earth and rockfill dam safety. In this study the process of monitoring for safety were modeled by failure modes of dams, adverse conditions related to failure mode, indicators of adverse condition and monitoring devices The relationship between failure mode and monitoring devices were systematically analyzed and established and evaluation technique for qualifying the importance of monitoring devices were presented.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.661-668
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• 2019

Seismic vulnerability assessment is a useful tool for rational safety analysis and planning of large and complex structural systems; it can deal with the effects of uncertainties on the performance of significant structural systems. In this study, an efficient dynamic reliability approach, probability density evolution methodology (PDEM), is proposed for seismic vulnerability analysis of earth dams. The PDEM provides the failure probability of different limit states for various levels of ground motion intensity as well as the mean value, standard deviation and probability density function of the performance metric of the earth dam. Combining the seismic reliability with three different performance levels related to the displacement of the earth dam, the seismic fragility curves are constructed without them being limited to a specific functional form. Furthermore, considering the seismic fragility analysis is a significant procedure in the seismic probabilistic risk assessment of structures, the seismic vulnerability results obtained by the dynamic reliability approach are combined with the results of probabilistic seismic hazard and seismic loss analysis to present and address the PDEM-based seismic probabilistic risk assessment framework by a simulated case study of an earth dam.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.443-456
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• 2021

Structural design of the vertical displacements and shear strains in the earth fill (EF) dams has great importance in the structural engineering problems. Moreover, far fault earthquakes have significant seismic effects on seismic damage performance of EF dams like the near fault earthquakes. For this reason, three dimensional (3D) earthquake damage performance of Oroville dam is assessed considering different far-fault ground motions in this study. Oroville Dam was built in United States of America-California and its height is 234.7 m (770 ft.). 3D model of Oroville dam is modelled using FLAC3D software based on finite difference approach. In order to represent interaction condition between discrete surfaces, special interface elements are used between dam body and foundation. Non-reflecting seismic boundary conditions (free field and quiet) are defined to the main surfaces of the dam for the nonlinear seismic analyses. 6 different far-fault ground motions are taken into account for the full reservoir condition of Oroville dam. According to nonlinear seismic analysis results, the effects of far-fault ground motions on the nonlinear seismic settlement and shear strain behaviour of Oroville EF dam are determined and evaluated in detail. It is clearly seen that far-fault earthquakes have very significant seismic effects on the settlement-shear strain behaviour of EF dams and these earthquakes create vital important seismic damages on the swelling behaviour of dam body surface. Moreover, it is proposed that far-fault ground motions should not be ignored while modelling EF dams.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.149-162
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• 2001

Longitudinal cracks have occurred on the crest of dams soon after their construction of two earth-rocfill dams located in Samlangjin. They are a pair of pumped storage dams constructed for generation of electrical power. The upper dam and lower dam are subjected to the variation of water level more than 10m once in a day alteratively. This paper deals with the finding of possible causes for longitudinal cracks about upper dam. The dominant cause was considered to be due to fluctuation of water load, for which numerical analysis was carried out using the hyperbolic model. In order to obtain parameters necessary to the analysis, a series of triaxial tests was performed for both core and rock material. Also dynamic triaxial test was performed to obtain dynamic properties of soils, which could be used as input data to simulate frequent variation of stress change due to the water fluctuation. It was known from the numerical analysis that the confining pressure of upper 4m from the top of the crest become negative after repeating of water load, meaning that tension cracks occurred in the top portion of the crest. The depth of longitudinal cracks has been investigated by digging test pit on the crest. This results agree with the field observation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.483-498
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• 2015

This article describes a new in-situ load test called the Hydraulic Cylinder Test (HCT) and its application to determine the geotechnical properties of soil-rock mixtures. The main advantages of the test are its easy implementation, speed of execution and low-cost. This article provides a detailed description of the equipment and the test procedure, and examines a case study of its application to determine the geotechnical properties of an earth-filled dam for a tailings pond. The containment dams of the ponds are made from blocks of gypsum and marl, obtained from the excavation of the ponds, mixed in a matrix of sands and clays. The size of the rocks varies between 1 and 30 cm. The HCT is particularly useful for determining the geotechnical properties of this type of soil-rock mixture. Nine HCTs were carried out to determine its strength (c, ${\phi}$) and deformation (B, G) properties. The results obtained were validated using the Bim strength criterion, recently proposed, and some pressure meter tests carried out beforehand. The properties obtained are used to analyze the stability of the dam using computer simulations and a modification to its design is proposed.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.8
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• pp.21-35
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• 2015

Electrical resistivity survey (2D and 3D) were employed for detection of possible weak zone of core zones of three central core earth-rockfill dams in Korea. In the 2D results, the core zones is lower resistivity zone with less than $50{\sim}400ohm{\cdot}m$, and the basement is relatively higher resistivity zone with over $1,000ohm{\cdot}m$. In the 3D results, especially, the weak zone with under $100ohm{\cdot}m$ was detected spatial distribution area in the dam. We also drilled boreholes to collect soil samples of core zones of each dam. Water was not used during boring, because water for rotary wash boring could cause structural damages in earth dams. We found that the soil samples of core zones from all of the boreholes correspond to CL (USCS), but we also found that the fluidized or water-saturated soil samples were found in lower resistivity zones. Therefore, the electrical resistivity survey and drilling method without water are a quick and efficient method for structural-health evaluation which is detection of possible weak zones in earth core rockfill dams.