• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.49-58
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• 2021

The resistance of soil to the tractive force of flowing water is one of the essential parameters for the stability of the soil when directly exposed to the movement of water such as in rivers and ocean beds. Biopolymers, which are new to sustainable geotechnical engineering practices, are known to enhance the mechanical properties of soil. This study addresses the surface erosion resistance of river-sand treated with several biopolymers that originated from micro-organisms, plants, and dairy products. We used a state-of-the-art erosion function apparatus with P-wave reflection monitoring. Experimental results have shown that biopolymers significantly improve the erosion resistance of soil surfaces. Specifically, the critical shear stress (i.e., the minimum shear stress needed to detach individual soil grains) of biopolymer-treated soils increased by 2 to 500 times. The erodibility coefficient (i.e., the rate of increase in erodibility as the shear stress increases) decreased following biopolymer treatment from 1 × 10-2 to 1 × 10-6 times compared to that of untreated river-sands. The scour prediction calculated using the SRICOS-EFA program has shown that a height of 14 m of an untreated surface is eroded during the ten years flow of the Nakdong River, while biopolymer treatment reduced this height to less than 2.5 m. The result of this study has demonstrated the possibility of cross-linked biopolymers for river-bed stabilization agents.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.583-595
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• 2019

In this paper, a comprehensive investigation of the dynamic response of a long-bridge subjected to spatially varying earthquake ground motions (SVEGM) is performed based on a proposed analytical model which includes the effect of soil-structure interaction (SSI). The spatial variability of ground motions is simulated by the powerful record generator, SIMQKE II. Modeling of the SSI in the system is simplified by replacing the pile foundations and soil with sets of independent equivalent linear springs and dashpots along the pile groups. One of the most fundamental objectives of this study is to examine how well the proposed model simulates the dynamic response of a bridge system. For this purpose, the baseline data required for the evaluation process is derived from analyzing a 3D numerical model of the bridge system which is validated in this paper. To emphasize the importance of the SVEGM and SSI, bridge responses are also determined for the uniform ground motion and fixed base cases. This study proposing a compatible analytical model concerns the relative importance of the SSI and SVEGM and shows that these effects cannot be neglected in the seismic analysis of long-bridges.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.71 no.6
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• pp.699-712
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• 2019

The reinforced concrete lining of hydraulic pressure tunnels tends to crack under high inner water pressure (IWP), which results in the inner water exosmosis along cracks and involves typical hydro-mechanical interaction. This study aims at the development, validation and application of an indirect-coupled method to simulate the lining cracking process. Based on the concrete damage plasticity (CDP) model, the utility routine GETVRM and the user subroutine USDFLD in the finite element code ABAQUS is employed to calculate and adjust the secondary hydraulic conductivity according to the material damage and the plastic volume strain. The friction-contact method (FCM) is introduced to track the lining-rock interface behavior. Compared with the traditional node-shared method (NSM) model, the FCM model is more feasible to simulate the lining cracking process. The number of cracks and the reinforcement stress can be significantly reduced, which matches well with the observed results in engineering practices. Moreover, the damage evolution of reinforced concrete lining can be effectively slowed down. This numerical method provides an insight into the cracking process of reinforced concrete lining in hydraulic pressure tunnels.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.219-231
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• 2022

Geotechnical materials such as silt, fine sand, or coarse granular soils may be unstable under undrained shearing or during rainfall infiltration starting an unsaturated state. Some researches are available describing the instability of coarse granular soils in drained or undrained conditions. However, there is a need to investigate the instability mechanism of unsaturated silty soil considering the effect of degree of compaction and net confining stress under partially and fully drained conditions. The specimens in the current study are compacted at 65%, 75%, & 85% degree of compaction, confined at pressures of 60, 80 & 120 kPa, and tested in partially and fully drained conditions. The tests have been performed in two steps. In Step-I, the specimens were sheared in constant water content conditions (a type of partially drained test) to the maximum shear stress. In Step-II, shearing was carried in constant suction conditions (a type of fully undrained test) by keeping shear stress constant. At the start of Step-II, PWP was increased in steps to decrease matric suction (which was then kept constant) and start water infiltration. The test results showed that soil instability is affected much by variation in the degree of compaction and confining stresses. It is also observed that loose and medium dense soils are vulnerable to pre-failure instability i.e., instability occurs before reaching the failure state, whereas, instability in dense soils instigates together with the failure i.e., failure line (FL) and instability line (IL) are found to be unique.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2021

Failure mechanism which can affect geotechnical infrastructures (shallow foundations, retaining walls, and piles) constitutes one of the most encountered problems during the design process. In this respect, the shear behavior of interfaces between grained soils and solid building materials, as well as those between cohesive soils should be investigated. Therefore, a range of ring shear tests with different cohesive soils and stainless-steel interfaces have been carried out through the Bromhead apparatus that allows simulating large displacements along a failure surface. The effects of steel rings roughness and soil type on the residual friction coefficient and the shear zone features (structure, thickness, and texture orientation angle) have been investigated using the Scanning Electron Microscopy. The obtained results indicate that the residual friction coefficient and the structural characteristics of the shear zone vary according to the surface roughness and the soil type. Scanning electron microscopy reveals that the particles inside the shear zone tend to be re-oriented. Also, the shear failure mechanism can be identified along with the interface, within the soil, or simultaneously at the interface and within the soil specimen.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.121-131
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• 2023

Clay sedimentation has been widely analyzed for its application in a variety of geotechnical constructions such as mine tailing, artificial islands, dredging, and reclamation. Chemical flocculants such as aluminum sulfate (Al₂(SO₄)₃), ferric chloride (FeCl₃), and ferric sulfate (Fe(SO₄)₃), have been adopted to accelerate the settling behaviors of clays. As an alternative clay flocculant with natural origin, this study investigated the settling of xanthan gum-treated kaolinite suspension in deionized water. The sedimentation of kaolinite in solutions of xanthan gum biopolymer (0%, 0.1%, 0.5%, 1.0%, and 2.0% in a clay mass) was measured until the sediment height was stabilized. Kaolinite was aggregated by xanthan gum via a direct electrical interaction between the negatively charged xanthan gum molecules and positively charged edge surface and via hydrogen bonding with kaolinite particles. The results revealed that the xanthan gum initially bound kaolinite aggregates, thereby forming larger floc sizes. Owing to their greater floc size, the aggregated kaolinite flocs induced by xanthan gum settled faster than the untreated kaolinite. Additionally, X-ray computed tomography images collected at various depths from the bottom demonstrated that the xanthan gum-induced aggregation resulted in denser sediment deposition. The findings of this study could inspire further efforts to accelerate the settling of kaolinite clays by adding xanthan gum.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.197-208
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• 2022

Micropiles consisting of steel bars and grouts are commonly used in underpinning methods to reinforce supports or to suppress the subsidence of existing structures. Recently, applications in the field of geotechnical engineering have expanded. Despite the increasing use of micropiles are used, the PHC or steel pile formula is still applied for the settlement amount of micropiles. Compared with field test results, the amount of micropile subsidence obtained from the existing method may result in a very large error in the displacement of the micropile. Therefore, it is difficult to utilize micropiles effectively. Hence, to solve this problem, this study evaluated the behaviors and support characteristics of micropiles through field compression and tensile tests, and proposed a method for predicting the amounts of their subsidence. To confirm the appropriateness of the proposed method, field test results and the results obtained using the proposed method were compared. It was found that the settlement amounts of the micropiles as predicted through the existing method were significantly overestimated (error ≈ 50-80%) relative to the field test results, whereas the settlement errors of the piles predicted through the proposed method decreased (error ≈6-32%). Thus, it is possible to reduce the previously overestimated amount of settlement, and the modified method of this study allows more efficient design than the conventional method.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.409-422
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• 2022

The use of calcium sulfoaluminate (CSA) cement as a rapid-hardening cement admixture or eco-friendly alternate for ordinary Portland cement (OPC) has been attempted over the years, but the cost of CSA cement and availability of suitable aluminium resource prevent its wide practical application. To propose an effective ground improvement design in sandy soil, this study aims at blending a certain percentage of CSA with OPC to find an optimum blend that would have fast-setting behavior with a lower carbon footprint than OPC without compromising the mechanical properties of the cemented sand. Compared to the 100% CSA case, initial speed of strength development of blended cement is relatively low as it is mixed with OPC. It is found that 80% OPC and 20% CSA blend has low initial strength but eventually produces equivalent ultimate strength (28 days curing) to that of CSA treated sand. The specific OPC-CSA blend (80:20) exhibits significantly higher strength gain than using pure OPC, thus allowing effective geotechnical designs for sustainable and controlled ground improvement. Further parametric studies were conducted for the blended cement under various curing conditions, cement contents, and curing times. Wet-cured cement treated sand had 33% lower strength than that of dry-cured samples, while the stiffness of wet-cured samples was 25% lower than that of dry-cured samples.

• Advances in materials Research
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.19-35
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• 2024

Presented Article evaluates the effect of nanoclay on permeability, compressive strength, and plasticity behavior of fine-grained soil related to the Tabriz landfill site. In this regard, comprehensive experimental study was performed on taken soil samples (42 specimens) with aim of design high-performance liners for Tabriz landfill. The samples was mixed by 0% (control) 3%, 6% and 9% nanoclay and prepared in 1, 7, 14 and 28 days before testing stage. Index tests like particle-size, permeability, atterberg limits, and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) was conducted on samples. The results show that studied soil is classified as CL in USCS classification and atterberg limits measured as LL is 37, PL is 20.67, and PI is 16.33 which increase into 75, 45, and 30. The assessment presented the LL was increased about 20.27% based on increasing in nanoclay from 0% to 9%. These variations for PL and PI were 21.77% and 18.37%, respectively. Also, the and soil's compressive strength is increase from 120 kPa to 188 kPa and permeability is estimated as 4.25×10^-6 m/s which reduced into the 6.34×10^-9 m/s with respect the naboclay content increases form 0% to 9%.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.89 no.5
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• pp.507-524
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• 2024

Since the cost of reconstruction is very high and the structure may have been damaged by an earthquake, we must retrofit the structure. Therefore, the importance of studying this issue is very high in order to achieve the desired resistance against the regulations. The present study involved the numerical and experimental analysis of nine concrete frames, consisting of three concrete frames, three concrete frames with bracing, and three concrete frames with a TADAS damper. The purpose of this study is to strengthen the damaged concrete frame using braces and TADAS dampers. Observations were made of the frames as they were subjected to controlled displacement. Also, ABAQUS software was used to compare numerical and experimental results. According to the results, the software was sufficiently capable of modeling the studied frames. Additionally, a parametric study was conducted on the thickness and number of bending plates. Thickness increases from 8 mm to 12 mm, 8 mm to 15 mm, and 8 mm to 20 mm, increasing the base shear by about 6.7%, 11.1%, and 25%, respectively. Furthermore, increasing the number of plates from 4 to 5, 4 to 6, and 4 to 7 increased base shears by about 4.5%, 8.4%, and 14%, respectively.