• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.31 no.3
• /
• pp.291-304
• /
• 2022

Maximum shear modulus (G_max or G₀) is an important soil property useful for many engineering applications, such as the analysis of soil-structure interactions, soil stability, liquefaction evaluation, ground deformation and performance of seismic design. In the current study, bender element (BE) tests are used to evaluate the effect of the void ratio, effective confining pressure, grading characteristics (D₅₀, C_u and C_c), anisotropic consolidation and initial fabric anisotropy produced during specimen preparation on the G_max of sand-gravel mixtures. Based on the tests results, an empirical equation is proposed to predict G_max in granular soils, evaluated by the experimental data. The artificial neural network (ANN) and Adaptive Neuro Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) models were also applied. Coefficient of determination (R²) and Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) between predicted and measured values of G_max were calculated for the empirical equation, ANN and ANFIS. The results indicate that all methods accuracy is high; however, ANFIS achieves the highest accuracy amongst the presented methods.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.33 no.6
• /
• pp.2369-2379
• /
• 2013

The Soil-Water Characteristics Curve (SWCC) is affected by the initial density of soil under unsaturated condition. Also, the characteristic of hydraulic conductivity is changed by the initial density of soil. To study the effect of initial density of unsaturated soil, SWCC and the Hydraulic Conductivity Function (HCF) of Jumoonjin sand with various relative densities, 40%, 60% and 75% were measured in both drying and wetting processes. As the results of SWCC estimated by van Genuchten (1980) model, the parameter related to Air Entry Value(AEV), ${\alpha}$ in the wetting process is larger than that in drying process, but the parameters related to the SWCC slope, n and the residual water content, m are larger than those in wetting process. The AEV is increased or Water Entry Value (WEV) is decreased with increasing the relative density of sand. The AEV is larger than the WEV at the same relative density of sand. As the results of HCF estimated by van Genuchten (1980) model which is one of the parameter estimation methods, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity maintained at a saturated one in the low level of matric suctions and then suddenly decreased just before the AEV or the WEV. The saturated hydraulic conductivity in drying process is larger than that in wetting process. The saturated hydraulic conductivity is decreased with increasing the relative density of sand in both drying and wetting processes. Also, the hysteresis in unsaturated HCFs between drying and wetting process was occurred like the hysteresis in SWCCs. According to the test results, the AEV on SWCC is decreased and the saturated hydraulic conductivity is increased with increasing the initial density. It means that SWCC and HCF are affected by the initial density in the unsaturated soil.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
• /
• v.19 no.4
• /
• pp.571-577
• /
• 2018

A gyratory compactor was developed to reflect the field compaction roller, which is commonly used in road construction. Unlike the compaction of the proctor using a conventional impact load, the gyratory compactor simulated the field roller compaction characteristics using the compressive force by the roller weight and the shear force through the rotation of a roller. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the shear stress and density change characteristics during compaction, which are difficult to obtain in the existing compaction process of the proctor, and to utilize it as a basic data for road design. The compaction characteristics of sand and subgrade soils were also analyzed and evaluated using the gyratory compactor. The compaction characteristics obtained using the gyratory compaction are basically the number of gyrations, height of the specimen, compaction density, void ratio, degree of saturation, and shear stress. As the number of gyrations increased, the height of the specimen decreased, the compaction density increased, the void ratio decreased, the degree of saturation increased, and the shear stress tended to increase. The shear stress of the compacted specimens started at 200 kPa in the initial stage of compaction and increased to approximately 330 to 350 kPa at 50 gyrations. The compaction density, degree of saturation and shear stress tended to increase with increasing water content in the same specimens. Compaction using turning compaction has the advantage of measuring the physical properties required for road design, such as density and shear stress, so that more engineering road design will be possible if it is reflected in road design.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.33 no.4
• /
• pp.35-46
• /
• 2017

Most of high carbon fly ashes (HCFA) are discarded in landfills with high costs due to low recycling rate. This study aims to explore the geotechnical behaviors of HCFA mixtures reinforced with fiber and sand. A series of compaction test, unconfined compressive strength test and modified 1D consolidation test with bender element were performed. Specimens were prepared at their optimal moisture contents based on the results of compaction tests. The results of this study demonstrate that the inclusion of fibers to the matrix of HCFA increases unconfined compressive strength (UCS), strain at UCS, and maximum shear modulus ($G_{max}$) at a given void ratio. Reinforcement with sand increases UCS of HCFA; while the strain at UCS is irrelevant with sand fractions. Sand particles may disrupt the direct contacts between HCFA particles at low sand content, resulting in a decrease in $G_{max}$. However, it can be expected that the mixtures with sand content larger than 20% are in dense state; thus, $G_{max}$ of HCFA reinforced with sand shows greater value than that of unreinforced HCFA compacted with the same energy. Regardless of types of reinforcement, the compression index ($C_c$) of both fiber and sand reinforced HCFA is mainly determined by initial void ratio.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.22 no.1
• /
• pp.35-44
• /
• 2006

In general typically granular soils contain a certain amount of fines. It is also widely recognized that foundation soils under working loads show highly non-linear behavior from very early stages of loading. In the present study, a series of laboratory tests with sands of different silt contents are conducted and methods to assess strength and stiffiness characteristics are proposed. Modified hyperbolic stress-strain model is used to analyze non-linearity of silty sands in terms of non-linear Degradation parameters f and g as a function of silt contents and Relative density Dr. Stress-strain curves were obtained from a series of triaxial tests on sands containing different amounts of silt. Initial shear modulus, which is used to normalize Degradation modulus of silty sands, was determined from resonant column test results. From the laboratory test results, it was observed that, as the Relative density increases, values of f decrease and those of g increase. In addition, it was found that values of f and g increase and decrease respectively as a Skeleton void ratio $(e_{sk})$ increases.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.5-18
• /
• 2005

In this study, the influence of progressive consolidation from the drainage boundary on the subsequent process of consolidation was investigated. Analytical theory and numerical program f3r consolidation of clayey soil were developed based on finite difference method, in which spatial variation of permeability and volume compressibility were implemented. And model ground with normally consolidated clayey soils and a vertical drain at its center were simulated. Various types of soils with different relations between coefficient of volume compressibility and permeability and void ratio were applied. Also numerical simulations based on the properties of the normally consolidated clay at Nakdong River basin and reconstituted kaolinite soil were performed to recognize its practical impact. Consequently, it is found out that retardation of consolidation induced by progressive consolidation is very important to understand consolidation behavior on field conditions and its effect is remarkable at the initial state of consolidation, and increases with plasticity index and applied load.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.13-24
• /
• 1993

The influence of the bubble structure and strength characteristics on the freeze-thaw resistance of high strength concrete is investigated by the laboratory experiment. The test conditions are formed in the manner that water is continueusly supplied externally and the specimens were received severe weather actions from ordinary to significantly low temperatures. The experiments are performed in two stages. In the first stage, the relation between the durability to frost action and the bubble structure is analyzed especially with respect to the water-cement ratio and the amount of air. The AE and non-AE concrete specimens made of ordinary portland cement are used in the test. In the second stage, the non-AE concrete specimens using vibratory compaction to improve the durability to frost action, and the high watertight specimens of rapid hardening portland cement to increase their initial strength are produced and tested. The degree of watertightness of the specimens is determined by measuring the permeability of the specimens and the bubble structure of the high watertight concrete is also estimated.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.36 no.8
• /
• pp.49-60
• /
• 2020

A fully coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical model is established to evaluate frost heave behaviour of saturated frost-susceptible soils. The method is based on mass conservation, energy conservation, and force equilibrium equations, which are fully coupled with each other. These equations consider various physical phenomena during one-dimensional soil freezing such as latent heat of phase change, thermal conductivity changes, pore water migration, and the accompanying mechanical deformation. Using the thermo-hydro-mechanical model, a sensitivity analysis study is conducted to examine the effects of the geotechnical parameters and external conditions on the amount of frost heave and frost heaving rate. According to the results of the sensitivity analysis, initial void ratio significantly affects each objective as an individual parameter, whereas soil particle thermal conductivity and temperature gradient affect frost heave behaviour to a greater degree when applied simultaneously. The factors considered in this study are the main factors affecting the frost heaving amount and rate, which may be used to determine the frostbite sensitivity of a new sample.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.11 no.12
• /
• pp.57-62
• /
• 2010

In this study, the effect of different silt contents on the shear characteristics of silty sands was evaluated. Two series of triaxial compression tests were performed on the cylindrical specimens of compacted Nakdong river sand with 10% and 30% silt contents under unconsolidated undrained condition. All identical specimens were prepared to compact with same initial water content for five layers and saturated using control panel and then sheared under initial effective confining pressure, 100 to 400kPa. All specimens exhibited a strain softening tendency after failure in stress-strain curves and deviator stresses of specimens with 10% silt content were greater than those of specimens with 30% silt content. Pore water pressures of specimens with 10% silt content were observed negative(i.e. swelling) due to increasing void ratio after failure but those of specimens with 30% silt content were shown only positive. The behavior of compacted cylindrical specimens with low silt content was more dilative than that of high silt content. Peak deviator stresses decreased as increasing silt content and peak pore water pressures increased as increasing silt content.

• Journal of Korean Society of Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• /
• v.28 no.5
• /
• pp.303-311
• /
• 2016

From having an experimental study of physical and consolidation characteristics of soft clay in Nakdong river lower basin, we come to the conclusion as follow. Clay minerals in Nakdong river lower basin are classified into Kaolinite and Illite. Water content($W_n$) is similarly distributed in a range of 50.4% to 92.8% in Noksan and 46.6% to 99.0% in Jangyu, and liquid limit(LL) of both areas appears lower than water content. In the case of compression index, the index of jangyu is a little higher than that of Noksan because Jangyu is in a range of 0.67 to 1.94 and Noksan in a range of 0.44 to 1.5. The second compression index of Jangyu in a range of 0.027 to 0.092 is also higher than Noksan in a range of 0.024 to 0.075. As a result of regression analysis, a relation between water content and compression index is linear, and between initial void ratio and compression index is shown to $C_c=0.80e_o-0.58$. The ratio of $C_{\alpha}/C_c$ in a range of 0.03 to 0.08 expresses a wide range.