• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.195-211
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• 2014

Stone columns (or granular column) have been used to increase the load carrying capacity and accelerating consolidation of soft soil. Recently, the geosynthetic reinforced stone column technique has been developed to improve the load carrying capacity of the stone column. In addition, reinforcement prevents the lateral squeezing of stone in to surrounding soft soil, helps in easy formation of stone column, preserve frictional properties of aggregate and drainage function of the stone column. This paper investigates the improvement of load carrying capacity of isolated ordinary and geotextile reinforced sand column through field load tests. Tests were performed with different reinforcement stiffness, diameter of sand column and reinforcement length. The results of field load test indicated an improved load carrying capacity of geotextile reinforced sand column over ordinary sand column. The increase in load carrying capacity depends upon the sand column diameter, stiffness of reinforcement and reinforcement length. Also, the partial reinforcement length about two to four time's sand column diameter from the top of the column was found to significant effect on the performance of sand column.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.135-147
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• 2023

Sand columns in clayey soil are considered one of the most economical and environmentally-friendly soil-improving techniques. It improves the shear strength parameters, reduces the settlement, and increases the bearing capacity of clayey soils. The aim of this paper is to study the effect of grain shape in sand columns on their performance in improving the mechanical properties of clayey soils. An intensive series of consolidated-drained triaxial tests were performed on clay specimens only and clay specimens with sand columns. The parameters examined during the experimental work were grain shape in sand columns (angular, rounded, sub-rounded) and effective confining pressure (50 kPa, 100 kPa, 200 kPa). The results indicated that there is a significant improvement in the deviatoric stress and stiffness values of specimens with sand columns. Improving deviatoric stress values in the use of angular sand grains was found to be higher than those in the use of sub-rounded and rounded sand grains. A 187%, 159%, and 153% increment in deviatoric stress values were observed for the sand columns with angular, sub-rounded, and rounded grain shapes, respectively. The specimens were observed to be more contractive as the sand column was installed, and as the angularity of grains in the sand column was increased. Sand column installation improves significantly the angle of internal friction, and the effective angle of internal friction increases as the angularity of the sand grains increases.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.87-94
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• 1999

Sand drain as a vertical drainage is widely used in soft ground improvement. Recently, sand, the principal source of sand drain, is running out. A laboratory model test was carried out to utilize gravel as a substitute for sand. Though which the characteristics of gravel are compared to those of sand for engineering purpose. Two cylindrical containers for the model test were filled with marine clayey soil from the west coast of Korea with a column in the center, one with sand, the other with gravel. Vibrating wire type piezometers were installed at the distance of 1.0D, 1.5D and 2.0D from the center of the column. D is the diameter of the column. The transient process of pore water pressure with loading and the characteristics of consolidation were studied with the data gained from the measuring instrument place on the surface of the container. The parameter study was performed for the marine clayey soil before and after the test in order to check the effectiveness of the improvement. The clogging effect was checked at various depth in gravel column after the test. According to the test, the settlement was found to be smaller in gravel drain than in sand drain. The increase in bearing capacity by gravel pile explains the result. The clogging effect was not found in gravel column. As a result, it is assumed that gravel is relatively acceptable as a drainage material.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.329-342
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• 2019

In this paper, the effect of a group of sand columns in the loose soil bed using triaxial tests was studied. To investigate the effect of geotextile reinforcement type on the bearing capacity of these sand columns, Vertical encased sand columns (VESCs) and horizontally reinforced sand columns (HRSCs) were used. Number of sixteen independent triaxial tests and finite element simulation were performed on specimens with a diameter of 100 mm and a height of 200 mm. Specimens were reinforced by either a single sand column or three sand columns with the same area replacement ratio (16%) to evaluate the Influence of the column arrangement. Effect the number of sand columns, the length of vertical encasement and the number of horizontal reinforcing layers were investigated, in terms of bearing capacity improvement and economy. The results indicated that the ultimate bearing capacity of the samples with three ordinary sand columns (OSCs) is eventually about 11% more than samples with an OSC. Also, comparison of the column reinforcing modes showed that four horizontal layers of geotextile achieved similar performance to a vertical encasement geotextile at the 50% of the column height, from the viewpoint of strength improvement, while from the viewpoint of economy, the geotextile needed for encasing the single column is around 2.5 times of the geotextile required for four layers.

• KSBB Journal
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.1-6
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• 2011

Contamination of soils, groundwater, air and marine environment with hazardous and toxic chemicals is major side effect by the industrialization. Bioremediation, the application of microorganism or microbial processes to degrade environmental contaminant, is one of the new environmental technologies. Because of low water solubility and volatility of diesel, bioremediation is more efficient than physical and chemical methods. The purpose of this study is biodegradation of diesel in sand by using Rhodococcus fascians, a microorganism isolated from petroleum contaminated soil. This study was performed in the column containing sand obtained from sea sides. Changes in biodegradability of diesel with various flow rates, inoculum sizes, diesel concentrations, and pH were investigated in sand column. The optimal condition for biodegradation of diesel by R. fascians in sand column system was initial pH 8 and air flow rate of 30 mL/min. Higher diesel degradation was achieved at larger inoculum size and the diesel degradation by R. fascians was not inhibited by diesel concentration up to 5%.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2002.09a
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• pp.366-369
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• 2002

Subsurface biobarrier technology has potential applications to contain contaminated groundwater and/or to degrade toxic pollutants in groundwater. Most biobarrier studies were conducted under aerobic condition, however there were several obstacles to make aerobic condition. Thus, In this study, we examined biobarrier formation under denitrifying condition by using nitrate as an electron acceptor. Experiments were performed with a sand column inoculated with activated sludge from the nearby WWTP. The substrate medium was pumped to the sand column in an upflow mode. During the low substrate loading rate period, the extent of reduction rate in hydraulic conductivity was found similar throughout the column, and permeability became relatively stable after couple of days. However, during the high substrate loading rate period, the column demonstrated a gradient of permeability reduction, with the greatest reduction in sections nearest the column inlet. Rapid growth of microorganisms near the column inlet resulted in the unbalanced reduction of hydraulic conductivity throughout the sand column. As a result, at this denitrifying condition the thickness of biobarrier could be controlled by adjusting the medium conditions of microbial growth.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.35 no.3
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• pp.221-227
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• 2002

Column experiments were performed to evaluate the removal efficiency of soil vapor extraction (SVE) iota TCE (trichloroethylene) and toluene in soil. Homogeneous Ottawa sands and real soils collected from contaminated area were used to investigate the effect of soil properties and SVE operation conditions on the removal efficiency. In column teats with two different sizes of Ottawa sand, the maximum effluent TCE concentration in a coarse sand column was 442 mg/L and 337 mg/L in a fine sand column. However, after 20 liter gas flushing, the effluent concentrations were very similar and more than 90% of initial TCE mass were removed from the column. For two real contaminated soil columns, the maximum effluent concentration decreased 50% compared with that in the homogeneous Ottawa coarse sand column, but 99% of initial TCE mass were extracted from the column within 40 liter air flushing, suggesting that SVE is very available to remove volatile NAPLs in the contaminated soil. To investigate the effect of contaminant existing time on the removal efficiency, an Ottawa sand column was left stable for one week after TCE was injected and the gas extraction was applied into the column. Its effluent concentration trend was very similar to those for other Ottawa sand columns except that the residual TCE after the air flushing showed relatively high. Column tests with different water contents were performed and results showed high removal efficiency even in a high water content sand column. Toluene as one of BTEX compounds was used in an Ottawa sand column and a real soil column. Removal trends were similar to those in TCE contaminated columns and more than 98% of initial toluene mass were removed with SVE in both column.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.41-47
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• 2009

Column experiments were performed in this study to investigate humic acid adhesion to iron oxide-coated sand (ICS) under different experimental conditions including influent humic acid concentration, flow rate, solution pH, and ionic strength/composition. Breakthrough curves of humic acid were obtained by monitoring effluents, and then column capacity for humic acid adsorption ($C_cap$), total adsorption percent (R), and mass of humic acid adsorbed per unit mass of filter media ($q_a$) were quantified from these curves. Results showed that humic acid adhesion was about seven times higher in ICS than in quartz sand at given experimental conditions. This indicates that humic acid removal can be enhanced through the surface charge modification of quartz sand with iron oxide coating. The adhesion of humic acid in ICS was influenced by influent humic acid concentration. $C_cap$ and $q_a$ increased while R decreased with increasing influent humic acid concentration in ICS column. However, the influence of flow rate was not eminent in our experimental conditions. The humic acid adhesion was enhanced with increasing salt concentration of solution. $C_cap$, $q_a$ and R increased in ICS column with increasing salt concentration. On the adhesion of humic acid, the impact of CaCl2 was greater than that of NaCl. Also, the humic acid adhesion to ICS decreased with increasing solution pH. $C_cap$, $q_a$ and R decreased with increasing solution pH. This study demonstrates that humic acid concentration, salt concentration/composition, and solution pH should be controlled carefully in order to improve the ICS column performance for humic acid removal from water.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.311-317
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• 1986

This experiment was conducted to find out the minimum size of pores through that Zeolite particles moved vertically out with percolated solution in the sand column and to estimate whether they were lost through the pores in the field sandy soil. The results were as follows. 1. The amount of Zeolite loss through sand columns was increased in the order of the columns filled with $2{\sim}1>1{\sim}0.5>0.5>0.25mm$ sand particles. 2. The Zeolite particles lost through columns filled with $1{\sim}0.5$ and $0.5{\sim}0.25mm$ sand were clay fraction. 3. The pore sire that clay fraction of Zeolite mineral could migrate through was determined to be above $150{\mu}m$ and Jangchon subsoil was presumed to have possibility of Zeolite loss in consideration of its pore size distribution. 4. The suitable particle size of Zeolite for application in sandy soil was presumed to be above $2{\mu}m$.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2000.02a
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• pp.32-41
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• 2000

Sand drain as a vertical drainage is widely used in soft ground improvement Recently, sand, the principal source of sand drain, is running out. The laboratory model tests were carried out to utilize gravel as a substitute for sand. Though which the characteristics of gravel are compared to those of sand for engineering purpose. Two cylindrical containers for the model test were filled with marine clayey soil from the west coast of Korea with a column in the center, one with sand, the other with gravel. Vibrating wire type piezometers were installed at the distance of 1.0D, 1.5D and 2.0D from the center of the column. The characteristics of consolidation were studied with data obtained from the measuring instrument place on the surface of the container. The parameter study was performed on the marine clayey soil before and after the test in order to verify the effectiveness of the improvement. The clogging effect was checked at various depth in gravel column after the test. In-situ tests area was divided into two areas by material used. One is Sand Drain(SD) and Sand Compaction Pile(SCP) area, the other is Gravel Drain(GD) and Gravel Compaction Pile(GCP) area. Both areas were monitored to obtain the information on settlement, pore water pressure and bearing capacity by measuring instruments for stage loading caused by embankment. The results of measurements were analyzed. According to the test results, the settlement was found to be smaller in gravel drain than in sand drain. The increase in bearing capacity by gravel pile explains the result. The clogging effect was not found in gravel column. It is assumed that gravel is relatively acceptable as a drainage material. Gravel is considered to be a better material than sand for bearing capacity, and it is found that bearing capacity is larger when gravel is used as a gravel compaction pile than as a gravel drain.