• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.65-75
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• 2021

We investigated hydrochemical and stable isotope characteristics of groundwater in a large agricultural plain, the Honam plain, to evaluate the adequacy of agricultural water supply. For preliminary assessment for the area, we collected 23 groundwater samples from domestic wells and conducted hydrochemical and water stable isotope analysis. Groundwater in the study area is mainly Ca-HCO3 type resulting from water-rock interactions. Stable oxygen and hydrogen isotopic compositions indicated that recharge water is derived from precipitation while some sampling sites had evaporation signatures. Irrigation water quality using sodium absorption ratio and salinity hazard showed most of the groundwater samples were found to be suitable for irrigation. The groundwater in the southwestern part of the study area was affected by both seawater intrusion and agricultural activities, indicating a higher possibility of groundwater contamination near the coastal areas. Elevated concentrations of nitrate and phosphate ions in the groundwater are considered to be influenced by anthropogenic activities such as fertilizer application. It is expected that this study would be able to provide preliminary information on groundwater quality for agricultural water supply in the Mangyeong-Dongjin watershed.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.25-30
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• 2022

Mackinawite (FeS), as a ubiquitous reduced iron mineral, is known as a key controller of redox reactions in anaerobic subsurface environment. The reaction of FeS with redox-sensitive toxic element such as arsenic is substantially affected by pH conditions of the given environments. In this study, the interaction of As(V) with FeS was studied under strict anaerobic conditions with various pH conditions. The pH-dependent arsenic removal tests were conducted under wide ranges of pH conditions and X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) was applied to investigate the reaction mechanisms under pH 5, 7, and 9. The removal efficiency of FeS for As(V) showed the higher removal of As(V) under low pH conditions and its removal efficiency decreased with increasing pH, and no As(V) reduction was observed in 1 g/L FeS solution. However, XAS analysis indicated the reduction of As(V) to As(III) occurred during reaction between FeS and As(V). The reduced form of As(III) was particularly identified as an arsenic sulfide mineral (As₂S₃) in all pH conditions (pH 5, 7, and 9). As₂S₃ precipitation was more pronounced in pH 5 where the solubility of FeS is higher than in other pH conditions. The linear combination fitting results of XAS demonstrated that As(V) removal mechanism is concerted processes of As₂S₃ precipitation and surface complexation of both arsenic species.

• Ecology and Resilient Infrastructure
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.247-258
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• 2022

Hampyeong Bay has a narrow seawater channel and a complex topographical structure. The sand content of the tidal flat soil is increasing due to asymmetrical sedimentation. Through the investigation of the vegetation distribution and the use of the line-transect method, sand flats were observed to gradually change the vegetation distribution of salt marshes. Comparing the vegetation area between 2016 and 2022, the obligate halophyte Suaeda maritima decreased by 74% and Zoysia sinica increased by 75%. Z. sinica seems to support the robustness of the dune environment by trapping sediments such as sand in the colony, because the underground rhizomes and stems are highly developed. To establish an effective conservation management plan for tidal flats, an integrated study should be conducted to assess the impact of changes in tidal flat soil and the interaction of vegetation communities in Hampyeong Bay.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.53-61
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• 2006

Soil liquefaction occurs by complex dynamic interaction between soil particles and pore fluid. Therefore, experimental researches have been widely performed to analyze liquefaction phenomena. In this research, centrifuge tests were performed to analyze the liquefaction behavior of horizontal sand ground. Centrifugal acceleration was 40g and the thickness of model ground was 25cm, which simulates 10m thickness in prototype scale. Viscous fluid was used as pore fluid to remove the time scaling difference between dissipation and dynamic shaking. Test results showed that the dissipation of excess pore pressure is the combined behavior of solidification and consolidation. In addition, the solidification rate, the ground acceleration amplitude, and the dynamic permeability during solidification were influenced by the confining pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.13-21
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• 2006

Geosynthetic damage has attracted a major attention since the introduction of geotextiles for civil engineering applications. In this study 3 pilot trial embankments were carried out to investigate the behaviours of reinforced embankments over soft cohesive soils and to find the optimum methodology of embankments over soft soils. As the seamed part of polyester mat (PET, tensile strength 15 ton) used in the first full-scale field test was ruptured under progressing rotational slope failure because of unexpectedly rapid construction of embankments, the excessive pore water pressures were measured. On the soil behavior where tension explosion of mat was continued, pore pressure larger than the one caused by embankment height was measured. Especially, at the depth of 5.0 m under the ground pore pressure increased over long term. It was discussed with respect to the height of embankment and heaving behavior of soft soils.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.25-31
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• 2006

Over the years the investigation of behaviour of piles in groups connected to a cap in consolidating soil has attracted far less attention than the study of isolated piles in groups. In this paper, a series of three-dimensional numerical simulations have been performed to study the behaviour of pile groups connected to a cap in consolidating ground. Both elastic no-slip and elasto-plastic slip analyses were considered. Based on the analysis results, when piles were connected to a cap, tensile forces were developed near the pile head at the outer piles. Elastic solution and no-slip analysis over-predicted the tensile force near the pile head for outer piles. Relatively speaking, the number of piles in a group is more important than the pile spacing in terms of the influence of negative skin friction on the pile behaviour. The issue on the development of tensile forces on the pile head at the outer piles is perhaps needed to be carefully considered in the pile design to prevent the damages of the pile-cap connection.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.237-248
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• 2022

Nowadays, more and more subway tunnels were planed and constructed underneath the ground of urban cities to relieve the congested traffic. Potential damage may occur in existing tunnel if the new tunnel is constructed too close. So far, previous studies mainly focused on the tunnel-tunnel interactions with circular shape. The difference between circular and horseshoe shaped tunnel in terms of deformation mechanism is not fully investigated. In this study, three-dimensional numerical parametric studies were carried out to explore the effect of different tunnel shapes on the complicated tunnel-tunnel interaction problem. Parameters considered include volume loss, tunnel stiffness and relative density. It is found that the value of volume loss play the most important role in the multi-tunnel interactions. For a typical condition in this study, the maximum invert settlement and gradient along longitudinal direction of horseshoe shaped tunnel was 50% and 96% larger than those in circular case, respectively. This is because of the larger vertical soil displacement underneath existing tunnel. Due to the discontinuous hoop axial stress in horseshoe shaped tunnel, significant shear stress was mobilized around the axillary angles. This resulted in substantial bending moment at the bottom plate and side walls of horseshoe shaped tunnel. Consequently, vertical elongation and horizontal compression in circular existing tunnel were 45% and 33% smaller than those in horseshoe case (at monitored section X/D = 0), which in latter case was mainly attributed to the bending induced deflection. The radial deformation stiffness of circular tunnel is more sensitive to the Young's modulus compared with horseshoe shaped tunnel. This is because of that circular tunnel resisted the radial deformation mainly by its hoop axial stress while horseshoe shaped tunnel do so mainly by its flexural rigidity. In addition, the reduction of soil stiffness beneath the circular tunnel was larger than that in horseshoe shaped tunnel at each level of relative density, indicating that large portion of tunneling effect were undertaken by the ground itself in circular tunnel case.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.317-328
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• 2024

Adopting a rational engineering methodology for building structures on sandy-clay soil layers has become increasingly important since it is crucial when structures erected on them often face seismic and cyclic wave loads. Such loads can cause a reduction in the stiffness, strength, and stability of the structure, particularly under un-drained conditions. Hence, this study aims to investigate how the dynamic properties of sand-clay mixtures are affected by loading frequency and clay content. Cyclic triaxial tests were performed on a total of 36 samples, comprising pure sand with a relative density of 60% and sand with varying percentages of clay. The tests were conducted under confining pressures of 50 and 100 kPa, and the samples' dynamic behavior was analyzed at loading frequencies of 0.1, 1, and 4 Hz. The findings indicate that an increase in confining pressure leads to greater inter-particle interaction and a reduced void ratio, which results in an increase in the soil's shear modulus. An increase in the shear strength and confinement of the samples led to a decrease in energy dissipation and damping ratio. Changes in loading frequency showed that as the frequency increased, the damping ratio decreased, and the strength of the samples increased. Increasing the loading frequency not only reflects changes in frequency but also reduces the relative permeability and enhances the resistance of samples. An analysis of the dynamic properties of sand and sand-clay mixtures indicates that the introduction of clay to a sand sample reduces the shear modulus and permeability properties.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2024

As part of monitoring technology aimed at verifying the stability of CO₂ geologic storage and mitigating concerns about leakage, a method for measuring the pH and alkalinity of high-pressure fluid samples was established to obtain practical technology. pH measurement for high-pressure samples utilized a high-pressure pH electrode, and alkalinity was measured using the Gran titration method for samples collected with a piston cylinder sampler (PCS). Experimental samples, referencing CO₂-rich water and CO₂ geologic storage studies, were prepared in the laboratory. The PCS controls the piston, preventing CO₂ degassing and maintaining fluid pressure, allowing mixing with KOH to fix dissolved CO₂. Results showed a 6.1% average error in high-pressure pH measurement. PCS use for sample collection maintained pressure, preventing CO₂ degassing. However, PCS-collected sample alkalinity measurements had larger errors than non-PCS measurements, limiting PCS practicality in monitoring field settings. Nevertheless, PCS could find utility in preprocessing for carbon isotope analysis and other applications. This research not only contributes to the field of CCS monitoring but also suggests potential applications in studies related to natural analogs of CCS, CO₂-rock interaction experiments, core flooding experiments, and beyond.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.19-32
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• 2024

Dynamic earth pressure analysis is a key parameter in the seismic design of subterranean structures. However, existing solutions often lack a holistic approach, ignoring crucial elements like soil-structure interaction, the relative flexibility ratio (F) between the soil and a structure, the racking ratio (R) of a structure, and the structure aspect ratio (L/H). In this study, we conducted a thorough suite of dynamic numerical analyses on basements to understand how these factors influence seismic earth pressure. We found that structures with high aspect ratios and low flexibility were more susceptible to seismic pressure than those with lower aspect ratios and greater flexibility. Consequently, we recommend taking the aspect ratio and flexibility into account when estimating the seismic or dynamic earth pressure on basements and exercising caution when using traditional solutions proposed for retaining walls.