• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.743-755
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• 2015

It is well known that the quality of sample significantly determines the accuracy of soil parameters for laboratory testing. Although sampling disturbance has been studied over the last few decades, the theoretical investigation of soil disturbance due to sampling penetration has been rarely reported. In this paper, an analytical solution for estimating the soil disturbance due to sampling penetration was presented using cavity expansion method. Analytical results in several cases reveal that the soil at different location along the sample centerline experiences distinct phases of strain during the process of sampling penetration. The magnitude of induced strain is dependent on the position of the soil element within the sampler and the sampler geometry expressed as diameter-thickness ratio D/t and length-diameter ratio L/D. Effects of sampler features on soil disturbance were also studied. It is found that the induced maximum strain decreases exponentially with increasing diameter-thickness ratio, indicating that the sampling disturbance will reduce with increasing diameter or decreasing wall thickness of sampler. It is also found that a large length-diameter ratio does not necessarily reduce the disturbance. An optimal length-diameter ratio is suggested for the further design of improved sampler in this study.

• Applied Biological Chemistry
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• v.41 no.8
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• pp.583-586
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• 1998

Porous ceramic cups are used for monitoring ion concentration in soil solutions in various time course and depth. A soil solution sampler was constructed in laboratory by inserting pliable perfluoroalkoxy(PFA) tubings into porous cup through holes in PVC rod segment which plugged top opening of the porous cup. The system was installed in drip irrigated soil in a vertical position, and nitrogen movement below the drip basin was monitored. To collect soil solution, vacuum in the cup was applied with a hand vacuum pump. The samples obtained were sufficient enough to run quantitative analyses for a number of chemicals. Nitrogen transformation and movement could be well defined, and the system seemed to be relevant to the other soil solution samplers in monitoring chemical movement in soil. Although this system has general deficiencies found in the other samplers using ceramic cup, it could be easily constructed at a low cost. Since the tubing was pliable, the cups could be installed in horizontal position, and this allows installations of the cups at more precise depth increments and also more precise samplings of soil solution at each depth.

• Journal of Ocean Engineering and Technology
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.202-207
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• 2020

A track-type underwater construction robot (URI-R) was developed by the Korea Institute of Ocean Science & Technology. Because URI-R uses tracks to move on the seabed, insufficient ground strength may hinder its movement. For smooth operation of URI-R on the seabed, it is important to determine the geotechnical properties of the seabed. To determine these properties, standard penetration test (SPT), cone penetration test (CPT), and sampling are used on land. However, these tests cannot be applied on the seabed due to a high cost owing to the vessel, crane, sampler, and analysis time. To overcome these problems, a free fall cone penetration tester (FFCPT) is being developed. The FFCPT is a device that acquires the geotechnical properties during impact/penetration/finish phases by free fall in water. Depth information is crucial during soil data acquisition. As the FFCPT cannot measure the penetration depth directly, it is estimated indirectly using acceleration. The estimated penetration depth was verified by results of real tests conducted on land.