Jumunjin Sand Research Articles

Water-retention properties of xanthan-gum-biopolymer-treated soils

This study aimed to estimate the effects of the xanthan gum biopolymer on the wetting and drying processes of soils. Xanthan gum with different contents by the mass of dried soil was used to treat Jumunjin sand and sand-clay mixtures. The wetting and drying soil-water characteristics of xanthan-gum-biopolymer-treated sand were investigated using capillary rise open tubes and a Fredlund-type soil-water characteristic curve device, respectively. The results show that xanthan gum has a significant effect on controlling the movement of water in soil. The xanthan gum biopolymer shapes the drying soil-water characteristics of soil, and there is a non-linear relationship between the xanthan gum content and the soil-water characteristic parameters of the treated soils. Xanthan gum significantly reduces the capillary conductivity of soil down to 10−7–10−8 m/s for soil treated with 1.0% xanthan gum. Xanthan gum affects the capillary equilibrium process of water differently in wetting tests as well. Furthermore, the wetting results show the role of clay particles in the flow-controlling performance of xanthan gum.

Hydraulic Conductivity of Saturated Soil Medium through Time-Domain Reflectometry.

Time-domain reflectometry (TDR) has been extensively used to study soil behaviors. The objective of this study is to propose a method for measuring hydraulic conductivity using TDR. The dielectric constant deduced from TDR is influenced by the electrical resistance of the medium, and it can be converted into the electrical resistivity of the material. Thus, the theoretical relationship between the dielectric constant and hydraulic conductivity is established because electrical resistivity is a function of hydraulic conductivity. A cell is developed for measuring both the dielectric constant and hydraulic conductivity simultaneously. Three electrodes are used to measure the reflected waveform by using the principle of TDR. The following specimens are used to verify the proposed technique: glass beads, Jumunjin sand, and soil extracted from a field. The dielectric constant is converted into hydraulic conductivity, and it is compared with the value determined by a constant-head experiment for reference. The comparison shows a high similarity. Verification is also carried out through field experiments. This study demonstrates that the proposed method is an alternative method to find the hydraulic conductivity through TDR.

Liquefaction Characteristics of Sands Based on Cyclic Direct Simple Shear Test

In this study, a series of cyclic direct simple shear tests were conducted on Pohang sand, Jumunjin sand, and Ottawa sand. The cyclic resistance ratio (CRR) was derived on the basis of the test results obtained. For verification of the effect of particle distribution on liquefaction resistance, the simplified method for evaluation of the possibility of liquefaction was used to assess these sands. The test results showed that the cyclic resistance ratio of Pohang sand was the lowest, which was consistent with the result of the simplified evaluation method for determining the possibility of liquefaction. In addition, the results showed that the liquefaction resistance increased for particle shapes being more angular than round. Normalization was subsequently applied to minimize the effects of the different factors, and the correlation between the CRR<sub>N=10</sub> normalization curve and the CRR<sub>N=15</sub> normalization curve was confirmed.

Durability and Strength Characteristics of Casein-Cemented Sand with Slag.

Casein is often used as an eco-friendly wood adhesive. In this study, we used casein for soil cementation by mixing it with Jumunjin sand, sodium hydroxide (SH), and calcium hydroxide (CH) as a standard casein formula. The modified casein binder with different proportions of SH and CH was applied to improve water resistance. Furthermore, a blast furnace slag (BFS) was additionally mixed and reacted with alkalinity of modified casein binder. Thus, three types (standard, modified, and modified + BFS, referred to as STD, MOD, and MBS, hereafter) of casein binders were tested for durability and strength of casein-cemented sand. A piezoelectric sensor was installed within each sample to determine the curing time of the casein-cemented samples. The samples were air-cured at room temperature for seven days and some were repeatedly immersed in water thrice. Unconfined compression and jar slake tests were carried out to evaluate the strength and durability of the casein-cemented sand. Also, the microstructure was analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). We observed variations of peak conductance and corresponding frequency converged as the curing time increased. It was most significant for the MBS samples, which developed strength early. The unconfined compressive strength (UCS) of the air-cured samples was higher than those repeatedly immersed in water due to wash-off of the casein binder. The UCS of the dry MBS sample was 9900 kPa while that of the immersed sample was 430 kPa, which gradually decreased to 60 kPa upon repeated immersion. The samples with STD and MOD had no resistance to durability and showed cracks on the surface, while the MBS sample exhibited significantly improved durability and no cracks. We found that the MBS binder had a positively significant effect on the durability and strength of casein-cemented sand.

The Influence of Clay Content on Cave-ins in Tank Model Tests and Monitoring Indicators of Sinkhole Formation

Urban cave-ins may result from a sudden change in local hydrological, hydrogeological and anthropogenic conditions. Monitoring and predicting urban sinkholes is not straightforward, and solving the problem of urban cave-ins involves the incorporation of the fields of geodetics, geophysics and geochemistry. This paper examines the causes and consequences of sinkholes in sand-rich materials by using a small tank model apparatus. Tank model tests were conducted to simulate sinkhole formation, to gain a better understanding of the influencing factors of cavity formation, expansion and upward migration with different cavity water levels. Two commercial materials were used: Jumunjin sand and kaolinite clay. Materials with different grain-size distributions, i.e., sand (100% Jumunjin sand) and sand-clay mixtures (95% sand and 5% kaolinite clay), were considered to examine the roles of clay content in sinkhole risk. The test results show that the sand-rich materials exhibited a typical punching type of sinkhole subsidence and failure, and were very sensitive to changes in groundwater level, regardless of the grain-size distribution. The higher the groundwater level is, the higher the sinkhole risk is in terms of the speed of migration of the underground cavity fluids, cavity size and ground loosening. Therefore, sinkholes in urban areas covered with sand-rich materials are vulnerable to groundwater withdrawal. However, compared with pure sand, materials with small clay contents can reduce the time until collapse and the size of a sinkhole. Variations in pore water pressure may be used as a sinkhole indicator in areas where the ground deformation caused by groundwater depletion is considerable.

Centrifuge Tests on the Lateral Behavior of Offshore Monopile in Saturated Dense Sand under Cyclic Loading

Abstract In this study, the cyclic lateral behaviors of an offshore monopile in saturated dense sand under cyclic loading was investigated using centrifuge model tests. The soil used for testing was Jumunjin sand, which was deposited with a relative density of 80 %. A static loading test was carried out to obtain the static lateral capacity of the monopile, from which the magnitudes of cyclic load were determined at 30 %, 50 %, 80 %, and 120 % of the lateral capacity. A hundred cycles were applied to the pile head with the frequency of 0.125 Hz. Experimental cyclic p-y curves were obtained at 2, 5, and 7-m depths, from which equations for cyclic p-y curves for saturated dense sand were proposed. The proposed p-y curve was compared with the conventional p-y curves; it was found that the proposed equations overestimate the ultimate soil resistance compared with the conventional ones, whereas the initial modulus of subgrade reaction was only 35 % the conventional ones.

Cyclic p-y Curves of Monopiles in Dense Dry Sand Using Centrifuge Model Tests

In this study, centrifuge model tests were used to examine the lateral behavior of a monopile embedded in dry sand through cyclic lateral loading tests. The soil specimens used in the tests were dry Jumunjin sand with a relative density of 80% and a friction angle of 38°. A static loading test was performed once, and cyclic loading tests were performed four times using four magnitudes of cyclic load (30%, 50%, 80%, and 120% of static lateral capacity). The experimental cyclic p-y curve was obtained through the tests, and the maximum soil resistance points that were found for each load were used to find the cyclic p-y backbone curve for each depth. The two variables which are needed to define the cyclic p-y backbone curve, i.e., the initial modulus of subgrade reaction (kini) and ultimate soil resistance (pu), were suggested as functions of the soil’s physical properties and the pile. The cyclic p-y curve of the first cycle and the 100th cycle were formulated to present the upper limit and lower limit. The suggested cyclic p-y curve had an overestimated soil resistance compared with the existing API (1987) method, but the initial modulus of subgrade reaction was underestimated.

Experimental Study on Relationship Between Critical State Line and Zero Creep Volume Change Zone in Engineered Silty Sand

Volume change during creep is one of the important factors to explain various time-dependent problems such as the pile set-up effect. Park [1] and Park et al. [2] experimentally measured creep volume characteristics under various stress conditions using engineered silty sand obtained from weathered granite soil in Korea. They found that a zero-creep volume change zone (ZCVZ) exists on the e-log p' plane. If the void ratios at the beginning of the creep are above the ZCVZ on the e-log p' plane, the volume decreases during creep; if they are below the ZCVZ, the volume increases during creep. In this study, a series of simple critical state (CS) tests which can simply determine the critical state parameters in sandy soils were performed to estimate the critical state line (CSL) and compared with ZCVZ. In addition, the CSL obtained using the method proposed by Santamarina and Cho [3] was compared with those obtained by the triaxial test. The CSL for Jumunjin sand and engineered silty sand is close to ZCVZ. Therefore, the CSL can be used as a reference line to determine the volume change pattern by creep.

Effect of clay content on the shear strength of clay\u2013sand mixture

This paper investigates the effect of clay content on the shear strength of clay–sand mixtures. Bentonite and Jumunjin sand were mixed to prepare clay–sand mixtures with varying clay contents of 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30%. The shear strength of clay–sand mixture was measured using direct shear tests and angle of repose tests in dry condition. The angle of repose of the clay–sand mixture was measured to be greater than that of pure sand for the studied range of clay contents. Likewise, the internal friction angle of the clay–sand mixture was measured to be higher than that of pure sand, reaching a peak at the clay content of 10%. Theoretically, the behavior of the clay–sand mixtures was to be governed by large size particles at clay contents smaller than 23.5%, which agrees well with the visual inspection on the mixtures. At clay content of 25.1% or greater, where the contribution of large particle was theoretically assumed to be none, the results from the angle of repose tests were significantly scattered, indicating that the clay started playing a key role in the behavior of mixtures.

Permeability Test Device for Soil with Automatic Water Head Control

This paper proposes a constant water head permeability test device for soil with automatic water head control using sensors, actuators, and a microcontroller. A microcontroller controls a solenoid valve based on signals from a water level sensor to sustain a constant water level. The microcontroller also uses a digital scale, a temperature sensor, and a digital time clock to measure the amount of water, water temperature, and time lapse, respectively, during a permeability test. In the permeability tests for Jumunjin sand and Gwanak weathered soil that were performed in this study, the test device sustained a constant water level, minimizing the wastage of water. The permeability coefficients determined using the developed device were practically identical to the permeability coefficients obtained from the conventional method and had good agreement with the predicted values from previous studies. This study is also expected to well showcase the improvement and automation of the conventional geotechnical experiments using the microcontroller.

Dynamic properties of gel-type biopolymer-treated sands evaluated by Resonant Column (RC) Tests

Due to numerous environmental concerns in recent years, the search for and the development of sustainable technologies have been pursued. In particular, environmentally friendly methods of soil improvement, such as the potential use of biopolymers, have been researched. Previous studies on the use of biopolymers in soil improvement have shown that they can provide substantial strengthening efficiencies. However, in order to fully understand the applicability of biopolymer treated soils, various properties of these soils such as their dynamic properties must be considered. In this study, the dynamic properties of gel-type biopolymer treated soils were observed through the use of resonant column tests. Gellan gum and Xanthan gums were the target gel-type biopolymers used in this study, and the target soil for this study was jumunjin sand, the standard sand of Korea. Through this study it was demonstrated that biopolymers can be used to enhance the dynamic properties of the soil, and that they offer possibilities of reuse to reduce earthquake related soil failures.

Strength durability of gellan gum biopolymer-treated Korean sand with cyclic wetting and drying

Various biological approaches recently have been explored as alternative environmentally-friendly soil improvement strategies in the fields of construction and geotechnical engineering, with the aim of reducing the use of high greenhouse gas emitting construction binders such as cement. Previous studies have shown the effectiveness of microbial biopolymers in soil improvement. However, there are still concerns about the durability and serviceability of biopolymer treated soils, resulting from the biodegradation and hydrolysis behaviors of the biologically produced compounds. In this study, the strength and durability of gellan gum biopolymer treated Jumunjin sand (standard sand of the Republic of Korea) was evaluated under cyclic wetting and drying. The results obtained indicate that the cyclic wetting and drying of gellan gum-treated sands results in a gradual degradation of strength, due to the dissociation of the gellan gum monomers under wetting and imperfect recomposition during re-drying, with an approximately 30% strength reduction over 10 cycles. However, a certain degree of strength recovery and resistance was observed even after numerous cycles, indicating that gellan gum-treated soils can potentially be applied for temporary or medium-term purposes in practical construction.

Evaluation of effective thermal conductivity of unsaturated granular materials using random network model

The effective thermal conductivity of granular materials is widely used in numerous geothermal engineering applications, such as the ground source heat pump (GSHP) system. However, for unsaturated granular materials, it is difficult to predict the thermal conductivity because of the interaction between solid and fluid in media. In this study, the effective thermal conductivity of unsaturated granular materials was measured, reviewed and analysed using a macroscopic pore structure network model with a randomly packed particles. The network model was verified by measured data (soil water characteristics curve, thermal conductivity and etc.) of three different glass beads and also Jumunjin sand (standard sand of South Korea). Upon the series of laboratory experiments, some modification to the existing network model were introduced, such as the use of soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) applied to modelling the thermal conductivity of granular materials. In addition, an empirical correlation between the fraction of the mean radius (χ) and the thermal conductivity at a given saturated condition was developed through comparison with the test results. In the range of lower degree of saturation (5%–20%), the modified network model shows relatively higher thermal conductivity than the laboratory measurements. However, for the higher degree of saturation (>40%), it shows a similar tendency to the laboratory measurements.

Pullout Characteristics of Geosynthetics Reinforced Earth Using Multilayer Spreading Pullout Test

Pullout test equipment for examining pullout characteristics in a reinforced earth structure is relatively larger than direct shear testing machines and requires much time and expenses in preparing samples. Moreover, because of irregular stress distributions with respect to the length of reinforcements, it is difficult to analyze pullout test results. In this study, we developed a multilayer spreading pullout apparatus enabling the pullout test in the order of a top stage, middle stage, and bottom stage with different loads once a ground model is prepared, suggesting an efficient method of a multilayer spreading pullout test. The pullout test is carried out at least three times with the prepared ground model while changing confining loads. Jumunjin sand was used to verify the developed pullout test apparatus and to analyze pullout characteristics of each reinforcement. The analysis reveals that the difference between angles of pullout friction is approximately 0.86 to 1.3° which is distributed within the error range of a pullout test. As a result, the multilayer spreading pullout apparatus is applicable as a new pullout apparatus, and the suggested method of multilayer spreading pullout test is identified as a pullout test technique efficiently to obtain pullout parameters.

Static pullout resistance of anchor chains in cohesionless soil—laboratory testing

ABSTRACTThis paper investigates the static pullout resistance of anchor chains embedded into cohesionless soil. The anchor chains, which are made of steel, were buried into Jumunjin sand whose relative density was set to approximately 60%. The anchor chains were horizontally pulled out through a displacement of 70 mm in laboratory model tests. Three different embedment depths and seven different numbers of chain links were adopted. The pullout resistance of the anchor chains was found to increase with increasing embedment depth and the number of anchor chain links. The measured resistance was significantly higher than the calculated frictional resistance, implying that the passive resistance at the front of the anchor chain significantly contributes to the pullout resistance. The contribution of the passive resistance tends to decrease with increasing number of chain links.

A Simple Method for Preserving Underground Water Resources in Volcanic Island (Jeju)

Being mostly made up of highly permeable basalt and volcanic ash soil, Jeju Island’s lithosphere characterizes its streams to be dry, flowing only when precipitation is happening. Under this condition, this research was motivated to identify the need of conservation of underground water, which is taking up most of (84% of) Jeju’s water usage, and made an attempt to reduce the permeability of stream beds so that it can replace underground water and be used instead. To this end, this study suggested a simple method to make dry streams to carry water all-year-round by reducing permeability of stream floor. The experiment of permeability was performed on the porous basalt and compared it with that of same basalt with volcanic ash soil and Jumunjin sand layer added on top. The results showed a dramatic decrease in permeability of water when both volcanic ash soil and Jumunjin sand is were layered on top of porous basalt. Despite being gained in a controlled environment with a simple test, this result may provide a realistic and effective method of preserving Jeju Island’s underground water which ultimately is a method of resolving water related issues.

잔골재 특성이 굳지 않은 지오폴리머 콘크리트에 미치는 영향

석탄재로부터 제조된 지오폴리머에 골재를 첨가하여 시멘트와 동일하게 모르타르와 콘크리트를 제조하는 것이 가능하다. 잔골재의 특성이 지오폴리머 모르타르와 콘크리트에 미치는 영향에 대해 체계적으로 검토한 연구는 많지 않기 때문에 잔골재의 광물조성, 형상, 표면, 입도, 밀도 및 흡수율 등을 평가하는 것이 필요하다. 본 연구에서는 석영, 운모, 장석, 휘석 등의 광물 조성을 이루고 -0.60mm에서 +0.30mm까지의 입자크기가 전체의 96%이며 표면이 거칠고 각진 형상을 보이는 주문진 표준사와 대부분 석영으로 -1.40mm에서 +0.60mm까지의 입자크기가 전체의 51%를 보이고 동시에 다양한 입자크기를 보이면서 표면이 매끈하고 둥근 형상을 나타내는 ISO 표준사 다른 두 종류의 잔골재를 사용하였다. 배합비는 Si/Al=1.0-4.1의 범위에서 지오폴리머 페이스트를 실험한 결과 가장 높은 압축강도를 보인 Si/Al=1.5는 모르타르, 가장 높은 반죽 질기를 보인 Si/Al=3.5는 콘크리트에 각각 적용하였다. 지오폴리머 모르타르는 잔골재를 20-50%의 범위에서 주문진 표준사와 ISO 표준사가 첨가된 모르타르는 각각 69.5-112.0mm, 70.5-126.0mm의 플로우 크기 증가를 보였고, ISO 잔골재 가 첨가된 모르타르의 플로우 증가율이 더 높았다. 지오폴리머 콘크리트는 ISO 표준사와 굵은 골재가 전체의 77wt.%를 첨가하였을 때 평균 압축강도가 32MPa로 나타났고 반죽 질기는 몰딩하기에 양호하였다. 본 연구에서 다양한 입도분포, 둥근 형상, 매끈한 표면, 낮은 흡수율을 보인 ISO 표준사가 지오폴리머의 반죽 질기에 유리한 특성을 보였기 때문에 지오폴리머 콘크리트에도 ISO 표준사와 유사한 잔골재를 사용하는 것이 유리할 수 있다. It is possible that aggregates add on to geopolymer based fly ash to mix mortar and concrete like cement. This is necessary to evaluate mineral composition, particle shape, surface, size distribution, density and absorption ratio for fine aggregates due to few detailed research to examine influence of fine aggregates properties on unhardened geopolymer concrete. In this research, used two different fine aggregates, Jumunjin sand(having quartz, mica, feldspar, pyroxene in mineral composition, more than 96% of total size between -0.60 and +0.30mm, angular shape and rough surface) and ISO sand(having almost all quartz in mineral composition, more than 51% size between -1.40 and +0.60mm, simultaneously varied size distribution, spherical shape and smooth surface). After an experimental result of the varied ratio of Si/Al=1.0-4.1 geopolymer paste, mix proportion respectively applied Si/Al=1.5 having the highest compressive strength to mortar and Si/Al=3.5 having the highest consistency to concrete. Geopolymer mortar by mixing with Jumunjin and ISO sand in varied range of 20-50wt.% showed flow size increase between 69.5 and 112.0mm, between 70.5 and 126.0mm respectively. Geopolymer concrete at an addition of 77wt.% of total aggregates ratio showed that average compressive strength was 32MPa and the consistency was favorable to molding. Since ISO sand observing varied size distribution, spherical shape, smooth surface, low absorption ratio resulted in advantageous properties on consistency of geopolymer, geopolymer concrete can be suitable for using the fine aggregates similar to ISO sand.

Discrete element method for the characterization of soil properties in Plate-Sinkage tests

The Discrete element method (DEM) is used for solving microscopic mechanical behaviors of granular materials and has the advantage of being able to analyze the wheel-soil interactions on the off-road ground because soil deformation under a moving wheel is a discontinuous, non-uniform and nonlinear phenomenon. However, a challenge for applying DEM to the soil analysis is that determination of DEM parameters is not rooted in a clear understanding of relationships between the DEM parameters and soil conditions. This study modeled the plate-sinkage test based on DEM and produced the soil characteristic properties of the virtual soils to reveal effects of the DEM parameters on the vertical bearing capacity of the soil. A nominal model of the plate-sinkage test was developed with a chosen set of the DEM parameters, and its model results were compared with experimental data of actual Jumunjin sand. Also, parametric studies were conducted on particle density, Young’s modulus, friction coefficient and rolling friction coefficient.

온도에 따른 사질토의 다짐 특성

Abstract Among several factors controlling soil compaction, temperature is the factor that varies with region and season. Although earthwork is performed in many projects in the cold regions of the earth, studies on quantifying soil compaction associated with temperature are limited. This experimental study investigates the temperature effect on the soil compaction of cohesionless soil. Jumunjin sand was selected for the tests to represent cohesionless clean sand, which is widely used as an engineering fill at petrochemical projects such as northern Alberta of Canada and Russia. The laboratory test program consists of performing a series of standard proctor tests varying temperature of soil samples ranging from -10°C to 17°C. Test results indicate that soil specimen volume expansion occurred from bulking and its range was 0% to 6% with zero above temperature. For increasing temperature from 0°C to 17°C, water content corresponding to maximum volume (minimum dry unit weight) was decreased and water content corresponding to minimum volume (maximum dry unit weight observed after reaching minimum dry unit weight) was slightly increased with increasing temperature. In zero below temperature, dry unit weight gradually decreased with increasing water content. In this case, no bulking effect was found and soil specimen volume increased due to the higher unit volume of ice.

공극 네트워크 모델을 이용한 주문진표준사의 함수특성곡선 및 상대투수율 예측에 관한 연구

This study presents the numerical results of soil-water characteristic curve for sandy soil by pore network model. The Jumunjin sand is subjected to the high resolution 3D X-ray computed tomographic imaging and its pore structure is constructed by the web of pore body and pore channel. The channel radius, essential to the computation of capillary pressure, is obtained based on the skeletonization and Euclidean Distance transform. The experimentally obtained soil-water characteristic curve corroborates the numerically estimated one. The pore channel radius defined by minimum radii of pore throat results in the slightly overestimation of air entry value, while the overall evolution of capillary pressure resides in the acceptable range. The relative permeability computed by a series of suggested models runs above that obtained by pore network model at high degree of saturation.