Yun-Wook Choo

Measurement of small-strain shear modulus Gmax of dry and saturated sands by bender element, resonant column, and torsional shear tests

The bender element method is an experimental technique used to determine the small-strain shear modulus (Gmax) of a soil by measuring the velocity of shear wave propagation through a sample. Bender elements have been applied as versatile transducers to measure the Gmax of wet and dry soils in various laboratory apparatuses. However, certain aspects of the bender element method have yet to be clearly specified because of uncertainties in determining travel time. In this paper, the bender element (BE), resonant column (RC), and torsional shear (TS) tests were performed on the same specimens using the modified Stokoe-type RC and TS testing equipment. Two clean sands, Toyoura and silica sands, were tested at various densities and mean effective stresses under dry and saturated conditions. Based on the test results, methods of determining travel time in BE tests were evaluated by comparing the results of RC, TS, and BE tests. Also, methods to evaluate Gmax of saturated sands from the shear-wave velocity (Vs) o...

A Study on the Criteria for the Earthquake Safety Evaluation of Fill Dams

The current Korean criteria for seismic performance evaluated by dynamic analysis regulates that the horizontal displacement and vertical settlement of a dam body, including the static deformation, should be within 1% of the dam height. However, there has been weak theoretical support, so that the current criteria have to be validated. Korea is in a region of low or moderate seismicity located inside the Eurasian plate, and few earthquakes with considerable magnitudes and intensities have been recorded in the area. Therefore, in this study, published data measured in overseas countries were collected in order to construct a database and validate the current criteria. In addition, dynamic centrifuge tests and a parametric study using numerical simulations were performed in order to investigate the effect on the horizontal displacement and settlement of a dam body and to validate the current criteria.

Simulation of Dynamic in-situ Soil Properties for the Centrifuge Test (Hualien Site in Taiwan)

The simulation of the field dynamic soil properties for soil modeling in the centrifuge test is important. In this study, the process of soil modeling based on the shear wave velocity profile is developed. From the resonant column test in each confining pressure, the shear wave velocity profile is expected and the modeling condition is determined by comparing it with that in the field. During the dynamic centrifuge test, the bender element test is performed for measuring the in-flight shear wave velocity profile, and the applicability of the proposed method was verified. This modeling method is applied to the centrifuge test of the Hualien Large-Scale Seismic test.