• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.402-413
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• 2006

Strength evaluation of soft soils is a formidable task because of difficulties in sampling, specimen preparation and setting in triaxial cells. In undrained triaxial testing, sampling disturbance, verticality of specimen and bedding effect give a great influence on shear strength measurements. In the other hand, shear wave measurements of specimens are less influenced by these factors. In this research, the bender elements were attached top cap and base pedestal of triaxial cell and shear wave velocities were measured. To initiate a methodology to evaluate shear strength indirectly by measuring shear wave velocity, a relationship between shear strength and shear wave velocity was developed with kaolinite specimens consolidated in the laboratory. Undrained shear strength turns out to increase linearly with shear wave velocity. Stress-strain curves can also be predicted with a hyperbolic model and shear wave measurements.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.318-326
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• 2008

Recently, a new seismic probe, called "MudFork", has been developed and can be utilized for accurate and easy measurements of shear wave velocities of soft soils. To expand its use to estimate undrained shear strength and density, correlations between those and shear wave velocity were being attempted. Cone penetration tests and a seismic test, using MudFork, were performed at a soft ground site near Incheon, Korea. Also, undisturbed samples were obtained and shear wave velocities of the samples were measured as well as undrained shear strength, using triaxial compression test and bender elements. A simple linear relationship between shear strength and shear wave velocity was obtained, and a tentative relationship between density and shear wave velocity was also defined.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.15 no.1E
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• pp.70-76
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• 1996

We proposed to use shear waves instead of longitudinal waves in a STAM (scanning tomographic acoustic microscope system) in which the specimens are solid. For any specimen with a shear modulus, mode conversion will take place at the water-solid interface. Some of the energy of the insonifying longitudinal waves in the water will convert to shear wave energy within the specimen. The shear wave energy is detectable and can be used for tomographic reconstruction. The resolution limitation of STAM depends on the available angular view and the acoustic wavelength. While wave transmission in most solid specimens is limited to about 20°for longitudinal waves, we show that it is about twice that high for shear waves. Since the wavelength of the shear wave is shorter than that of the longitudinal wave, we are able to achieve the high resolution. In order to compare the operation of a shear-wave STAM with that of the conventional longitudinal-wave STAM we have simulated tomographic reconstruction for each. Our simulation results with aluminum specimen and back-and-forth propagation algorithm showed resolution of a shear-wave STAM is better than that of a longitudinal-wave STAM.

• Journal of the Earthquake Engineering Society of Korea
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.191-199
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• 2019

To calculate proper seismic design load and seismic design category, the exact site class for construction site is required. At present, the average shear-wave velocity for multi-layer soil deposits is calculated by the sum of shear-wave velocities without considering of vertical relationship of the strata. In this study, the transfer function for the multi-layered soil deposits was reviewed on the basis of the wave propagation theory. Also, the transfer function was accurately verified by the finite element model and the eigenvalue analysis. Three methods for site period estimation were evaluated. The sum of shear-wave velocities underestimated the average shear-wave velocities of 526 strata with large deviations. The equation of Mexican code overestimated the average shear-wave velocities. The equation of Japanese code well estimated the average shear-wave velocities with small deviation.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.137-146
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• 2006

Shear wave velocity of uncemented soil can be expressed as the function of effective stresses when capillary phenomenons are negligible. However, the terms of effective stresses are divided to the direction of wave propagation and polarization because stress states are generally anisotropy. The shear wave velocities are affected by parameters and exponents that are experimentally determined. The exponents are controlled contact effects of particulate materials(sizes, shapes, and structures of particles) and the parameters are changed contact behaviors between particles, material properties of particles, and type of packing(i.e., void ratio and coordination number). In this study, consolidation tests are performed by using clay, mica and sand specimens. Shear wave velocities are measured during consolidation tests to investigate the stress-induced and inherent anisotropies through bender elements. Results show the shear wave velocities depends on the stress-induced anisotropy for round particles. Furthermore the shear wave velocity is dependent on particle alignment under the constant effective stress. This study suggests that the shear wave velocity and the shear modulus should be carefully calculated and used for the design and construction of geotechnical structures.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.29-36
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• 2019

There always exist the spatial variations of material properties such as a shear wave velocity in a dam and between same type dams. These uncertainties cause those in evaluation of a shear wave velocity profile of a dam and should be considered in determining the shear wave velocity profile for a rockfill zone of a fill dam. In this paper, these uncertainties of a shear wave velocity in the rockfill zone of the fill dam in Korea are evaluated. And the shear wave velocity profile model considering these uncertainties in rockfillzone is proposed using the method based on Harmonic wavelet transform. The proposed shear wave velocity profile model is compared with Sawada-Takahashi model widely used for evaluation of a shear wave velocity profile of a rockfill zone of fill dams.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.607-614
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• 2010

Shear behavior of granular soils largely affects the safety and stability of underground and earth structures. This study presents the characteristics of shear zone in a direct shear test using shear wave and electrical resistivity measurements. An innovative direct shear box made of transparent acrylic material has been developed to prevent direct electric current. Bender elements and electrical resistivity probe are embedded in the wall of direct shear box to estimate the shear wave velocities and the electrical resistivity at the shear and non-shear zones. Experimental results show that the void ratio and shear wave velocity at shear zone increase during shearing while the values remain constant at non-shear zone. The results demonstrate correlation among the contact force, small strain shear modulus, and void ratio at shear zone. This study suggests that the application of the modified direct shear box including shear wave and electrical resistivity measurements may become an effective tool for analyzing soil behavior at shear zone.

• The Journal of the Acoustical Society of Korea
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• v.22 no.4E
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• pp.167-175
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• 2003

Shear wave velocity was measured and grain size analysis was conducted on two core samples obtained in unconsolidated marine sediments of the western continental margin, the East Sea. A pulse transmission technique based on the Hamilton frame was used to measure shear wave velocity. Duomorph ceramic bender transducer-receiver elements were used to generate and detect shear waves in sediment samples. Time delay was calculated by changing the sample length from the transducer-receiver element. Time delay is 43.18 μs and shear wave velocity (22.49 m/s) is calculated from the slope of regression line. Shear wave velocities of station 1 and 2 range from 8.9 to 19.0 m/s and from 8.8 to 22 mis, respectively. Shear wave velocities with depth in both cores are qualitatively in agreement with the compared model〔1〕, although the absolute value is different. The sediment type of two core samples is mud (mean grain size, 8-9Φ). Shear wave velocity generally increases with sediment depth, which is suggesting normally consolidated sediments. The complicated variation of velocity anisotropy with depth at station 2 is probably responsible for sediment disturbance by possible gas effect.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.713-723
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• 2016

Shear wave velocities of three selected sandy soils subject to drained triaxial compression test were continuously measured using the bender elements. The shear wave velocity during isotropic compression, as widely recognized, increased as confining pressure increased and they were correlated well. However, during drained shearing, the mean effective stress could no further provide a suitable correlation. The shear wave velocity during this stage was almost constant with respect to the mean effective stress. The vertical stress was found to be more favorable at this stage (since confining stress was kept constant). When sample was attained its peak stress, the shear wave velocity reduced and deviated from the previously existed trend line. This was probably caused by the non-uniformity induced by the formation of shear band. Subsequently, void ratios computed based on external measurements could not provide reasonable fitting to the initial stage of post-peak shear wave velocity. At very large strain levels after shear band formation, the digital images revealed that sample may internally re-arrange itself to be in a more uniform loose stage. This final stage void ratio estimated based on the proposed correlation derived during pre-peak state was close to the value of the maximum void ratio.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.582-589
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• 2006

Shear wane velocity is important property for grasping the dynamic characteristics of material. It is has been used in various fields such as non-destructive testings of structures, seismic analysis of geotechnical structures and maintenance of concrete structure, and etc. Usually, shear wave velocities of rock cores and concrete cylinders are determined by free-free resonance tests, Shear wave measurement in free-free resonance tests is not straightforward, as compared with rod wave and flexural wane measurements. In This study, a new technique using resonance features of flexural and shear waves were proposed in which the nodal points for the fundamental mode of flexural waves were employed to generate and measure the shear waves with the flexural waves minimized. The real measurements for aluminum cylinders proved validity and reliability of the proposed algorithm. In addition to the proposed algorithm, the effects of material properties on elastic-wave velocities in resonance measurements were also studied. In summary, a new framework of the resonance measurements for shear-wave velocity determination was established, based on the results of this thesis.