Distributed temperature sensing (DTS)-based fiber optic sensors are widely used for monitoring spatially continuous temperature distribution in structures. In this research, hydro-thermal (H-T) coupled analysis is used to monitor seepage conditions in an embankment dam. Variably saturated two-dimensional heat transport (VS2DHI), a computer code developed by the U.S. Geological Survey, was used for this coupled analysis. From the coupled analysis, the temperature profile for a dam with an artificially generated crack clearly showed the location of the crack. In addition, it turned out that the temperature change in the dam took much longer than the seepage time due to the additional time required for heat transfer. The study shows that temperature variation in the dam is comparable to the seepage condition with time delay for heat transfer. This study also shows the possibility that temperature data may serve as a tool to diagnose prior seepage conditions and past incidents of a dam.

Several studies have proposed evaluation schemes to assess the performance of cone/piezocone penetration test (CPT/PCPT)-based pile analyses. However, approaches that calibrate, evaluate, and consider the locality of these methods are not fully recognized, yet. In this study, a calibration analysis using a least square method and subsequent evaluation of CPT/PCPT-based methods was conducted based on a pile and CPT/PCPT database. The evaluation scheme comprised different statistical criteria and a ranking index (RI) was used to evaluate the methods. After the evaluation, it turned out that methods by De Ruiter and Beringen, Tumay and Fakhrooand Clisby et al. showed a fair performance for H-piles with overall RI of 8, 9, and 13, respectively. Methods by De Ruiter and Beringen , Eslami and Fellenius , and Bustamante and Gianeselli showed a fair performance for closed-ended pipe and prestressed concrete piles with overall RI 9, 14, and 15, respectively. In addition, consideration of the geological conditions for the better performing techniques showed that they were commonly developed for soils mostly derived from marine deposit during Mesozoic era and melting of thick ice sheet during Cenozoic era. Consideration of prevailing geological condition for the test sites, therefore, is recommended in predicting pile bearing capacity based on CPT/PCPT-based.

Governing underground water flow, hydraulic properties such as hydraulic conductivity or coefficient of consolidation are major geotechnical parameters. Determination of hydraulic properties, however, is traditionally time consuming and expensive. This research proposes an easy and economical way of determining the hydraulic properties of soils through piezocone penetration tests. Pore pressure responses of soils from piezocone penetration tests are numerically analyzed herein by the coupled theory of mixtures, which is based on the large strain elastoplasticity. Using the numerical results, the effects of input parameters are evaluated. Simple equations are also derived for a faster estimation of the hydraulic conductivity or the coefficient of consolidation of soils. The hydraulic properties predicted by these derived equations agree reasonably with the measured results.