• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.5-18
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• 2014

Many regions around the world are vulnerable to rainfall-induced slope failures. A variety of methods have been proposed for revealing the mechanism of slope failure initiation. Current analysis methods, however, do not consider the effects of non-homogeneous soil profiles and variable hydraulic responses on rainfall-induced slope failures. In this study, probabilistic stability analyses were conducted for weathered residual soil slopes with different soil thickness overlying impermeable bedrock to study the rainfall-induced failure mechanisms depending on the soil thickness. A series of seepage and stability analyses of an infinite slope based on one-dimensional random fields were performed to consider the effects of uncertainty due to the spatial heterogeneity of hydraulic conductivity on the failure of unsaturated slopes due to rainfall infiltration. The results showed that a probabilistic framework can be used to efficiently consider various failure patterns caused by spatial variability of hydraulic conductivity in rainfall infiltration assessment for a infinite slope.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.159-166
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• 2004

In this study, experiments on the SWCC were performed in order to find out the characteristics of unsaturated soil and to analyze the stability of unsaturated weathered slopes with rainfall-induced wetting. Several soil types classified by mixture portion of clay (CH) in the weathered soil (SW) were used in experimental tests. To achieve the SWCC, the filter paper method was used on SW with varying clay contents. A tensiometer test was used for measuring wetting front suction of the soils in a laboratory with varying relative densities. Based on the experimental results, it is shown that the wetting front suction increases as clay contest of mixture soil increases : in particular, the wetting front suction increases sharply as the clay contents increase. It is also found that wetting front suction affects the initial wetting band depth and stability of the slope.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.33-41
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• 2016

This study attempted to investigate drain capacity and vegetation potential of made-planting soil via finite element simulations. Engineering drain capacity of made-planting soil can be evaluated by an analysis of unsaturated soils. In a perspective for vegetation landscape, it is necessary to check whether the minimum amount of water in the made-planting soil can be supplied for the survival of plants. Herein, 1-m high soil column covered by made-planting soil were numerically simulated. Numerical results showed that how the coefficient of permeability of saturated soil and soil-water characteristics of unsaturated soil are considered significantly influences the drain capacity of soils. Variation in the volumetric water content within the Least Limiting Water Range (LLWR) provides us with information on whether the soil can contain a sufficient amount of water for the plants to survive the drought.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3C
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• pp.113-120
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• 2012

An actual slope failure was analyzed in residual soils at Jinju. Due to rainfall infiltration, the safety factor decreases in the unsaturated layers, since the effective stress and shear strength decrease. In this study, the effective stress is based on suction stress using soil water retention curve. Unsaturated properties were evaluated on soil water retention curve, hydraulic conductivity and shear strength with samples from the site. After infiltration analysis of unsaturated flow under the actual rainfall, the distribution of pore water pressure could be calculated in the slope layers. In the stress field of finite elements, an elastic analysis calculated total stress distribution in the layers and also shear stresses on the slip surface using elastic model. On the slip surface, suction stress and effective stress evaluated the shear strength. As a result, the factor of safety was calculated due to rainfall, which could simulate the actual slope failure. In particular, it was found that the suction stress increases and both the effective stress and the shear strength decrease simultaneously on the slip surface.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.55-64
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• 2006

Shallow failures of slopes in weathered soils are caused by infiltration caused by prolonged rainfall. These failures are mainly triggered by the deepening of the wetting band accompanied by a decrease in suction induced by the water infiltration. In this paper, hysteresis on soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) of granite and gneiss weathered soils is investigated using transient flow analysis respectively. Each case was subjected to artificial rainfall intensities and time duration depending on the laboratory-based drying and wetting processes. The results show that the unsaturated seepage on weathered slopes are very much affected by the initial suction of soils and unsaturated permeability of the soils. In addition, a granite weathered soil has a lower air-entry value, residual matric suction, and wetting front suction and less hysteresis loop than a gneiss weathered soil.

• Proceedings of the Korea Contents Association Conference
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• 2011.05a
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• pp.465-466
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• 2011

이 연구는 일본식 배수공이 설치된 제방의 침투 흐름을 비정상 상태로 SEEP/W 모형을 사용하여 해석하고 모형의 적용성을 평가하기 위해 수행하였다. 수치모형의 적용성 평가를 위해 비정상 상태로 제방 침투에 대한 수리모형실험을 수행하였다. 제체 재료는 경상북도 구미시에 위치한 해평천의 제방 건설 현장의 재료를 사용하였고 일본식배수공은 굵은 골재와 부직포를 사용하여 실험실에 제방 축소 모형을 수조 내부에 제작하였다. 모형제방은 제방축조 방법과 유사하게 다짐을 하기 위해 흙을 쌓으면서 0.20 m 높이마다 다짐을 실시하였다. 다짐방법은 고무망치를 이용한 층다짐을 하였다. 제방 제외지에 0.55 cm/min의 속도로 수위를 증가하여 15분 간격으로 각 0.3 m, 0.4 m, 0.5 m 수위에 따른 비정상 상태의 위압계 측정을 수행하였다. SEEP/W 모형의 매개변수는 투수계수와 입도분포도, 불포화 함수특성곡선(값을 산정하기 어려움)이 있으며, 각 매개변수에 대한 민감도 분석을 수행하였다. SEEP/W 모형의 모의 결과는 수리모형실험 결과와 비교적 잘 일치함을 알 수 있었다.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.393-398
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• 2005

In order to treat flow problems for an unsaturated soils, it is required the mediation of the coefficient of permeability with variation of suction. The coefficient of permeability for soils can be determined by the direct or indirect methods. The direct methods of permeability can be performed either in the laboratory or in the field. The indirect methods can be predicted from the soil-water characteristics curve. Laboratory test methods to measure the coefficient of permeability can be categorized into two types, steady-state and unsteady-state. In this study, the coefficient of permeability for unsaturated soils was determined by the modified apparatus for steady state-method(Klute, 1972) and was predicted from the equations of Brooks and Corey(1964) and Van Genuchten(1980). Experimental results were compared with predicted coefficient of permeability and verified applicability of the two equations.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.37-48
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• 2017

Soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) has been widely used to estimate the shear strength and coefficient of permeability for unsaturated soils. In general, it is divided into the drying path in which the water is discharged and the wetting path in which the water is permeated, and it has a hysteresis indicating different suctions at the same volumetric water content. In reality the field behavior of unsaturated soils is much closer to the wetting path during the infiltration. The drying path has been practically used for various analyses because obtaining the wetting path takes longer than the drying path. Although many approaches for estimating wetting path have been studied till now, these are complex and do not fit well. Therefore, a simple method for estimating wetting path based on empirical approach in this study is proposed in unsaturated soils, and a feasibility study is conducted as well.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.47-58
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• 2010

Seepage rate through the core zone of rockfill dam, estimated from graphical technique and the equation by Sakamoto (1998), is different from the real condition because of neglecting unsaturated flow. With existing method to estimate total seepage rate, it is difficult to understand the tendency of total seepage rate changes by reservoir water level change. Steady state seepage rate and the factors affecting the time needed to attain to changes of reservoir water level and saturated hydraulic conductivity and unsaturated hydraulic properties of core material are analysed thorough the 2-D steady and unsteady state seepage analyses of Soyanggang dam. Numerical results revealed that the seepage rate can be expressed by the linear equation form and the value of unsaturated soil parameter n is the most important factor affecting the seepage rate and the time needed to attain steady state. The estimation method presented in this study can be used by the designer and the personnel of dam safety for convenient estimation of seepage rate and quantitative analysis of measured seepage rate without 2-D and 3-D numerical analyses.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.11 no.5
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• pp.35-43
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• 2010

Partially saturated permeability should be defined by the function of suction (or degree of saturation) and porosity. However, commercial software and most researchers' model often describe as the function of suction. The stability of a soil slope can be affected by both hydraulic and shear strength properties of partially saturated soils. For both studies, we generally use an uncoupled seepage analysis program Seep/W(Geo-Slope, 2007) and a series stress-deformation analysis program Sigma/W, or slope stability analysis program Slope/W. Seep/W is performed for simulations of partially saturated flow problems in non-deformable soil media. However, under real situations, the water flow processes in a deformable soil are influenced by soil skeleton movement and the pore water pressure changed due to seepage will lead to changes in stresses and to deformation of a soil. Many researchers are currently developing their models for solving coupled hydro-mechanical problems to simulate slope stability during a rainstorm. For a proper implementation in the field, the developed model should be still needed in order to achieve appropriate accuracy of the solution for coupled hydro-mechanical problems in soil slope stability. Thus, the paper presents the comparison of slope stability between uncoupled and coupled analyses of seepage and stress deformation problems.