• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2004.03b
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• pp.334-341
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• 2004

The coefficient of permeability is one of the most important properties in unsaturated soils. The permeability varies with change in the water content as the soil water characteristic curve(SWCC) does. Thus the permeability curve of unsaturated soils has the similar shape with the soil-water characteristic curve(SWCC). Therefore, the methodologies have been studied to simply predict the unsaturated permeability from the SWCC. In this study, the experimental tests of SWCC and permeability were carried out for domestic weathered granite soils. The SWCC test results were fitted to Fredlund and Xing's SWCC equation and then it was found that there are some relationships between the parameters of SWCC equation and the basic soil properties. Accordingly we used an ANN(artificial neural network) model to obtain the SWCC parameters from the basic soil properties. Finally, the coefficients of permeability were predicted from these results by a prediction model.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.1029-1037
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• 2008

The finite element analysis of transient water flow through unsaturated soils was used to investigate effects of hydraulic characteristics, initial relative degree of saturation, methods to consider boundary condition, and rainfall intensity and duration on water pressure in slopes. The finite element method with shear strength reduction technique was used to evaluate the stability of slopes under rainfall. The slope-related disasters in Korea usually occur between July and September during the typhoon and localized heavy rain. This means that the rainfall is the most important factor that leads to the slope-related disasters. The slope-related disasters can happen at very short time and lead to big damage. To forecast the change of the heave of the groundwater in slope the Seep/w program was used.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.12
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• pp.11-24
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• 2013

This study presents a design method for typical rainfall-induced landslide considering in-situ matric suction. Actual landslide data are used to validate the proposed method. The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) and unsaturated permeability are experimentally determined to estimate hydraulic properties of testing site. The field measurement of matric suction is carried out to monitor in-situ matric suction in a natural slope subjected to rainfall infiltration, which is incorporated in the landslide analysis. The wetting band depth and safety factor of the slope are assessed to clarify the effect of domestic rainfall pattern. Especially, the effect of antecedent rainfall on the slope stability is investigated and discussed in terms of wetting band depth using parametric study. It is found from the result of this study that proposed design method can consider the characteristic of unsaturated soil and effect of antecedent rainfall. The location of the scarp zone is fairly well predicted by proposed design method. Moreover, heavy rainfall, concentrated in the backward part with time, causes the lowest safety factor of the slope. These results demonstrate that decrease in matric suction due to antecedent rainfall may trigger slope instability. After the antecedent rainfall, additional rainfall may cause the slope failure due to increasing wetting band depth.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.19 no.10
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• pp.21-26
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• 2018

Soil-water characteristic curve, which is called soil retention curve, is required to explore water flows in unsaturated soils, relative permeability of water in multi-phase fluids flow, and change to stiffness and volume of soils. Thus, the understanding of soil-water characteristic curves of soils help us explore the behavior of soils inclduing fluids. Biopolymers are environmental-friendly materials, which can be completely degraded by microbes and have been believed not to affect the nature. Thus, various biopolymers such as deacetylated power, polyethylene oxide, xanthan gum, alginic acid sodium salt, and polyacrylic acid have been studies for the application to soil remediation, soil improvement, and enhanced oil recovery. PAA (polyacrylic acid) is one of biopolymers, which have shown a great effect in enhanced oil recovery as well as soil remediation because of the improvement of water-flood performance by mobility control. The study on soil-water characteristic curves of sandy soils containing PAA (polyacrylic acid) has been conducted through experimentations and theoretical models. The results show that both capillary entry pressure and residual water saturation dramatically increase according to the increased concentration of PAA (polyacrylic acid). Also, soil-water characteristic curves by theoretical models are quite well consistent with the results by experimental studies. Thus, soil-water characteristic curves of sandy soils containing biopolymers such as PAA (polyacrylic acid) can be estimated using fitting parameters for the theoretical model.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.27-34
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• 2011

This study analyzes the determination of slope failure model due to changes in ground condition followed by heavy rainfall. With a simulated rainfall system, the movement of a slope from the rainfall penetrating the unsaturated soil is investigated with respect to various conditions of pore-water pressure, earth pressure, and moisture content, considering rainfall duration and permeability. As a result of the experiment, under the persistent precipitation of 50mm/h, pore-water pressure of weathered granite soil started increasing from the upper position of the slope, and then the pressure increased in middle and bottom portion of it in timely manner. In case of the pore-water pressure of the standard soil, the pressure increased from the middle and bottom portion, and the cause of the different order is suspected to be the difference in permeability between the standard soil and the weathered granite soil. As an outcome, though the result may vary by each foundation, there exists a danger of slope failure not only when the cumulative rainfall is more than 120 mm but also when the saturation level amounts to 60~75%.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.215-224
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• 2001

The concept that the electrical properties of subsurface material can be affected by the introduction of contaminants might be applicable fur developing the leakage detection system for petroleum hydrocarbons of underground storage tanks and leachate coming from landfill. Investigations were conducted with diesel, NaCl solution, and leachate by laboratory tests. Simulation test was performed leaking at a certain point in the field. The measured resistance was exponentially decreased as the water content of uncontaminated unsaturated sand was increased. The resistance of soil was increased by diesel but decreased by NaCl solution or leachate. The optimum electrode spacings were found for NaCl solution, leachate and diesel. Electrolytic solutions were better detected by wider spacing than non electrolytic solution.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.365-374
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• 1999

To obtain informations on vertical movements of water and solute in rice paddy field during the growing season, soil water contents and bulk electrical conductivities (${\sigma}_a$) were monitored using Time Domain Reflectometry. Soil water contents with depth showed ${\varepsilon}$-shaped profiles constituting of partly saturated zones at top and bottom layers and unsaturated zones (20-100cm) between them. Analysis by fitting with a van Genuchten-type model showed that soil water contents at 60cm were affected by both water supplied from surface water and groundwater, but at 80cm mainly affected by groundwater. Water percolation at the rate of 2cm $day^{-1}$ rates were, but large fluctuation from 10 to 38cm $day^{-1}$ in C1 layer (60-90cm). Therefore, it can be said that any water or solute entering C1 layer is very rapidly transported to C2 layer, especially during the period of high groundwater table staying, and retarded to a relatively constant percolation rate in C2 layer. This can be manifested by the fact that rapid decrease and steady increase of electrical conductivities at 50 and 110cm depth respectively, were found around that period.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.44-57
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• 2008

In this study, a 2D finite-element analysis, using the SEEP/W program, was carried out to estimate the amount of groundwater flawing into a tunnel, as well as the groundwater tables around wetland areas during and after a tunnel excavation through rock mass. Four sites along the Wonhyo-tunnel in Cheonseong Mountain (Gyeongnam, Korea) were analysed, where the model damain of the tunnel included both wetland and fault zone. The anisotropy of the hydraulic conductivities of the rock mass was calculated using the DFN model, and then used as an input parameter for the cantinuum model. Parametric study on the influencing factors was perofrmed to minimize uncertainties in the hydraulic properties. Moreover, the volumetric water content and hydraulic conductivity functions were applied ta the model to reflect the ability of a medium ta store and transport water under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. The conductivity of fault zone was assumed ta be $10^{-5}m/sec\;or\;10^{-6}m/sec$ and the conductivity of grouting zone was assumed as 1/10, 1/50 or 1/100 of the conductivity of rock mass. Totally $6{\sim}8$ cases of transient flow simulation were peformed at each site. The hydraulic conductivities of fault zone showed a significant influence on groundwater inflow when the fault zone crossed the tunnel. Also, groundwater table around wetland maintained in case that the hydraulic conductivity of grouting zone was reduced ta be less than 1/50 of the hydraulic conductivity of rock mass.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.53-64
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• 2009

Many slope failures are induced by rainfall infiltration. A lot of recent researches are therefore focused on rainfall-induced slope instability and the rainfall infiltration is recognized as the important triggering factor. The rainfall infiltrates into the soil slope and makes the matric suction lost in the slope and even the positive pore water pressure develops near the surface of the slope. They decrease the resisting shear strength. In Korea, a few public institutions suggested conservative slope design guidelines that assume a fully saturated soil condition. However, this assumption is irrelevant and sometimes soil properties are misused in the slope design method to fulfill the requirement. In this study, a more relevant slope stability evaluation method is suggested to take into account the real rainfall infiltration phenomenon. Unsaturated soil properties such as shear strength, soil-water characteristic curve and permeability for Korean weathered soils were obtained by laboratory tests and also estimated by artificial neural network models. For real-time assessment of slope instability, failure warning criteria of slope based on deterministic and probabilistic analyses were introduced to complement uncertainties of field measurement data. The slope stability evaluation technique can be combined with field measurement data of important factors, such as matric suction and water content, to develop an early warning system for probably unstable slopes due to the rainfall.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.60-69
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• 2007

Understanding the behavior of gas phase VOCs (volatile organic compounds) in unsaturated soils is of a great environmental importance for public health concerns. Moment analysis for the breakthrough curves (BTCs) during transport of chemicals in porous media was known to be a useful tool to evaluate the velocity, spreadness, and the skewness of the plume of the chemicals. In this study, the temporal moments of the BTCs of a group of VOCs were analyzed for the gaseous transport in an unsaturated soil. BTCs were measured using lab-scale column experiments for four different VOCs at the water saturation range of 0.04-0.46, and for eleven VOCs at a water saturation of 0.21. The central second and third moments of the VOCs were compared with the water saturation and the first moment. It was found that both central second and third moments increased with the first moment. The central third moment was, however, found to be more sensitive to the first moment.