• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.4C
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• pp.169-175
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• 2012

Soil water retention characteristics are influenced by factors of the confining stress and hysteresis in the variably saturated soil. In the description of effective stress based on hydraulic characteristics, the contribution of a matric suction to effective stress then varies with depth or is different between the processes of infiltration and evaporation. Unsaturated effective stress can be described based on suction stress characteristic curve, in which a representative soil water retention curve is required to evaluate. Pressure palate extractor tests under various confining stresses were performed and the hysteresis of drying and wetting process was also acquired. In the process of drying or wetting, a unique relationship has been estimated on the effective volumetric water content and the matric suction, which defines suction stress characteristic curve. In the unsaturated shear strength from triaxial tests, the suction stress and the effective stress were evaluated by matric suctions. The failure envelop by effective stress based on soil water retention characteristics was unique and the same as the saturated one. The measured suction stress from triaxial tests was similar to that from the soil water retention curve. Therefore it is verified that a representative soil water retention curve can be defined which is independent of the confining effect under wetting or drying process of the hysteresis.

• 한국방재학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.02a
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• pp.212-212
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• 2011

댐 저수지와 같은 대형 저수지는 댐에 의해 만들어진 공간에 홍수를 저류하여 지체 방류함으로서 홍수저감효과를 얻는다. 이러한 홍수저감효과는 저류용량(storage capacity)에 의존적이며, 궁극적으로 저수지의 저류량-유출량 곡선으로 정량화 된다. 저수지의 저류량-유출량 관계곡선은 저수지 홍수추적에 사용되며, 이 곡선의 특성이 저수지 하류 유역에 대한 홍수추적 결과에 큰 영향을 미치게 된다. 일반적으로 저수지 홍수추적의 경우에는 선형저수지 이론이 적용되지 않는다. 일반적인 댐 저수지의 특성은 수심()의 증가에 따른 저류량()의 증가가 유출량()의 증가보다 훨씬 크게 나타난다. 따라서 저류량과 유출량간의 관계를 비선형 함수의 형태로 가정할 수 있다. 비선형저수지 모형의 경우에도 선형저수지 모형에서와 동일한 개념을 적용하여 저수지 홍수추적의 지체 및 저류특성을 유도할 수 있다. 결과적으로 지수함수 형태를 고려한 비선형 함수의 변곡점은 원점으로 나타나 선형저수지 모형에서와 동일하게 지체효과는 없는 것으로 파악되었다. 또한 저류효과는 수치적인 방법을 이용하여 해석하였으며, 변곡점의 위치를 확인하고 아울러 저류상수를 계산하였다. 결과적으로 변곡점의 위치는 고려한 모든 경우에 대해 원점으로 나타났고, 저류상수는 비선형저수지 모형의 매개변수에 관계없이 일정한 값으로 수렴함을 확인할 수 있었다. 즉, 저류상수는 비선형 함수의 매개변수인 와 비교하여 약 72% 증가된 값으로 수렴하는 형태임을 의미한다. 결과적으로, 본 연구에서는 비선형 저수지 모형을 제안하고, 이를 이용하여 저수지의 저류특성을 이론적으로 검토하였다. 먼저, 저수지의 저류량-유출량 관계를 지수함수 형태인 비선형 저수지 모형을 도입하여 정량화하였다. 또한 저수지의 저류특성은 저류상수로 정량화할 수 있으며, 저류상수는 비선형 저수지 모형의 매개변수를 이용하여 쉽게 결정할 수 있음을 확인하였다.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.47-51
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• 2004

An unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function and a soil-water characteristic curve are the essential constitutive factors in studying unsaturated soils. In order to obtain the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function, prediction functions, which are based on the soil-water characteristic curve, have been used because it is difficult to measure the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function directly. In this study, a parameter estimation method using the flow pump technique is introduced to determine the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function. This method provides more accurate and independent solution than previous methods for the determination of the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity function which is not subordinate to the soil-water characteristic curve or prediction models.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.25-32
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• 2011

The matric suction and volumetric water content of dredging soils obtained from Saemangeum area were measured by the automated Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) apparatus under both drying and wetting conditions. Based on the test result, SWCCs of the dredging soils were estimated by the van Genuchten(1980) model. The matric suction of drying process is larger than that of wetting process at a same effective degree of saturation. The suction stresses for various matirc suctions were estimated using Lu and Likos(2006) model and the Suction Stress Characteristic Curves (SSCC) were predicted using the independent parameter of SWCC. The suction stress of drying path was increased and decreased, while the suction stress of wetting path was continuously decreased with increasing the effective degree. Also, the suction stress of drying path is larger than that of wetting path at a same effective degree of saturation. The Hydraulic Conductivity Function(HCF) was also predicted by the van Genuchten(1980) model. The hydraulic conductivity was increased with increasing the volumetric water content. The hydraulic conductivity of drying path is larger than that of wetting path at a same matric suction. According to the results of SWCCs and SSCCs, the hysteresis phenomenon of suction stress or matric suction during both drying and wetting paths was occurred. The main reason of hysteresis phenomenon is a ink bottle effect of water among soil particles.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.5C
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• pp.191-198
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• 2009

It has been reported in Korea that surface slope failures in weathered soil are mainly caused by downward infiltration due to rainfall. These failures are triggered by the deepening of the wetting band in soils accompanied by a decrease in matric suction induced by the water infiltration. So, a need exists that these trends of wetting path in gneiss weathered soils, which is commonly found in Korea, are assessed by phenomenological approach. In this paper, numerical analyses of unsaturated soil slope under rainfall conditions are presented based on the wetting path soil-water characteristic curve in the laboratory. As the field SWCC matches well with the wetting path of the laboratory SWCC from the literatures, it seems reasonable to adopt the laboratory wetting SWCC as an upper boundary condition in the assessment of unsaturated slope instability.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.2369-2379
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• 2013

The Soil-Water Characteristics Curve (SWCC) is affected by the initial density of soil under unsaturated condition. Also, the characteristic of hydraulic conductivity is changed by the initial density of soil. To study the effect of initial density of unsaturated soil, SWCC and the Hydraulic Conductivity Function (HCF) of Jumoonjin sand with various relative densities, 40%, 60% and 75% were measured in both drying and wetting processes. As the results of SWCC estimated by van Genuchten (1980) model, the parameter related to Air Entry Value(AEV), ${\alpha}$ in the wetting process is larger than that in drying process, but the parameters related to the SWCC slope, n and the residual water content, m are larger than those in wetting process. The AEV is increased or Water Entry Value (WEV) is decreased with increasing the relative density of sand. The AEV is larger than the WEV at the same relative density of sand. As the results of HCF estimated by van Genuchten (1980) model which is one of the parameter estimation methods, the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity maintained at a saturated one in the low level of matric suctions and then suddenly decreased just before the AEV or the WEV. The saturated hydraulic conductivity in drying process is larger than that in wetting process. The saturated hydraulic conductivity is decreased with increasing the relative density of sand in both drying and wetting processes. Also, the hysteresis in unsaturated HCFs between drying and wetting process was occurred like the hysteresis in SWCCs. According to the test results, the AEV on SWCC is decreased and the saturated hydraulic conductivity is increased with increasing the initial density. It means that SWCC and HCF are affected by the initial density in the unsaturated soil.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.5-12
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• 2018

Tests for transient water release and imbibitions measurement were conducted to estimate the unsaturated hydraulic conductivities by using back analysis. By using transient hydraulic characteristics, both the soil water retention curve and hydraulic conductivity fuction can be evaluated effectively and accurately. In this study the experiment for three samples were conducted accurately to measure the change of water content with time for various steps of matric suction. The back analysis calculated the amount of transient flow reliably in comparison with the experimental results. In the soil water retention curve there was no significant difference between the result of back analysis and that of experiment. The hydraulic conductivity function from back analysis was compared with the theoretical relation based on retention curve but they showed much difference. However, the unsaturated hydraulic behavior obtained by the combination of experimental and analytical techniques are considered to agree with the actual behavior.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.47-58
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• 2014

To investigate the unsaturated characteristics of the tailings obtained from the waste dump at Imgi mine, matric suction and volumetric water content were measured in both drying and wetting processes using Automated Soil-Water Characteristics Curve Apparatus. Based on the measured result, Soil Water Characteristic Curves (SWCC) were estimated by van Genuchten model. According to the unsaturated soil classification method, the tailings of the waste dump correspond to clayey sand. As a result of Suction Stress Characteristic Curve (SSCC) by Lu and Likos model, SSCC has a shape of S which is similar to SWCC. The hysteresis phenomenon occurred in SSCCs, which means the suction stress of drying path is larger than that of wetting path in the same effective degree of saturation. The effective stress of unsaturated soil is equal to that of saturated soil when matric suction is less than Air Entry Value (AEV). However, the effective stress of unsaturated soil is larger than that of saturated soil when matic suction is more than AEV. Meanwhile, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity by van Genuchten model decreased with increasing matric suction, and the hydraulic conductivity of drying path is larger than that of wetting path.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.9
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• pp.5-13
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• 2019

The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) plays an important role in determining the soil suction parameters required to predict the seepage or shear behaviors of unsaturated soils. In addition, path dependency of the SWCC affects the mechanical and hydrologic behaviors. In general, there is a disadvantage that it takes a long time to measure both the drying and wetting paths of the SWCC by a stepwise pressurization method. Thus, the continuous pressurization method as an improved testing method for the SWCC was suggested, and the testing time for two paths of the SWCC was significantly shorter than the conventional methods. For the applicability evaluation of this method, the results of the SWCC obtained by the stepwise pressurization method and the evaporation method in this study were compared to the result obtained from this method. As a result, it was found that the difference among three methods was negligible, and the testing time of the continuous pressurization method was greatly decreased. Therefore, it can be said that it is possible to quickly and accurately measure the SWCC under various conditions by the continuous pressurization method.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.1
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• pp.17-27
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• 2021

It takes a long period to conduct the test on soil water retention curve (SWRC) in unsaturated soils. To improve such a problem, the high air entry disk has been replaced by micro-membrane. After the soil water retention test, the results by the micro-membrane were compared with those by the ceramic disk. Multiple samples in 5 regions were used to validate that SWRCs by micro-membrane are equivalent to those by ceramic disk. Therefore, a quick procedure based on micro-membrane has been developed, which makes it available to acquire much soil water retention data. The data of SWRCs were obtained for total 29 samples using ceramic disk or micro-membrane. For Korean weathered soils, the unsaturated hydraulic characteristics are sorted by three groups. Based on van Genuchten model, the group is divided by the parameter n, and the value of n could be correlated to the void ratio as each function.