• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.1D
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• pp.73-82
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• 2011

Generally, an unsaturated condition was not considered to predict the long-term strength and drainage behaviors on compacted road foundations. However, it is logical way to consider the unsaturated condition and hysteresis behavior on road foundations like subbase and subgrade. For more quantitative analysis, rational experimental approach requires proper laboratory tool and material model, and hydraulic properties of pavement geomaterials under unsaturated conditions. In this study, therefore, laboratory data from the soil-water characteristic curve tests were used to predict suction and unsaturated permeability on pavement foundations and the results were analyzed based on the nonlinear fitting model considered. In addition to that, the unsaturated moisture capacity of each material is discussed.

• 한국도로학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2011.03a
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• pp.9-14
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• 2011

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.577-585
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• 2020

Purpose: The presence of the matric suction in unsaturated soil increases the stability of the slope, but the reduction of the matric suction due to precipitation can cause sudden slope failure, resulting in a major disaster. In this paper, engineering characteristics in unsaturated state were analyzed for granite weathering soil, which is the representative mountain soil of Korea. Method: Experiments and analysis were conducted on granulated weathering soil as unsaturated shear strength relationships for moisture characteristic curves, unsaturated injection curves, and matric suction under unsaturated conditions. Result: It was analyzed that a rapid change in the matric suction for volumetric water content occurs compared to the case where the particle size distribution is poor and the particle size distribution is good. A good case for the particle size distribution indicates a relatively small permeability coefficient at the same matric suction capacity compared to a poor case. The greater thematric suction, the greater the shear strength. Conclusion: For Korea's representative soil, granulated weathering soil, the functional characteristic curves, unsaturated permeability coefficients, unsaturated shear strength, etc., which are engineering characteristics in unsaturated state, were tested to secure each correlation.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.33-42
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of soil grain size and its distribution on soil-water characteristic. To do this, soil-water characteristic tests were conducted on Saemangeum silt using the axis translation technique. For comparison, the test was also conducted on Jumunjin sand. Using the test results, the soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) of Saemangeum silt and Jumunjin sand were predicted by Van Genuchten model. By comparison and analysis between two SWCCs, the silt shows higher values of matric suction, water content, and air entry value than the sand. On the other hand, the sand has higher values of Van Genuchten model parameters of ${\alpha}$, $n$, $m$ than the silt. It indicates that the SWCC is significantly dependent on the structure of soils. In other words, if a soil has relatively high grain size and poor grain size distribution curve, the values of saturated volumetric water content, residual volumetric water content, and air entry value are small, and the variation of volumetric water content is high in accordance with the matric suction variation, and consequently it shows a narrow range of funicular region.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2016

This study presents the numerical results of soil-water characteristic curve for sandy soil by pore network model. The Jumunjin sand is subjected to the high resolution 3D X-ray computed tomographic imaging and its pore structure is constructed by the web of pore body and pore channel. The channel radius, essential to the computation of capillary pressure, is obtained based on the skeletonization and Euclidean Distance transform. The experimentally obtained soil-water characteristic curve corroborates the numerically estimated one. The pore channel radius defined by minimum radii of pore throat results in the slightly overestimation of air entry value, while the overall evolution of capillary pressure resides in the acceptable range. The relative permeability computed by a series of suggested models runs above that obtained by pore network model at high degree of saturation.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.55-65
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• 2009

It has been well known that the infiltration of rainfall causes major surfacial slope failures in Korea. However, the hydrological and mechanical behaviors in unsaturated slopes are somewhat complex. When an analysis on unsaturated slope problems is performed, soil-water characteristics curves (SWCC) are considered as major parameters to apply. Since the weathered soil slopes are layered and stressed by overburden pressures, the response of SWCCs should account for its overburden pressure. To deal with this situation, in this study, laboratory testings were conducted to evaluate the SWCC under various overburden stress. In addition, the unsaturated shear strength was estimated using SWCC. Then the performance of unsaturated weathered soil slopes was evaluated under various conditions after applying the effect of overburden pressure on SWCCs. The results demonstrated that the effect of overburden pressure on SWCC could be substantial and the proper application to analysis is very important to enhance the prediction of slope stability.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.55-66
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• 2012

To investigate the hysteresis of the suction stress in unsaturated weathered mudstone soils (CL), matric suction and volumetric water content were measured in both drying and wetting processes using Automated Soil-Water Characteristics Curve Apparatus. The drying and wetting processes in unsaturated soils were reproduced in the test; the drying process means to load matric suction to spill pore water from the soils, and the wetting process means to unload matric suction to inject pore water into the soils. Based on the measured result, Soil Water Characteristic Curve(SWCC)s were estimated by van Genuchten model (1980). SWCCs have nonlinear relationship between effective degree of saturation and matric suction. The hysteresis in SWCCs between drying and wetting processes occurred. As a result of estimating Suction Stress Characteristic Curve(SSCC) using Lu and Likos model (2006), the suction stress rapidly increased in the low level of matric suction and then increased slightly. Also, the hysteresis in SSCCs between drying and wetting processes occurred. In order to design geo-structures and check its stability considering unsaturated soil mechanics, therefore, it is more reasonable that the SSCC of drying process should be applied in the condition of rainfall infiltration and the SSCC of wetting process in the condition of evaporation or drainage.

• International Journal of Highway Engineering
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.31-40
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• 2008

The dynamic moduli of asphalt concrete are very important for the analysis and the design of asphalt pavement systems. The dynamic modulus master curve is usually represented by a sigmoidal function. The Ramberg-Osgood model was widely used for fitting of normalized modulus reduction curves with strain of soils in soil dynamic fields. The master curves were obtained by both sigmoidal functions and modified Ramberg-Osgood model for the same dynamic modulus data set, the fitting abilities of both methods were excellent. The coefficients in sigmoidal function are coupled. Therefore, it is not possible to separate the characteristics of the master curve with absolute value and shape. However, the each fitting coefficient in the Ramberg-Osgood model has a unique effect on the master curve, and the coefficients are not coupled with each other.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.119-131
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• 2005

Seepage analysis through unsaturated zone based on the theory of unsaturated flow is commonly performed to evaluate dam safety. However, the concepts of unsaturated soil behavior have not been transferred into the hands of practicing geotechnical engineers since the problems involving unsaturated soils often have the appearances of being extremely complex. The behavior of dam such as seepage rate and the pore water pressure distribution is different according to the unsaturated hydraulic properties, but nevertheless simply assumed properties have been used due to insufficient data from domestic soils. In this paper, the effect of unsaturated hydraulic properties on the behavior of dam was studied through a series of numerical analyses, and then the results were discussed. It is observed that water table moves at a (aster rate, as the values of unsaturated soil parameter a and n increase. The value of m showed opposite trend. The sensitivity calculated using the approximation form showed maximum values near the water table. And the value of n that is related to the slope of soil water characteristic curve gives greatest influence on the change of sensitivity with time.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.39-48
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• 2007

The soil-water characteristic curve(SWCC) is a useful tool in the prediction of the engineering behavior of unsaturated soils. Several equations are available in the literature to mathematically represent the experimental behavior of the SWCC. Some equations are based on the assumption that the shape of curve is dependent upon pore-size distribution. Other equations assume that SWCC can be estimated from the grain size distribution and the physical properties of soils. This study evaluated the suitability of using two different SWCC equations for defining the relationship between water content and matric suction. Various parameters that influence the SWCC behavior are also briefly discussed.