• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.27 no.8
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• pp.31-37
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• 2011

In order to evaluate the effect of matric suction on the strength and deformation characteristics, the unsaturated unconfined compression test is performed for the statical1y compacted silty sand. Specimens used were made under conditions with various initial degrees of saturation. The initial matric suction, matric suction at the peak shear strength and the volumetric deformation during the shear process were measured. From these results, it was found that the initial degree of saturation exerts the influence on the behaviors of suction, peak shear strength and the volumetric deformation. Furthermore, the suction stress($P_s$) which means the apparent cohesion due to matric suction in the unsaturated shear strength could be derived.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.1224-1227
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• 2006

It has been recognized unsaturated soil behaviour playing an important role in geomechanics. Up to now, only a few experimental data are available for the technical difficulties related to both volume changes and suction measurements. In this study, the volume changes of unsaturated compacted silty soil were monitored with proximeter (i.e. non-contactable transducer) during various triaxial compression tests, which gave a realistic estimation in the volume changes of unsaturated soil sample. The measurement of volume changes were performed with 0.5% of the maximum error under the axial strain ratio of less than 10%. The experimental results have revealed that the mechanical behaviour of unsaturated soil can be significantly affected by the matric suction. During the shearing processes, the level of maximum deviator stress under the initial suction pressure of 50kPa was higher than that under the initial suction pressure of 10kPa. On the other hand, the volume changes became smaller under the increase in the initial suction pressure.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.8
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• pp.15-25
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• 2013

In order to examine the unsaturated shear strength characteristics of compacted weathered gneiss soils, the constant water content compression (CWCC) test was carried out. Specimens were made by static compaction under two densities conditions. The shear behavior in accordance with an initial suction obtained by varying initial degrees of saturation was evaluated. The suction could be directly measured by the use of the ceramic disk and the pore-water pressure transducer. The results of the peak shear strength from the CWCC test were examined using the relationship with Mp line from triaxial test under the saturated state, that is, by means of the suction stress which was calculated using the measured suction. In addition, the applicability of the suctions stress to the unsaturated shear behaviour of compacted weathered gneiss soils was discussed by applying Suction stress-SWCC Method (SSM).

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.237-244
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• 2020

To achieve a wide suction range, the low suction was imposed on compacted silt specimens by the axis translation technique and the high suction was imposed by the vapor equilibrium technique with saturated salt solutions. Firstly, the results of soil water retention tests on compacted silt show that the soil water retention curves in terms of gravimetric water content versus suction relation are independent of the dry density or void ratio in a high suction range. Therefore, triaxial tests on compacted silt with constant water content at high suctions can be considered as that with constant suction. Secondly, the results of triaxial shear tests on unsaturated compacted silt with the initial void ratio of about 0.75 show a strain-hardening behavior with a slightly shear contraction and then strain-softening behavior with an obviously dilation. As the imposed suction increases, the shear strength increases up to a peak value and then decreases when the suction is beyond a special value corresponding to the peak shear strength. The residual strength increases to fair value and those at high suctions are almost independent of imposed suctions. In addition, the contribution of suction to the strength of compacted silt would not diminish even in a high suction range.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2022

A semi-analytical solution to responses of overconsolidated (OC) unsaturated soils surrounding an expanding spherical cavity under constant suction condition is presented. To capture the elastoplastic hydro-mechanical property of OC unsaturated soils, the unified hardening (UH) model for OC unsaturated soil is adopted in corporation with a soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) and two suction yield surfaces. Taking the specific volume, radial stress, tangential stress and degree of saturation as the four basic unknowns, the problem investigated is formulated by solving a set of first-order ordinary differential equations with the help of an auxiliary variable and an iterative algorithm. The present solution is validated by comparing with available solution based on the modified Cam Clay (MCC) model. Parametric studies reveal that the hydraulic and mechanical responses of spherical cavity expanding in unsaturated soils are not only coupled, but also affected by suction and overconsolidation ratio (OCR) significantly. More importantly, whether hydraulic yield will occur or not depends only on the initial relationship between suction yield stress and suction. The presented solution can be used for calibration of some insitu tests in OC unsaturated soil.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.153-161
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the soil-water characteristic curves for an unsaturated soil. To this ends, a series of suction measured test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soils taken from different sites of Korea, using modified pressure plate apparatus. Form the test results, the water contents, degree of saturation and volumetric water contents were analyzed with the suction. And the soil-water characteristic curves of unsaturated soil were drawn from the test results for various factors. The characteristic curves drawn with water content vs matric suction were classified certainly the difference in wet side but were not classified in dry side. The characteristic curves drawn with degree of saturation vs matric suction for unsaturated soil were shown the opposite inclination as compared with the former curve. But the characteristic curve with volumetric water content vs matric suction was described suitably not only in wet side condition but also in dry side. And it was found that the volumetric water contents of loose soil was high at the initial condition but that of dense soil was high at final condition (dry side).

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.283-294
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• 2021

This paper presents a rigorous solution for spherical cavity expansion in unsaturated soils under constant suction condition. The hydraulic behavior that describes the saturation-suction relationship is modeled by a void ratio-dependent soil-water characteristic curve, which allows the hydraulic behavior to fully couple with the mechanical behavior that is described by an extended critical state soil model for unsaturated soil through the specific volume. Considering the boundary condition and introducing an auxiliary coordinate, the problem is formulated to a system of first-order differential equations with three principal stress components and suction as basic unknowns, which is solved as an initial value problem. Parameter analyses are conducted to investigate the effects of suction and the overconsolidation ratio on the overall expansion responses, including the pressure-expansion response, the distribution of the stress components around the cavity, and the stress path of the soil during cavity expansion. The results reveal that the expansion pressures and the distribution of the stress components in unsaturated soils are generally higher than those in saturated soils due to the existence of suction.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.127-142
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• 2022

This study explored the fluid transfer characteristics of simultaneous pneumatic blasting, plasma blasting, and vacuum suction (the PPV method), and assessed their effect. Chemical oxidation-an established soil remediation method-was compared as a control. Electrical resistivity surveys found that PPV reduced resistivity by about 1.5-2.5 times compared with the control group, indicating that it increased the diffusion of fluid between the injection and suction wells. Injection and suction tests comparing the injection flow rate, initial suction flow rate time, and suction flow rate showed that the PPV method offered an improvement over the existing method. Slug tests revealed that PPV increased the permeability coefficient by a greater amount than that by the control method. This study qualitatively and quantitatively confirmed that the PPV method clearly improves injection and suction efficiency by accelerating cracks in the ground and improving water permeability compared with the established chemical oxidation method.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.509-516
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• 2002

Rainfall-induced landslides in a weathered granite soil slope have mostly relative shallow slip surfaces above the groundwater table The pore-water pressure of soil above the groundwater table is usually negative. This negative pore-water pressure(or matric suction) has been found to make a large contribution to the slope stability. Therefore, the variation of in-situ matric suction profiles with time in a soil slope should be understood. In this study, a field measurement program was carried out from June to August, 2001 to monitor in-situ matric suctions and volumetric water contents in a weathered granite soil slope. The influence of climatic conditions on the variation of in-situ matric suctions could be found to decrease rapidly with depth. It could be found that decrement of matric suction induced by precipitation is affected not only by the amount and duration of rainfalls but also by the initial matric suction just prior to rainstorms. The soil-water characteristic from the field monitoring tends toward the wetting path of SWCC obtained from the laboratory test.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.185-192
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• 2022

A compacted bentonite buffer is a major component of engineered barrier systems, which are designed for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste. In most countries, the target temperature required to maintain safe functioning is below 100℃. If the target temperature of the compacted bentonite buffer can be increased above 100℃, the disposal area can be dramatically reduced. To increase the target temperature of the buffer, it is necessary to investigate its properties at temperatures above 100℃. Although some studies have investigated thermal-hydraulic properties above 100℃, few have evaluated the water suction of compacted bentonite. This study addresses that knowledge gap by evaluating the water suction variation for compacted Korean bentonite in the 25-150℃ range, with initial saturations of 0 and 0.22 under constant saturation conditions. We found that water suction decreased by 5-20% for a temperature increase of 100-150℃.