• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.39 no.1
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• pp.93-101
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• 1997

This paper presents yield surfaces and hardening laws for describing the state of an unsaturated soil under isotropic compression and suction changes. The yield surface is formulated within the framework of hardening plasticity using two independent sets of stress variables : the excess of total stress over air pressure and the suction. And the application of the yield surfaces and hardening laws are confirmed from the result of the experiment. To this end a series of suction-controlled isotropic tests are conducted on clayey soils. Matric suction is controlled by the axis translation technique using high air entry ceramic disk. The specimens are compacted using a half of Proctor compaction energy with 5 % lower of water content than the optimum moisture contents. From test results, existence of the yield surfaces and an application of hardening laws to samples are confirmed by comparison between test and predicted results. And it is confirmed that LC yield locus is extened with the total plastic deformations induced by suction or stress changes, however, SI yield locus is only extended with the plastic deformations by induced suction changes.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.9
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• pp.5-15
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• 2015

In this study, rainfall-induced slope stability and coupling effect are investigated using hydro-mechanical finite element model. This model is developed by formulating constitutive and coupled balance equations and is verified by comparing the numerical results with field matric suction. The homogeneous soil layer (soil column) and soil slope are modeled by this model, and the results of variation in matric suction, mean effective stress, porosity, displacement, factor of safety are compared with those of staggered analysis. It is found that the vertical and horizontal displacement from coupling analysis considering change in porosity is larger than that of staggered analysis. The displacement and matric suction from coupling analysis by rainfall infiltration can affect slope instability, which shows a progressive failure behavior. The lowest factor of safety is observed under short-term rainfall. This results confirm the fact that coupling analysis is needed to design soil slope under severe rain condition.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.25-34
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• 2018

The physical properties and unsaturated characteristics of acid sulfate soils were investigated and analyzed. As the results of measuring physical properties of the acid sulfate soils obtained around the Ilkwang mine area, the dry unit weight is $1.246t/m^3$ and this soil is classified into the silty sand (SM) by USCS. Soil Water Characteristics Curves (SWCC) of the drying and wetting paths were measured by the automated SWCC apparatus. Also, Hydraulic Conductivity Functions (HCF) of the drying and wetting paths were estimated by the van Geunchten (1980) model which is the most well-known parameter estimation method. The hydraulic conductivity of acid sulfate soils in the dry path was continuously decreased with increasing the matric suction. However, the hydraulic conductivity in the wetting path was decreased relatively small with increasing matric suction and decreased suddenly just before water entry value of matric suction. Meanwhile, the hysteresis phenomenon was occurred in SWCCs and HCFs during the drying and wetting paths.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1489-1498
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• 2013

The monolithically coupled finite element analysis for a deformable unsaturated soil slope is performed to investigate the effect of antecedent rainfall which is assumed by initial conditions varying degree of saturation (36, 51, 77%) in finite element analysis. The distributions of matric suction and deformation on slope surface obtained from numerical simulation show the instability of antecedent rainfall-induced unsaturated soil slope. Moreover, the numerical analysis using Drucker-Prager model can be checked if a soil slope has reached failure (trial failure criterion $f^{tr}$ >0, plastic behavior) or not (trial failure criterion $f^{tr}$ < 0, elastic behavior). It is found that displacement of slope surface layer increases and the matric suction on soil slope decreases with an increase of initial degree of saturation by antecedent rainfall. Especially, the matric suction of the soil slope in dry condition (S=36%) rapidly decreases rather than that in wet condition (S=51%) at the same rainfall duration. The results of the trial failure criterion ($f^{tr}$ > 0) show slope instability in the toe region and surface of the slopes.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.63-69
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• 2016

In this paper, shear strength characteristics of an unsaturated soil were compared using triaxial compression tests(CD) and modified direct shear tests and thus feasibility of the newly modified direct shear testing apparatus was confirmed. The shear strength tests of unsaturated state with a soil sample, obtained from a slope where debris flow occurred at Yangpyeong in Kyeunggi province during 2010, were performed. Both tests showed a linear relationship of matric suction with the shear strength under low level of matric suction. The apparent cohesion of the unsaturated soil was also increased linearly with increase of matric suction. As results of comparing two different testing apparatus, estimated values of shear strength parameters of unsaturated soil($c^{\prime}$, ${\phi}^b$) were slightly larger in the modified direct shear tests due to constraint effect of shear box.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.1-9
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• 2019

Shallow failures occur frequently in both engineered and natural slopes in expansive soils. Rainfall infiltration is the most predominant triggering factor that contributes to slope failures in both expansive soils and clayey soils. However, slope failures in expansive soils have some distinct characteristics in comparison to slopes in conventional clayey soils. They typically undergo shallow failures with gentle sliding retrogression characteristics. The shallow sliding mass near the slope surface is typically in a state of unsaturated condition and will exhibit significant volume changes with increasing water content during rainfall periods. Many other properties or characteristics change such as the shear strength, matric suction including stress distribution change with respect to depth and time. All these parameters have a significant contribution to the expansive soil slopes instability and are difficult to take into consideration in slope stability analysis using traditional slope stability analysis methods based on principles of saturated soil mechanics. In this paper, commercial software VADOSE/W that can account for climatic factors is used to predict variation of matric suction with respect to time for an expansive soil cut slope in China, which is reported in the literature. The variation of factor of safety with respect to time for this slope is computed using SLOPE/W by taking account of shear strength reduction associated with loss of matric suction extending state-of-the art understanding of the mechanics of unsaturated soils.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.11-20
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• 2022

In order to acquire hydraulic characteristics for unsaturated layers, water retention tests were performed and compared by using the evaporation method, volumetric pressure plate extractor (VPPE) and chilled-mirror dew point method. The evaporation and chilled-mirror method are currently developed experimental technology and measure the water retention curve of unsaturated soils quickly and accurately. In the evaporation and VPPE method, the water retention has been measured and compared until 100kPa matric suction and consequently the result of the evaporation method could be verified. In the chilled-mirror method, the water retention has been measured until high level of matric suction and the overall shape of water retention curves could be obtained. As a result of water retention tests, the representative water retention curves were obtained and the applicability of each test method was discussed. Using both the evaporation and chilled-mirror methods, the soil water retention curve can be acquired reasonably for the whole range of matric suction.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.475-487
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• 2017

We performed landslide flume tests to analyze characteristics of landslide occurrence and change in the ground materials due to rainfall infiltration. The test apparatus is composed of flume, rainfall simulator, and measurement sensors and landslides were triggered by heavy rainfall (Intensity=200 mm/hr) sprinkled at the above of an artificial slope. The measurement sensors for matric suction and volumetric water content were installed with 3 sets at shallow (GL-0.2 m), middle (GL-0.4 m), and deep depth (GL-0.6 m) in the slope and the tests were performed with in-situ, loose, and dense condition of each weathered soils of granite, gneiss, and mudstone. The analyses show that surface erosion was dominant in initial time of the test due to heavy rainfall and then landslides occur following locally happened transverse tension cracks. The characteristics of landslide were both shallow failure because of a spread of wetting front induced by the rainfall infiltration and retrogressive failure. While the matric suction was decreased rapidly without any precursor in the soil saturation, the volumetric water content was increased gradually, reached its maximum value, and then decreased rapidly with landslide.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.12
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• pp.41-51
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• 2012

Soils are commonly unsaturated in the near surface. The stiffness of soils is affected by the amount of air and water. The objective of this study is to evaluate the porosity of the unsaturated soils by using the elastic waves including compressional and shear waves. The elastic waves are measured at different degrees of saturation by controlling the matric suction. Thus, the unsaturated soils are characterized at different levels of the matric suction. Shear and compressional waves are measured by using the bender elements and the piezo disk elements, respectively. Both transducers are installed on the walls of the rectangular cell. The unsaturated soils are prepared by using uniform size sands and silts. Test results show that both compressional and shear wave velocities change according to the matric suction. The elastic modulus, the shear modulus, and the Poisson's ratio are estimated based on the measured elastic wave velocities. In addition, the void ratio of the unsaturated soils estimated using elastic wave velocities matches well with the volume based void ratio. This study demonstrates that the elastic waves can be effectively used for the characterization of unsaturated soils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.121-128
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• 2005

This paper introduces a method of predicting the behavior of compacted soil with an unsaturated soil mechanics by considering the effect of suction as an increasing consolidation yield stress. Two kinds of experiments were conducted. One is a series of static compaction tests to monitor the suction, and the other is a series of compression tests on compacted soil without soaking. The results of our tests indicate that it is possible to derive the distribution of suction on compaction curves and to hypothesize the changes in void ratio in the compression tests that depends on the suction. In addition, a new method is proposed to estimate the consolidation yield stress of compacted soil with a simple chart including compaction curves.