• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.5
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• pp.37-51
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• 2018

The slope failure due to the rainfall infiltration occurs frequently in Korea, since the depth of the weathered residual soil layer is shallow in mountainous region. Depth of the failure surface is shallow and tends to pass near the interface between impermeable bedrock and soil layer. Soil parameters that have a significant impact on the instability of unsaturated slopes due to rainfall infiltration inevitably include large uncertainties. Therefore, this study proposes a probabilistic analysis procedure by Monte Carlo Simulation which considers the hydraulic characteristics and strength characteristics of soil as random variables in order to predict slope failure due to rainfall infiltration. The Green-Ampt infiltration model was modified to reflect the boundary conditions on the slope surface according to the rainfall intensity and the boundary condition of the shallow impermeable bedrock was introduced to predict the stability of unsaturated soil slope with shallow bedrock under constant rainfall intensity. The results of infiltration analysis were used as inputs of infinite slope analysis to calculate the safety factor. The proposed analysis method can be used to calculate the time-dependent failure probability of soil slope due to rainfall infiltration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.375-380
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• 2005

In Korea, most landslides are occurred during the rainy season from June to September and have a shallow failure plane parallel to the slope. For these types of rainfall-induced failures, the most important factors triggering slope unstability is not the increase of pore water pressure but the decrease of the matric suction of unsaturated soils by rainfall infiltration. So it is essential to landslide hazard assessment that defines the characteristics of infiltration in natural slopes. In this study, field measurements have been carried out in order to monitor in-situ volumetric water contents and ground water table, at several depths and locations on a natural slope. The results show that rainfall infiltration is correlated with antecedent water contents, rainfall intensity and total rainfall. The ground water table was varied sensitively by every rainfall event.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2014

Numerical stability analysis of an unsaturated infinite slope under rainfall-induced infiltration conditions was performed using generalized effective stress to unify both saturated and unsaturated conditions The soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) of sand with a relative density of 75% was initially measured for both drying and wetting processes. The hydraulic conductivity function (HCF) and suction stress characteristic curve (SSCC) were subsequently estimated. Under the rainfall-induced infiltration conditions, transient seepage analysis of an unsaturated infinite slope was performed using the finite element analysis program, SEEP/W. Based on these results, the stability of an unsaturated infinite slope under rainfall-induced infiltration conditions was examined in relation to suction stress. According to the results, the negative pore-water pressure and water content within the slope soil changed over time due to the infiltration. In addition, the variation of the negative pore-water pressure and water content led to a variation in suction stress and a subsequent change in the slope's factor of safety during the rainfall period.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.353-370
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• 2017

This paper presents a case study and numerical investigation to study the hydro-mechanical response of a shallow landslide in unsaturated slopes subjected to rainfall infiltration using a coupled model. The coupled model was interpreted in details by expressing the balance equations for soil mixture and the coupled constitutive equations. The coupled model was verified against experimental data from the shearing-infiltration triaxial tests. A real case of shallow landslide occurred on Mt. Umyeonsan, Seoul, Korea was employed to explore the influence of rainfall infiltration on the slope stability during heavy rainfall. Numerical results showed that the coupled model accurately predicted the poromechanical behavior of a rainfall-induced landslide by simultaneously linking seepage and stress-strain problems. It was also found that the coupled model properly described progress failure of a slope in a highly transient condition. Through the comparisons between the coupled and uncoupled models, the coupled model provided more realistic analysis results under rainfall. Consequently, the coupled model was found to be feasible for the stability and seepage analysis of practical engineering problems.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-52
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• 2009

A significantly thick zone of steep slopes is commonly encountered above groundwater table and the soils within this zone are unsaturated with negative pore-water pressures (i.e., matric suction). Matric suction contributes significantly to the shear strength of soil and to the factor of safety of unsaturated slopes. However, infiltration during rainfall increases the pore-water pressure in soil resulting in a decrease in the matric suction and the shear strength of the soil. As a result, rainfall infiltration may eventually trigger a slope failure. Therefore, understanding of shear strength characteristics of saturated and unsaturated soils under shearing-infiltration (SI) conditions have direct implications in assessment of slope stability under rainfall conditions. This paper presents results from a series of consolidated drained (CD) and shearing-infiltration (SI) tests. Results show that the failure envelope obtained from the shearing-infiltration tests is independent of the infiltration rate. Failure envelopes obtained from CD and SI tests appear to be similar. For practical purposes the shear strength parameters from the CD tests can be used in stability analyses of slopes under rainfall conditions. The SI tests might be performed to obtain more conservative shear strength parameters and to study the pore-water pressure changes during infiltration.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Landscape Architecture
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• v.36 no.4
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• pp.111-119
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• 2008

The runoff coefficient for a block paved area is determined with regional rainfall distribution. The Rational Method is a basic equation of a drainage system design and is a function of runoff coefficient, rainfall intensity and area. A runoff coefficient is the ratio of rainfall intensity and runoff. The rainfall intensity which is a function of the return period and rainfall duration differs by region. Therefore the runoff coefficient varies regionally even though there is the same return period and rainfall duration. The ratio of rainfall intensity and rainfall duration is decided by the loss of rainfall. The constant infiltration capacity of Horton's equation is adopted to determine the loss of rainfall. As time passed, the joint of the block paved area through which the infiltration occurs is covered by pollution material, sandy dust, pollen and is hardened by foot pressure, so the constant infiltration capacity may decrease. Six different sites were selected to verify the assumption of the constant infiltration capacity decrease and 10 year return period. 10, 20, and 30 minute rainfall duration were applied to calculate rainfall intensity. The results indicate that the Horton's constant infiltration capacity decreases over time and the minimum constant infiltration capacity is selected to compute runoff coefficients. The runoff coefficients varied by region ranging from $0.94{\sim}0.84$ for 10 minute of rainfall duration.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.35 no.12
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• pp.45-58
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• 2019

In this study, a stochastic analysis procedure based on numerical analysis was proposed to evaluate a kind of intensity-duration rainfall threshold for the initiation of slope failure due to rainfall infiltration. Fragility curves were generated as a function of rainfall intensity-duration from the results of probabilistic slope stability analysis by MCS considering the uncertainty of the soil shear strength, reflecting the results of infiltration analysis of rainfall over time. In the probabilistic analysis, slope stability analyses combined with the infiltration analysis of rainfall were performed to calculate the limit state function. Using the derived fragility curves, a chart showing the relationship between rainfall intensity and slope failure-time was developed. It is based on a probabilistic analysis considering the uncertainty of the soil properties. The proposed probabilistic failure distribution analysis could be beneficial for analyzing the time-dependent failure process of soil slopes due to rainfall infiltration, and for predicting when the slope failure should occur.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.71-78
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• 2010

The stability analysis of unsaturated infinite slope under rainfall-induced infiltration condition was performed using the generalized effective stress that unifies both saturated and unsaturated condition recently proposed by Lu and Likos(2004, 2006). The Soil-Water Characteristic Curve (SWCC) of the sand with the relative density of 75% was first measured for both drying and wetting processes. The Hydraulic Conductivity Function (HCF) and Suction Stress Characteristic Curve (SSCC) were subsequently estimated. Also, under the rainfall-induced infiltration condition transient seepage analysis of unsaturated infinite slope was performed using the finite element program, SEEP/W. Based on these results, the stability of unsaturated infinite slope under rainfall-induced infiltration condition was examined considering the suction stress. According to the results, the negative pore water pressure and water content within the soil changed with time due to the infiltration. Also, the variation of those caused the variation of suction stress and then the factor of safety of slope changed consequently during the rainfall period.

• Journal of Korean Society of Water and Wastewater
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.195-203
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• 2008

This study collected the latest 30-year (1976~2005) continuous rainfall data hourly recorded at 61 meterological observatories in Korea. The continuous rainfall data was divided into individual rainfall events. In addition, distribution charts of average intervent times between adjacent rainfall events were created to facilitate the application to the overflow risk-based design of storm-water infiltration basin. This study shows that the one-parameter exponential distribution is suitable for the frequency distribution of the average intervent times for the domestic rainfall data. Distribution charts of the average intervent times were created for 4 hour and 6 hour of storm separation time, respectively. The inland Gyeongsangbuk-do and Western coastal area had relatively longer average intervent times, whereas Southern coastal area and Jeju-do had relatively shorter average intervent times.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.409-414
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• 2010

In recent years, intensive rainfall has occurred with increasing frequency due to climate change, and has had an effect on slope failure. Such rainfall is intense and occurs repeatedly. During the rainfall, most of the water flows along the slope face, but some seeps into the soil, inducing surface failure of the slope. In this study, the infiltration characteristics of intensive rainfall are analyzed under various conditions to evaluate its effect on slope stability, using the Finite Element Method. As a results of this study, the shorter rainfall period and the more rainfall repetition number, the bigger effect of rainfall infiltration is and although the duration of rainfall is short, infiltration effect of rainfall is necessary to be considered on slope stability.