• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2002.03a
• /
• pp.139-146
• /
• 2002

The characteristics and prediction model for the shear strength of unsaturated residual soils was studied. In order to investigate the influence of the net normal stress on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests and SWCC tests were carried out varying the net normal stress, and the experimental data for unsaturated shear strength tests were compared with predicted shear strength envelopes using existing prediction models. It was shown that the soil - water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the net normal stress. Therefore, to achieve a truly descriptive shear strength envelope for unsaturated soils, tile effect of the normal stress on the contribution of matric suction to the shear strength has to be taken into consideration. In this paper, a modified prediction model for the unsaturated shear strength was proposed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.247-258
• /
• 2020

The shear strength of unsaturated soils, a research hotspot in geotechnical engineering, has great guiding significance for geotechnical engineering design. Although kinds of calculation models for the shear strength of unsaturated soil have been put forward by predecessors, there is still need for new models to extensively consider the nonlinear variation of shear strength, particularly for the nonlinear effect of the net normal stress on the shear strength of unsaturated soil. Here, the shear strength of unsaturated soils is explored to study the nonlinear effects of net normal stress with the introduction of a general nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) strength criterion, and the relationship between the matric suction (or suction stress) and degree of saturation (DOS) constructed by the soil-water characteristics curve (SWCC) of van Genuchten is also applied for unsaturated soil. Then, two calculation models (i.e., an envelope shell model and an effective stress model) are established for the shear strength of unsaturated soils under the nonlinear strength theory. In these two models, the curve of the shear strength of unsaturated soils versus the net normal stress exhibits a tendency to gently. Moreover, the proposed formulas have flexibility and convenience with five parameters (for the effective stress model) or six parameters (for the envelope shell model), which are from the M-C strength parameters of the saturated soil and fitting parameters of SWCC of van Genuchten. Thereafter, by comparison with the classical theory of the shear strength of unsaturated soils from some actual cases, the rationality and accuracy of the present models were verified.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2000.11a
• /
• pp.377-384
• /
• 2000

The characteristics and prediction model of the shear strength for unsaturated residual soils was studied. In order to investigate the influence of the initial water content on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests were carried out varying the initial water content, and the applicability of existing prediction models for the unsaturated shear strength was testified. It was shown that the soil - water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the initial water content. A sample compacted in the lower initial water content needs a higher suction to get the same degree of saturation while the shear strength of a sample with the lower initial water content displays a lower value. In order to apply the existing prediction models of the unsaturated shear strength to granite residual soils, a correction coefficient, α, on the internal friction angle, ø'was added.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
• /
• v.19 no.2
• /
• pp.27-38
• /
• 2003

The characteristics and prediction model of the shear strength of unsaturated residual granite soils were studied in this paper. In order to investigate the influence of the net normal stress on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests and SWCC tests were carried out by varying the net normal stress. Experimental data for unsaturated shear strength tests were compared with predicted shear strength envelopes obtained from existing prediction models. It was shown that the soil-water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the net normal stress. Therefore, to achieve a truly descriptive shear strength envelope for unsaturated soils, the effect of the normal stress on the contribution of matric suction to the shear strength has to be taken into consideration. In this paper, a modified prediction model f3r the unsaturated shear strength was proposed.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2010.09b
• /
• pp.53-60
• /
• 2010

The natural soils are classified in saturated soils and unsaturated soils according to level of ground water but the research for only saturated soils has been conducted by this time. However, there are many proble.ms which are not solved by using the concept and principle of saturated soils on the natural soils. In fact, it is known that unsaturated soils represent the behavior characteristic unlike completely saturated soils because of the adhesion under the influence of negative pore water pressure, the high angle of friction and the low water permeability by the air entry. So it needs to conduct the various researches on insufficient unsaturated soils. In this paper, unsaturated triaxial compressive tests are conducted in order to do research on shear strength characteristic on sands and silty sands of Nakdong river. As a result of the tests, the cohesion is increased in non-linear type according to the change of the matric suction, but the angle of internal friction is not changed much.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
• /
• 2005.10a
• /
• pp.361-366
• /
• 2005

Since most soils exist above the ground water table, negative pore pressure exist in unsaturated soils. Negative pore water pressure in unsaturated soil affects the soil structure and degree of saturation and it is important for accurate evaluation of unsaturate flow and behavior. This negative pore pressure is called a matric suction which causes an increased shear strength. Therefore, it is required that the effect of increase in the shear strength should be included in a geotechnical analysis. From the test result, the influence of net confining pressure and matric suction on the shear strength was analyzed and strength parameter was increased with matric suction increase and a unliner relationship was found to relate matric suction and shear strength.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2006.03a
• /
• pp.860-865
• /
• 2006

In order to predict the stability of slopes, it is important to evaluate shear strength of unsaturated soils. The triaxial tests were performed under $K_0$ conditions for unsaturated soils and the results were compared with those for saturated soils. In unsaturated soils, the secant modul and the shear strengths are larger than those of saturated soils because of matric suctions. However the shear strengths were not affected severely by stress conditions at consolidation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
• /
• v.23 no.4
• /
• pp.301-311
• /
• 2020

In this study, shear strength behavior of fine-grained soils was investigated under unsaturated conditions. The samples in the unsaturated state were subjected to a net normal stress (σ-u_a) of 40 kPa and different matric suctions (u_a-u_w) of 50, 100 and 150 kPa. The matric suction values applied in the triaxial tests were selected according to the bubbling pressures determined from the SWC curves. The study was carried out on prepared re-constituted cylindrical samples by uniaxial consolidation of soil slurries. First, consolidated drained (CD) triaxial compression tests were performed on the saturated samples and the cohesion and angle of internal friction were determined. After that, drained triaxial compression tests under matric suctions were performed on the unsaturated samples. In order to obtain unsaturated test results, cohesion and internal friction angle values of saturated samples were used. The nonlinear surface representing the shear strength surface was approximated consisting of two planes (double planar surface). The reason for the nonlinear behavior of some soils is that the amount of sand content contained in it is relatively high and the bubbling pressure/permanent water content value is relatively low.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
• /
• v.13 no.4
• /
• pp.45-51
• /
• 2012

The shear strength of weathered granite soils under unsaturated condition was evaluated by $K_0$ consolidated triaxial tests. Various matric suctions in the unsaturated triaxial tests were applied using suction-controlled triaxial test apparatus for weathered granite soils obtained in Daegu. Soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) laboratory tests for drying and wetting procedure were performed and van Genuchten curves were fitted by experimental results. The contribution of matric suction in unsaturated soils is directly correlated to effective stress and evaluated from SWCCs. The effective stresses were estimated from these SWCCs and the relationship between effective stress and unsaturated shear strength was determined. In the effective stress description, the unsaturated shear strength with respect to various suctions indicates unique relationship and almost the same as that of the saturated envelope.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
• /
• 2008.03a
• /
• pp.105-110
• /
• 2008

The behaviour of an unsaturated soil was analyzed by performing $K_0$ consolidated triaxial tests. Unsaturated triaxial tests were performed with matric suctions for weathered soils and could catch stress paths under consolidation and stress-strain relationships under shear. As a result, both isotropic and $K_0$ conditions had similar shear strength envelopes in the same matric suction. Especially, strength parameters could obtain by stress variables based on critical state theory reasonably which was better than those by Mohr circles at failure.