• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.415-423
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• 2010

Pore network models are useful tools to investigate soil pore geometry. These models provide quantitative information of pore geometry from 3D images. This study presents a pore network model to quantify pore structure and hydraulic characteristics. The objectives of this work were to apply the pore network model to characterize pore structure from large images to quantify pore structure, calculate water retention and hydraulic conductivity properties from a three dimensional soil image, and to combine measured hydraulic properties from experiments with calculated hydraulic properties from image. Soil samples were taken from a site located at the Baltimore science center, which is located inside of the city. Undisturbed columns were taken from the site and scanned with a computer tomographer at resolutions of 22 ${\mu}m$. Pore networks were extracted by medial-axis transformation and were used to measure pore geometry from one of the scanned samples. Water retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity values were calculated from the soil image. Properties of soil bulk density, water retention and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity were measured from three replicates of scanned soil samples. 3D image analysis provided accurate detailed pore properties such as individual pore volumes, pore length, and tortuosity of all pores. These data made possible to calculate accurate estimations of water retention and hydraulic conductivity. Combination of the calculated and measured hydraulic properties gave more accurate information on pore sizes over wider range than measured or calculated data alone. We could conclude that the hydraulic property computed from soil images and laboratory measurements can describe a full structure of intra- and inter-aggregate pores in soil.

• 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.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.435-445
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• 2019

A series of element tests with different drainage conditions and strain rates were performed on compacted unsaturated non-plastic silt in unconfined conditions. Soil samples were compacted at water contents from dry to wet of optimum with the degree of saturation varying from 24 to 59.5% while maintaining the degree of compaction at 80%. The tests performed were shear infiltration tests in which specimens had constant net confining pressure, pore air pressure was kept drained and constant, just before the shear process pore water pressure was increased (and kept constant afterwards) to decrease matric suction and to start water infiltration. In constant water content tests, specimens had constant net confining pressure, pore air pressure was kept drained and constant whereas pore water pressure was kept undrained. As a result, the matric suction varied with increase in axial strain throughout the shearing process. In both cases, maximum shear strength was obtained for specimens prepared on dry side of optimum moisture content. Moreover, the gradient of stress path was not affected under different strain rates whereas the intercept of failure was changed due to the drainage conditions implied in this study.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.41 no.3
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• pp.327-334
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• 2008

Understanding the chemical characteristics of sediments and the nutrient diffusion from sediments to the water body is important in the management of surface water quality. Changes in chemical properties and nutrient concentration of a submerged soil were monitored for 6 months using a microcosm with the thickness of 30cm for upland soil and 15cm of water thickness above the soil. The soil color changed from yellowish red to grey and an oxygenated layer was formed on the soil surface after 5 week flooding. The redox potential and the pH of the pore water in the microcosm decreased during the flooding. The nitrate concentration of the surface water was continuously increased up to $8\;mg\;l^{-1}$ but its phosphate concentration decreased from $2\;mg\;l^{-1}$ to $0.1\;mg\;l^{-1}$ during flooding. However, the concentrations of $NH_4^+$, $PO_4^{3-}$, Fe and Mn in the pore water were increased by the flooding during this period. The increased $NO_3^-$ in the surface water was due to the migration of $NH_4^+$ formed in the soil column and the oxidation to $NO_3^-$ in the surface water. The increased phosphate concentration in the pore water was due to the reductive dissolution of Fe-oxide and Mn-oxide, which scavenged phosphate from the soil solution. The oxygenated layer played a role blocking the migration of phosphate from the pore water to the water body.

• Journal of Korea Soil Environment Society
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.67-79
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• 1996

Clay soils typically have low hydraulic conductivities in the presence of high polarity pore fluid, such as water. Low polarity fluids, such as hydrocarbon fuels and halogenated organic solvents, typically cannot migrate into clay pores because they cannot displace the pore water. Oxygenated additives in gasoline, such as alcohols and methyl-tert-butyl ether, are increasingly used to control air pollution emissions. These relatively polar and highly water-soluble compounds may facilitate displacement of pore water and enhance migration of fuels and solvents through clay-rich soil strata. In the reported research, the migration of gasoline-alcohol fuel mixtures (gasohol) through consolidated clay was examined. Prepared kaolinite clay samples were consolidated from slurry, and various combinations of gasoline, alcohol, and water were applied to the clays under 152 Pa gauge pressure. Movement of the fluids into the clay samples was monitored by measur ing displaced pore fluid and by magnetic resonance imaging of the samples. The structures of selected samples were examined using environmental scanning electron microscopy. Results of the research suggest that alcohol added to hydrocarbon fuels can enhance migration through some clays significantly. Gasoline did not migrate appreciably into water saturated clay, even after 14 days under pressure. The gasohol mixture migrated readily into the clay in only 20 minutes. Increased hydraulic conductivity of the clay in the presence of gasohol is hypothesized to be due to the collapse of the clays pore structure when ethanol is present, creating larger pores. Increasing pore diameter decreases the capillary pressure needed for the gasohol to replace water and allows gasohol to migrate through the clay.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.8 no.2
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• pp.187-220
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• 2015

Soil disturbance induced by installation of mandrel driven vertical drains decreases the in situ horizontal hydraulic conductivity of the soil in the vicinity of the drains, decelerating the consolidation rate. According to available literature, several different profiles for the hydraulic conductivity variation with the radial distance from the vertical drain, influencing the excess pore water pressure dissipation rate, have been identified. In addition, it is well known that the visco-plastic properties of the soil also influence the excess pore water pressure dissipation rate and consequently the settlement rate. In this study, a numerical solution adopting an elastic visco-plastic model with nonlinear creep function incorporated in the consolidation equations has been developed to investigate the effects of disturbed zone properties on the time dependent behaviour of soft soil deposits improved with vertical drains and preloading. The employed elastic visco-plastic model is based on the framework of the modified Cam-Clay model capturing soil creep during excess pore water pressure dissipation. Besides, nonlinear variations of creep coefficient with stress and time and permeability variations during the consolidation process are considered. The predicted results have been compared with V$\ddot{a}$sby test fill measurements. According to the results, different variations of the hydraulic conductivity profile in the disturbed zone result in varying excess pore water pressure dissipation rate and consequently varying the effective vertical stresses in the soil profile. Thus, the creep coefficient and the creep strain limit are notably influenced resulting in significant changes in the predicted settlement rate.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.549-555
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• 2013

Human influence on soil formation has dramatically increased as the development of human civilization and industry. Increase of anthropogenic soils induced research of those soils; classification, chemical and physical characteristics and plant growth of anthropogenic soils. However there have been no reports on soil pore properties from the anthropogenic soils so far. Therefore the objectives of this study were to test computer tomography (CT) to characterize physical properties of an anthropogenic paddy field soil and to find differences between natural and anthropogenic paddy field soils. Soil samples of a natural paddy field were taken from Ansung, Gyeonggi-do (Ansung site), and samples of an anthropogenic paddy field were from Gumi in Gyeongsangnam-do (Gasan) where paddy fields were remodeled in 2011-2012. Samples were taken at three different depths and analyzed for routine physical properties and CT scans. CT scan provided 3 dimensional images to calculate pore size, length and tortuosity of soil pores. Fractal analysis was applied to quantify pore structure within soil images. The results of measured physical properties (bulk density, porosity) did not show differences across depths and sites, but hardness and water content had differences. These differences repeated within the results of pore morphology. Top soil samples from both sites had greater pore numbers and sizes than others. Fractal analyses showed that top soils had more heterogeneous pore structures than others. The bottom layer of the Gasan site showed more degradation of pore properties than ploughpan and bottom layers from the Ansung site. These results concluded that anthropogenic soils may have more degraded pore properties as depth increases. The remodeled paddy fields may need more fundamental remediation to improve physical conditions. This study suggests that pore analyses using CT can provide important information of physical conditions from anthropogenic soils.

• Proceedings of the Korea Water Resources Association Conference
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• 2012.05a
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• pp.34-34
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• 2012

Heavy storms rainfall has caused many landslides and slope failures especially in the mountainous area of the world. Landslides and slope failures are common geologic hazards and posed serious threats and globally cause billions in monetary losses and thousands of casualies each year so that studies on slope stability and its failure mechanism under rainfall are being increasing attention of these days. Rainfall-induced slope failures are generally caused by the rise in ground water level, and increase in pore water pressures and seepage forces during periods of intense rainfall. The effective stress in the soil will be decreased due to the increased pore pressure, which thus reduces the soil shear strength, eventually resulting in slope failure. During the rainfall, a wetting front goes downward into the slope, resulting in a gradual increase of the water content and a decrease of the negative pore-water pressure. This negative pore-water pressure is referred to as matric suction when referenced to the pore air pressure that contributes to the stability of unsaturated soil slopes. Therefore, the importance is the study of saturated unsaturated soil behaviors in evaluation of slope stability under heavy rainfall condition. In an actual field, a series of failures may occur in a slope due to a rainfall event. So, this study attempts to develop a numerical model to investigate this failure mechanism. A two-dimensional seepage flow model coupled with a one-dimensional surface flow and erosion/deposition model is used for seepage analysis. It is necessary to identify either there is surface runoff produced or not in a soil slope during a rainfall event, while analyzing the seepage and stability of such slopes. Runoff produced by rainfall may result erosion/deposition process on the surface of the slope. The depth of runoff has vital role in the seepage process within the soil domain so that surface flow and erosion/deposition model computes the surface water head of the runoff produced by the rainfall, and erosion/deposition on the surface of the model slope. Pore water pressure and moisture content data obtained by the seepage flow model are then used to analyze the stability of the slope. Spencer method of slope stability analysis is incorporated into dynamic programming to locate the critical slip surface of a general slope.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2005.10a
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• pp.361-366
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• 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
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• 2010.09b
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• pp.38-44
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• 2010

Shaking table tests were performed to reproduce the dynamic behavior of estuary barrage and its subbase soil which can be potentially damaged during earthquake loading. For understanding the vibration effect to the ground during earthquake, the model was formulated with 1/300 scale of prototype estuary barrage and subbase soil. Scott and Iai(1989) proposed the law of the similarity for similar experimental conditions. The laboratory model shaking table test was conducted under the vibration condition of simulated earthquake of 0.154g. The horizontal displacement on the structure was measured during the shaking table test. The pore water pressure was also monitored for the underground layers of soil. The field horizontal displacement and the pore water pressure can be predicted by using the results of the laboratory shaking table test.