• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.119-131
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• 2005

Seepage analysis through unsaturated zone based on the theory of unsaturated flow is commonly performed to evaluate dam safety. However, the concepts of unsaturated soil behavior have not been transferred into the hands of practicing geotechnical engineers since the problems involving unsaturated soils often have the appearances of being extremely complex. The behavior of dam such as seepage rate and the pore water pressure distribution is different according to the unsaturated hydraulic properties, but nevertheless simply assumed properties have been used due to insufficient data from domestic soils. In this paper, the effect of unsaturated hydraulic properties on the behavior of dam was studied through a series of numerical analyses, and then the results were discussed. It is observed that water table moves at a (aster rate, as the values of unsaturated soil parameter a and n increase. The value of m showed opposite trend. The sensitivity calculated using the approximation form showed maximum values near the water table. And the value of n that is related to the slope of soil water characteristic curve gives greatest influence on the change of sensitivity with time.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.1
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• pp.47-54
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• 2024

In current slope stability analysis techniques, slope stability is evaluated based on the saturated-soil theory. However, soil-water characteristics change frequently depending on the climate. Therefore, because the saturated soil theory has limitations, the application of the unsaturated soil theory is necessary for slope stability. It is also important to evaluate the engineering properties of unsaturated soil because the capillary absorption capacity is reduced due to heavy rain, thereby causing a reduction in slope stability. In this study, soil-water characteristic tests were performed using four samples with different fine contents (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30%) using granite-weathered soil in domestic production areas. In particular, to consider the previously conducted drying process as well as the evaluation of stability due to heavy rain on the actual slope, a wetting process was conducted, in which the water content was increased. In addition, the van Genuchten (1980) model, which is the most consistent theoretical equation for the experiment, was used with various theoretical equations, and the parameters were analyzed according to the fine content of the granite-weathered soil for the drying and wetting processes.

• 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.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.49 no.1
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• pp.57-65
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• 2007

In Korea, most landslides occurr during the rainy season and have shallow failure planes parallel to the slope. For these types of rainfall-induced failures, the most important factor triggering slope unstability is decrease in the matric suction of unsaturated soils with increasing saturation depth by rainfall infiltration. For this reason, estimation of cumulative infiltration has a significance. In this study, infiltration rate and cumulative infiltration are estimated by using both Mein & Larson model based on Green-Ampt infiltration model and using modified Mein & Larson model to which unsteady rainfall is applied. According to the results, the modified model is more reasonable than Mein & Larson method itself in estimation of infiltration rate and saturation depth because of considering real pending condition.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.49-55
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• 2016

Field measurement units and a system were constructed and installed in a waste-dump slope at the Imgi mine to investigate and analyze the variations in the unsaturated characteristics of the soil. The field instrumentation system was composed of a data acquisition system (DAS), a solar system, and measuring sensors. The rainfall, matric suction, and volumetric water contents were continuously measured from the units in the instrumented site. The variations in matric suction and volumetric water content were primarily affected by the rainfall intensity. At the surface of the slope, the largest increase and decrease in the changes in matric suction and volumetric water content were observed during the wetting and drying processes, respectively. Also, the matric suction and volumetric water content were 5-35 kPa and 0.12-0.24, respectively. However, the ground water level was not suddenly increased just after rainfall but gradually increased after 2 or 3 days later.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.299-304
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• 2015

Slope stability analysis of unsaturated soil slopes due to rainfall infiltration is an important issue in evaluating landslide analysis and stability assessment. The purpose of this study is to establish the critical depth considering weathered soil of parent rock and rainfall intensity at main scarp in national landslide. Based on the analytical results, it is found that as rainfall duration and Slope angle increased, the critical depth of gneiss-weathered soil increased from 3.00 m to 3.77 m, the critical depth of granite weathered-soil increased from 1.75 m to 2.40 m, and the critical depth of mudstone-weathered soil increased from 3.00 m to 4.15 m, respectively. The critical depth of granite-weathered soil with low cohesion and high internal friction angle is much lower than those of other soils. It is interestingly shown that a decrease in the safety factor is highly significant, much affected by the slope increase rather than the rainfall intensity.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Hazard Mitigation
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.147-154
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• 2010

This study analyzed the characteristics of sediment produce by landslide triggered by rainfall. One-dimensional unsaturated groundwater model and infinite slope stability analysis were used to estimate the behavior of soil moisture and slope stability according to rainfall, respectively. Slope stability analysis was performed considering on soil depth and characteristics of trees. The results of the analysis on characteristics of sediment produce according to rainfall events showed that the sediment produce by landslide was mainly contributed to rainfall intensity and its temporal clustering. The results of the analysis on characteristics of sediment produce by extreme events showed that remaining rainfall amount of typhoon 'Rusa' was much more than that of the other extreme events, and thus this remaining rainfall was to contribute to sediment transportation. Additionally, only a small number of extreme events were found to cause most amount of sediment produce in a basin.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.5
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• pp.1073-1082
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• 2015

The behavior of the unsaturated soil slope can be influenced by the various factors such as the hydraulic characteristics, the mechanical characteristics, the coefficient of conductivity, the stratifications, the rainfall conditions i.e. the rainfall intensity, the rainfall pattern, the duration time of the rainfall and the antecedent rainfall etc. It is known that the slope failure is influenced greatly by the antecedent rainfall rather than the rainfall condition at the failure time, so the antecedent rainfall is supposed to be a very important factor in slope stability analysis among these factors. To predict and to prevent the slope failure by the rainfall, the distribution of the matric suction by the antecedent rainfall must be considered first of all and the slope stability analysis should be carried out by considering the successive rainfall characteristics. In this research, 3 samples with different quantity (5%, 10%, 20%) of silts were prepared and the SWCC (Soil-water characteristic curve) tests were carried out and the associated parameters were analyzed. After analyzing the distribution of the matric suction and the change of the mechanical characteristics such as the stress and the strength when applying the antecedent rainfall for one month and the successive intensive rainfall for 12 hours, the slope stability analyses were carried out numerically. And the influence of the antecedent rainfall for one month and the SWCC on the stability of a slope were compared and analyzed.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.40 no.5
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• pp.37-42
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• 1998

This study was performed to evaluate the characteristics of volume change is unsaturated clayed soil. The medium-plastic clay was selected and compacted by 50% of Proctor standard compaction energy at 6% higher moisture content than its OMC. A series of isotropic compression tests and triaxial shear tests were performed. The results of the study are summarized as follows. At each matric suction, when the matric suction was increased, the yield stress was increased and slope of volume change was decreased. The more net mean stress was, the less the quantity of volume change was. In shear test, the volumetric strain was much rapidly changed in large matric than in low matric suctions. But the effect of matric suction to volume change disappeared under high net mean stress. At lower deviator stress the more matric suction was, the higher volume change was. But As the matric suction was increasing, the behavior of the unsaturated clayey soil was similar to that of saturated clayey soil. Volume change in the unsaturated clayey soil can be represented as a unique plane in three-dimensional space, which is the axes of net mean stress, matric suction and void ratio.