• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.362-369
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• 2005

Studying unsaturated soil mechanics, determination of soil water characteristic curve and permeability equation is an essential factor but it is not easy. In this research a new testing apparatus was developed to determine soil water characteristic curve and permeability equation. The testing to get saturated permeability coefficients and soil water characteristic curves for two soils was performed by using the developed testing apparatus. First, a saturated permeability testing was performed and then the testing to get soil water characteristic curve of a drying process was performed. Next, the testing to get soil water characteristic curve of a wetting process was performed. Testing results showed hysteresis phenomena between soil water characteristic curve of a drying process and soil water characteristic curve of a wetting process. The permeability equations were determined by a theoretical method where a saturated permeability coefficient and a soil water characteristic curve were used.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.59-64
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• 2005

In studying unsaturated soil mechanics, determination of soil water characteristic curve and permeability equation though not easy, is an essential factor. In this research a new testing apparatus was developed to determine soil water characteristic curve and permeability equation. A test to get saturated permeability coefficients and soil water characteristic curves for two soils was performed by using the developed testing apparatus. First, a saturated permeability test was performed and then the test to get soil water characteristic curve of a drying process was performed. Next, the test to get soil water characteristic curve of a wetting process was performed. Test results showed hysteresis phenomena between soil water characteristic curve of a drying process and soil water characteristic curve of a wetting process. The permeability equations were determined by a theoretical method where a saturated permeability coefficient and a soil water characteristic curve were used.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.13 no.11
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• pp.5587-5594
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• 2012

Determination of the soil-water characteristic curve is one of the most important things to solve geotechnical engineering problems. Expecially, convenient and reliable method to measure the soil-water characteristic curve during drying and wetting cycles is required with lower labor input, more independence from operator experience, and shorter testing time than other available methods. Many measurement methods including the flow pump system have been developed to characterize the soil-water characteristic curve for the several decades. This study measured the soil-water characteristic curve during drying and wetting cycles using a suction control technique with the flow pump system. Two test materials were used for determination of the soil-water characteristic curve, and it is concluded that suction control technique is suitable for determination of the soil-water characteristic curve and characterization of the hydraulic hysteresis with varying test conditions. Especially, the suction control technique can reduce error of measurement and save time in measuring the soil-water characteristic curve due to automated system and high degree of precision.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2004.03b
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• pp.146-153
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• 2004

The goals of this study are to investigate the feasibility of the reference state approach in determining the generalized soil-water characteristic curve that is essential for characterization of unsaturated soil behavior. The soil-water characteristic curves are obtained from a number of specimens of fine-grained residual soils compacted with different void ratios. Based on the experimental test results, the feasibility of using the liquid limit state as the reference state for predicting the soil-water characteristic curve are verified. Finally, through the regression analysis of experimental data using the equation of Fredlund and Xing (1994), a reliable method is proposed to predict the generalized soil-water characteristic curve of fine-grained residual soils using the liquid limit state as the reference.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.51 no.1
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• pp.11-20
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• 2009

Flow pump technique was used in order to determine the soil-water characteristic curve of weathered granite soils in Pocheon area. This technique enables measurement to be more convenient and accurate as it is based on the CU condition of triaxial compression test. Besides, it is also able to measure dry and moisture curves continuously since the test is controled by means of a computer automatically. In this study, not only a hydraulic conductivity of weathered granite soils at fully saturated state in Pocheon area, but also a soil-water characteristic curve throughout unsaturate flow tests were determined. In addition, Brooks and Corey's model and Genuchten's model were used to simulate the soil-water characteristic curve. On the basis of the simulation an unsaturate hydraulic conductivity was predicted.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.45 no.6
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• pp.153-161
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the soil-water characteristic curves for an unsaturated soil. To this ends, a series of suction measured test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soils taken from different sites of Korea, using modified pressure plate apparatus. Form the test results, the water contents, degree of saturation and volumetric water contents were analyzed with the suction. And the soil-water characteristic curves of unsaturated soil were drawn from the test results for various factors. The characteristic curves drawn with water content vs matric suction were classified certainly the difference in wet side but were not classified in dry side. The characteristic curves drawn with degree of saturation vs matric suction for unsaturated soil were shown the opposite inclination as compared with the former curve. But the characteristic curve with volumetric water content vs matric suction was described suitably not only in wet side condition but also in dry side. And it was found that the volumetric water contents of loose soil was high at the initial condition but that of dense soil was high at final condition (dry side).

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.27-35
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• 2004

The goal of this study is to investigate the feasibility of the reference state approach in determining the generalized soil-water characteristic curve that is essential fur characterization of unsaturated soil behavior. The soil-water characteristic curves are obtained from a number of specimens of fine-grained residual soils compacted with different void ratios. Based on the experimental test results, the feasibility of using the liquid limit state as the reference state for predicting the soil-water characteristic curve is verified. Finally, through the regression analysis of experimental data using the equation of Fredlund and Xing (1994), a reliable method is proposed to predict the generalized soil-water characteristic curve of fine-grained residual soils using the liquid limit state as the reference state.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.523-535
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• 2008

A simulated rainfall system was built, and the unsaturated characteristics were examined by execution of simulated rainfall system test and soil water characteristic curve cell test(SWCC Cell Test) under the various rainfall and slope conditions. With the results, the applicability of infiltration behavior under rainfall and soil water characteristic curve models to the unsaturated weathered granite soil was examined. At the results of comparison the volumetric water content and matric suction measured in the wetting process(under rainfall) with those in the drying process(leaving as it was) of the simulated rainfall system, the volumetric water content showed a difference of $2{\sim}5%$ and matric suction of about $3{\sim}10\;kPa$, indicating the occurrence of hysteresis. In addition, the difference was relatively larger in matric suction than in the volumetric water content, and this tells that the hysteresis behavior is larger in matric suction. When the soil water characteristic curve derived from measurements in simulated rainfall system test were compared with those from the soil water characteristic curve cell test, both methods produced soil water characteristic curves close each other in the wetting process and the drying process, but in both, there was a difference between results obtained from in the wetting process and those from in the drying process. Thus, when soil water characteristic curves are rationally applied to the design and stability analysis considering of the properties of unsaturated soil, it is considered desirable to apply the soil water characteristic curve of the wetting process to the wetting process, and that of the drying process to the drying process.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.39-48
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• 2004

The purpose of this paper was to confirm the application of the equation of the soil-water characteristic curve on an unsaturated soil. To this ends, a series of suction test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soil which is located in Korea, using the modified pressure extractor apparatus. And it was carried out to analyze the experimental parameters which can describe the soil-water characteristics, were determined by using the data obtained from the experiment. From the results, it was found that the matric suction was varied according to the grain size distribution, amount of fine grain particle and void ratio. Also it was found that the residual volumetric water content was decreased with the void ratio, but the index related air entry value, the soil parameter related water content and the parameter with residual water content were increased with the void ratio. And the application of equation of the soil-water characteristic curve was confirmed for the various conditions and the various state by the comparison between the volumetric water content measured by the experiment and the predicted values.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.57-64
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• 2013

In this paper, in order to solve high water content of water sludge and promote its recycle, sludge mixtures with various mixing ratios were produced. Sludge mixture consisted of water sludge and weathered granite soil. Their physical properties and unsaturated characteristics (soil-water characteristic curve, and unsaturated permeability function) were investigated by laboratory tests. Experimental test results indicated that at a given matric suction volumetric water content of sludge mixture increased as water sludge content increased. Air entry values of sludge mixture increased from 0.9 kPa to 2.4 kPa with an increase in water sludge content or fine content. In addition, unsaturated permeability function, which is an important factor for performing infiltration analysis, was predicted using saturated permeability and soil-water characteristic curve of sludge mixture.