• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.673-678
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• 2010

In this paper, the limit load of granular materials was evaluated considering unsaturated shear strength. The unsaturated shear strength parameters were estimated using the results from triaxial compression test and soil-water characteristic curves test. In addition, the limit load of different rates of materials was compared. Also, two important design parameters, yield and failure load were defined utilizing 2-D nonlinear finite element analysis respectively.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.679-686
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• 2010

Mechanical characteristics of bottom ash produced in coal-fired power plant are investigated to utilize as light-weight fill materials. Triaxial compression test, water retention test, and unsaturated direct shear test were conducted for weathered soil (WS), reclaimed bottom ash (RBA), and screened bottom ash (BA). RBA had larger frictional angle and lower effective cohesion than those of WS. Water retention charactersitics of RBA and BA existed within distributions of soil-water characteristic curves for domestic weathered soils. Unsaturated shear strength of RBA was similar to that of WS at matric suctions of 50 kPa and 100 kPa. As a conclusion, bottom ash can be used as fill materials to replace the conventional construction materials by.

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

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.89-98
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• 2008

In this study, 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 stress paths under consolidation and stress-strain relationships under shear were obtained. As a result, the $K_0$ value decreased as the matric suction increased. Besides, both isotropic and $K_0$ conditions had similar shear strength envelopes at the same matric suction. Especially, strength parameters could be obtained by stress variables used in the critical state theory more reasonably than by those of Mohr circles at failure.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.3C
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• pp.113-120
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• 2012

An actual slope failure was analyzed in residual soils at Jinju. Due to rainfall infiltration, the safety factor decreases in the unsaturated layers, since the effective stress and shear strength decrease. In this study, the effective stress is based on suction stress using soil water retention curve. Unsaturated properties were evaluated on soil water retention curve, hydraulic conductivity and shear strength with samples from the site. After infiltration analysis of unsaturated flow under the actual rainfall, the distribution of pore water pressure could be calculated in the slope layers. In the stress field of finite elements, an elastic analysis calculated total stress distribution in the layers and also shear stresses on the slip surface using elastic model. On the slip surface, suction stress and effective stress evaluated the shear strength. As a result, the factor of safety was calculated due to rainfall, which could simulate the actual slope failure. In particular, it was found that the suction stress increases and both the effective stress and the shear strength decrease simultaneously on the slip surface.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.237-244
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• 2020

To achieve a wide suction range, the low suction was imposed on compacted silt specimens by the axis translation technique and the high suction was imposed by the vapor equilibrium technique with saturated salt solutions. Firstly, the results of soil water retention tests on compacted silt show that the soil water retention curves in terms of gravimetric water content versus suction relation are independent of the dry density or void ratio in a high suction range. Therefore, triaxial tests on compacted silt with constant water content at high suctions can be considered as that with constant suction. Secondly, the results of triaxial shear tests on unsaturated compacted silt with the initial void ratio of about 0.75 show a strain-hardening behavior with a slightly shear contraction and then strain-softening behavior with an obviously dilation. As the imposed suction increases, the shear strength increases up to a peak value and then decreases when the suction is beyond a special value corresponding to the peak shear strength. The residual strength increases to fair value and those at high suctions are almost independent of imposed suctions. In addition, the contribution of suction to the strength of compacted silt would not diminish even in a high suction range.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.23-30
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• 2012

This paper is research results of slope stability analysis associated with seepage infiltration for unsaturated soil in debris-flow occurrence slopes. Site investigations were carried out in two slopes, located at Inje in Kangwon province where debris flow occurred in 2006 and at Yangpyung in Kyeunggi province where it occurred in 2010. For unsaturated soil sampled at the zone of debris-flow initiation, soil water characteristic curves with tempe pressure cells and shear strength parameters with newly designed shear strength apparatus were obtained respectively. The commertially available software SEEP/W was used to analyze seepage infiltration in unsaturated soil, based on their properties obtained from test results and the actual rainfall data at the moment of debris flow occurrence, and slope stability analysis with the program of SLOPE/W, associated with results of seepage analysis, was performed to simulate slope failure. As results of this research, seepage infiltration to unsaturated soil due to intensive rainfall was found to cause increase of ground water table as well as degree of saturation. Through this research slope stability analysis for unsaturated soil, considering the actual rainfall characteristic, might be a reasonable method of investigating characteristics of debris flow behavior, in particular, the moment of debris flow occurrence.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.69-75
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• 2013

Suction stress is evaluated from soil water retention curves in order to deduce effective stress in unsaturated soils. $K_0$ consolidated triaxial tests were performed for silty sand to interpret effective stress in consolidation and shearing of unsaturated soils. Suction stresses from both consolidation stress and shear strength in triaxial tests were compared with those from soil water retention curves. The effective stresses on consolidation and shear strength are on each unique line, which are the same as that of the saturated case. It was found that the effective stress from soil water retention curves agrees with those from consolidation and shear strength in triaxial tests.

• Journal of Industrial Technology
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• v.30 no.B
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• pp.3-10
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• 2010

The numerical study was conducted using the equation of Vanapalli et al.(1996) related shear strength of unsaturated soils. Angle of shearing resistance(${\Phi}^b$) and angle of internal friction(${\Phi}^{\prime}$) appear identically in lower suction range, but angle of shearing resistance(${\Phi}^b$) has non-linearity as suction increases. Nevertheless, the numerical study was conducted using angle of shearing resistance(${\Phi}^b$) in even lower suction range because of limit of program function. However, behavior of real ground on applying numerical study can be analysed wrong by it. Therefore in this paper numerical analysis on applying the equation of Vanapalli et al.(1996) and ${\Phi}^b$ has been compared about unsaturated slope considering continuous rainfall.