• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers Conference
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• 2003.10a
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• pp.191-194
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• 2003

The purpose of this paper was to derive soil-water characteristic curve equation for unsaturated soil. To this end, a series of suction measured test was conducted on the selected 4 kinds of soil which is located in Korea, used the modified pressure plate apparatus. From the test results, it was proved that characteristic curve changes according to grain size distribution, size of void and fine grained soil contents. Residual degree of saturation(Sr) was decreased with void ratio and changed with fine grained soil contents, parameter ${\lambda}$ and hr was increased with void ratio. Soil-water characteristic curve equation based on the test result was suggested by void ratio or grain size distribution.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.23-27
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• 1974

A pot experiment was carried out to investigate the effect of phosphate application and the adjustment of base saturation rate of soils on the growth of soybean. The soils used were very low in available phosphate (10-20ppm) and low in base saturation rates (less than 40%). Treatment included 2 levels of $P_2O_5$ $(40-80ppm){\times}3$ levels of base saturation rates (check, 60.80%) In adjusting the base saturation rate, the ratio between Ca and Mg was maintained at 65:15. Results are summarised as folloing. (1) The levels of phosphate in the experiment did not bring forth significant difference in the yield of soybean. Both 40 and 80ppm of $P_2O_5$ were seemed to be not enough to bring up the remarkable phosphate effect. (2) The increase in base saturation rate of the soils up to 60% proved to be significant in increasing the yield of soybean. Above that level, however, did not affect the yield. (3) The major factor for the increase of yield, in base saturation rate adjustments was the increased Mg-saturation rates. In the range of 10-15% of Mg-saturation rate of soils, there was a linear positive relationship between the yield of soybean and Mg-saturation rate of soils, while the optimum levels of Ca-saturation rates of soil were found to be 35-55%. (4) It was pointed that there is some possibility of relative in-sufficiency of Mg in Korean cultivated soils and that the continued application of liming materials which do not contain proper amounts of Mg may aggravate these situation.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.35 no.2
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• pp.515-524
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• 2015

The number of occurrence of differential settlement and track irregularity at track transition zone recently comes to increase, which leads to frequent maintenance activities that have an impact on train operation. Such track transition zone damages are attributed to the change of mechanical properties of fill materials due to environmental factors such as rainfall and freeze, and thaw. Consequently, this study attempts to establish the soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) of fill materials, and conduct seepage analysis to assess the distribution of degree of saturation (DOS) for track transition zone in case of rainfall. The SWCC of fill materials was successfully obtained using filter paper test method. The results of seepage analysis revealed that rainfall intensity, the slope of backfill, backfill condition (fill or cut), and SWCC are significantly influential in controlling the distribution of DOS.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.09a
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• pp.1372-1377
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• 2009

For the remediation of the subsurface contaminated by nonaqueous phase liquids(NAPLs), it is important to characterize the NAPL zone properly. Conventional characterization methods provide data at discrete points. To overcome the weak points of conventional characterization methods, the partitioning tracer method has been developed and studied. The average saturation of NAPL($S_n$), which is the representative and continuous saturation value within contaminated site, can be calculated by comparing the transport of the partitioning tracers to that of the conservative tracer in the partitioning tracer method. In this study, the application of the partitioning tracer method in heterogeneous media was investigated. To represent the heterogeneous condition of subsurface, a two-dimensional soil box was divided into four layers and each layer contained different sized soils. Soils in the soil box were contaminated by the mixture of kerosene and diesel, and partitioning tracer tests were conducted before and after the contamination using methanol as conservative tracer and 4-methyl-2-pentanol, 2-ethyl-1-butanol, and hexanol as partitioning tracers. The response curves of partitioning tracers from contaminated soils were separated and retarded in comparison with those from non-contaminated soils. The contamination of soils by NAPLs, therefore, can be detected by partitioning tracer method considering these retardations of tracers. From our experiment condition, the average saturation of NAPLs calculated by partitioning tracer method using the methanol as conservative tracer and hexanol as partitioning tracer showed the highest accuracy, though all results were underestimated. Further studies, therefore, were needed for improving the accuracy using the partitioning tracer test in heterogeneous media.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Railway
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.127-138
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• 2015

It is important to evaluate the stiffness characteristics of compacted subgrade soil under track that is loaded dynamically. Using a mid-size Resonant Column test apparatus, normalized shear modulus and shear modulus variation with changing of confining pressure were investigated with change of degree of saturation (DOS). From an analysis of the test results, it was verified that the maximum shear modulus decreased with increases of DOS. However, normalized shear modulus increased with increases of DOS. Using the test results, a relation of G~${\gamma}$~DOS can be constructed and characterized. In the future, by performing tests with soils used as trackbed broadly in the field, a prediction model for DOS~G~${\gamma}$ can be proposed.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.2C
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• pp.69-77
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• 2012

In general, geothermal energy pile and horizontal ground heat exchangers are installed in shallower depths than conventional vertical ground coupled heat pumps. Consequently their heat exchange performance is strongly governed by thermal conductivity of soil layer. Previous studies have shown that the thermal conductivity of soil above ground water table significantly affects the heat exchange rate because of partially saturated condition in soil and consequent variation of soil thermal conductivity. This paper presents a study result on the prediction of thermal conductivity of weathered granite soils. For weathered granite soils sampled from 5 locations, thermal conductivity tests were conducted with varying porosity and degree of saturation. The existing thermal conductivity models in literatures appeared inappropriate to the weathered granite soils. Hence, an empirical equation was proposed in this paper and its validity was examined by applying it to thermal conductivity test results obtained for weathered granite soils in this study and from literatures.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1489-1498
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• 2013

The monolithically coupled finite element analysis for a deformable unsaturated soil slope is performed to investigate the effect of antecedent rainfall which is assumed by initial conditions varying degree of saturation (36, 51, 77%) in finite element analysis. The distributions of matric suction and deformation on slope surface obtained from numerical simulation show the instability of antecedent rainfall-induced unsaturated soil slope. Moreover, the numerical analysis using Drucker-Prager model can be checked if a soil slope has reached failure (trial failure criterion $f^{tr}$ >0, plastic behavior) or not (trial failure criterion $f^{tr}$ < 0, elastic behavior). It is found that displacement of slope surface layer increases and the matric suction on soil slope decreases with an increase of initial degree of saturation by antecedent rainfall. Especially, the matric suction of the soil slope in dry condition (S=36%) rapidly decreases rather than that in wet condition (S=51%) at the same rainfall duration. The results of the trial failure criterion ($f^{tr}$ > 0) show slope instability in the toe region and surface of the slopes.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.181-194
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• 1999

Both the chemical components and the physical and mechanical properties of the compacted and undisturbed weathered granite soils were estimated to investigate the influences of the degree of weathering and saturation on the shear strength. The weathered granite soils used in this study were taken from six different sites in Korea. The results showed that the shear strength of weathered granite soil decreased with increasing the degree of weathering and saturation. Under the normal stresses less that 40kPa, the shape of Mohr-Coulomb failure envelope followed curved or hyperbolic relationship and a half of cohesion value obtained by the common shear test was observed. Using the Sueoka's method, the values of CWI were ranged from 21.5 to 31.26 which can be characterized as a completely weathered granite soil. Large decrease in shear strength and remarkable variation in dilatancy were observed in saturated granite soil compared to unsaturated soil. It was also found that the shear strength of undisturbed weathered granite soil of Pungam site can be expressed approximately by the equation of ${(\tau)_{sat}= 1.0(\tau)_{unsat}-12.48}$ and this equation can be extended to the other sites considered in this study.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.20-26
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• 2004

In-situ photolysis is one of the most promising ways to clean up a soil contaminated with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD). This study focuses on the mathematical description and model development of the convective upward transport of an organic solvent driven by evaporation and photodecomposition at the surface as the major transport mechanism in the clean up process. A finite-element-based numerical model was proposed to incorporate effects of multiphase flow on the distribution of each fluid, gravity as a driving force, and the use of van Genutchen equation for more accurate description of k-S-p relations. This paper presents results of extensive numerical calculations conducted to investigate the various parameters that play a role in the solvent migration through a laboratory-scale unsaturated soil column. The numerical results indicate that gravity affects significantly on the fluids distribution and evaporation for highly permeable soils. The soil texture has a profound influence on the fluid saturation profile during evaporation process. The amount of solvent convective motion increases with increasing evaporation rates and decreasing initial water saturation. Simulations conducted in this study have shown that the developed model is very useful in analyzing the effects of various parameters on the convective migration of an organic solvent in the soil environments.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.13 no.10
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• pp.25-32
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• 2012

The application of electrical resistivity, which is related to charge mobility, has increased in the field of geotechnical engineering for the detection of underground cavern, faults and subsurface pollution level. The purpose of this study is to investigate the variation of electrical resistivity due to temperature change. Sand-silt mixture specimens prepared in the square freezing nylon cell are frozen in the frozen chamber. Four electrodes are attached on the four side walls of the freezing cell for the measurement of electrical resistance during temperature change. Electrical resistances of sand-silt mixtures with different degrees of saturation (0%, 2.5%, 5%, 10%, 20%, 40%, 60% and 100%) are measured as the temperature of specimens decrease from $20^{\circ}C$ to $-10^{\circ}C$. The electrical resistances determined by Ohm's law are transformed into the electrical resistivity by calibration. Experimental results show that the higher degree of saturation, the lower electrical resistivity at $20^{\circ}C$. Electrical resistivity gradually increases as the temperature decrease from $20^{\circ}C$ to $0^{\circ}C$. For the specimens with the degree of saturation of 15% or higer, electrical resistivity dramatically changes near the temperature of $0^{\circ}C$. In addition, very high electrical resistivity is observed regardless of the degree of saturation if the specimens are frozen. This study provides the fundamental information of electrical resistivity according to the soil freezing and temperature change demonstrates that electrical resistivity be a practical method for frozen soil investigation.