• Journal of Korea Water Resources Association
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• v.52 no.9
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• pp.615-626
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• 2019

Soil moisture and runoff have very close relationship. Especially the water retention capacity and drainage characteristics of the soil are determined by various factors of the soil. In this study, a total of 40 rainfall events were identified from the entire rainfall events of Sulma basin in 2016 and 2017. For each selected events, the constant-K method was used to separate direct runoff and baseflow from total flow and calculate the runoff coefficient which shows positive exponential curve with Antecedent Soil Moisture (ASM). In addition to that, the threshold of soil moisture was determined at the point where the runoff coefficient starts increasing dramatically. The threshold of soil moisture shows great correlation with runoff and depth to water table. It was founded that not only ASM but also various factors, such as Initial Soil Moisture (ISM), storage capacity of soil and precipitation, affect the results of runoff response. Furthermore, wet condition and dry condition are separated by ASM threshold and the start and peak response are analyzed. And the results show that the response under wet condition occurred more quickly than that of dry condition. In most events occurred in dry condition, factors reached peak in order of soil moisture, depth to water table and runoff. However, in wet condition, they reached peak in order of depth to water table, runoff and soil moisture. These results will help identify the interaction among factors which affect the runoff, and it will help establish the relationship between various soil conditions and runoff.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.5-13
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• 2008

The coefficient of permeability for a soil can be determined by the direct or the indirect method. The direct method of permeability can be performed either in the laboratory or in the field. The indirect method can be predicted from the soil-water characteristic curve. In this study, the coefficient of permeability for an unsaturated soil was determined by the modified apparatus of steady-state method (Klute, 1972) and was predicted from the equations of Brooks & Corey (1964) and van Genuchten (1980). The experimental results were compared with predicted coefficient of permeability and the applicability of the two equations (from Brooks & Corey, van Genuchten) was reviewed.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.11
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• pp.39-48
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• 2007

The soil-water characteristic curve(SWCC) is a useful tool in the prediction of the engineering behavior of unsaturated soils. Several equations are available in the literature to mathematically represent the experimental behavior of the SWCC. Some equations are based on the assumption that the shape of curve is dependent upon pore-size distribution. Other equations assume that SWCC can be estimated from the grain size distribution and the physical properties of soils. This study evaluated the suitability of using two different SWCC equations for defining the relationship between water content and matric suction. Various parameters that influence the SWCC behavior are also briefly discussed.

• Korean Journal of Soil Science and Fertilizer
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• v.43 no.4
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• pp.407-414
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• 2010

Until now, the pore size distribution, PSD, of soil profile has been calculated from soil moisture characteristic data by water release method or mercury porosimetry using the capillary rise equation. But the current methods are often difficult to use and time consuming. Thus, in this work, theoretical framework for an easy and fast technique was suggested to estimate the PSD from unsaturated hydraulic conductivity data in an undisturbed field soil profile. In this study, unsaturated hydraulic conductivity data were collected and simulated by the variation of soil parameters in the given boundary conditions (Brooks and Corey soil parameters, ${\alpha}_{BC}=1-5L^{-1}$, b = 1 - 10; van Genuchten soil parameters, ${\alpha}_{VG}=0.001-1.0L^{-1}$, m = 0.1 - 0.9). Then, $K_s$ (1.0 cm $h^{-1})$ was used as the fixed input parameter for the simulation of each models. The PSDs were estimated from the collected K(h) data by model simulation. In the simulation of Brooks-Corey parameter, the saturated hydraulic conductivity, $K_s$, played a role of scaling factor for unsaturated hydraulic conductivity, K(h) Changes of parameter b explained the shape of PSD curve of soil intimately, and a ${\alpha}_{BC}$ affected on the sensitivity of PSD curve. In the case of van Genuchten model, $K_s$ and ${\alpha}_{VG}$ played the role of scaling factor for a vertical axis and a horizontal axis, respectively. Parameter m described the shape of PSD curve and K(h) systematically. This study suggests that the new theoretical technique can be applied to the in situ prediction of PSD in undisturbed field soil.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.15-21
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• 2003

A series of triaxial compression tests were performed on samples of compacted granite soil in a modified triaxial cell that allowed separate control of pore air pressure ($U_a$) and pore water pressure ($U_w$) in order to examine the characteristics of pore pressure, volume change and stress-strain behavior during undrained loading conditions. Triaxial samples of unsaturated and saturated compacted granite soil, 50mm in diameter and 100mm in height, were prepared by compaction in a mould. These samples were tested at 3 different suction values (0.5, 1.0, 2.0 kgf/cm$^2$) for unsaturated compacted granite soil and at 3 different confining stresses (1.0, 2.0, 4.0 kgf/cm$^2$). Results showed that only effective cohesion increased with little variation of friction angle, according to matric suction.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.55-65
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• 2009

It has been well known that the infiltration of rainfall causes major surfacial slope failures in Korea. However, the hydrological and mechanical behaviors in unsaturated slopes are somewhat complex. When an analysis on unsaturated slope problems is performed, soil-water characteristics curves (SWCC) are considered as major parameters to apply. Since the weathered soil slopes are layered and stressed by overburden pressures, the response of SWCCs should account for its overburden pressure. To deal with this situation, in this study, laboratory testings were conducted to evaluate the SWCC under various overburden stress. In addition, the unsaturated shear strength was estimated using SWCC. Then the performance of unsaturated weathered soil slopes was evaluated under various conditions after applying the effect of overburden pressure on SWCCs. The results demonstrated that the effect of overburden pressure on SWCC could be substantial and the proper application to analysis is very important to enhance the prediction of slope stability.

• 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.

• Journal of Ecology and Environment
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.1-7
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• 2012

To calculate and predict soil carbon budget and cycle, it is important to understand the complex interrelationships involved in soil respiration rate (Rs). We attempted to reveal relationships between Rs and key environmental factors, such as soil temperature, using a laboratory incubation method. Soil samples were collected from mature deciduous (MD), mature coniferous (MC), immature deciduous (ID), and immature coniferous (IC) forests. Prior to measure, soils were pre-incubated for 3 days at $25^{\circ}C$ and 60% of maximum water holding capacity (WHC). Samples of gasses were collected with 0, 2, and 4 h interval after the beginning of the measurement at soil temperatures of 5, 15, 25, and $35^{\circ}C$ (at 60% WHC). Air samples were collected using a syringe attached to the cap of closed bottles that contained the soil samples. The $CO_2$ concentration of each gas sample was measured by gas chromatography. Rs was strongly correlated with soil temperature (r, 0.93 to 0.96; P < 0.001). For MD, MC, ID, and IC soils taken from 0-5 cm below the surface, exponential functions explained 90%, 82%, 92%, and 86% of the respective data plots. The temperature and Rs data for soil taken from 5-10 cm beneath the surface at MD, MC, ID, and IC sites also closely fit exponential functions, with 83%, 95%, 87%, and 89% of the data points, respectively, fitting an exponential curve. The soil organic content in mature forests was significantly higher than in soils from immature forests (P < 0.001 at 0-5 cm and P < 0.005 at 5-10 cm) and surface layer (P = 0.04 at 0-5 cm and P = 0.12). High soil organic matter content is clearly associated with high Rs, especially in the surface layer. We determined that the incubation method used in this study have the possibility for comprehending complex characteristic of Rs.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.67-72
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• 2002

Water content of soils within pavement varies seasonally depending on climatic factors such as rainfall, temperature and so on, since a hydraulic gradient due to rainfall causes moisture flow, and a thermal gradient due to temperature change induces not only heat flow but also moisture flow directly and indirectly. Soils within pavement are usually in an unsaturated state, and heat flow and moisture flow have been recognized as coupled processes with complex interactions between them. This paper presents a one-dimensional analysis model by the finite element method for the coupled heat flow and moisture flow in unsaturated soils. The model can be used to predict not only the change of temperature and water content, but also frist heave with time. It will be a meaningful work for the design and maintenance of pavement to predict the change of the temperature and water content and frist heave. The model is tested through comparisons with the results by other models.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.101-109
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• 2007

In South Korea, many weathered soil slopes are composed of soil mixtures with certain amount of clay fractions in natural soil deposits. Accordingly, it is very important to analyze that effect of the fines on the stability of unsaturated soil slopes. In this study, five different soil types classified by mixture portion of fines were used and experiment on the soil-water characteristic curve tests (SWCC) using GCTS (Geotechnical Consulting and Testing Systems) pressure plate were performed in order to analyze the stability of unsaturated soil slopes. Based on the infiltration analysis which contains SWCC test result by the SEEP/W, it is shown that the increasing rate of the wetting band depth was decreased as the fines content and the relative density were increased. According to the stability analysis result of the unsaturated soil slopes through the SLOPE/W, it is found that the transition from the wetting band depth to the variation of strength parameters which affect the stability of unsaturated soil slopes appears to occur around $10\sim15%$ of clay contents in the mixtures.