• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 재33권6호
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• pp.625-633
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• 2023

The volume changes associated with moisture or suction variation in expansive soils are of geotechnical and geoenvironmental design concern. These changes can impact the performance of infrastructure projects and lightweight structures. Assessment of unsaturated function for these materials leads to better interpretation and understanding, as well as providing accurate and economic design. In this study, expansive soils from different regions of Saudi Arabia were studied for their basic properties including gradation, plasticity and shrinkage, swelling, and consolidation characteristics. The unsaturated soil functions of saturated water content, air-entry values, and residual states were determined by conducting the tests for the entire soil water characteristic curves (SWCC) using different techniques. An attempt has been made to provide a prediction model for unsaturated properties based on the basic properties of these soils. Once the profile of SWCC has been predicted the time and cost for many tests can be saved. These predictions can be utilized in practice for the application of unsaturated soil mechanics on geotechnical and geoenvironmental projects.

• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2004년도 춘계학술발표회
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• pp.334-341
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• 2004

The coefficient of permeability is one of the most important properties in unsaturated soils. The permeability varies with change in the water content as the soil water characteristic curve(SWCC) does. Thus the permeability curve of unsaturated soils has the similar shape with the soil-water characteristic curve(SWCC). Therefore, the methodologies have been studied to simply predict the unsaturated permeability from the SWCC. In this study, the experimental tests of SWCC and permeability were carried out for domestic weathered granite soils. The SWCC test results were fitted to Fredlund and Xing's SWCC equation and then it was found that there are some relationships between the parameters of SWCC equation and the basic soil properties. Accordingly we used an ANN(artificial neural network) model to obtain the SWCC parameters from the basic soil properties. Finally, the coefficients of permeability were predicted from these results by a prediction model.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제23권5호
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• pp.419-429
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• 2020

To investigate the effect of spatial variability on hydraulic properties of unsaturated soils, a numerical model is set up which can simulate seepage process in an unsaturated heterogeneous soil. The unsaturated heterogeneous soil is composed of matrix sand embedded with a small proportion of clay for simulating the heterogeneity. Soil-water characteristic curve and unsaturated hydraulic conductivity curve of the unsaturated soil are expressed by Van Genuchten model. Hydraulic parameters of the matrix sand are considered as random fields. Different autocorrelation lengths (ACLs) of hydraulic parameter of the matrix sand and different proportions of clay are assumed to investigate the influence of spatial variability on the equivalent hydraulic properties of the heterogeneous soil. Four model sizes are used in the numerical experiments to investigate the influence of scale effects and to determine the sizes of representative volume element (RVE) in the numerical simulations. Through a number of Monte Carlo simulations of unsaturated seepage analysis, the means and the coefficients of variations (COVs) of the equivalent hydraulic parameters of the heterogeneous soil are calculated. Simulations show that the ACL and model size has little influence on the means of the equivalent hydraulic parameters, but they have a large influence on the COVs of the equivalent hydraulic parameters. The size of an RVE is mainly affected by the ACL and the proportion of heterogeneity. The influence of spatial variability on the hydraulic parameters of the heterogeneous unsaturated soil can be used as a guidance for geotechnical reliability analysis and design related to unsaturated soils.

• 한국지반공학회논문집
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• 제26권10호
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• pp.49-60
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• 2010

지반의 투수특성은 다양한 지반구조물의 설계 및 해석에서 중요한 지반물성이다. 특히 불포화 상태에서 모관흡수력의 영향을 받으며 모판흡수력 증가에 따라 감소하는 경향은 함수특성 변화와 유사하다. 불포화 투수계수는 실내실험을 통해 직접적으로 구하거나 함수특성곡선으로부터 유추된 이론식을 통해 간접적으로 얻을 수 있다. 본 논문에서는 국내 7개 지역에 대한 시료를 대상으로 함수특성실험과 본 연구에서 개발한 불포화 투수실험 장비를 이용하여 불포화 투수실험을 실시하였다. 지반의 함수상태를 나타내는 함수특성곡선이 불포화 투수계수와 밀접한 관련이 있으므로 함수특성곡선으로부터 불포화 투수곡선을 유추하는 여러 모텔 결과와 실험결과를 비교하였다. 그러나 기존의 추정방법은 국내지반의 투수특성을 잘 표현하지 못하고 있다. 따라서 국내 풍화토의 불포화 투수곡선을 정확히 유추하기 위하여 보정계수를 적용하여 FXK-M 투수모델을 제시하였고 보정계수를 함수특성곡선의 공기함입치로부터 산정할 수 있는 수식을 제안하였다.

• 한국지반공학회논문집
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• 제21권3호
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• pp.119-131
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• 2005

댐 안정성 평가를 위하여 불포화 이론을 이용한 침투해석 기법이 널리 사용되고 있으나 지반의 불포화 거동에 대한 인식 부족과 실험절차의 번거로움으로 인하여 입력 물성치에 대한 체계적인 실험과 평가가 일반화되지 못하고 있는 실정이다. 불포화 수리특성에 따라 침투수량 및 간극수압 분포 등 댐체 및 제방의 침투거동이 달라지나 국내 지반에 대한 실험자료 부족으로 대부분 단순 추정에 의한 값을 사용하고 있다 본 연구에서는 불포화 수리특성이 댐체의 침투 거동에 미치는 영향을 살펴보기 위하여 함수특성곡선과 투수계수곡선에 대하여 고찰하고 수치해석을 수행하였다. 해석결과 변수 a와 n은 값이 클수록, m은 값이 작을수록 중력에 의한 침윤선의 하강이 빨리 발생하였다. 유한차분 형식에 의해 개략적으로 계산한 민감도는 침윤선 부근에서 가장 크게 나타났고 시간에 따른 민감도의 변화에는 함수특성곡선의 기울기와 관련된 n값이 가장 큰 영향을 주었다.

• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2007년 가을학술발표회
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• pp.481-501
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• 2007

Excessive rainfalls due to climatic changes can trigger an increase in rainfall-induced slope failures that pose real threats to both lives and properties. Many high slopes in residual soils could stand at a steep angle, but failed during or after rainfall. Commonly, these slopes have a deep groundwater table and negative pore-water pressures in the unsaturated zone above the groundwater table contribute to the shear strength of soil and consequently to factor of safety of the slope. Stability assessment of slope under rainfall requires information on rate of rainwater infiltration in the unsaturated zone and the resulting changes in pore-water pressure and shear strength of soil. This paper describes the application of unsaturated soil mechanics principles and theories in the assessment of rainfall effect on stability of slope through proper characterization of soil properties, measurement of negative pore-water pressures, seepage and slope stability analyses involving unsaturated and saturated soils. Factors controlling the rate of changes in factor of safety during rainfall and a preventive method to minimize infiltration are highlighted in this paper.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• 제28권1호
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• pp.77-87
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• 2022

Many geotechnical analyses require the investigation of water flow within partially saturated soil zone to incorporate the effect of climatic conditions. It is widely understood that the hydraulic properties of the partially saturated soil should be included in the transient seepage analyses. However, the characteristics of dual porosity soils with dual-mode water retention curve are normally modelled using single-mode mathematical equation for simplification of the analysis. In reality, the rainwater flow can be affected significantly by the dual-mode hydraulic properties of the soil. This paper presents the variations of safety factor for dual porosity soil slope with dual-mode water retention curve and dual-mode unsaturated permeability. This paper includes the development of the new dual-mode unsaturated permeability to represent the characteristics of soil with the dual-mode water retention curve. The finite element analyses were conducted to examine the role of dual-mode water retention curve and dual-mode unsaturated permeability on the variations of safety factor under rainfall loading. The results indicate that the safety factor variations of dual porosity soil slope modelled using the dual-mode water retention curve and the unsaturated permeability equation are lower than those of dual porosity slope modelled using single-mode water retention curve and unsaturated permeability equations.

• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2005년도 지반공학 공동 학술발표회
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• pp.649-654
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• 2005

Shallow slope failures in residual soil during periods of prolonged infiltration are common over the world. One of the key factors that dominate slope stability is hydrological response associated with infiltration. Hence, the soil-water profile during rainfall infiltration into unsaturated soil must me examined to evaluate slope stability. However, the hydraulic response of unsaturated soil is complicated by inherent uncertainties of the soil hydraulic properties. This study presents a methodology for assessing the effects of parameter uncertainty of hydraulic properties on the response of a analytical infiltration model using first-order reliability method. The unsaturated soil properties are considered as uncertain variables with means, standard deviations, and marginal probability distributions. Sensitivities of the probabilistic outcome to the basic uncertainties in the input random variables are provided through importance factors.

• 한국지반공학회:학술대회논문집
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• 한국지반공학회 2009년도 춘계 학술발표회
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• pp.966-972
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• 2009

Soil-aggregate system in pavement foundations exist in unsaturated conditions. However, change in water content on foundation layers due to joint and structural cracks during rainfall may cause problems like layer deformations or partial settlements. Therefore, a need exist to evaluate the infiltration and drainage capacity of soil-aggregate foundation system under both saturated and unsaturated conditions. To do that, a laboratory soil-water characteristic curve and permeability under unsaturated conditions are assessed to establish hydraulic properties of geomaterials and limited numerical analysis are performed respectively. As a result, it was found that suction profiles and drainage process was greatly influenced by the initial suction of soil-aggregate system at the time of infiltration, soil water characteristics curves, and hysteresis effects.

• 지구물리와물리탐사
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• 제7권3호
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• pp.184-190
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• 2004

불포화대 토양특성 분석을 목적으로 토양단면의 고해상도 영상을 얻을 수 있는 전기비저항 토모그래피를 적용하였다. 전극설치 지점에서 심도별로 채취한 토양시료를 대상으로 토양 공극수의 전기전도도, 수분함량, 이온함량을 측정한 결과, 토양특성과 전기비저항 토모그래피 결과의 상관성이 토성별로 선형적인 관계가 나타남에 따라 전기비저항 토모그래피 결과를 보다 효과적으로 해석할 수 있었다. 따라서 불포화 토양층을 대상으로 한 전기비저항 토모그래피를 이용하여 시추공 사이의 토양특성을 파악할 수 있으며, 토양의 산도, 유기물 함량 등의 간접적 평가가 가능할 것으로 판단된다.