• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.147-160
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• 2020

Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of near-surface unconsolidated layers depends on the physical properties and water content of the unconsolidated layers. So far, many studies have been conducted on the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of near-surface unconsolidated layers. However, researches on hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated fractured rocks have been relatively rare. In relation to the construction of a low/intermediate level radioactive waste surface-disposal facility, this study compared and analyzed van Genuchten parameters (α, n) in the laboratory and the hydraulic conductivity obtained in field tests for fractured hornfels at a radioactive-waste disposal site of Korea. The relationship between the field hydraulic conductivity and van Genuchten parameters using data from the ten depth intervals of three boreholes resulted in that the correlation coefficient (R) between the hydraulic conductivity and the van Genuchten parameter α was 0.7607, showing positive correlation whereas the R between the hydraulic conductivity and the van Genuchten shape-defining parameter n was -0.8720, showing negative correlation. Hence, this study confirmed the relationship between the field hydraulic conductivity and the van Genuchten unsaturated functions for the unsaturated fractured hornfels.