• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.159-169
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• 2004

Surface failures of slopes in weathered soil are caused by infiltration due to prolonged rainfall. These failures are mainly triggered by the deepening of the wetting band accompanied by a decrease in suction induced by the infiltrating water. This paper reports trends of rainfall-induced wetting band depth in two types of weathered soils that are commonly found in Korea. Both theoretical and numerical analyses are presented based on the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) obtained using filter paper as well as tensiometer tests. It is found that the magnitude of wetting front suction plays a key role in the stability of slopes in weathered soils. Theoretical analysis based on modified Green and Ampt model tends to underestimate the wetting band depth for typical Korean weathered soils. It was also deduced that for Korean weathered soils, the factor of safety drops rapidly once the wetting band depth of 1.2 m is reached.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.15 no.3
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• pp.219-230
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• 2017

This study was conducted to predict and evaluate the uncertainty of safety after closure of the second phase surface disposal facility of the Gyeongju intermediate and low level repository in Korea. In this study, four scenarios are developed considering both intact and degraded states of multi-layered covers and disposal containers; also, the fluid flow by a rainfall into the disposal facility is simulated. The rainfall conditions are implemented based on the monthly average data of the past 30 years (1985~2014); the simulation period is 300 years, the management period regulated by institutional provisions. As a result of the evaluation of the basic scenario, in which the integrity of both of the containers and the covers is maintained, it was confirmed that penetration of rainfall does not completely saturate the inside of the disposal facility. It is revealed that the multiple cover layers and concrete containers effectively play the role of barrier against the permeation of rainfall.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.10a
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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.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.54 no.5
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• pp.129-139
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• 2012

Accurate modeling rainfall induced landslide and slope stability requires a detailed knowledge of the distribution of material strength characteristics and suction distribution. However, material properties obtained from the drying cycle are still used for infiltration analysis in many cases, even though material properties of wetting cycle are quite different from those of drying cycle due to hydraulic hysteresis and air occlusion. Therefore, the selection of proper material properties such as soil-water retention curve (SWRC) and the hydraulic conductivity function (HCF) reflecting characteristics of wetting cycle and air occlusion is an essential prerequisite in order to simulate the infiltration phenomena and to predict the suction and water content distribution in unsaturated soils. It is concluded that the simulation of infiltration with material properties from the drying cycle did not reasonably match with experimental outputs. Further discussion is made on how to describe the material properties considering air occlusion during wetting cycle over the entire suction range in order to simulate infiltration phenomena.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.65-76
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• 2009

The unsaturated characteristics of Korean weathered granite soils have been studied to investigate the influence of saturated permeability, rainfall intensity and soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) on the slope stability. The upper, average and lower SWCCs were estimated from the publication and experimental results using the statistical concept. The roughly estimated SWCC can be used for the soils without experimental results by relating SWCC with the particle size distribution curve. An appropriate ratio between the saturated permeability and the rainfall intensity ($k_s$/i) was also suggested for practical use in designing the slopes by investigating the time-dependent variation of slope instability during the rainfall. The slope stability was deteriorated from the initiation of rainfall and recovered again after the factor of safety reached the critical value. The FS of the slope decreased at first and then increased after reaching the critical value during the rainfall. As a result, the slope instability was not related with an absolute rainfall intensity but with the ratio between the saturated permeability and the rainfall intensity. In case of the upper SWCC, the critical condition occurred when the ratio between the saturated permeability and the rainfall intensity was in the range of $1.0{\sim}2.0$.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.51-59
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• 2014

Shallow landslides and debris flows are a common form of soil slope instability in South Korea. These events may be generally initiated as a result of intense rainfall or lengthening rainfall duration because of the effects of climate change. This paper presents the evaluation of rainfall-induced natural soil slope stability and reinforced soil slope instability under vertical load (railway or highway load) throughout South Korea based on quantitative analysis obtained from 58 sites rainfall observatories for 38 years. The slope stability was performed for infinite and geogrid-reinforced soil slopes by taking an average of maximum rainfall every ten years from 1973 to 2010. Seepage analysis is carried out on unsaturated soil slope using the maximum rainfall at each site, and then the factor of safety was calculated by coupled analysis using saturated and unsaturated strength parameters. The contour map of South Korea shows four stages in 10-year-time for the degree of landslide hazard. The safety factor map based on long term observational data will help prevent rainfall-induced soil slope instability for appropriate design of geotechnical structures regarding disaster protection.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.49-59
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• 2013

Heavy rainfall intensity may cause shallow slope failures and debris flow by rill erosion and scour on land surface. The paper represents the difference between native soil (weathered soil) and reinforced soil, which is mixed by hardening agent with flyash as main material, for investigating experimental findings of rill erosion and erosion. Results obtained from artificial rainfall simulator show that erosion rate of reinforced soil mixed with hardening agent is reduced by 20% because an amount of eroded soil on slope surface is inversely proportional to the increase of soil strength. For example, rainfall of 45mm (at the elapsed time of 25mins in rainfall intensity of 110mm/hr) triggers rill erosion on native soil surface, but the rill erosion on reinforced soil surface does not even occur at 330mm rainfall (at the elapsed time of 3hrs in rainfall intensity of 110mm/hr). As a result of slope stability analysis, it was found that the construction method for reinforced soil surface would be more economical, easy and fast construction technology than conventional reinforcement method.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.77-85
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• 2010

The change of water level in reservoirs is an important factor causing failure of bank slopes, i.e. landslide. The water level of Three Gorges reservoir in China fluctuate between 145 m and 175 m, as a matter of flood control. During its normal operational state, the rate of water level fluctuation is supposed to range from 0.67 m/d to 3.0 m/d. Majiagou slope is located on the left bank of Zhaxi River, 2.1 km up from the outlet. Zhaxi River is a tributary of the Yangtze River within the Three Gorges area, of which the water level changes with the reservoir. At the back of Majiagou slope, a 20 m long and 3~10 cm wide fissure developed just after the reservoir water level rose from 95 m to 135 m in 2003. This big fissure was a full suggestion of potential failure of this slope. In this study, unsaturated-saturated seepage analyses were carried out to simulate the change of pore-water pressures in the bank slope subjected to the reservoir water level change. The obtained pore-water pressures were then used to evaluate the change in factor of safety (FS) with reservoir water level. It was found that the phreatic line showed a delayed response with respect to the change of the reservoir water level, because the seepage through soil layer was generally slower than water flows itself. During the rising and drawdown process, the phreatic lines take the shapes of concave and convex, respectively. And the fluctuation of reservoir water level just affected the front part of the bank slope, but had little influence on the back of the slope.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.35-42
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• 2015

This is conducted to observe underground temperature and to analyze its change affected by climate condition and soil infiltration in the mountainous area, Yesan region, Chungcheong-namdo province. Additionally, underground temperature change is also simulated using air temperature and soil thermal properties with a numerical model. Soil temperature monitoring data acquired from each depth, 20 cm, 50 cm, and 100 cm, indicates that the data within 50 cm in depth shows peak-shaped big fluctuation directly affected by air temperature and it at 100 cm has open-shaped small fluctuation. Underground temperature variation, a difference between high and low values, during monitoring period is weakly proportional to hydraulic conductivity of the sediment and it is assumed that water plays a part in delivering air temperature in soil. The underground temperature estimated by a numerical model is very similar to the observed data with an average value of 0.99 cross-correlation coefficient. From the result of this study, the aquifer unsaturated hydraulic conductivity of the soil and the groundwater recharge is likely to be able to estimate with underground temperature profile calculated using a numerical model.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.10
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• pp.19-31
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• 2014

In order to investigate ground state change visually in physical model during centrifuge testing, electrical resistivity survey was adopted. Commercial resistivity survey equipment verified at various in-situ sites was utilized. The resistivity survey equipment installed in centrifuge facility was remotely controlled through intranet and electrical resistivity images obtained while centrifuge testing was being checked by real-time inversion. To verify the stable operation of the developed resistivity survey system, preliminary tests were conducted. Model ground was uniformly constructed using unsaturated soil and saline water was dropped on the ground surface to simulate contaminant flow situation. During the 10 g centrifuge tests, electrical resistivity was continuously detected and the testing results were compared with those of identically carried out 1 g centrifuge tests. In addition, the electrical resistivity was directly measured immediately after the centrifuge test by open cutting the model. Finally, reliability of electrical resistivity survey in the centrifuge test was verified by comparing those testing results.