• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.377-384
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• 2000

The characteristics and prediction model of the shear strength for unsaturated residual soils was studied. In order to investigate the influence of the initial water content on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests were carried out varying the initial water content, and the applicability of existing prediction models for the unsaturated shear strength was testified. It was shown that the soil - water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the initial water content. A sample compacted in the lower initial water content needs a higher suction to get the same degree of saturation while the shear strength of a sample with the lower initial water content displays a lower value. In order to apply the existing prediction models of the unsaturated shear strength to granite residual soils, a correction coefficient, α, on the internal friction angle, ø'was added.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.139-146
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• 2002

The characteristics and prediction model for the shear strength of unsaturated residual soils was studied. In order to investigate the influence of the net normal stress on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests and SWCC tests were carried out varying the net normal stress, and the experimental data for unsaturated shear strength tests were compared with predicted shear strength envelopes using existing prediction models. It was shown that the soil - water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the net normal stress. Therefore, to achieve a truly descriptive shear strength envelope for unsaturated soils, tile effect of the normal stress on the contribution of matric suction to the shear strength has to be taken into consideration. In this paper, a modified prediction model for the unsaturated shear strength was proposed.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.82-90
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• 2007

In order to analyse the strength problems for an unsaturated soil, it is required to examine closely the characteristics of the parameters of shear strength which was changed with the metric suction and void ratio. To this ends, a triaxial compression test was conducted on the three samples-granular soil, cohesive soil and silty soil. The specimen was made by pressing the static pressure on the mold filled soil and was controled the void ratio with the different compaction ratio. And the test was performed by using the modified apparatus of the triaxial compression tester. The range of matric suction was 0-90 kPa.The measured results for the deviator stress and parameters of shear strength were analysed with the void ratio and the compaction ratio, and they were examined closely the characteristics of the strength for an unsaturated soil.

• Journal of the Korean Geosynthetics Society
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.63-69
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• 2016

In this paper, shear strength characteristics of an unsaturated soil were compared using triaxial compression tests(CD) and modified direct shear tests and thus feasibility of the newly modified direct shear testing apparatus was confirmed. The shear strength tests of unsaturated state with a soil sample, obtained from a slope where debris flow occurred at Yangpyeong in Kyeunggi province during 2010, were performed. Both tests showed a linear relationship of matric suction with the shear strength under low level of matric suction. The apparent cohesion of the unsaturated soil was also increased linearly with increase of matric suction. As results of comparing two different testing apparatus, estimated values of shear strength parameters of unsaturated soil($c^{\prime}$, ${\phi}^b$) were slightly larger in the modified direct shear tests due to constraint effect of shear box.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.247-258
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• 2020

The shear strength of unsaturated soils, a research hotspot in geotechnical engineering, has great guiding significance for geotechnical engineering design. Although kinds of calculation models for the shear strength of unsaturated soil have been put forward by predecessors, there is still need for new models to extensively consider the nonlinear variation of shear strength, particularly for the nonlinear effect of the net normal stress on the shear strength of unsaturated soil. Here, the shear strength of unsaturated soils is explored to study the nonlinear effects of net normal stress with the introduction of a general nonlinear Mohr-Coulomb (M-C) strength criterion, and the relationship between the matric suction (or suction stress) and degree of saturation (DOS) constructed by the soil-water characteristics curve (SWCC) of van Genuchten is also applied for unsaturated soil. Then, two calculation models (i.e., an envelope shell model and an effective stress model) are established for the shear strength of unsaturated soils under the nonlinear strength theory. In these two models, the curve of the shear strength of unsaturated soils versus the net normal stress exhibits a tendency to gently. Moreover, the proposed formulas have flexibility and convenience with five parameters (for the effective stress model) or six parameters (for the envelope shell model), which are from the M-C strength parameters of the saturated soil and fitting parameters of SWCC of van Genuchten. Thereafter, by comparison with the classical theory of the shear strength of unsaturated soils from some actual cases, the rationality and accuracy of the present models were verified.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.10
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• pp.57-64
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• 2007

Since matric suction of unsaturated soil was related to soil and ground water contaminations, it is very important to analyze its mechanism that was represented by shear characteristics. In three phases of soil, a little air makes the condition of unsaturated soil on contract or shrinkage surface between water and air. Capillarity and suction in pore of unsaturated soil cause surface tension and surface force so it makes negative pore water pressure and increases effective stress as a result. Therefore, negative pore water pressure in partially saturated soil affects the soil structure and degree of saturation and it is important to evaluate accurately unsaturate flow and behavior. In this study, the shear strength characteristics of the seven sandy soils were investigated using consolidated drained triaxial tests with special emphasis on the effects of the negative pore pressure and the matric suction. These tests involved shearing under either a constant net confining pressure and varying matric suction or under a constant matric suction and varying net normal stress.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.27-38
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• 2003

The characteristics and prediction model of the shear strength of unsaturated residual granite soils were studied in this paper. In order to investigate the influence of the net normal stress on the shear strength, unsaturated triaxial tests and SWCC tests were carried out by varying the net normal stress. Experimental data for unsaturated shear strength tests were compared with predicted shear strength envelopes obtained from existing prediction models. It was shown that the soil-water characteristic curve and the shear strength of the unsaturated soil varied with the change of the net normal stress. Therefore, to achieve a truly descriptive shear strength envelope for unsaturated soils, the effect of the normal stress on the contribution of matric suction to the shear strength has to be taken into consideration. In this paper, a modified prediction model f3r the unsaturated shear strength was proposed.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.35-52
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• 2009

A significantly thick zone of steep slopes is commonly encountered above groundwater table and the soils within this zone are unsaturated with negative pore-water pressures (i.e., matric suction). Matric suction contributes significantly to the shear strength of soil and to the factor of safety of unsaturated slopes. However, infiltration during rainfall increases the pore-water pressure in soil resulting in a decrease in the matric suction and the shear strength of the soil. As a result, rainfall infiltration may eventually trigger a slope failure. Therefore, understanding of shear strength characteristics of saturated and unsaturated soils under shearing-infiltration (SI) conditions have direct implications in assessment of slope stability under rainfall conditions. This paper presents results from a series of consolidated drained (CD) and shearing-infiltration (SI) tests. Results show that the failure envelope obtained from the shearing-infiltration tests is independent of the infiltration rate. Failure envelopes obtained from CD and SI tests appear to be similar. For practical purposes the shear strength parameters from the CD tests can be used in stability analyses of slopes under rainfall conditions. The SI tests might be performed to obtain more conservative shear strength parameters and to study the pore-water pressure changes during infiltration.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.649-655
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• 2010

Unsaturated compressive tests are performed to evaluate the effect of matric suction on the strength and the deformation characteristics for statically compacted natural kaolin in Korea. Under different conditions of the initial degree of saturation in kaolin, the relationship between suction and the degree of saturation at failure can be expressed by unique soil-water characteristic curve. These results demonstrate that the newly established constant water content type unsaturated shear strength test equipment can be used for estimating the relationship between suction and the compressive strength.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.577-585
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• 2020

Purpose: The presence of the matric suction in unsaturated soil increases the stability of the slope, but the reduction of the matric suction due to precipitation can cause sudden slope failure, resulting in a major disaster. In this paper, engineering characteristics in unsaturated state were analyzed for granite weathering soil, which is the representative mountain soil of Korea. Method: Experiments and analysis were conducted on granulated weathering soil as unsaturated shear strength relationships for moisture characteristic curves, unsaturated injection curves, and matric suction under unsaturated conditions. Result: It was analyzed that a rapid change in the matric suction for volumetric water content occurs compared to the case where the particle size distribution is poor and the particle size distribution is good. A good case for the particle size distribution indicates a relatively small permeability coefficient at the same matric suction capacity compared to a poor case. The greater thematric suction, the greater the shear strength. Conclusion: For Korea's representative soil, granulated weathering soil, the functional characteristic curves, unsaturated permeability coefficients, unsaturated shear strength, etc., which are engineering characteristics in unsaturated state, were tested to secure each correlation.