• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.171-181
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• 2004

This study was conducted to explore the tensile strength models in granular soil at the full range of unsaturated state. Direct tension experiments were carried out with a newly developed direct tension technique. The measured experimental data were compared with theoretical models developed by Rumpf and Schubert for monosized ideal particulate solids at the unsaturated state. To do this, the soil-water characteristic curve obtained from a suction-saturation experiment was used to define the unsaturation state and the negative pore water pressure with different water content levels, which are important factors in theoretical tensile strength models. The nonlinear behavior of the tensile strength for unsaturated granular soil at the pendular state is appropriately simulated with Rumpf's model. For the funicular and capillary states, the predicted trend by Schubert's model is properly matched with the experimental data: tensile strength steadily increases and reaches a maximum value and then decreases until it reaches zero. This comparison supports the concept that the tensile strength of unsaturated real granular soil can be approximately simulated with theoretical models.

• Journal of Soil and Groundwater Environment
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.103-114
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• 2002

Knowledge of soil water retention characteristic is essential for many problems involving water flow and organic solute transport in unsaturated soils. A physico-empirical approach based on the translation of the particle-size distribution (PSD) into a corresponding water retention curve has been accomplished by others using the concept that the pore-size distribution is directly related to PSD. This approach implies that details of a PSD curve may affect the estimation of water retention characteristic (WRC). To determine whether the WRC estimation using the Arya-Paris model could be affected by the selection of a PSD model, four PSD models with one to four fitting parameters were used. The Jaky model with only one fitting parameter had greater WRC estimation ability than other models with greater number of fitting parameters. The better performance of the Jaky model may be explained by the effect of soil structure in field soils.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2000.03b
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• pp.265-272
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• 2000

This study introduces the current theory of the SWCC and tries to verify the theory by performing laboratory tests for the local soils of Korea. First, the SWCCs of Poi-dong soil and Shinnae-dong soil, the most typical weathered residual soils in Korea, were experimentally obtained and the results were compared among others. Second, a SWCC model for deformable soils was proposed. For deformable soils, which show huge volume change during desaturation, the volume change behavior should be considered, and the SWCC should be expressed as a function of void ratio as well as suction.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.55-62
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• 2016

This study presents the numerical results of soil-water characteristic curve for sandy soil by pore network model. The Jumunjin sand is subjected to the high resolution 3D X-ray computed tomographic imaging and its pore structure is constructed by the web of pore body and pore channel. The channel radius, essential to the computation of capillary pressure, is obtained based on the skeletonization and Euclidean Distance transform. The experimentally obtained soil-water characteristic curve corroborates the numerically estimated one. The pore channel radius defined by minimum radii of pore throat results in the slightly overestimation of air entry value, while the overall evolution of capillary pressure resides in the acceptable range. The relative permeability computed by a series of suggested models runs above that obtained by pore network model at high degree of saturation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.139-149
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• 2020

Piles are widely used in structural foundations of engineering projects. However, the deformation of the soil around the pile caused by driving process has an adverse effect on adjacent existing underground buildings. Many previous studies have addressed related problems in sand and saturated clay. Nevertheless, the failure mechanism of pile driving in unsaturated soil remains scarcely reported, and this issue needs to be studied. In this study, a modeling test system based on particle image velocimetry (PIV) was developed for studying deformation characteristics of pile driving in unsaturated silt with different water contents. Meanwhile, a series of direct shear tests and soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) tests also were conducted. The test results show that the displacement field shows an apparent squeezing effect under the pile end. The installation pressure and displacement field characteristics are sensitive to the water content. The installation pressure is the largest and the total displacement field is the smallest, for specimens compacted at water content of 11.5%. These observations can be reasonably interpreted according to the relevant unsaturated silt theory derived from SWCC tests and direct shear tests. The variation characteristics of the soil displacement field reflect the macroscopic mechanical properties of the soil around the pile.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.599-606
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• 2010

It has been reported that many slope failures in unsaturated soils are mainly caused by downward infiltration due to rainfall. The rainfall characteristics could be an important factor, and more predictable slope failures can be achieved by considering more reasonable rainfall conditions. So, a need exists that these trends of infiltration in weathered soils, which is commonly found in Korea, are assessed by considering rainfall conditions based on phenomenological approach. In this paper, numerical analyses of unsaturated soil slope under rainfall conditions are presented based on the soil-water characteristic curve in the laboratory and huff method. Then the performance of unsaturated weathered soil slopes was evaluated under various conditions after applying the effect of overburden pressure on SWCCs and fines contents. The results demonstrated that the rainfall conditions using Huff method can be very effective and the proper application on analysis is very important to enhance the prediction on unsaturated slope stability.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.15-27
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• 2005

In this paper, a method reasonably predicting soil water characteristic curve of domestic weathered granite soils was suggested, based on the test results obtained through experiments. In other words, a method to estimate the parameters of Fredlund and Xing's equation using an ANN (artificial neural network) was proposed. The particle size distribution, compacted water content and void ratio were used as input data in the ANN model for predicting the parameters, since it was found that these basic soil properties affect the parameters obtained from the test results and the fitting results of SWCC. The network model proposed in this study to obtain the parameters of Fredlund and Xing's SWCC equation produced reliable predictions, and the precision of the prediction results from the proposed method was high, in comparison with the prediction results of other methods.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.7
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• pp.55-64
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• 2006

Shallow failures of slopes in weathered soils are caused by infiltration caused by prolonged rainfall. These failures are mainly triggered by the deepening of the wetting band accompanied by a decrease in suction induced by the water infiltration. In this paper, hysteresis on soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) of granite and gneiss weathered soils is investigated using transient flow analysis respectively. Each case was subjected to artificial rainfall intensities and time duration depending on the laboratory-based drying and wetting processes. The results show that the unsaturated seepage on weathered slopes are very much affected by the initial suction of soils and unsaturated permeability of the soils. In addition, a granite weathered soil has a lower air-entry value, residual matric suction, and wetting front suction and less hysteresis loop than a gneiss weathered soil.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.91-100
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• 2012

Soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs), which represent a physical property in partially saturated soils, show the relation between volumetric water content and matric suction. The SWCCs exhibit hysteresis during wetting and drying, however experimental expressions used to describe SWCCs have generally ignored the hysteresis. In addition, the shape of SWCC may depend on the void ratio which is changed by soil skeleton deformations or hysteretic behavior under various loading conditions. Hence, it is necessary to understand, both empirically and analytically, the relationship between soil skeleton deformations and the SWCCs of various soils. The typical SWCCs experimentally have drying, wetting, and the second drying curve. The measurement of a complete set of hysteretic curves is severely time-consuming and difficult works, then the first drying curve of SWCC is generally determined to estimate the hydraulic conductivity and shear strength function of partially saturated soils. This paper presents the hydraulic-mechanical behavior of partially saturated soils (weathered soil and silty soil) for volume changes and hysteresis in SWCCs regarding the difference between the first drying and wetting curve.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.17-26
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• 2005

Soil water characteristic curve (SWCC) is a unique characteristic that should be considered In the analysis of unsaturated soil and prediction of unsaturated properties. However, the volume change of soil specimens that happens in the existing apparatus affects the SWCC, Therefore, In this study, we intended to obtain more appropriate SWCC by measuring the change In the volume of the specimen in the SWCC tests. The measured change of void ratio indicates that the saturation step prior to the test changes the original structure of the soil specimen. Thus we carried out the test far the same specimen omitting the saturation step prior to the test. The change of void ratio by this test procedure is relatively small.