• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.67-74
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• 2007

Many studies for slope stability studies have indicated that the infiltration of rainwater into a slope decrease the slope stability. In order to minimize damage caused by slope failure, most design codes suggest that the slope stability be analyzed by saturated condition during rainy season. However it would be excessively conservative condition that every soil slope is saturated in rainy season irrespective of rainfall intensity, soil type and slope geometry. In addition, because most soil slopes are in an unsaturated state, it is necessary to consider the unsaturated characteristics of slope. This paper suggests a prediction method of saturation time for the weathered granite soil slopes due to rainfalls. The finite element analysis of transient water flow through unsaturated slope was used to investigate effects of soil-water characteristics, permeability at saturation, slope geometry, and rainfall intensity. From the result of these analyses, the prediction charts considering soil-water characteristics, permeability at saturation, and slope height were proposed in this study. It is possible to the time required to be saturated slope after rainfall.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.523-535
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• 2008

A simulated rainfall system was built, and the unsaturated characteristics were examined by execution of simulated rainfall system test and soil water characteristic curve cell test(SWCC Cell Test) under the various rainfall and slope conditions. With the results, the applicability of infiltration behavior under rainfall and soil water characteristic curve models to the unsaturated weathered granite soil was examined. At the results of comparison the volumetric water content and matric suction measured in the wetting process(under rainfall) with those in the drying process(leaving as it was) of the simulated rainfall system, the volumetric water content showed a difference of $2{\sim}5%$ and matric suction of about $3{\sim}10\;kPa$, indicating the occurrence of hysteresis. In addition, the difference was relatively larger in matric suction than in the volumetric water content, and this tells that the hysteresis behavior is larger in matric suction. When the soil water characteristic curve derived from measurements in simulated rainfall system test were compared with those from the soil water characteristic curve cell test, both methods produced soil water characteristic curves close each other in the wetting process and the drying process, but in both, there was a difference between results obtained from in the wetting process and those from in the drying process. Thus, when soil water characteristic curves are rationally applied to the design and stability analysis considering of the properties of unsaturated soil, it is considered desirable to apply the soil water characteristic curve of the wetting process to the wetting process, and that of the drying process to the drying process.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.335-344
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• 2003

This study is focused to the physical and shear strength properties of the weathered limestone soils distributed in Changsung and Hwasun area, Chonnam province. Disturbed soil was used as soil samples. To grasp the physical and shear strength properties of weathered limestone soil, specific gravity test, atterberg limit, grain size distribution and direct shear test were conducted in the laboratory. The physical and shear strength properties of the weathered limestone soil in the study areas are as follows. The range of specific gravity (Gs) is 2.78 to 2.80, liquid limits (LL) 37 to 38 (%), plasticity index (PI) 13.7 to 15.4, and soil classification CL. The range of strength parameters by direct shear test (vd, $1.5t/\textrm{m}^3$) is 3.07 to 4.4 ($t/\textrm{m}^2$) of cohesion and 34.8 to $42.4^{\circ}$ of internal friction angle in unsaturated soils. As a result of comparing with the weathered granite soils (Yang, 1997: Mun, 1998: Park, 1998), it is considered that physical properties of the weathered limestone soils in this study are different from the weathered granite soils. On the other hand, internal friction angle of shear parameters is found to be similar.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.133-145
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• 2011

Unsaturated soil column tests were performed for weathered gneiss soil and weathered granite soil to assess the relationship between infiltration velocity and rainfall condition for different rainfall durations and for multiple rainfall events separated by dry periods of various lengths (herein, 'rainfall break duration'). The volumetric water content was measured using TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry) sensors at regular time intervals. For the column tests, rainfall intensity was 20 mm/h and we varied the rainfall duration and rainfall break duration. The unit weight of weathered gneiss soil was designed 1.21 $g/cm^3$, which is lower than the in situ unit weight without overflow in the column. The in situ unit weight for weathered granite soil was designed 1.35 $g/cm^3$. The initial infiltration velocity of precipitation for the two weathered soils under total amount of rainfall as much as 200 mm conditions was $2.090{\times}10^{-3}$ to $2.854{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s and $1.692{\times}10^{-3}$ to $2.012{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s, respectively. These rates are higher than the repeated-infiltration velocities of precipitation under total amount of rainfall as much as 100 mm conditions ($1.309{\times}10^{-3}$ to $1.871{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s and $1.175{\times}10^{-3}$ to $1.581{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s, respectively), because the amount of precipitation under 200 mm conditions is more than that under 100 mm conditions. The repeated-infiltration velocities of weathered gneiss soil and weathered granite soil were $1.309{\times}10^{-3}$ to $2.854{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s and $1.175{\times}10^{-3}$ to $2.012{\times}10^{-3}$ cm/s, respectively, being higher than the first-infiltration velocities ($1.307{\times}10^{-2}$ to $1.718{\times}10^{-2}$ cm/s and $1.789{\times}10^{-2}$ to $2.070{\times}10^{-2}$ cm/s, respectively). The results reflect the effect of reduced matric suction due to a reduction in the amount of air in the soil.

• 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.29 no.2
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• pp.57-64
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• 2013

In this paper, in order to solve high water content of water sludge and promote its recycle, sludge mixtures with various mixing ratios were produced. Sludge mixture consisted of water sludge and weathered granite soil. Their physical properties and unsaturated characteristics (soil-water characteristic curve, and unsaturated permeability function) were investigated by laboratory tests. Experimental test results indicated that at a given matric suction volumetric water content of sludge mixture increased as water sludge content increased. Air entry values of sludge mixture increased from 0.9 kPa to 2.4 kPa with an increase in water sludge content or fine content. In addition, unsaturated permeability function, which is an important factor for performing infiltration analysis, was predicted using saturated permeability and soil-water characteristic curve of sludge mixture.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.63-72
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• 1996

The current practice in construction of reinforced earth retaining walls is to use a granular soil for the backfill material. When the material is available in site, the construetion cost can be remarkably reduced. As the weathered granite soils are abundant and widely distributed throughout the Korean peninsula: whether they are suitable or not as the backfill material is considered to be the most important key in economic construction of the wall. This paper investigates the grain size distribution of the weathered soils which locate at many places throughout the nation and then examines limitation of their use based on the specifications of different countries. The variaton of shear strength with both different fine contents and saturation is also investigated. It is known that the grain size distribution of most weathered soils are not satisfied with the general requirement. However their use is possible in wide range when the backfill keeps in unsaturated condition using good drainage facilities and 1 or pervious reinforcements.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.10 no.11
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• pp.3287-3295
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• 2009

This present study implemented a rainfall simulation system, and performed simulation and numerical analysis according to rainfall and slope conditions using a model slope built with weathered granite soil. Extensive analysis were conducted on the characteristics of changes in volumetric water content and pore water pressure measured in the simulation, and compared them with the results of numerical analysis. It took longer for the volumetric water content to reach the limit when rainfall intensity was high and the slope was steep and shorter when rainfall intensity was low and the slope was gentle. When rainfall intensity was low and the duration of rainfall was short, negative pore water pressure was higher and the time for restoration was shorter. On the contrary, when rainfall intensity was high and the duration of rainfall was long, it took a longer time to restore negative pore water pressure. In the results of rainfall simulation and numerical analysis, the distribution of volumetric water content and pore water pressure was similar between the two. However, the volumetric water content was different by up to 5%, and pore water pressure by up to 3kPa.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.14 no.12
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• pp.5-12
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• 2013

In this study, weathered granite model tests were performed to investigate the variation of volumetric water content and matric suction by the adsorption and desorption processes of artificial rainfall. It has been compared with numerical analysis in unsaturated condition. As the results, the behaviors of volumetric water content and matric suction were distinguished by the seepage distance separated into higher, middle and lower area, and the drainage layer located at the bottom of the experimental device. In the adsorption process, the instantaneously large change of matric suction and water content were related to the increase of permeability in soil. However, in the desorption process, the change of matric suction and water content were gradually small because of the decrease of permeability. The volumetric water content and matric suction showed the difference according to the seepage distance, however the typical characteristic curves were made by the adsorption and desorption processes.