• 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 GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.15-23
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• 2023

In this study, the infiltration behavior of slopes composed of mixed soils with clay contents of 0%, 5%, and 10% in weathered Gneiss soil, which is a representative weathered soil in Korea, was investigated, and the stability of unsaturated slopes due to rainfall infiltration was examined. For this, in this study, the soil water characteristic curve was obtained through the water retention test, and the strength constant was obtained through the triaxial compression test. Based on the obtained results, the influence of clay content and antecedent rainfall effect (i.e., initial suction) on the formation of saturated zone (i.e., wetting band) and slope stability due to rainfall infiltration was examined through infiltration and stability analyses. As a result, it was found that the hig her the initial suction, the slower the formation of the saturated zone on the slope. In addition, it was found that as the clay content increases, the shear strength of the ground increases and the resistance to rainfall infiltration increases, and eventually the slope stability is greatly improved.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.5-14
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• 2006

It has been reported that the failure of a slope in weathered soils or rocks induced by intensive rainfall occurs mainly within 2.0m below the ground surface, and that the effect of rainfall on the rise of the ground water level is not significant if the ground water level inside the slope is not so high before rainfall. Most slopes in Korea, however, have been examined to rather fail at the deeper part since they are usually designed on the basis of assumption that the ground water level rises up to the surface when raining. In this study, the rise of ground water level and slope stability were examined in order to verify the appropriateness of the current ground water level condition that has a significant effect on slope stability using the average daily rainfall in Seoul for the last 30 years. The result showed that the ground water level appears to rise up to 6.0~41.0% of the slope height respectively, and therefore the currently applied condition of ground water level may be somewhat overestimated.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.5-15
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• 2015

One-dimensional rainfall laboratory tests using gneissic weathered soil were conducted to investigate effect of antecedent rainfall on infiltration characteristics. Experimental results using samples from Chuncheon and Chungju sites showed that rainfall onto the ground surface decreased initial negative pore water pressure of unsaturated soils, which recovered gradually after the end of rainfall. Rainfall intensity increases water infiltration rate, and infiltration rate during main rainfall is faster than that of the preceding rainfall. It is considered that higher water saturation after antecedent rainfall increases water infiltration rate during main rainfall. In particular, Chungju sample with higher clay content had slower recovery of negative pore water pressure and infiltration rate. Numerical results using finite element slope stability analysis showed that reduction of initial negative pore pressure due to rainfall infiltration deteriorates slope stability, and diffusion of pore water pressure after the end of rainfall further reduces FS of the slope in the short term. Main rainfall after prior rainfall further reduced factor of safety of the unsaturated slope. Pattern of antecedent rainfall has a significant impact on the magnitude and distribution of initial pore water pressure in unsaturated soils which are controlling factor to assess factor of safety of unsaturated slope during rainfall.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.29 no.1C
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• pp.1-9
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• 2009

In this study, the influence of wetting band depth by continuous rainfall and the magnitude of wetting front suction on the stability of slopes in weathered soils were investigated by using finite element programs SEEP/W and SLOPE/W. Three different intensities of rainfall (10mm/hr, 30mm/hr, 50mm/hr) were chosen, and the total duration of rainfall was 96 hours. Three infinite slopes with the inclination of 1:1.5 and 1:1.8, 1:2.0 were considered and the typical properties and the shear strength parameters of the weathered soil were applied. It is shown that rainfall duration plays an important role in slope stability. Based on the analytical results, it is found that as the rainfall duration increases, the wetting band depth also increases. Also, the increasing rate of the wetting band depth was decreased as the soil density was increased. These results come from the decrease of the coefficient of permeability and the increase of the soil suction. Finally, it is also shown that the safety factors of slopes by unsaturated analysis are mostly larger than those by saturated analysis. Therefore, commonly used saturated analysis may substantially underestimate the degree of safety factor in realistic situations.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.37-47
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• 2014

Unsaturated hydraulic conductivity (HC) is integrated theoretically from soil water retention curves (SWRC) by Mualem capillary model, but the prediction of HC is extremely sensitive to small variation of matric suction near saturation. Near saturation, the Mualem HC based on smooth SWRC decreases abruptly and has problems in the reliability of hydraulic behavior and the stability of numerical solutions. To improve van Genuchten-Mualem (VGM) HC, the van Genuchten SWRC model is modified within range of low matric suction (arbitrary air entry pressure). At an arbitrary air entry pressure, the VG SWRC is linearized in log scale until full saturation. The modified VG SWRC does not affect the fit of actual retention behavior and either the parameters of original VG SWRC fit. Using the modified VG SWRC, the VGM HC is modified to integrate for each interval decomposed by arbitrary air entry pressure. An analytical solution on modified VGM HC is proposed each interval, to protect the rapid change in HC near saturation. For silty soils, VGM models of HC function underestimate the unsaturated permeability characteristics and especially show rapid reduction near saturation. The modified VGM model predicts more accurate HC functions for Korean weathered soils. Furthermore, near saturation, the saturated HC is conserved by the modified VGM model. After 2-D infiltration analysis of an actual slope, the hydraulic behaviors are compared for VGM and the modified models. The prediction by the proposed model conserved the convergence of solutions on various rainfall conditions. However, the solution by VGM model did not converge since the conductivity near saturation reduced abruptly for heavy rainfall condition. Using VGM model, the factor of safety is overestimated in both initial and final stage during heavy rainfall. Stability analysis based on infiltration analysis could simulate the actual slope failure by the proposed model on HC.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.736-742
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• 2010

This study was conducted to characterize on the relationships of rainfall intensity and infiltration rate of rainfall dependent on unit weight change in the gneissic weathered soil by a column test equipment. In this study, volumetric water content and pore water pressure were measured using TDR sensors and tensiometers at regular time intervals. Rainfall conditions including continuous rainfall and repeated rainfall were selected in order to know the effect of antecedent rainfall. In the condition of rainfall intensity 20mm/h and the unit weights of soil as $1.35g/cm^3$, $1.55g/cm^3$ and $1.61g/cm^3$, average rainfall infiltration rate was $2.814{\times}10^{-3}cm/sec$, $1.969{\times}10^{-3}cm/sec$ and $1.252{\times}10^{-3}cm/sec$ respectively. The higher rainfall intensity and lower unit weight of soil, the faster average infiltration rate. Overflow in the column was happened except rainfall condition of rainfall intensity 20mm and soil unit weight $1.35g/cm^3$. Increasing the soil unit weight, overflowed water was increased and occurrence time was faster.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.71-78
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• 2012

Rainfall infiltration test under one dimensional condition is conducted to evaluate the effect of rainfall intensity on seepage velocity and infiltration characteristics for initial unsaturated sediment. Experimental results are compared with those numerical simulations with respect to variations of pore water pressure, degree of saturation and discharge velocity with time, and both results give good agreement. High rainfall intensity tends to increase seepage velocity almost linearly. But it shows rapid increase as rainfall intensity approaches saturated hydraulic conductivity of the sediment. In addition, the upper part of wetting front depth is partially saturated, not fully. Therefore, actual wetting front depth is considered to advance faster than theoretical prediction, which leads to slope instability of unsaturated slope due to surface rainfall.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.29 no.5
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• pp.65-74
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• 2013

The natural disaster occurrences and the loss of lives caused by the steep-slope failures in Korea were investigated in this study. The investigation includes the frequency rate of the steep-slope failures with respect to the characteristics of precipitation, underlying bedrock, and weathered soils. Analysis on the problems in the existing estimation methods of steep-slope failure was also undertaken, and a new model using unsaturated infinite slope stability was developed for the better slope failure estimation. The slope analyses by the newly developed model were performed considering unsaturated infinite slope, the gradient of slope, and hydro/mechanical properties of soils. Steep-slope failure estimation criterion is proposed based on the analysis results. In addition, the precipitation amount corresponding to warning stages against steep-slope failure is provided as an equation of Intensity-Duration criterion.