• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.33-42
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• 2012

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of soil grain size and its distribution on soil-water characteristic. To do this, soil-water characteristic tests were conducted on Saemangeum silt using the axis translation technique. For comparison, the test was also conducted on Jumunjin sand. Using the test results, the soil-water characteristic curves (SWCCs) of Saemangeum silt and Jumunjin sand were predicted by Van Genuchten model. By comparison and analysis between two SWCCs, the silt shows higher values of matric suction, water content, and air entry value than the sand. On the other hand, the sand has higher values of Van Genuchten model parameters of ${\alpha}$, $n$, $m$ than the silt. It indicates that the SWCC is significantly dependent on the structure of soils. In other words, if a soil has relatively high grain size and poor grain size distribution curve, the values of saturated volumetric water content, residual volumetric water content, and air entry value are small, and the variation of volumetric water content is high in accordance with the matric suction variation, and consequently it shows a narrow range of funicular region.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Soil and Groundwater Environment Conference
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• 2004.09a
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• pp.29-32
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• 2004

Gaseous partitioning tracer test has been used for determining the volume and spatial distribution of residual non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) in the unsaturated soils. In this study, an experimental method for measuring the content of gas-exposed NAPL as well as that of total NAPL in a sand during air sparging was developed. Two different gaseous phase NAPL-partitioning tracers were used; n-pentane, with very low water solubility, was used as the tracer that partitions into NAPL that is only in contact with the mobile gas, and chloroform, with fairly good water solubility, was selected for detecting total NAPL content in the sand. Helium and difluromethanewere used as the non- reactive tracer and water-partitioning tracers, respectively. Using n-decane as a model NAPL (NAPL saturation of 0.018), 25.6% of total NAPL was detected by n-pentane at the water saturation of 0.68. Oniy 9.1% of total NAPL was detected by n-pentane at the water saturation of 0.84. This result implies that the quantity of gas-exposed NAPL increased about three times when the water saturation decreased from 0.84 to 0.68. At the water saturation of 0.68, more than 90% of total NAPL was detected by chloroform while 65.8% of total NAPL was detected by chloroform at the water saturation of 0.84. Considering that the removal rate of NAPL during air sparging for NAPL-contaminated aquifer is expected to be greatly dependent upon the spatial arrangement of NAPL phase with respect to the mobile gas, this new approach may provide useful information for investigating the mass transfer process during air-driven remedial processes fer NAPL-contaminated subsurface environment.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.53-63
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• 2008

The aim of this study was to validate the suitability of an digital image analysis (DIA) method to measure the degree of saturation in the unsaturated conditions. This study was carried out on the Joo-Mun-Jin standard sand. A one-dimensional sand column test was used in the constant water level condition to get the correlation equation between the color number ($C_n$) and the measured degree of saturation (5). In addition, the hanging wale. column technique to determine the soil-water charactenstic curve (SWCC) was performed in a Buchner funnel. The average degree of saturation ($S_{ave}$) in the SWCC could be obtained by substituting average color number at each suction head value with the $C_n\;-\;S$ correlation equation. Comparisons were made between the measured results by the hanging water column test and those obtained from DIA method. Results showed that the DIA method tested here provided fairly good saturation distribution values in the drying and wetting processes.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.31 no.8
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• pp.17-28
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• 2015

The purpose of this study is to measure the volumetric water content of unsaturated soils during drying and wetting process by using volumetric pressure plate extractor (VPPE) incorporated with time domain reflectometry (TDR). The VPPE consists of a pressure cell, a pressure regulator, a burette system and a TDR probe. Two samples with different initial void ratios were prepared in the pressure cell, and the air pressure at the range of 0.1 kPa - 50 kPa was applied to adjust the matric suction by the pressure regulator. The burette system was used to measure the volumetric water content change of the sample according to the matric suction. In addition, the TDR probe, installed in the cell, was used to evaluate the dielectric constant from the reflected signal of the electromagnetic wave at the probe. The volumetric water content of specimen was estimated by the empirical equation between the volumetric water content and dielectric constant, which was calibrated with the Jumunjin sand. The test results show that the volumetric water content calculated by TDR probe is strongly correlated to the measured value by burette system. The hysteresis occurs during drying and wetting process. Furthermore, the degree of hysteresis reduces in the repeated process. This study suggests that TDR may be effectively used to evaluate the water content soil for the determination of water characteristic curve of unsaturated soils.

• Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.129-137
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• 2013

The infiltration of rainwater into the surface soil is highly dependent on hydraulic variables, such as the infiltration rate, capillary fringe, moisture content, and unsaturated/saturated hydraulic conductivity. This study estimates the hydraulic conductivity (K) of fluvial deposits at three sites on the right and left banks of Nakdong River in Gyeongbuk Province, South Korea, including the Gumi, Waegwan, and Seongju bridge sites. The K values of 80 samples from 13 boreholes were estimated by using six grain-size methods (Hazen, Slichter, Kozeny, Beyer, Sauerbrei, and Pavchich formulae). The Beyer, Hazen, and Slichter methods showed a better relationship with K values along with an effective grain size than did the other three methods. The grain-size, pumping test, and slug test analyses resulted in different K values, but with similar K values in the grain-size analysis and pumping test. The lower K values of the slug test represent the uppermost fine sand layer.

• Magazine of the Korean Society of Agricultural Engineers
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.85-94
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• 1996

For the geotechnical analysis in the construction and Deign of the coastal structures, one of the most important factors is the existence of waves. The dynamic behavior and deformation of the seabed subjected to wave load must be considered. It is expected that the soil behavior in the seabed subjected to cyclic wave load is much different from that on the ground subjected to dynamic forces such as earthquake. The purposes of this study are as follows ; Firstly, to provide a testing method to generate wave loads in the laboratory and measuring oscillatory pore water pressures in the unsaturated marine silty sand specimen, Secondly, to analyze the mechanism of wave induced pore water pressures and liquefaction potentials under the conditions in the testing. It is shown that the test set-up manufactured especially for the test is good to generate oscillatory wave pressures to the specimen with sine wave type. From the results of this study, it is understood that the pore water pressure due to induced waves is not accumulated as the wave number increases but is periodically varied with wave passage on still water surface. The magnitude of pore water pressures measured tends to be diminished radically with a certain time lag under the action of both high and low waves as depth increases.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.3
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• pp.193-204
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• 2009

A 10.4-m high highway embankment retained behind mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls is under construction in the northeastern part of the Indian state of Bihar. The structure is constructed with compacted, micaceous, grey, silty sand, reinforced with polyester (PET) geogrids, and faced with reinforced cement concrete fascia panels. The connections between the fascia panels and the geogrids failed on several occasions during the monsoon seasons of 2007 and 2008 following episodes of heavy rainfall, when the embankment was still under construction. However, during these incidents the MSE embankment itself remained by and large stable and the collateral damages were minimal. The observational data during these incidents presented an opportunity to develop and calibrate a simple procedure for estimating rainfall induced pore water pressure development within MSE embankments constructed with backfill materials that do not allow unimpeded seepage. A simple analytical finite element model was developed for the purpose. The modeling results were found to agree with the observational and meteorological records from the site. These results also indicated that the threshold rainwater infiltration flux needed for the development of pore water pressure within an MSE embankment is a monotonically increasing function of the hydraulic conductivity of backfill. Specifically for the MSE embankment upon which this study is based, the analytical results indicated that the instabilities could have been avoided by having in place a chimney drain immediately behind the fascia panels.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.201-216
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• 2013

Ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted in a sand tank model in a laboratory and at an alluvial field site to detect the groundwater table and to investigate the influence of saturation on GPR response in the unsaturated zone. In the sand tank model, the groundwater table and saturation in the sand layer were altered by injecting water, which was then drained by a valve inserted into the bottom of the tank. GPR vertical reflection profile (VRP) data were obtained in the sand tank model for rising and lowering of the groundwater table to estimate the groundwater table and saturation. Results of the lab-scale model provide information on the sensitivity of GPR signals to changes in the water content and in the groundwater table. GPR wave velocities in the vadose zone are controlled mainly by variations in water content (increased travel time is interpreted as an increase in saturation). At the field site, VRP data were collected to a depth of 220 m to estimate the groundwater table at an alluvial site near the Nakdong river at Iryong-ri, Haman-gun, South Korea. Results of the field survey indicate that under saturated conditions, the first reflector of the GPR is indicative of the capillary fringe and not the actual groundwater table. To measure the groundwater table more accurately, we performed a GPR survey using the common mid-point (CMP) method in the vicinity of well-3, and sunk a well to check the groundwater table. The resultant CMP data revealed reflective events from the capillary fringe and groundwater table showing hyperbolic patterns. The normal moveout correction was applied to evaluate the velocity of the GPR, which improved the accuracy of saturation and groundwater table information at depth. The GPR results show that the saturation information, including the groundwater table, is useful in assessing the hydrogeologic properties of the vadose zone in the field.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.7
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• pp.544-551
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• 2011

The objective of this study was to analyze VIRULO model, a probabilistic quantitative model, which had been developed by US Environmental Protection Agency. The model could assess the viral attenuation capacity of soil as hydrogeologic barrier using Monte Carlo simulation. The governing equations used in the model were composed of unsaturated flow equations and viral transport equations. Among the model parameters, those related to water flow for 11 soil types were from UNDODA data, and those related to 5 virus species were from the literatures. The model compared the attenuation factor with threshold of attenuation to determine the probability of failure and presented the exceedances and Monte Carlo runs as output. The analysis indicated that among 11 USDA soil types, the viral attenuation capacity of loamy sand and sand were far lower than those of clay and silt soils. Also, there were differences in the attenuation in soil among 5 viruses with poliovirus showing the highest attenuation. The viral attenuation capacity of soil decreased sharply with increasing soil water content and increased nonlinearly with increasing soil barrier length. This study indicates that VIRULO model could be considered as a useful screening tool for viral risk assessment in subsurface environment.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.31-42
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• 2023

A study was conducted to use soil color obtained from digital im ages as an indicator of soil water content. Digital images of Jumoonjin standard sand with five different water contents were captured under nine different lighting conditions. Through digital image processing, the soil color of the sample was obtained based on the CIELAB color system, and the effect of lighting conditions and water content on the soil color was analyzed. The results indicated that L^* showed a high correlation with illuminance, whereas a^* and b^* showed a high correlation with color temperature. As the water content increased, L^*, which represents the brightness of the soil color, decreased, and a^* and b^* increased. Therefore, the soil color changed from green and blue to red and yellow. Based on the regression analysis results of lighting conditions, water content, and soil color, a water content predicting method based on the soil color of silica-based sand photographed under irregular light conditions was proposed. The proposed method can predict the water content with a m axim um error of 0.29%.