Influence of rainfall-induced wetting on the stability of slopes in weathered soils

Shallow failures of slopes in weathered soil are caused by infiltration due to prolonged rainfall. These failures are mainly triggered by the deepening of the wetting band accompanied by a decrease in matric suction induced by the water infiltration. This paper reports trends of rainfall-induced wetting band depth in two types of weathered soils that are commonly found in Korea. Both theoretical and numerical analyses for wetting band depth are presented based on the soil–water characteristic curve obtained using filter paper as well as tensiometer tests. It is found that the magnitude of wetting front suction plays a key role in the stability of slopes in weathered soils. Theoretical analysis based on modified Green and Ampt model tends to underestimate the wetting band depth for typical Korean weathered soils. It was also deduced that for Korean weathered soils, the factor of safety drops rapidly once the wetting band depth of 1.2 m reached.     

泥石流成因机理的非饱和土力学理论研究

泥石流是一种具有较强破坏力的自然山地灾害。对于它的预报研究历来为人们所重视，并建立了很多雨量预报模型。然而，这些雨量预报模型的预报时间很短，往往只能在灾害发生前几十分钟作出预报。论文应用非饱和土强度理论对降雨型泥石漉的成园机理进行了研究，提出降雨型泥石流的形成过程可以划分为2个阶段：第一个阶段与前期实效降雨量有关；第二个阶段与短历时强降雨有关。并对各个阶段降雨作用机理以及固体松散物质的力学性质变化特征进行探讨。为预先判断在降雨条件下，会不会发生泥石流以及所需要的降雨量和雨型提供依据。     

尾矿坝非饱和带滞水曲线模型的建立及应用

本研究的目的是建立一种简单实用的上游式尾矿坝非饱和带滞水曲线的数学模型。研究方法采用拟合法。在揭示了硬岩尾矿砂的沉积距离与含水率、孔隙比等之间关系的基础上,建立了一种arctanx的函数,用来表征含水率与基质吸力的关系。将本模型应用于降雨入渗条件下饱和-非饱和渗流场分析,结果表明,数学模型与实验数据,具有明显的一致性。研究表明:该数学模型函数简单,适用于上游式尾矿坝。     

隧道施工中环境土层工程性质研究

利用非饱和土的三轴仪 ,测定不同吸力状态下的土的强度特性 ,并确立了两者之间的定量关系 ,同时进行了含水量对非饱和土的强度影响试验 ,研究了北京地区的非饱和土的强度特性。试验结果表明 :不同的吸力状态下 ,土的强度明显提高 ;含水量的改变对内聚力有明显影响 ,而对内摩擦角无明显影响 ,并测定本土样对强度改变的含水量拐点值.     

A cap model for partially saturated soils

The present paper deals with the extension of a cap model in order to describe the material behavior of partially saturated soils, in particular, of partially saturated sands and silts. The soil model is formulated in terms of two stress state variables, using net stress and matric suction and, alternatively, the average soil skeleton stress and suction, the latter playing the role of a stress‐like plastic internal variable. The yield surface, consisting of a shear failure surface and a hardening cap surface, the plastic potentials for the non‐associated flow rule and the hardening law for the cap are extended by taking into account the effects of matric suction on the material behavior. Furthermore, the third invariant of the deviatoric stress tensor is taken into account in the formulation of the yield surfaces. The developed model is validated by the numerical simulation of an extensive series of suction controlled tests for a silty sand, which were conducted at different constant values of suction. Although both versions of the soil model yield identical results for stress paths at constant values of matric suction, differences are encountered for stress paths involving wetting. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Calibration and use of pressure transducers in soil hydrology

Laboratory and field experiments demonstrated that solid state pressure transducers are accurate and reliable devices for frequent measurements of soil suction. However, each transducer had to be individually calibrated before use and a hanging column procedure designed for this purpose is described. Analysis showed that each transducer had a linear response and that environmental conditions such as temperature had minimal influence. Twenty four tensiometers with pressure transducers were intalled in a forest soil to test their operation and their output was monitored by a data logger. An example of soil suction results measured during four storms is given to demonstrate their stability and their rapid response. The transducers were found to perform accurately and were only affected by temperatures below 0°C.     

Bank‐toe processes in incised channels: the role of apparent cohesion in the entrainment of failed bank materials

Numerous processes may instigate bank retreat and the consequent collection of failed cohesive materials at the bank toe. Cohesion between the failed material and the substrate can provide additional strength to resist direct fluvial entrainment. Failed, cohesive material can act as a form of natural bank‐toe protection by consuming and diverting flow energy that may otherwise be used to further scour the basal zone of incising channels. Investigations in Goodwin Creek, Mississippi, have revealed the existence of apparent cohesion between failed, cohesive blocks and their underlying surface. The method used to assess this cohesion involved a pulley system mounted on a tripod and supporting a load cell. Mean and maximum apparent‐cohesion values of 1·08 kPa and 2·65 kPa, respectively, were measured in this way, identifying a source that bonds blocks to the underlying surface. Cohesion values and types vary spatially and temporally. Tensiometric tests beneath blocks suggest that cohesion resulting from matric suction alone may be as much as 3·5 kPa in summer and 1·8 kPa in winter. Apparent cohesion is believed to have been sufficient to help prevent removal of the largest blocks by a peak flow of 66·4m³/s on 23 September 1997. Maximum excess shear stress required to entrain a D₇₅ block can be augmented by as much as 97% by the presence of apparent cohesion at the block–substrate interface when compared with a condition with zero apparent cohesion at the block underside. Given these findings, it is no longer sufficient to estimate block entrainment in the basal area from block size or bed roughness alone, as in a Shields‐type approach. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非饱和土的一种分类方法

根据理想模型中土颗粒和孔隙水之间的几何关系、热力学原理和土力学基本理论,研究了土的非饱和性在非饱和土中引起的力系。给出了张力吸力和吸力比的定义,并在考虑基质吸力作用面积的基础上定义了等效吸力的概念。按照孔隙水弯液面是否与土颗粒表面搭接,将非饱和土分为搭接非饱和土和不搭接非饱和土两类。进而根据搭接状态将搭接非饱和土细分为水封闭非饱和土和搭接双开敞非饱和土,根据孔隙气状态将不搭接非饱和土细分为不搭接双开敞非饱和土和气封闭非饱和土。在搭接非饱和土中,出现张力吸力并对土体的强度产生增强作用;在不搭接非饱和土中,表面张力只是沿着液面传播,不对土的强度产生效应。另外,张力吸力只对强度问题有贡献,它不是渗流问题的驱动力。     

一维稳态入渗时非饱和土基质吸力分布

雨水的入渗和蒸发对土体的其质吸力分布有着重要的影响作用。利用水相连续性条件、广义Darcy定律及Gardner关于非饱和土导水系数和基质吸力的经验公式,建立并求解出非饱和土一维稳态渗流情况下基质吸力沿深度变化的关系表达式。根据所解得的解析解,详细分析了在单一土层情况下参数α、入渗强度q和qlks对基质吸力分布的影响。     

Influence of matric suction on shear strength behavior of a residual clayey soil

In this paper, the shear strength with respect to the matric suction of unsaturated soils was studied. For this purpose, unsaturated triaxial testing procedures were applied to the undisturbed residual soil specimens. An apparatus for performing triaxial tests was designed and constructed. In the tests, matric suction was controlled by using the axis translation technique, and pore water volume changes were measured by means of a volume change transducer with 10⁻⁸ m³ sensitivity. The test results indicated that the matric suction contributes to the shear strength of unsaturated soil specimens, and this contribution called suction strength varies non-linearly with respect to the matric suction. The logarithmic model needing to know the air-entry value and the internal friction angle of a soil specimen for prediction of the suction strength were presented and compared with the test results. It was found that suction strength values predicted from the proposed model were in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results.