• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.197-213
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• 2019

We simulated the fault reactivation experiment conducted at 'Main Fault' intersecting the low permeability clay formations of Mont Terri Underground Research Laboratory in Switzerland using TOUGH-FLAC simulator. The fluid flow along a fault was modelled with solid elements and governed by Darcy's law with the cubic law in TOUGH2, whereas the mechanical behavior of a single fault was represented by creating interface elements between two separating rock blocks in FLAC3D. We formulate the hydro-mechanical coupling relation of hydraulic aperture to consider the elastic fracture opening and failure-induced dilation for reproducing the abrupt changes in injection flow rate and monitoring pressure at fracture opening pressure. A parametric study was conducted to examine the effects of in-situ stress condition and fault deformation and strength parameters and to find the optimal parameter set to reproduce the field observations. In the best matching simulation, the fracture opening pressure and variations of injection flow rate and monitoring pressure showed good agreement with field experiment results, which suggests the capability of the numerical model to reasonably capture the fracture opening and propagation process. The model overestimated the fault displacement in shear direction and the range of reactivated zone, which was attributed to the progressive shear failures along the fault at high injection pressure. In the field experiment results, however, fracture tensile opening seems the dominant mechanism affecting the hydraulic aperture increase.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2022

The existence of underground cavity should be considered in the assessment of georisk such as ground subsidence. Even if the shear strength of the ground around the cavity is known, it is difficult to accurately analyze the safety around the cavity due to the uncertainties related to geometric conditions such as the cavity size. In this paper, stability chart representing dimensionless stability constants was proposed based on the ground strength and geometric conditions. Numerical analysis had been carried out accounting for the stability constants such as the ground strength, the adhesion and friction angles, and the size and depth of the underground cavity. The proposed charts can help estimating the stability of ground with underground circular cavity.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.14 no.4 s.41
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• pp.487-498
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• 2004

There is an increasing trend of construction works in mountainous areas by the urban development in Busan that is mainly composed of mountains. The study area, Hwangryeong Mt., is one of developing sites in the urban area, too. Landslides and cut-slope failures that occur large damages of human beings and the properties are influenced by soil characteristics as well as rock properties. This study analyzed geotechnical characteristics of soil dependent on geology at Hwangryeong Mt. where a large slope failure had been occurred in 1999. Geology of the study area is composed of the Cretaceous sedimentary rocks and volcanic rocks. Soil layer of the slopes can be grouped into sand mixed with clay and silt. The cohesion is plotted between $0.001\;and\;0.066kg/cm^2$. The friction angles are distributed in the ranges between $32^{\circ}\;and\;39^{\circ}$, meaning soil bearing a high friction angle. The permeability coefficients are plotted between $2.34\times10^{-4}cm/sec\;and\;2.58\times10^{-2}cm/sec$, indicating fine sand and loose silt with a medium grade of permeability. The sedimentary rocks area shows relatively higher permeability coefficients than those volcanic rocks area.

• Journal of Korean Society of Forest Science
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• v.89 no.3
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• pp.323-334
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• 2000

This study was carried out to investigate the effects of geological and topographical features on landslide and land-creep at the twenty four surveyed sites of Kyungpook province. According to the results obtained, it was concluded that continuous heavy rainfall was one of the primary factors to occur landslide and land-creep. Most of the landslides occurred in the past were concentrated in the granite and granitic gneiss zones, while land-creeps were mainly occurred in the mud-stone zones. Therefore, it was thought that the physical properties such as soil texture, solid phase, moisture contents, density, hardness and porosity rate of weathered granite and granitic gneiss could affect the occurrence of landslide and land-creep. Due to the holding of sand contents in the upper soil layers of weathered granite and granitic gneiss, rainfall could infiltrate into the soil easily. While lower soil layers contained much quantity of clay and silt contents, those soils saturated with rainfall cause to lose viscosity and shear strength. Therefore, it was seemed that landslide was occurred more easily and the saturation of those soils was made much easily by bed rocks under those soils. Landslide and land-creep are slided into lower place by gravitation and slope degree factors. Therefore, prediction of landslide occurrence is very difficult because landslide is occurred abruptly, and physical properties of the soil have to be understood and checking the existence of bed rocks under the soils is not easy, on the other hand, land-creep is progressed very slowly. Therefore, it was suggested that in a degree creeping could be protected by removing of several causing factors.