• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.34 no.8
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• pp.37-49
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• 2018

Since the observation of ground motions in South Korea, liquefaction manifestation was the first to be observed in Pohang earthquake in 2017 with $M_L$ 5.4. Because liquefaction causes ground settlement and lateral spread damaging in-ground or super structures, various researchers have been analyzing the Pohang liquefaction case history to better understand and predict liquefaction consequence and to prevent future disasters. In prior research at the 2018 EESK conference, a map of Liquefaction Potential Index (LPI), indicating the severity of liquefaction, in Pohang was created and compared with damage observations. The LPI correlated well with the observations, but the severity categorized by LPI range was significantly higher than the actual observations in most regions. The prior LPI map was created evaluating ground motions using the simplified approach. In this research, we perform the effective site response analyses with porewater pressure generation model for the detailed evaluation of liquefaction on the liquefied sites in Pohang. We found that the simplified approach for LPI evaluation can overestimate the severity.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1105-1123
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• 2018

The main risk factors of tunnel excavation through urban areas are ground settlement and surface sink which caused by ground conditions, excavation method, groundwater condition, excavation length, support method, etc. In the process of ground settlement assessment, the numerical analysis should be conducted considering the displacement and stress due to tunnel excavation. Therefore a technique that can simplify such process and easily evaluate the influence of tunnel excavation is needed. This study focused on the tunnelling-induced ground settlement which is main consideration of underground safety impact assessment. The parametric numerical analyses were performed considering such parameters as ground conditions, tunnel depth, and lateral distance from tunnel center line, etc. A simplified ground settlement evaluation chart was suggested by analyzing tendency of ground subsidence, lateral influence area and character by depth. The applicability of the suggested settlement evaluation chart was verified by comparative numerical analysis of settlement characteristics.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.39 no.2
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• pp.1-14
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• 2021

Recently, with the development of high-performance processing devices such as GPGPU, a three-dimensional dynamic analysis technique that can replace expensive rock material impact tests has been actively developed in the defense and aerospace fields. Experimentally observing or measuring fracture processes occurring in rocks subjected to high impact loads, such as blasting and earth penetration of small-diameter missiles, are difficult due to the inhomogeneity and opacity of rock materials. In this study, a three-dimensional dynamic fracture process analysis technique (3D-DFPA) was developed to simulate the fracture behavior of rocks due to impact. In order to improve the operation speed, an algorithm capable of GPGPU operation was developed for explicit analysis and contact element search. To verify the proposed dynamic fracture process analysis technique, the dynamic fracture toughness tests of the Straight Notched Disk Bending (SNDB) limestone samples were simulated and the propagation of the reflection and transmission of the stress waves at the rock-impact bar interfaces and the fracture process of the rock samples were compared. The dynamic load tests for the SNDB sample applied a Pulse Shape controlled Split Hopkinson presure bar (PS-SHPB) that can control the waveform of the incident stress wave, the stress state, and the fracture process of the rock models were analyzed with experimental results.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.583-603
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• 2023

Recently, the advancement of mechanical tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology and the characteristics of subsea railway tunnels subjected to hydrostatic pressure have led to the widespread application of shield TBM methods in the design and construction of subsea railway tunnels. Subsea railway tunnels are exposed in a constant pore water pressure and are influenced by the amplification of seismic waves during earthquake. In particular, seismic loads acting on subsea railway tunnels under various ground conditions such as soft ground, soft soil-rock composite ground, and fractured zones can cause significant changes in tunnel displacement and stress, thereby affecting tunnel safety. Additionally, the dynamic response of the ground and tunnel varies based on seismic load parameters such as frequency characteristics, seismic waveform, and peak acceleration, adding complexity to the behavior of the ground-tunnel structure system. In this study, a finite difference method is employed to model the entire ground-tunnel structure system, considering hydrostatic pressure, for the investigation of dynamic behavior of subsea railway tunnel during earthquake. Since the key factors influencing the dynamic behavior during seismic events are ground conditions and seismic waves, six analysis cases are established based on virtual ground conditions: Case-1 with weathered soil, Case-2 with hard rock, Case-3 with a composite ground of soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, Case-4 with the tunnel passing through a narrow fault zone, Case-5 with a composite ground of soft soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, and Case-6 with the tunnel passing through a wide fractured zone. As a result, horizontal displacements due to earthquakes tend to increase with an increase in ground stiffness, however, the displacements tend to be restrained due to the confining effects of the ground and the rigid shield segments. On the contrary, peak compressive stress of segment significantly increases with weaker ground stiffness and the effects of displacement restrain contribute the increase of peak compressive stress of segment.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.83-94
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• 2011

Extra heavy oil reservoirs are distributed over the world but most of them is deposited in the northern part of the Orinoco River in Venezuela, in the area of 5,500 $km^2$, This region, which has been commonly called "the Orinoco Oil Belt", contains estimated 1.3 trillion barrels of original oil-in-place and 250 billion barrels of established reserves. The Venezuela extra heavy oil has an API gravity of less than 10 degree and in situ viscosity of 5,000 cP at reservoir condition. Although the presence of extra heavy oil in the Orinoco Oil Belt has been initially reported in the 1930's, the commercial development using in situ cold production started in the 1990's. The Orinoco heavy oil deposits are clustered into 4 development areas, Boyaco, Junin, Ayachoco, and Carabobo respectively, and they are subdivided into totally 31 production blocks. Nowadays, PDVSA (Petr$\'{o}$leos de Venzuela, S.A.) makes a development of each production block with the international oil companies from more than 20 countries forming a international joint-venture company. The Eastern Venezuela Basin, the Orinoco Oil Belt is included in, is one of the major oil-bearing sedimentary basins in Venezuela and is first formed as a passive margin basin by the Jurassic tectonic plate motion. The major source rock of heavy oil is the late Cretaceous calcareous shale in the central Eastern Venezuela Basin. Hydrocarbon materials migrated an average of 150 km up dip to the southern margin of the basin. During the migration, lighter fractions in the hydrocarbon were removed by biodegradation and the oil changed into heavy and/or extra heavy oil. Miocene Oficina Formation, the main extra heavy oil reservoir, is the unconsolidated sand and shale alternation formed in fluvial-estuarine environment and also has irregularly a large number of the Cenozoic faults induced by basin subsidence and tectonics. Because Oficina Formation has not only complex lithology distribution but also irregular geology structure, geological evolution and characteristics of the reservoirs have to be determined for economical production well design and effective oil recovery. This study introduces geological formation and evolution of the Venezuela extra heavy oil reservoirs and suggest their significant geological characteristics which are (1) thickness and geometry of reservoir pay sands, (2) continuity and thickness of mud beds, (3) geometry of faults, (4) depth and geothermal character of reservoir, (5) in-situ stress field of reservoir, and (6) chemical composition of extra heavy oil. Newly developed exploration techniques, such as 3-D seismic survey and LWD (logging while drilling), can be expected as powerful methods to recognize the geological reservoir characteristics in the Orinoco Oil Belt.