• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.561-577
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• 2021

The compacted bentonite buffer in a geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is saturated due to groundwater inflow. Saturation of the bentonite buffer results in bentonite swelling and bentonite penetration into the rock discontinuities present around the disposal hole. The penetrated bentonite is exposed to groundwater flow and can be eroded out of the repository, resulting in bentonite mass loss which can affect the physical integrity of the engineered barrier system. Hence, the evaluation of buffer-rock interactions and coupled behavior due to groundwater inflow and bentonite penetration is necessary to ensure long-term disposal safety. In this study, the effects of the bentonite penetration and swelling on the physical properties of jointed rock mass were evaluated using the quasi-static resonant column test. Jointed rock specimens with bentonite penetration were manufactured using Gyeongju bentonite and hollow cylindrical granite rock discs obtained from the KAERI underground research tunnel. The effects of vertical stress and saturation were assessed using the P-wave and S-wave velocities for intact rock, jointed rock and jointed rock with bentonite penetration specimens. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses of each joint condition were inferred from the wave velocity results assuming an equivalent continuum. The joint normal and joint shear stiffnesses obtained from this study can be used as input factors for future numerical analysis on the performance evaluation of geological waste disposal considering rock discontinuities.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.258-276
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• 2018

The accurate and quantitative ground information on the hydraulic conductivity characteristics of rock mass is one of the key factors for evaluation of the hydro-geological behaviour of rock mass around an excavated opening under high water pressure. For tunnel and rock structures in seabed, where the sea acts as an infinite source of water, its importance become greater with increasing construction depth below sea level. In this study, to improve the problems related with poor system configuration and incorrect data acquisition of previous hydraulic packer testing equipment, we newly developed an integrated main frame and 30 bar level waterproof downhole sonde apparatus, which were optimized for deep hydraulic packer test in seabed rock mass. Integration of individual test equipment into one frame allows safe and efficient field testing work on a narrow offshore drilling platform. For the integrated type main frame, it is possible to make precise stepwise control of downhole net injection pressure at intervals of $2.0kg_f/cm^2$ or less with dual hydraulic oil volume controller. To ensure the system performance and the operational stability of the prototype mainframe and downhole sonde apparatus, the field feasibility tests were completed in two research boreholes, and using the developed apparatus, the REV(Representative Elementary Volume) scale deep hydraulic packer tests were successfully carried out at a borehole located in the basalt region, Jeju. In this paper, the characteristics of the new testing apparatus are briefly introduced and also some results from the laboratory and in-situ performance tests are shown.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.585-597
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• 2013

In this study, in order to evaluate stability of the room-and-pillar underground structure, a series of preliminary numerical analyses were performed. Design concept and procedure of an underground structure for obtaining a space are proposed, which should be different from structural design for the room-and-pillar in mine. With assumed material properties, a series of numerical analyses were performed by varying size ratios of room and pillar and then the failure modes and location at yielding initiation were investigated. From the results, relationship between the ratio of pillar width to the roof span (w/s) and overburden pressure at failure initiation shows a relatively linear relation, and the effect of w/s on structural stability is much more critical than the ratio of pillar width and height (w/H) which is a crucial parameter in design of the room-and-pillar mining. It means that roof tensile failure and shear failure at shoulder and pillar are necessary to be considered together for confirming overall structural stability of the room-and-pillar structure, rather than considering the pillar stability only in mining. Failure modes and location at failure initiation were varied with respect to the ratio of room and pillar widths. Therefore, it is necessary to simultaneously consider stability of both roof span and pillar for design of underground structure by the room-and-pillar method.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.1029-1044
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• 2017

The Discrete Element Method (DEM) is one of the useful numerical methods to analyze the behavior of the ground formation by computing the motion and interaction using particles. The DEM has not been applied in civil engineering but also a wide range of industrial fields, such as chemical engineering, pharmacy, material science, food engineering, etc. In this study, to review a performance of the spoke-type earth pressure balance (EPB) shield TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine), the commercial software based on the DEM technology was used. An analysis of the TBM during excavation was conducted according to two pre-defined excavation conditions with the different rotation speed of a cutterhead. During the analysis, the resistant torque at the face of the cutterhead, the compressive force at the cutterhead and shield surface, the muck discharge at the screw auger were measured and compared. Upon the two kinds of excavation conditions, the applicability of the DEM analysis was reviewed as a modelling method for the TBM.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.228-243
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• 2023

Bentonite is widely recognized and utilized as a buffer material in high-level radioactive waste repositories, mainly due to its favorable characteristics such as swelling capability and low permeability. Bentonite buffers play an important role in ensuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste by providing a low permeability barrier and effectively preventing the migration of radionuclides into the surrounding rock. However, the long-term performance of bentonite buffers still remains a subject of ongoing research, and one of the main concerns is the erosion of the buffer induced by swelling and groundwater flow. The erosion of the bentonite buffer can significantly impact repository safety by compromising the integrity of buffer and leading to the formation of colloids that may facilitate the transport of radionuclides through groundwater, consequently elevating the risk of radionuclide migration. Therefore, it is very important to numerically quantify the erosion of bentonite buffer to evaluate the long-term performance of bentonite buffer, which is crucial for the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal. In this technical note, Two-region model is introduced, a proposed model to simulate the erosion behavior of bentonite based on a dynamic bentonite diffusion model, and quantitative evaluation is conducted for the bentonite buffer erosion with this model.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.327-337
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• 2016

In this study, laboratory hydraulic fracturing tests are carried out to evaluate the effects of the cleavage anisotropy of Pocheon granite. Breakdown pressure is smaller when cracks are generated to the direction of rift plane in constant pressurization rate condition because of higher microcracks density. Besides not only injection rate changes but also the amount of injection pressure for fracture initiation and crack expansion is detected while testing due to internal deformation. Pressurization rate is higher while hydraulic fracture testing with constant injection rate condition in case of the specimen which has rift plane perpendicular to borehole because there are much flow paths to penetrate compared to the specimen which has hardway plane perpendicular to borehole. Observation by X-ray CT scanning shows that almost all of cracks due to hydraulic fracturing are generated to the direction of plane which has higher microcrack density that is rift plane or grain plane.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.297-306
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• 2011

In this paper, we performed thermodynamic energy balance analysis of the underground lined rock cavern for compressed air energy storage (CAES) using the results of multi-phase heat flow analysis to simulate complex groundwater-compressed air flow around the cavern as well as heat transfer to concrete linings and surrounding rock mass. Our energy balance analysis demonstrated that the energy loss for a daily compression and decompression cycle predominantly depends on the energy loss by heat conduction to the concrete linings and surrounding rock mass for a sufficiently air-tight system with low permeability of the concrete linings. Overall energy efficiency of the underground lined rock caverns for CAES was sensitive to air injection temperature, and the energy loss by heat conduction can be minimized by keeping the air injection temperature closer to the ambient temperature of the surroundings. In such a case, almost all the heat loss during compression phase was gained back in a subsequent decompression phase. Meanwhile, the influence of heat conductivity of the concrete linings to energy efficiency was negligible.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.225-232
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• 2010

In this study, a newly modified 3-dimensional strain-dependent hydraulic conductivity modification relation which incorporates the influences of normal deformation and shear dilation is suggested. Since rock mass is simulated as a orthogonally jointed medium, an anisotropic hydraulic conductivity field can be evaluated using that relation. The empirical relationship on the basis of GSI and disturbance factor has been used to estimate the value of a modulus reduction ratio (ratio of rock mass deformation modulus to rock matrix elastic modulus). Principal hydraulic conductivity directions is not generally coincident with the global coordinate due to the inclining of joint and the influence of joint inclination is evaluated under strain rotation. Result shows that change of hydraulic conductivity does decreases with the increase of GSI and disturbance factor has much effects on the hydraulic conductivity of rock mass getting GSI value above 50. It is found that the inclination of joint impacts on the variation of hydraulic conductivity.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.457-464
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• 2005

In the case of tunneling, the equilibrium state of hydro-geologic environments destroy and change abruptly in some section of whole works. Specially, it's very possible for seawater to intrude toward the site of tunnel if the field is nearly located in a costal region. In this study, we have evaluated the mechanism related between groundwater flow and seawater intrusion that by impacts of tunneling. Various hydro-geological field tests have performed for getting four representative hydrogeologic properties of geologic formations such as transmissivity (T), storativity(S), longitudial dispersity(${\alpha}_L$), and effective porosity($n_e$). For the effect of tunneling, the numerical model was first simulated based on the governing equation of groundwater flow. The results showed that the maximum drawdown was 17.2m and the total inflow into the tunnel had the range from 0.48 to $3.63m^3/day/m$. Secondly, the three dimensional numerical model was analyzed to investigate a characteristic of seawater intrusion based on the previous simulated results of groundwater flow. The results showed the seawater moved as the range of $200{\sim}220m$ from the initial interface between seawater and groundwater toward the tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.226-238
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• 2008

The steel ribs which are used to enhance the supporting capability of the shotcrete are estimated to be very effective, but their characteristics depending on the types of steel support are not well understood enough to be considered in the design stage. This paper describes the behavior of the shotcrete reinforced by various types of steel supports. Through flexural toughness test, major strength parameters such as flexural tensile strength, equivalent flexural tensile strength and residual tensile strength were obtained and used in the numerical analyses. Test results show that steel rebar was not as dependable as H-beam or lattice girder but close examination of the test results revealed that the specimen was failed in shear because of the shorter span than desired. Therefore tests on the properly dimensioned specimens are necessary for valid evaluation of the steel rebar reinforced shotcrete. In the first set of numerical stability analyses, shotcrete and steel supports were modelled separately. Then compared with the second set of analyses in which shotcrete and steel supports were regarded as a composite material. The two results coincided reasonably and this equivalent model turned out to be useful.