• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.295-304
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• 2011

The first step in improving our understanding of uncertainties suclt as rock mass strength parameters and deformation modulus in rock masses around high-level radioactive waste disposal repositories, for improved safety, is to study the process of crack development in intact rock. Therefore, in this study, the fracture process and crack development were examined in samples of KURT granite taken from the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT), based on acoustic emission (AE) and moment tensor analysis. The results show that crack initiation, coalescence, and unstable crack occurred at rock uniaxial compressive strengths of 0.45, 0.73, and 0.84, respectively. In addition, moment tensor analysis indicated that during the early stage of loading, tensile cracks were predominant. With increasing applied stress, the number of shear cracks gradually increased. When the applied stress exceeded the stress level required for crack damage, unstable shear cracks which directly result in failure of the rock were generated along the failure plane.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.493-507
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• 2016

Scaled model tests were performed to investigate the stability of a foundation located above limestone cavities. Cavity shape was assumed to be an ellipse having 1/3 for the ratio of minor to major axis lengths. 12 different test models which have various depths, locations, inclinations, sizes and numbers of cavity were experimented and they were classified into 5 different groups. Crack initiation pressure, maximum pressure, deformation behaviors, failure modes and subsidence profiles of test models were obtained, and then the influences of those parameters on the foundation stability were investigated. No cavity model showed a general shear failure, whereas the models including various cavities showed the complicated three different failure modes which were only punching failure, both punching and shear failures, and double shear failure. The stability of foundation was found to be decreased as the cavity was located at shallower depth, the size and number of cavity were increased. Differential settlements appeared when the cavity was located under the biased part of foundation. Furthermore, subsidence profiles were found to depend on the distribution of underground cavities.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.57 no.5
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• pp.951-968
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• 2016

Long-span cross-strait bridges extending into deep-sea waters are exposed to complex marine environments. During the construction stage, the flexible freestanding bridge towers are more vulnerable to environmental loads imposed by wind and wave loads. This paper presents an experimental investigation on the dynamic responses of a 389-m-high freestanding bridge tower model in a test facility with a wind tunnel and a wave flume. An elastic bridge model with a geometric scale of 1:150 was designed based on Froude similarity and was tested under wind-only, wave-only and wind-wave combined conditions. The dynamic responses obtained from the tests indicate that large deformation under resonant sea states could be a structural challenge. The dominant role of the wind loads and the wave loads change according to the sea states. The joint wind and wave loads have complex effects on the dynamic responses of the structure, depending on the approaching direction angle and the fluid-induced vibration mechanisms of the waves and wind.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.1
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• pp.12-29
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• 2019

Permeability and its change due to a fluid injection in jointed rock mass is an important factor to be well identified for a safe and successful implementation of Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS), Enhanced Geothermal System (EGS) and Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) projects which may accompany injection-induced hydromechanical deformation of the rock mass. In this technical report, we first reviewed important issues in evaluating initial permeability using borehole hydraulic tests and numierical approaches for understanding coupled hydromechanical properties of rock mass. Recent SIMFIP testing device to measure these hydromechanical properties directly through in-situ borehole experiments was also reviewed. The technical significance and usefulness of the device for further applications was discussed as well.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.66-81
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• 2021

The effects of directional fracture tensor components and first invariant of fracture tensor on deformation moduli and shear moduli of fractured rock masses is analyzed based on regression analysis performed between 3-D fracture tensor parameters and deformability of DFN blocks. Using one or two deterministic joint sets, a total of 224 3-D discrete fracture network (DFN) cube blocks were generated with various configurations of deterministic density and probabilistic size distribution. The fracture tensor parameters were calculated for each generated DFN systems. Also, deformability moduli with respect to three perpendicular direction of the DFN cube blocks were estimated based on distinct element method. The larger the first invariant of fracture tensor, the smaller the values for the deformability moduli of the DFN blocks. These deformability properties present an asymptotic pattern above the certain threshold. It is found that power-law function describes the relationship between the directional deformability moduli and the corresponding fracture tensor components estimated in same direction.

• Journal of KIBIM
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• v.9 no.4
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• pp.51-61
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• 2019

In the general manufacturing sector, prototyping used to reduce the risks that can arise with new conceptual products. However, in AEC area, it does not mass-produce a building, so the prototype itself becomes a building. Therefore, it is challenging to have prototyping of the same scale as the real thing, and the prototyping process in architecture is very inefficient. The prototyping process in the design stage typically assumes making a scaled model, partial model, or digital model. However, it is difficult for these models to correspond to the actual building and the environment of time and space such as scale, material, environment, load, physical properties and deformation, corrosion, etc., unlike the actual building. When using the digital twin concept in the prototyping process, it is possible to measure performance from the design stage to the operation stage. The digital twin was found by a method for monitoring based on physical twins and real-time linkage in the operation stage. Therefore, if the digital twin concept is applied at the design stage, it is possible to predict performance using not only current performance but also history information using real-time information. In order to apply the digital twin concept to the prototyping design process, we analyze the theoretical considerations and the prototyping design process of the digital twin, analyze the cases and research results where the prototyping design was applied, Provide an applied prototyping design process. The proposed process is tested through a pilot project and analyzed for potential use.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.144-159
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• 2022

The present study developed a sequential approach-based numerical simulator for modeling coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical (THM) processes in the ground and investigated the computational performance of the coupling analysis algorithm. The present sequential approach linked the two different solvers: an open-source numerical code, OpenGeoSys for solving the thermal and hydrological processes in porous media and a commercial code, FLAC3D for solving the geomechanical response of the ground. A benchmark test of the developed simulator was carried out using a THM problem where an analytical solution is given. The benchmark problem involves the coupled behavior (variations in temperature, pore pressure, stress, and deformation with time) of a fully saturated porous medium which is subject to a point heat source. The results of the analytical solution and numerical simulation were compared and the validity of the numerical simulator was investigated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.219-230
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• 2022

The Geo-Reservoir Experimental Analogue Technology (GREAT) cell was designed to recreate the thermal-hydro-mechanical conditions of deep subsurface in the laboratory. This apparatus can generate a polyaxial stress field using lateral loading elements, which rotate around the longitudinal axis of a sample and is capable of performing a fluid flow test for samples containing fractures. In the present study, numerical simulations were carried out for triaxial compression tests using the GREAT cell and the mechanical behavior of samples under different conditions of lateral loading was investigated. We simulated an actual case, in which triaxial compression tests were conducted for a polymer sample without fractures, and compared the results between the numerical analysis and experiment. The surface strain (circumferential strain) of the sample was analyzed for equal and non-equal horizontal confining pressures. The results of the comparison showed a good consistency. Additionally, for synthetic cases with a fracture, we investigated the effect of the friction and type of fracture surface on the deformation behavior.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.335-346
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• 2022

Buckling failure is a typical slope instability mode that should be paid more attention to. It is difficult to provide systematic guidance for the monitoring and management of such slopes due to unclear mechanism. Here we examine buckling failure as the potential instability mode for a slope above a railway tunnel in southwest China. A comprehensive model test system was developed that can be used to conduct buckling failure experiments. The displacement, stress, and strain of the slope were monitored to document the evolution of buckling failure during the experiment. Monitoring data reveal the deformation and stress characteristics of the slope with different slipping mass thicknesses and under different top loads. The test results show that the slipping mass is the main subject of the top load and is the key object of monitoring. Displacement and stress precede buckling failure, so maybe useful predictors of impending failure. However, the response of the stress variation is earlier than displacement variation during the failure process. It is also necessary to monitor the bedrock near the slip face because its stress evolution plays an important role in the early prediction of instability. The position near the slope foot is most prone to buckling failure, so it should be closely monitored.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.265-281
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• 2022

A set of slurry shield test system capable of cutter cutting and slurry automatic circulation is used to investigate the deformation characteristics, the evolution characteristics of support resistance and the distribution and evolution process of earth pressure during excavating and collapsing of slurry shield tunneling in circular-gravel layer. The influence of cover-span ratio on surface subsidence, support resistance and failure mode of excavation face is also discussed. Three-dimensional numerical calculations are performed to verify the reliability of the test results. The results show that, with the decrease of the supporting force of the excavation face, the surface subsidence goes through four stages: insensitivity, slow growth, rapid growth and stability. The influence of shield excavation on the axial earth pressure of the front soil is greater than that of the vertical earth pressure. When the support resistance of the excavation face decreases to the critical value, the soil in front of the excavation face collapses. The shape of the collapse is similar to that of a bucket. The ultimate support resistance increase with the increase of the cover-span ratio, however, the angle between the bottom of the collapsed body and the direction of the tunnel excavation axis when the excavation face is damaged increase first and then becomes stable. The surface settlement value and the range of settlement trough decrease with the increase of cover-span ratio. The numerical results are basically consistent with the model test results.