• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.35 no.1
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• pp.29-39
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• 2023

As the intensity of urban underground space development increases, more and more tunnels are planned and constructed, and sometimes it is inevitable to encounter situations where tunnels have to underpass the river embankments. Most previous studies involved tunnels passing river embankments perpendicularly or with large intersection angle. In this study, a project case where two EPB shield tunnels with 8.82 m diameter run parallelly underneath a river embankment was reported. The parallel length is 380 m and tunnel were mainly buried in the moderate / slightly weathered clastic rock layer. The field monitoring result was presented and discussed. Three-dimensional back-analysis were then carried out to gain a better understanding the interaction mechanisms between shield tunnel and embankment and further to predict the ultimate settlement of embankment due to twin-tunnel excavation. Parametrical studies considering effect of tunnel face pressure, tail grouting pressure and volume loss were also conducted. The measured embankment settlement after the single tunnel excavation was 4.53 mm ~ 7.43 mm. Neither new crack on the pavement or cavity under the roadbed was observed. It is found that the more degree of weathering of the rock around the tunnel, the greater the embankment settlement and wider the settlement trough. Besides, the latter tunnel excavation might cause larger deformation than the former tunnel excavation if the mobilized plastic zone overlapped. With given geometry and stratigraphic condition in this study, the safety or serviceability of the river embankment would hardly be affected since the ultimate settlement of the embankment after the twin-tunnel excavation is within the allowable limit. Reasonable tunnel face pressure and tail grouting pressure can to some extent suppress the settlement of the embankment. The recommended tunnel face pressure and tail grouting pressure are 300 kPa and 550 kPa in this study, respectively. However, the volume loss plays the crucial role in the tunnel-embankment interaction. Controlling and compensating the tunneling induced volume loss is the most effective measure for river embankment protection. Additionally, reinforcing the embankment with cement mixing pile in advance is an alternative option in case the predicted settlement exceeds allowable limit.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.320-334
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• 2020

This study presents an application of hydro-mechanical coupled Particle Flow Code 3D (PFC3D) to simulation of fluid injection induced fault slip experiment conducted in Mont Terri Switzerland as a part of a task in an international research project DECOVALEX-2019. We also aimed as identifying the current limitations of the modelling method and issues for further development. A fluid flow algorithm was developed and implemented in a 3D pore-pipe network model in a 3D bonded particle assembly using PFC3D v5, and was applied to Mont Terri Step 2 minor fault activation experiment. The simulated results showed that the injected fluid migrates through the permeable fault zone and induces fault deformation, demonstrating a full hydro-mechanical coupled behavior. The simulated results were, however, partially matching with the field measurement. The simulated pressure build-up at the monitoring location showed linear and progressive increase, whereas the field measurement showed an abrupt increase associated with the fault slip We conclude that such difference between the modelling and the field test is due to the structure of the fault in the model which was represented as a combination of damage zone and core fractures. The modelled fault is likely larger in size than the real fault in Mont Terri site. Therefore, the modelled fault allows several path ways of fluid flow from the injection location to the pressure monitoring location, leading to smooth pressure build-up at the monitoring location while the injection pressure increases, and an early start of pressure decay even before the injection pressure reaches the maximum. We also conclude that the clay filling in the real fault could have acted as a fluid barrier which may have resulted in formation of fluid over-pressurization locally in the fault. Unlike the pressure result, the simulated fault deformations were matching with the field measurements. A better way of modelling a heterogeneous clay-filled fault structure with a narrow zone should be studied further to improve the applicability of the modelling method to fluid injection induced fault activation.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.6C
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• pp.239-247
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• 2012

Some methods were proposed to predict lateral flow due to embankments for road constructions on soft grounds, in which vertical drains were placed. In order to investigate the prediction methods of lateral flow, 200 field monitoring data for embankments in thirteen road construction sites at western and southern coastal areas of the Korean Peninsula were analyzed. For analyzing the relationship between the safety factor of embankment slope and the horizontal displacement in soft grounds where horizontal drain mats were placed, it was reliable to apply the maximum horizontal displacement in soft ground instead of the horizontal displacement at ground surface. The maximum horizontal displacement was developed less than 50mm in fields where the safety factor of slope was more than 1.4, while the one was developed more than 100mm in fields where the safety factor of slope was less than 1.2. In safe fields where the maximum horizontal displacement were developed within 50mm, lateral flow would not happen since shear deformation was not appeared. On the other hand, shear failure would happen in the fields where the maximum horizontal displacement were developed more than 100mm. In such fields, embankments might be continued after some appropriate countermeasures should be prepared. Safe embankments can be performed on soft grounds, in which the stability number is less than 3.0 and the safety factor for bearing is more than 1.7. However, if the stability number is more than 4.3 and the safety factor for bearing is less than 1.2, shear deformation would begin and even shear failure would happen.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.177-185
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• 2016

This work investigates whether stress changes induced by an earthquake can be estimated using the deformation measured by high-resolution borehole strainmeters. We estimate the changes in the orientation and magnitude of the principal compression stresses using borehole strainmeter data recorded before and after the M7.2 El Mayor-Cucapah earthquake on April 4, 2010. Clear differences in the stress orientations and magnitudes are apparent before and after the event. The change in stress orientation appears related to subtle increases of stress in the tectonic maximum principal orientation, which is in agreement with the earthquake focal mechanism solution. The sudden stress drop at the onset of the earthquake was 10⁻³-10⁻² MPa in the principal orientations. The Coulomb stress transfer model, which can estimate stress transfer, predicts a shear stress increase of (0.1-0.6) × 10⁻² MPa at the strainmeter site, which is in line with the measured data (0.3-0.8) × 10⁻² MPa. Overall, our results suggest that borehole strainmeter data reflect the subtle stress changes associated with earthquake occurrence, and that such data can be utilized for earthquake-related research.

• Korean Journal of Agricultural Science
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.260-270
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• 1998

The field tests were performed to suggest the rational method for stability evaluation of soft clay. The behavior of settlement-displacement obtained by field monitoring system was to compare and analyze the results of the observationed method, and to investigate the complex behavior of soft clay with filling height. The results of this study are summarized as follows. 1. The horizontal displacement was suddenly increased when physical properties of soft clay showed maximum values and the part of the turning point. The values of these properties were available to the fundamental data for stability evaluation. The shear deformation appeared that difference of the horizontal displacement was maximum values. 2. Although the stability of embankment by step filling showed the unstable part over the failure standard line, the embankment was confirmed stable. So the evaluation of the stability of embankment is reasonable to use the inclination of curve than failure standard line. 3. The horizontal displacement and relative settlement were increased as same ratio at improvement ground. Estimation of shear deformation using Terzaghi's modified bearing capacity should consider the relations of embankment load and undrained shear strength at nonimprovement ground, and minimum safety factor is recommended to use larger than 1.2. 4. Excess pore water pressure was increased with increasing of filling height and decreased with maintain the filling height. The embankment was unstable when filling height was exceed the evaluation standard line, and the behavior of excess pore water pressure and horizontal displacement could use as a standard of judgement of the filling velocity control because their behavior were agree with each other.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.28 no.9
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• pp.5-15
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• 2012

Field monitoring data for embankments in thirteen road construction sites at coastal area of the Korean Peninsula were analyzed to investigate the characteristics of lateral flow in soft grounds, to which vertical drain methods were applied. First of all, the effect of the embankment scale on the lateral flow was investigated. Thicker soft soils and lager relative embankment scale produced more horizontal displacements in soft grounds. Especially, if thick soft grounds were placed, the relative embankment scale, which was given by the ratio of thickness of soft ground to the bottom width of embankments, became larger and in turn large horizontal displacement was produced. And also higher filling velocity of embankments induced more horizontal displacements in soft grounds. The other major factors affecting the lateral flow in soft ground were the thickness and undrained shear strength of soft grounds, the soil modulus and the stability number. Maximum horizontal displacement was induced by less undrained shear strength and soil modulus of soft grounds. Also more stability numbers produced more maximum horizontal displacements. When the shear deformation does not develop, the stability number was less than 3.0 and the safety factor of bearing was more than 1.7. However, if the stability number was more than 5.14 and the safety factor of bearing was less than 1.0, the unstable shear failure developed in soft ground. 50mm can be recommended as a criterion of the allowable maximum horizontal displacement to prevent the shear deformation in soft ground, while 100mm can be recommended as a criterion of the allowable maximum horizontal displacement to prevent the shear failure in soft ground.

• Korean Journal of Remote Sensing
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• v.34 no.6_4
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• pp.1555-1565
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• 2018

Detection of subtle ground deformation of volcanoes plays an important role in evaluating the risk and possibility of volcanic eruptions. Ground-fixed observation equipment is difficult to maintain and cost-inefficient. In contrast, satellite remote sensing can regularly monitor at low cost. In this paper, following the study of Chadwick et al. (2006), which applied the interferometric SAR (InSAR) technique to the Sierra Negra volcano, Galapagos. In order to investigate the deformation of the volcano before 2005 eruption, the recent activities of this volcano were analyzed using Sentinel-1, the latest SAR satellite. We obtained the descending mode Sentinel-1A SAR data from January 2017 to January 2018, applied the Persistent Scatter InSAR, and estimated the depth and expansion quantity of magma in recent years through the Mogi model. As a result, it was confirmed that the activity pattern of volcano prior to the eruption in June 2018 was similar to the pattern before the eruption in 2005 and was successful in estimating the depth and expansion amount. The results of this study suggest that satellite SAR can characterize the activity patterns of volcano and can be possibly used for early monitoring of volcanic eruption.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.12
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• pp.103-111
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• 2008

Soils naturally contain grains of different minerals which may be dissolved under chemical or physical processes. The dissolution leads changes in microstructure of particulate media, such as an increase in local void or permeability, which affects the strength and deformation of soils. This study focuses on the small strain stiffness characteristics of vanishing mixtures, which consist of sand and salt particles at different volume fractions. Experiments are carried out in a conventional oedometer cell (Ko-loading) integrated with bender elements for the measurement of shear waves. Dissolutions of particles are implemented by saturating the mixtures at various confining stresses. Axial deformation and shear waves are recorded after each loading stage and during dissolution process. Experimental results show that after dissolution, the vertical strain and the void ratio increase, while the shear wave velocity and small strain shear modulus decrease. The decrease of the velocity results from the void ratio increase and particle contact decrease. The process monitoring during dissolution of the particles shows that the vertical strain dramatically increases at the beginning of the saturation process and converges after vanishing process finishes, and that the shear wave velocity decreases at the beginning and increases due to the particle reorientation. Specimens prepared by sand and salt particles are proved to be able to provide a valuable insight in macro structural behaviors of the vanishings mixtures.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.37 no.8
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• pp.25-35
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• 2021

Recently, the ground anchor method is commonly applied with nail and rock bolt to secure the stability of slopes and structures in Korea. Among them, permanent anchor which is used for long-term stability should secure bearing capacity and durability during the period of use. However, according to recent studies, phenomenon such as deformation to slope and the reduction of residual tensile load over time have been reported along the long-term behavior of the anchors. These problems of reducing residual tensile load are expected to increase in the future, which will inevitably lead to problems such as increasing maintenance costs. In this study, we identified the factors that affect the tensile load of permanent anchor from a literature study on the domestic and foreign, and investigated the prior studies that analyzed previously conducted load cell monitoring data. Afterwards, using this as basic data, the load cell measurement data collected at the actual site were analyzed to identify the tensile load reduction status of anchors, and the long-term load reduction characteristics were analyzed. Finally, by aggregating the preceding results, proposed a technique to predict the long-term load reduction characteristics of permanent anchors through short-term data to around 100 days after installation.