• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.33 no.1
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• pp.53-63
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• 2023

Rock disturbance caused by blasting and stress relaxation is commonly observed during excavation. As the distance from the source of disturbance increases, the degree of disturbance decreases, and rock at a large depth does not experience disturbance. However, in stability analyses, a single value of disturbance is often applied to the entire rock mass, which leads to underestimated results. In this study, this modeling mistake is addressed by considering realistically varying rock disturbance. The safety of infinite slopes in a disturbed rock mass with a strength governed by the Hoek-Brown failure criterion is investigated based on the kinematic approach of limit analysis. The maximum disturbance is assigned to the outermost slope face because it is directly exposed to blasting damage and dilation, and the disturbance progressively decays with distance in the rock mass. The safety analysis results indicate that the assumption of uniform disturbance in the entire rock mass leads to underestimation of the rock strength and safety on infinite rock slopes. A critical slip surface appears to be within the disturbed rock layer as well as the interface between the disturbed upper rock and undisturbed lower rock.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.119-131
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• 2005

The two dimensional behaviors of the existing upper tunnel and the ground at crossed area due to the excavation of a lower tunnel were studied experimentally, The model tests were conducted by changing the relative location of the existing upper tunnel and the lower tunnel. The results of the study show that a vertical earth pressure outside the loosened area was increased due to longitudinal arching effect same as a single tunnel. In case vertical distance between the upper and lower tunnel is 0.7 H and 1.0 H respectively (H is a height of the lower tunnel), vertical earth pressure increased in the loosened area behind the tunnel face. But when a vertical distance is 1, 3 H, ground behaviors appeared similarly to a single tunnel.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.253-262
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• 2004

Construction of tunnels in a deep crystalline host rock for a potential High-Level Radioactive Waste(HLW) repository inevitably generates an excavation disturbed zone (EDZ). There have been a series of debates on whether a permeability in an EDZ increases or not and what would be the maximum depth of an EDZ. Recent studies show mixed opinions on permeability. However, there has been an international consensus on the thickness of an EDZ; 30 cm for TBM and 1 meter for controlled blast. One of the impacts of an EDZ is on determining the distance between adjacent deposition holes. The void gap by the excavation hinders relaxation of temperature profiles so that the current Korean reference designing distance between holes should be stretched out more to keep the maximum temperature in a buffer region below 100 degrees Celsius. The other impact of an EDZ is on the long-term post closure radiological safety. To estimate the impact, the reference scenario, the well scenario, is chosen. Released nuclides diffuse through a bentonite buffer region experiencing strong sorption and reach a fracture surrounded by a porous medium. Inside a fractured porous region, radionuclides migrate by advection and dispersion with matrix diffusion into a porous medium. Finally, they reach a well assumed to be a source of potable water for local residents. The annual individual dose is assessed on this well scenario to find out the significance of an EDZ. A profound sensitivity study was performed, but all results show that the impact is negligible. Even though the role of an EDZ turns out to be limited on overall safety assessment, still it is worthwhile to study the chemical role of an EDZ, such as a potential source for natural colloids, potential sealing of an open fracture by fine clay particles generated by the process of an EDZ, and alteration of a sorption mechanism by an EDZ in the future.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.10
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• pp.71-81
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• 2008

Wall displacements caused by earth pressure, rainfalls, rise in ground water level, inappropriate deep excavation and structural defects of the wall may produce differential settlements to existing buildings, which often result in damages and/or collapses of the building structures. In this case, measures to protect the walls and nearby structures would be required. One of the recent measures to reduce differential settlements and protecting walls is to reinforce the ground using micro-piles. In this study physical model tests were carried out to evaluate the performance of the micro-pile method. It is revealed that reduction of the settlement was maximized when the length of micro-pile is twice of the foundation width, distance between piles is twice of the pile diameter and the distance to wall is one tenth of the foundation width. Based on the test results some design recommendations were made.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.167-181
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• 2021

New type of rock excavation method using a waterjet system is being developed to secure economic feasibility and to reduce vibrations during excavation. In waterjet rock excavation, overlapping of cutting width is essential for high efficiency. In this study, cutting experiments for granite specimens were performed using abrasive waterjet system according to the overlapping ratio and standoff distance. Based on the experimental results, the granite cutting performance was analyzed according to the overlapping ratio. In addition, removal shapes of the cross-section were analyzed in terms of the cutting depth, width, and volume after waterjet cutting. When the overlapping ratio is less than 58%, rock specimens are partially removed due to the insufficient overlapping ratio. However, when the overlapping ratio exceeds 67%, overcutting phenomenon is observed. For the partial overlapping ratio (i.e., 25~75%), cutting efficiency is increased in the removal volume. This study is expected to be used as the important basic data for determining the optimum overlapping ratio when the waterjet system is applied for rock excavation.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.91-104
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• 2001

As in Korean environments with mountainous and hilly areas, the rock generally has to be removed in construction or civil engineering work in tunnelling or excavation for development in urban area. Explosives should be used for blasting, which may cause serious problems on local people for their claim for compensation due to ground vibration, noise. For safe and economic blasting, geology and engineering characteristics of rocks such as discontinuities of rock or weathering are very important factors, together with site characteristics for prediction of ground vibration. In this study, conducted were the detailed study for major rocks most widely distributed in the South-east area, in-situ geological survey, geological and geochemical analysis, and further laboratory uniaxial rock stress, seismic velocity of core samples together with in-situ seismic velocity measurements. Regulations on ground vibration and noise were reviewed for assessing their adaptabilities, and a total of 4,856 measured blasting vibration data were examined for enhancing the confidence level in estimating the predictive formulation using scaled distance statistically.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.23-35
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• 2005

Excavation of an opening in a saturated porous rock may lead to the development of pore pressure around the opening due to the redistribution of initial rock stresses. The built-up of pore pressure, in turn, may affect the mechanical behavior of rock mass and give the different pattern of stress distribution around the opening from that of the case where the coupling is neglected. In this study, the short time response of an opening excavated in saturated ground under anisotropic initial stress conditions was investigated numerically. Not on the wall of opening but at a short distance from the wall, the tangential stresses were peak during the short period after excavation when the hydro-mechanical coupling is considered.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.6 no.4
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• pp.303-314
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• 2004

This study is intended to investigate the geotechnical behavior of jointed mass on tunnel excavation experimentally. Laboratory test were conducted in various conditions of distance from joint to tunnel and in-situ stress ratio ($K_0$). In case, the ground around the tunnel that has the joint angle $90^{\circ}$ generate the greatest influence in crown and far shoulder from joint. If the in-situ stress ratio is low, tangential stress of side wall that is opposite side of the joint is increased more than in crown. Otherwise in case, joint angle $45^{\circ}$, the generated compress stress is found out that left side of the tunnel of near the joint has influence on stability of the tunnel about 3 times than non-jointed rock.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2000.11a
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• pp.463-470
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• 2000

In tunnel excavation by blast beneath the surface structures in urban area, the characteristics of ground vibration induced by blast and its influence on surface structures are analyzed by the field test and the numerical analysis on dynamic behaviors of the structure. According to the field test on the propagating characteristics of blast vibration through the rock mass and the concrete foundation pile. the attenuation index of peak particle velocity with distance shows the range of 1.7∼2.0 for the rock mass and the range of 2.0∼2.3 for the concrete pile. This shows that the blast vibration reduces more rapidly in the concrete pile. It is known from the numerical analysis on dynamic behavior of the structure that the coefficient of response, velocity ratio of structure response to input wave, is different according to the story of the structure. It can be said from this research that the characteristics of the ground vibration and the dynamic behavior of the structure should be well evaluated and be considered as important factors for safe blasting design especially in underground excavation at shallow depth in urban area.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-29
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• 2001

Final convergence of tunnel crown due to excavation have been well predicted by regression analysis which is expressed as a function of convergence curve on a time and distance dependent. In this study, the validity of the equations for shallow, wide tunnel was investigated by measurement and numerical analysis. Studied tunnel(Sansoo Tunnel) is located at the boundary of downtown and mountain park. Exponential predictions equation was better coincided with measured data than fractional equation for studied tunnel, although the ground was expected to be elasto-plastic. This is because weathered rock ground is changed elasto-plastic ground into elastic ground by multi-steel grouting and forepoling.