• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.6
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• pp.597-606
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• 2019

Ultrasonic Time-of-Flight Diffraction (TOFD) techniques are useful methods for non-destructive evaluation of fracture characteristics. This study focuses on the reliability and accuracy of ultrasonic diffraction methods to estimate the depth of rock fractures. The study material includes three different rock types; andesite, basalt and ignimbrite. Four different ultrasonic techniques were performed on these intact rocks. Artificial near-surface fracture depths were created in the laboratory by sawing. The reliability and accuracy of each technique was assessed by comparison of the repeated measurements at different path lengths along the rock surface. The standard error associated with the predictive equations is very small and their reliability and accuracy seem to be high enough to be utilized in estimating the depth of rock fractures. The performances of these techniques were re-evaluated after filling the artificial fractures with another material to simulate natural infills.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.191-205
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• 2009

To characterize the geological features in the study area for high-level radioactive waste disposal research, KAERI (Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute) has been performing several geological investigations such as geophysical surveys and borehole drillings since 1997. Especially, the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel) constructed to understand the deep geological environments in 2006. Recently, the deep boreholes, which have 500 m depth inside the left research module of the KURT and 1,000 m depth outside the KURT, were drilled to confirm and validate the results from a geological model. The objective of this research was to investigate hydrogeological conditions using a 3-D geological model around the KURT. The geological analysis from the surface and borehole investigations determined four important geologicla elements including subsurface weathered zone, low-angled fractures zone, fracture zones and bedrock for the geological model. In addition, the geometries of these elements were also calculated for the three-dimensional model. The results from 3-D geological model in this study will be beneficial to understand hydrogeological environment in the study area as an important part of high-level radioactive waste disposal technology.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.101-109
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• 2010

There are many slopes generally developed by excavation and cut slope with small steps on massive slopes of roads. Especially these cut slopes which excavating around fault fracture zone need a reinforcement technology in order to ensure safety. In the case of slope excavation, it is difficult to use the existing slope support at fracture zone because of geological characteristics. Especially the factor of safety decreases significantly due to the movement of blocks in bed rocks and the expansion of interspace of discontinuous planes in fractured zones caused by excavation. Thus an efficient reinforcement technique in accordance with geological properties of fracture zones needs to be developed because the existing slope support has a restricted application. Therefore it is necessary to develop the specialized rock bolt technique in order to ensure an efficient factor of safety for anomalous fracture zones in slopes and tunnels. The purpose of this study is to develop newly improved rock bolt to increase a supporting effect of the swellex bolt method used recently as a friction type in fracture zones.

• Journal of the Korean Society for Geothermal and Hydrothermal Energy
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• v.4 no.1
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• pp.1-10
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• 2008

A magnetotelluric survey and geological survey have been performed to delineate deeply extended fracture systems at the geothermal field in Seokmo Island, Inchon, Korea. One borehole(BH-1) succeed to meet a large fracture system at the depth of 750 m where approximately $72^{\circ}C$ geothermal water is overflowing, while the other borehole(BH-2), which is about 200 m eastward from BH-1, failed to develop enough geothermal water even at the depth of 1,200m. Though there have been so many electric noise sources around the survey region, good quality of MT data above 1 Hz could be obtained with careful installation, remote reference processing. Inversion of MT data for two lines roughly perpendicular to the two major lineaments respectively show that the two lineaments are related to the fracture systems that are extended at least down to 1.5 km depth and inclined eastwards. From the interpretation, additional drilling for BH-2 is recommended and finally meet the fracture systems at the depth of 1,280 m and resulted in overflow of large amount of geothermal water of temperature $69.4^{\circ}C$ from BH-2.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.53-62
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• 1997

Fracture mechanics properties of rock materials can he applied to predict the distribution of natural fractures in rock masses, and also to assess the safety of rock slopes and underground structures. In this study, rock fracture toughness and other fracture rrechanics properties of sorne lithologies showing apparently rock-property-controlled distribution of natural fractures were measured. Propagation behaviors of natural and experirnental fractures were also characterized both qualitatively and quantitatively, in terns of the propagation types and sorne statistical parameters. It was concluded that the application of fracture mechanics theories to the ge6logic materials should be based on the geological background and evidences.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.349-359
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• 2020

Quantification of the influence of the fracture of thick magmatic rock (TMR) on the behavior of its overlying strata is a prerequisite to the understanding of the deformation behavior of the earth's surface in deep mining. A three-dimensional numerical model of a special geological mining condition of overlying TMR was developed to investigate the overburden movement and fracture law, and compare the influence of the occurrence horizon of TMR. The research results show that the movement of overlying rock was greatly affected by the TMR. Before the fracture of TMR, the TMR had shielding and controlling effects on the overlying strata, the maximum vertical and horizontal displacement values of overlying strata were 0.68 m and 0.062 m. After the fracture, the vertical and horizontal displacements suddenly increased to 3.06 m and 0.105 m, with an increase of 350% and 69.4%, respectively, and the higher the occurrence of TMR, the smaller the settlement of the overlying strata, but the wider the settlement span, the smaller the corresponding deformation value of the basin edge (the more difficult the surface to crack). These results are of tremendous importance for the control of rock strata and the revealing of surface deformation mechanism under TMR mining conditions in mines.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.193-213
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• 2020

A mathematical model to simulate more realistically the penetration of compacted bentonite buffer installed in the deposition hole into the discontinuity in the excavation damaged zone formed at the inner wall of the deposition hole in the geological repository for spent fuel is developed. In this model, the penetration of compacted bentonite is assumed to be the flow of Bingham fluid through the parallel planar rock fracture. The penetration of compacted bentonite is analyzed using the developed model. The results show that the maximum penetration depth of compacted bentonite into the rock fracture is proportioned to the swelling pressure of saturated compacted bentonite and the aperture of rock fracture. However, it is in inverse proportion to the yield strength of compacted bentonite. The viscosity of compacted bentonite dominates the penetration rate of compacted bentonite, but has no influence to the maximum penetration depth.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.483-494
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• 2007

The properties of fracture system on road-cut slopes along the Busan-Ulsan express way under construction are investigated and analyzed. Fracture spacing distributions show log-normal form with extension fractures and negative exponential form with shear fractures. Straight line segments in log-log plots of cumulative fracture length indicate a power-law scaling with exponents of -1.13 in site 1, -1.01 in site 2 and -1.52 in site 3. It is likely that the stability and strength of rock mass are the lowest in site 1 as judged from the analyses of spacing, density and inter-section of fractures in three sites. In contrast, the highest efficiency of the fracture network for conducting fluid flow is seen in site 3 where the largest cluster occupies 73% through the window map. Based on the field survey data, this study modified weighting values of the RMR system using a multiple regression analysis method. The analysis result suggests a modified weighting values of the RMR parameters as follows; 18 for the intact strength of rock; 61 for RQD; 2 for spacing of discontinuities; 2 for the condition of discontinuities; and 17 for ground water.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.55 no.6
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• pp.737-760
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• 2022

For the geological disposal of high-level radioactive wastes (HLW), an understanding of deep subsurface environment is essential through geological, hydrogeological, geochemical, and geotechnical investigations. Although South Korea plans the geological disposal of HLW, only a few studies have been conducted for characterizing the geochemistry of deep subsurface environment. To guide the hydrogeochemical research for selecting suitable repository sites, this study overviewed the status and trends in hydrogeochemical characterization of deep groundwater for the deep geological disposal of HLW in developed countries. As a result of examining the selection process of geological disposal sites in 8 countries including USA, Canada, Finland, Sweden, France, Japan, Germany, and Switzerland, the following geochemical parameters were needed for the geochemical characterization of deep subsurface environment: major and minor elements and isotopes (e.g., ³⁴S and ¹⁸O of SO₄^2-, ¹³C and ¹⁴C of DIC, ²H and ¹⁸O of water) of both groundwater and pore water (in aquitard), fracture-filling minerals, organic materials, colloids, and oxidation-reduction indicators (e.g., Eh, Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺, H₂S/SO₄^2-, NH₄⁺/NO₃^-). A suitable repository was selected based on the integrated interpretation of these geochemical data from deep subsurface. In South Korea, hydrochemical types and evolutionary patterns of deep groundwater were identified using artificial neural networks (e.g., Self-Organizing Map), and the impact of shallow groundwater mixing was evaluated based on multivariate statistics (e.g., M3 modeling). The relationship between fracture-filling minerals and groundwater chemistry also has been investigated through a reaction-path modeling. However, these previous studies in South Korea had been conducted without some important geochemical data including isotopes, oxidationreduction indicators and DOC, mainly due to the lack of available data. Therefore, a detailed geochemical investigation is required over the country to collect these hydrochemical data to select a geological disposal site based on scientific evidence.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.79-93
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• 2000

When caverns are excavated, it is very important to understand the distribution and charateristics of geological structures because the structures have an significant effect on grouting, rock reinforcement, and groundwater flow, etc. The main water bearing fractures have an orientation of N50~60W and these fractures are known as tension fractures. Their orientation coincides with a long elliptical axis ofpumping test, and they cross the tension fractures of N10~30E. They have typical fracture systems ofrhombic type in this area.