• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.37 no.2
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• pp.149-166
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• 2024

The acoustic emission (AE) technique is utilized to estimate the rock failure status in underground spaces. Understanding the AE characteristics under loading conditions is essential to ensure the reliability of AE monitoring. The AE characteristics depend on the material properties (p-wave velocity, density, UCS, and Young's modulus) and damage stages (stress ratio) of the target rock mass. In this study, two groups of granite specimens (based on the p-wave velocity regime) were prepared to explore the effect of material properties on AE characteristics. Uniaxial compressive loading tests with an AE measurement system were performed to investigate the effect of the rock properties using AE indices (count index, energy index, and amplitude index). The test results were analyzed according to three damage stages classified by the stress ratio of the specimens. Count index was determined to be the most suitable AE index for evaluating rock mass stability.

• Proceedings of the KSRS Conference
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• 2008.10a
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• pp.66-67
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• 2008

Most mineral resources are located in subsurface but mineral exploration starts with a step of investigation in wide-area to find evidence of buried ores. Conventional technique for exploration on wide-area as a preliminary survey is an observation using naked eyes by geologist or chemical analysis using lots of samples obtained from target area. Hyperspectral remote sensing can overcome those subjective and time consuming survey and can produce mineral resources distribution map. Precise resource map requires information of mineral distribution in a subpixellevel because mineral is distributed as rock components or narrow veins. But most hyperspectral data is composed of pixels of several meters or more than ten meters scale. We reviewed subpixel unmixing algorithms which have been used for geological field and tested detection ability with Hyperion imagery, geological map and seven spectral curves of mineral and rock specimens which were obtained from study areas.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2000.09a
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• pp.55-61
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• 2000

For proper sampling of a rock and preparation of specimens, the representative elementary volume (REV) should be determined in rock mechanical test and numerical analysis. Mechanical properties of a rock, in general, would be strongly affected by mineral composition. In this reason REV of Youngju granite is determined by using stereoscopic microscope observation and homogenization numerical analysis. As the area of analysis model exceeds approximately 702 $ extrm{mm}^2$(900 elements), the change of the mineral composition is not observed. The calculated results indicate that Young's modulus is fluctuated with increase of the number of elements in homogenization numerical analysis mesh. However, as the number of elements exceeds 1156 (area of about 900 $ extrm{mm}^2$), Young's modulus does not change apparently.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.10 no.3
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• pp.309-315
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• 2000

For proper sampling of a rock and preparation of specimens, the representative elementary volume (REV) should be determined in rock mechanical test and numerical analysis. Mechanical properties of a rock, in general, would be strongly affected by mineral composition. In this reason REV of Youngju granite is determined by using stereoscopic microscope observation and homogenization numerical analysis. As the area of analysis model exceeds approximately 702$\textrm{mm}^2$(900 elements), the change of the mineral composition is not observed. The calculated results indicate that Young's modulus is fluctuated with increase of the number of elements in homogenization numerical analysis mesh. However, as the number of elements exceeds 1156 (area of about 900$\textrm{mm}^2$), Young's modulus does not change apparently.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.1
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• pp.57-67
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• 2019

Water-induced strength reduction is one of the most critical causes for rock deformation and failure. Understanding the effects of water on the strength, toughness and deformability of rocks are of a great importance in rock fracture mechanics and design of structures in rock. However, only a few studies have been conducted to understand the effects of water on fracture properties such as fracture toughness, crack propagation velocity, consumed energy, and microstructural damage. Thus, in this study, we focused on the understanding of how microscale damages induced by water saturation affect mesoscale mechanical and fracture properties compared with oven dried specimens along three notch orientations-divider, arrester, and short transverse. The mechanical properties of calcite-cemented sandstone were examined using standard uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and Brazilian tensile strength (BTS) tests. In addition, fracture properties such as fracture toughness, consumed energy and crack propagation velocity were examined with cracked chevron notched Brazilian disk (CCNBD) tests. Digital Image Correlation (DIC), a non-contact optical measurement technique, was used for both strain and crack propagation velocity measurements along the bedding plane orientations. Finally, environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) was employed to investigate the microstructural damages produced in calcite-cemented sandstone specimens before and after CCNBD tests. As results, both mechanical and fracture properties reduced significantly when specimens were saturated. The effects of water on fracture properties (fracture toughness and consumed energy) were predominant in divider specimens when compared with arrester and short transverse specimens. Whereas crack propagation velocity was faster in short transverse and slower in arrester, and intermediate in divider specimens. Based on ESEM data, water in the calcite-cemented sandstone induced microstructural damages (microcracks and voids) and increased the strength disparity between cement/matrix and rock forming mineral grains, which in turn reduced the crack propagation resistance of the rock, leading to lower both consumed energy and fracture toughness ($K_{IC}$).

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.23 no.6
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• pp.503-512
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• 2020

Mining activities focus on the production of mineral resources for energy generation and raw material requirements worldwide and it is a known fact that shallow reserves become scarce. For this reason, exploration of new resources proceeds consistently to meet the increasing energy and raw material demand of industrial activities. Rock mechanics has a vital role in underground mining and surface mining. Devices and instruments used in laboratory testing to determine rock mechanics related parameters might have limited sensing capability of the failure behavior. However, methodologies such as, thermal cameras, digital speckle correlation method and acoustic emission might enable to investigate the initial crack formation in detail. Regarding this, in this study, thermographic analysis was performed to analyze the failure behaviors of different types of rock specimens during uniaxial compressive strength experiments. The energy dissipation profiles of different types of rocks were characterized by the temperature difference recorded with an infrared thermal camera during experiments. The temperature increase at the failure moment was detected as 4.45℃ and 9.58℃ for andesite and gneiss-schist specimens, respectively. Higher temperature increase was observed with respect to higher UCS value. Besides, a temperature decreases of about 0.5-0.6℃ was recorded during the experiments of the marble specimens. The temperature change on the specimen is related to release of radiation energy. As a result of the porosity tests, it was observed that increase in the porosity rate from 5.65% to 20.97% can be associated to higher radiation energy released, from 12.68 kJ to 297.18 kJ.

• Journal of the Korean earth science society
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.113-123
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• 2011

The effective teaching of Earth Science in the classroom should be augmented by field studies of rocks and minerals in a competently designed school rock garden(SRG). The displayed specimens must be correctly identified, labeled and esthetically evaluated. SRG is more than a general garden with just landscaping and it should provide students with freedom of conducting independent inquiries. The composition of the selected specimens should be representative of the bedrocks of region as well as of Korea in general. There are 130 schools in Jeonju-city and 35 (26.9%) have established rock gardens. There is a pressing demand for more gardens and number of display samples in school. The existing displays need improvement because some samples are not correctly identified and labeled. In addition, there is a duplication of rock types as well as lack of important rock types. The number and composition of the displayed rocks and minerals should be related to the school curriculum and reflect representative bedrocks of Jeonju-city and region.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.293-303
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• 2016

Underground $CO_2$ storage technology is one of the most effective methods to reduce atmospheric $CO_2$. In this study, $CO_2$ storage condition was simulated in the laboratory. Sandstone and shale specimens were saturated in 1M NaCl and were reacted at $45^{\circ}C$, 10 atm for 4 weeks. The physical and microstructural properties of rock specimens were measured. Variations on physical properties of shale specimens were bigger than those of sandstone specimens, such as volume, density, elastic wave velocity, Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus. Microstructure were analyzed using X-ray computed tomography. Total number of pores were decreased, and average volume, average area and average equivalent diameter of each pore were changed after $CO_2$ reaction. Swelling and leakage of clay mineral caused by $CO_2$-mineral reaction were the reason of changes. The results of this study can be applied to predict the physical and microstructural changes in underground $CO_2$ storage condition.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.16 no.4
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• pp.250-256
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• 2013

Using shear wave velocity is more reasonable to estimate strength and integrity of rock compared with using compressional wave. It is often ambiguous to pick the dominant frequency caused by torsional wave when evaluating $V_S$ of rock specimen from FFRC method. It is also sometimes ambiguous to pick the first arrival point of S wave compared with P wave in the signals acquired from ultrasonic velocity method. Otherwise, the procedure of evaluating $V_P$ using ultrasonic velocity method and $V_L$ using FFRC method is relatively stable. Through the relationship between elastic modulus, poisson's ratio and $V_S$ can be obtained from $V_P$, $V_L$. Applicability was checked using model specimens having different material property and length and rock specimens sampled in mine area, and usefulness of proposed procedure was verified.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.197-209
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• 2016

Clayey rock has large clay mineral content. When in contact with water, this expands considerably and may present a significant hazard to the stability of the rock in geotechnical engineering applications. This is particularly important in the present work, which focused on mitigating some unwelcomed properties of clayey rock. Changes in its physical properties were simulated by subjecting the rock to a low voltage direct current (DC) using copper, steel and aluminum electrodes. The modified mechanism of the coupled electrical and chemical fields acting on the clayey rock was analyzed. It was concluded that the essence of clayey rock electrochemical modification is the electrokinetic effect of the DC field, together with the coupled hydraulic and electrical potential gradients in fine-grained clayey rock, including ion migration, electrophoresis and electro-osmosis. The aluminum cathodes were corroded and generated gibbsite at the anode; the steel and copper cathodes showed no obvious change. The electrical resistivity and uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the modified specimens from the anode, intermediate and cathode zones tended to decrease. Samples taken from these zones showed a positive correlation between electric resistivity and UCS.