• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.113-122
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• 2007

In this study, uranium migration experiments have been performed using a natural groundwater and a granite core with natural fractures in a glove-box constructed to simulate an appropriate subsurface environment. Groundwater flow experiments using the non-sorbing anionic tracer Br were carried out to analyze the flow properties of groundwater through the fracture of the granite core. The result of the uranium migration experiment showed a breakthrough curve similar to that of the non-sorting Br. This result may imply that uranium migrates as anionic complexes through the rock fracture since uranium can form carbonate complexes at a given groundwater condition. The distribution coefficient $K_d$ of the uranium between the groundwater and the fracture filling material was obtained as low as 2.7 mL/g from a batch sorption experiment. This result agrees well with the result from the migration experiment, showing a faster elution of the uranium through the rock fracture. In order to analyze retardation properties of the uranium through the rock fracture, the retardation factor $R_d({\sim}16.2)$ was obtained by using the $K_d$ obtained from the batch sorption experiment and it was compared with the $R_d({\sim}14.3)$ obtained by using the result from the uranium migration experiment. The values obtained from the both experiments were very similar to each other. This reveals that the retardation of the uranium is mainly occurred by the fracture filling material when the uranium migrates through the fracture of a granite core.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.575-593
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• 2012

This paper briefly introduces the scope and objectives of SKB Task 8, which is an international cooperative research project. In addition, the hydraulic behaviors of bentonite buffer focusing on the interactions between bentonite and a rock mass with a joint were investigated using TOUGH2 code as part of a sub-mission of Task 8a. The effects of a rock joint and high capillary pressure of bentonite on the re-saturation properties and pressure distribution in a buffer were identified and successfully incorporated in the TOUGH2 code. Based on the numerical results, it was found that the speed of re-saturation in bentonite surrounded by a rock mass with a joint is 2.5 to 12 times faster than that in a condition without a rock joint, while the degree of saturation in the lower part of the buffer material is generally higher than in the upper part in both the cases of with and without a joint. It can be anticipated that the results obtained from this study can be applied to an estimation of the full saturation time and a determination of optimum thickness with regard to the design of the bentonite buffer in a high level waste disposal system.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.327-344
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• 2024

In general tunnel design and analysis, rock masses are often assumed to be isotropic. Under isotropic conditions, material properties are uniform in all directions, leading to a higher evaluation of tunnel stability. However, actual rock masses exhibit anisotropic characteristics due to discontinuities such as joints, bedding planes, and faults, which cause material properties to vary with direction. This anisotropy significantly affects the stress distribution during tunnel excavation, leading to non-uniform deformation and increased risk of damage. Therefore, thorough pre-analysis is essential. This study analyzes the displacement and stress changes occurring during tunnel excavation based on rock anisotropy. A three-dimensional numerical analysis was performed, selecting anisotropy index and dip angles as variables. The results showed that as the anisotropy index increased, the displacement in the tunnel increased, and stress concentration became more pronounced. The maximum displacement and shear stress were observed where the dip planes met the tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.304-317
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• 2009

Most crystalline rocks have much higher compressive strength than tensile strength and show brittle failure. In-situ rock mass, strong enough in general sense, often fails in brittle manner when subjected to high stress exceeding strength in due of geometrically induced stress concentration or of high initial stress. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the brittle failure characteristics of rock and rock mass for proper stability assessment of underground structures excavated in great depths. In this study, damage controlled tests were conducted on biotite-granite and granitic gneiss, which are the two major crystalline rock types in Korea, to obtain the strain dependency characteristics of the cohesion and friction angle. A Cohesion-Weakening Friction-Strengthening (CWFS hereafter) model for each rock type was constructed and a series of compression tests were carried out numerically while varying confining pressures. The same tests were also conducted assuming the rock is Mohr-Coulomb material and results were compared.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Noise and Vibration Engineering Conference
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• 2007.11a
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• pp.1145-1148
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• 2007

Resilient materials are generally used for the floating floors to reduce the floor impact sound. Dynamic stiffness of resilient material, which has the most to do with the floor impact sound reduction. The resilient materials available in Korea include EPS (Styrofoam), recycled urethane types, EVA (Ethylene Vinylacetate) foam rubber, foam PE (Polyethylene), glass fiber & rock wool, recycled tire, foam polypropylene, compressed polyester, and other synthetic materials. In this study, we tested floor impact sound reduction characteristic to a lot of kinds of resilient material. The result of test showed that the amount of the heavy-weight impact sound reduction appeared by being influenced from this dynamic stiffness of resilient material. The dynamic stiffness looked like between other resilient materials, a similar to the amount of the heavy-weight impact sound reduction was shown.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.1 no.2
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• pp.155-168
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• 2009

Breakdown pressures obtained from the classic, linear elastic breakdown model are compared with the corresponding pressures obtained using a nonlinear material model. Compression test results obtained on sandstone and siltstone are used for that purpose together with previously formulated nonlinear model which introduces elasticity functions to address nonlinear stress-strain behaviour of rocks exhibiting stress-dependent mechanical properties. Linear and nonlinear collapse pressures are also compared and it is shown that material nonlinearities have significant effect on both breakdown and collapse pressures and on tangential stresses which control breakdown pressure around a borehole. This means that the estimates of ${\sigma}_H$ made using linear models give stress values which are different than the real values in the earth. Thus the importance of a more accurate analysis, such as provided by the nonlinear models, is emphasised. It is shown, however, that the linear elastic model does not necessarily over-predict borehole stresses and the opposite case can be true, depending on rock type and test interpretation.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.55 no.3
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• pp.1191-1198
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• 2023

Bentonite buffer material is a critical component in an engineered barrier system (EBS) for disposing high-level radioactive waste (HLW). The bentonite buffer material protects the disposal canister from groundwater penetration and releases decay heat to the surrounding rock mass; thus, it should possess high thermal conductivity, low hydraulic conductivity, and moderate swelling pressure to safely dispose the HLWs. Bentonite clay is a suitable buffer material because it satisfies the safety criteria. Several additives have been suggested as mixtures with bentonite to increase the thermal-hydraulic-mechanical-chemical (THMC) properties of bentonite buffer materials. Therefore, this study investigated the geotechnical, mineralogical, and THMC properties of several candidate additives such as sand, graphite, granite, and SiC powders. Datasets obtained in this study can be used to select adequate additives to improve the THMC properties of the buffer material.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2007.03a
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• pp.130-139
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• 2007

We have carried out numerical compression experiments to estimate the mechanical properties (Mohr-Coulomb and elastic) of corestone-bearing saprolites in Beolgyo area. The studied saprolite, consisting of mechanically much stronger corestone and weaker matrix, is a weathering product of the Precambrian granitic gneiss in the Youngnam massif. Since the saprolite consists of larger corestones with diameter up to 2m, it is impossible to directly measure the mechanical properties by physical experiments. We have measured the mechanical properties of corestone and matrix from naturally occurring saprolite and have used them as a reference for our numerical model. Then, we mixed each material and carried out biaxial compression tests while varying the volume percentage of corestones from 0 to 57%. We found that both cohesion and internal friction angle increase with the volume percentage of corestones while elastic modulus remains constant. We found the results from numerical experiments are in contradiction to what is known from physical experiments using artificial saprolites. This may be due to a possibility that the sharp and discrete nature of interface between corestone and matrix in physical experiments differs from the gradual interfacial nature in numerical modelling and natural saprolites.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.215-230
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• 1993

In-situ rock mass demonstrates the variety of structural features, and especially the mechanical and spatial characteristics of joint (or joint system) greatly affect the deformation and fallure strength of the rock mass. In this study finite element model capable of analyzing the viscoplastic behavior of reinforced jointed rock mass has been developed based on equivalent material approach. Accuracy and reliability of the numerical model have verified by simuiating the behavior of simplified block model and comparing the results with analytic solutions. Practical applicability was also demonstrated by analyzing the time-dependent behavior of underground oil storage tunnel and assessing the reinforcement effect of rockbolt.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.6 no.2
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• pp.157-165
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• 1996

In order to analyze the effects of ground vibration caused by underground blasting having an effect on structure, the particle velocity and acceleration are calculated by using DYNPAK program. The DYNPAK program analyzes nonlinear transient dynamic problem and adopts the very popular and easily implemented, explicit, central difference scheme. In this program, the material behavior is assumed to be elasto-viscoplastic. Using the particle acceleration history, modal analysis method is applied to the forced vibration response of multiple-degree-of-freedom(MDOF) systems using unclupled equations of motion expressed in terms of the system's natural circular frequencies and modal damping factors. AS a means of evaluating the vibration behavior of building structure subjected to underground blasting, the time response of the displacements relative to the ground of five-story building is determined. It is concluded that the amount of explosives consumed per round, the location of structure, the properties of rock medium, the stiffness fo structure, etc. act on the important factors influencing on the safety of building and that the response of a structure subjected to a forced excitation can usually be obtained with reasonable accuracy by the modal analysis of only a few mode of the lower frequencies of the system.