• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.4 no.4
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• pp.321-328
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• 2006

A basic research was conducted on the mineral weathering and geochemical characteristics in the KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel), which was recently constructed at a site in KAERI. Some rock samples exposed during the KURT construction were examined using a microscope and chemical analysis for some micro-changes of the rocks caused by the chemical weathering. The weathered granite has some small and fine cracks around the rock-forming minerals. In particular, there are a characteristic weathering of feldspar mineral and a preferential leaching of Ca component from the mineral dissolution. In addition, by the dissolution of biotite containing $Fe^{2+}$ component there were iron-oxides precipitates as secondary products into the microcracks of around minerals. The results also show that the micro-cracks initiated from the mineral interior are extended and connected into the larger cracks along the grain boundary with the progress of the weathering. Thus, it is considered that some chemicals dissolved from the fresh rock would be involved in the formation of secondary minerals and migrate interacting with them.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.2 s.67
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• pp.128-138
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• 2007

At low in-situ stress, the continuity and distribution of natural fractures in rock mass predominantly control the failure processes. However at high in-situ stress, the failure process are affected and eventually dominated by stress-induced fractures preferentially growing parallel to the excavation boundary. This fracturing is often observed in brittle type of failure such as slabbing or spatting. Recent studies on the stress- or excavation-induced damage of rock revealed its importance especially in a highly stressed regime. In order to evaluate the brittle failure around a deep underground opening, physical model experiments were carried out. For the experiments a new tue triaxial testing system was made. According to visual observation and acoustic emission detection, brittle failure grades were classified under three categories. The test results indicate that where higher horizontal stress, acting perpendicular $(S_{H2})$ and parallel $(S_{H1})$ to the axis of the tunnel respectively, were applied, the failure grade at a constant vertical stress level (Sy) was lowered. The failure initiation stress was also increased with the increasing $S_{H1}\;and\;S_{H2}$. From the multi-variable regression on failure initiation stress and true triaxial stress conditions, $f(S_v,\;S_{H1},\;S_{H2})$ was proposed.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.3 no.3
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• pp.15-29
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• 2001

For the pertinent use of NMT method, both characteristics of joints (JRC, JCS and ${\phi}_r$) and characteristics of rock mass (Q-Value) must be investigated carefully. The main objective of the study presented is to investigate how sensitive the predicted behaviour of an underground excavation is to various realistic assumptions about some input parameter for the jointed rock mass. Joint pattern in the tunnel is predicted by statistical approach (chi-square test). In this paper, sensitivity studies involving in joint characteristics were carried out. The parametric studies involving change in Barton-Bandis joint model have shown that JCS is relatively insensitive to JRC and ${\phi}_r$. An increase in JRC value may not, according to the Barton-Bandis model, necessarily lead to a decrease in displacement. The importance of dilation in predicting the behaviour of a rock mass around an excavation is emphasized from a comparison of the Barton-Bandis joint behaviour model with the Mohr-Coulomb model. The Barton-Bandis model predicted higher stress, which allow for the build-up of stress caused by dilatant behaviour.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.6
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• pp.699-714
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• 2022

The objective of this study is to suggest a safe and economical pillar reinforcement method when very near-twin tunnels with a minimum interval of 1 m passes through a soft zone such as weathered soil or weathered rock. A standard cross-sectional view of a two-lane road tunnel was applied to suggest a pillar reinforcement method for the very near-twin tunnels. The thickness of the pillar was 1 m. The ground condition around the tunnel was weathered soil or weathered rock. There were four reinforcement methods for pillar stability evaluation. These were rock bolt reinforcement, pre-stressed steel strand reinforcement, horizontal steel pipe grouting reinforcement, horizontal steel pipe grouting + prestressed steel strand reinforcement. When the ground condition was weathered soil, only the pillar reinforced the horizontal steel pipe grouting + prestressed steel strand did not failed. When the ground condition was weathered rock, there were no failure of the pillar reinforced the horizontal steel pipe grouting or the horizontal steel pipe grouting + prestressed steel strand. It is considered that the horizontal steel pipe grouting reinforcement played a role in increasing the stability of the upper part of the pillar by supporting the upper load applied to the upper part of the pillar.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.71-83
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• 2009

Shotcrete is an important primary support for tunnelling in rock. The quality control of shotcrete is a core issue in the safe construction and maintenance of tunnels. Although shotcrete may be applied well initially onto excavated rock surfaces, it is affected by blasting, rock deformation and shrinkage and can debond from the excavated surface, causing problems such as corrosion, buckling, fracturing and the creation of internal voids. This study suggests an effective non-destructive evaluation method of the tunnel shotcrete bonding state applied onto hard rocks using the impact-echo (IE) method and ground penetration radar (GPR). To verify previous numerical simulation results, experimental study carried out. Generally, the bonding state of shotcrete can be classified into void, debonded, and fully bonded. In the laboratory, three different bonding conditions were modeled. The signals obtained from the experimental IE tests were analyzed at the time domain, frequency domain, and time-frequency domain (i.e., the Short- Time Fourier transform). For all cases in the analyses, the experimental test results were in good agreement with the previous numerical simulation results, verifying this approach. Both the numerical and experimental results suggest that the bonding state of shotcrete can be evaluated through changes in the resonance frequency and geometric damping ratio in a frequency domain analysis, and through changes in the contour shape and correlation coefficient in a time-frequency analysis: as the bonding state worsens in hard rock condition, the autospectral density increases, the geometric damping ratio decreases, and the contour shape in the time-frequency domain has a long tail parallel to the time axis. The correlation coefficient can be effectively applied for a quantitative evaluation of bonding state of tunnel shotcrete. Finally, the bonding state of shotcrete can be successfully evaluated based on the process suggested in this study.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.594-609
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• 2023

TBM (Tunnel Boring Machine) method is gaining popularity in urban and underwater tunneling projects due to its ability to ensure excavation face stability and minimize environmental impact. Among the prominent models for predicting disc cutter life, the NTNU model uses the Cutter Life Index(CLI) as a key parameter, but the complexity of testing procedures and rarity of equipment make measurement challenging. In this study, CLI was predicted using multiple linear regression analysis and tree-based machine learning techniques, utilizing rock properties. Through literature review, a database including rock uniaxial compressive strength, Brazilian tensile strength, equivalent quartz content, and Cerchar abrasivity index was built, and derived variables were added. The multiple linear regression analysis selected input variables based on statistical significance and multicollinearity, while the machine learning prediction model chose variables based on their importance. Dividing the data into 80% for training and 20% for testing, a comparative analysis of the predictive performance was conducted, and XGBoost was identified as the optimal model. The validity of the multiple linear regression and XGBoost models derived in this study was confirmed by comparing their predictive performance with prior research.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.498-506
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• 2009

The stability assessment of a concrete liner of a compressed air storage tunnel should be performed by an approach which is different from that commonly used for the liners of road tunnels, since the liner is exposed to high air pressure. In this study, the stability analysis method for the liner of compressed air storage tunnel is proposed based on the elastic and elasto-plastic solutions of the thick-walled cylinder problem. In case of elastic analysis, the yield initiation condition at the inner boundary is considered as the failure condition of the liner, while the condition which results in the extension of yielding zone to a certain depth is taken as a failure indicator of the liner in the elasto-plastic analysis taking Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The application of the proposed method revealed that the influence of the relative magnitude of boundary loads on the stability of liner is considerable. In particular, noting that the estimation of the outer boundary load may be relatively difficult, it is thought that the precise prediction of outer boundary load is very important in the analysis. Accordingly, the emphasis is put on the selection of the liner installation time, which may govern the magnitude of outer boundary load.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.227-235
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• 2014

The deformation modulus is one of the essential factors in determining ground behavior and safety during tunnel excavation. In this study, we conducted a back-analysis using crown settlements measured during tunnel excavation, using a horizontal inclinometer on a fault zone of pegmatite, and calculated the deformation modulus of the fault zone. This deformation modulus calculation was then compared with deformation moduli found through established relationships that use the correlation between RMR and the deformation modulus, as well as the results of pressure-meter tests. The deformation moduli calculated by back-analysis differs significantly from the deformation moduli determined through established relationships, as well as the results from pressure-meter tests conducted across the study area. Furthermore, the maximum crown settlements derived from numerical analysis conducted by applying deformation moduli determined by these established relationships and the pressure-meter tests produced noticeable differences. This result indicates that in the case of a weak rock mass, such as a fault zone, it is inappropriate to estimate the deformation modulus using preexisting relationships, and caution must be taken when considering the geological and geotechnical characteristics of weak rock.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.643-648
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• 2014

Understanding of fracture networks and rock mass properties during tunnel construction is extremely important for the prediction of dangers during excavation, and for deciding on appropriate excavation techniques and support. However, rapid construction process do not allow sufficient time for surveys and interpretations for spatial distributions of fractures and rock mass properties. This study introduces a new statistical approach for predicting joint distributions at foreside of current excavation face during the excavation process. The proposed methodology is based on a cumulative space diagram for joint sets. The diagram displays the cumulative spacing between adjacent joints on the vertical axis and the sequential position of each joint plotted at equally spaced intervals on the horizontal axis. According to the diagram, the degree of linearity of points representing the regularity of joint spacing; a linear trend of the points indicates that the joints are evenly spaced, with the slope of the line being directly related to the spacing. The linear points which are stepped indicates that the fracture set show clustered distribution. A clustered pattern within the linear group of points indicates a clustered joint distribution. Fractures surveyed from an excavated space can be plotted on this diagram, and the diagram can then be extended further according to the plotted diagram pattern. The extension of the diagram allows predictions about joint spacing in areas that have not yet been excavated. To test the model, we collected and analyzed data during excavation of a 10-m-long tunnel. Fractures in a 3-m zone behind the excavation face were predicted during the excavation, and the predictions were compared with observations. The methodology yielded reasonably good predictions of joint locations.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.692-705
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• 2018

Ground vibration is one of the remarkable issues in tunnel blasting. In recent studies, to improve the fragmentation with reduction of ground vibration in tunnel blasting, a vibration-controlled blasting method with artificial cutting slot near the center-cut holes has been suggested. This study examines the effect of the different arrangement of artificial cut-slot on the vibration reduction and fragmentation by performing the full-scaled concrete block blast experiments and the numerical simulations with 3D-DFPA. The results show that the existence of artificial slot contributes to the improvement of vibration reduction, blast fragmentation and the efficiency of the cutting slot blast. It can be explained that the artificial slot play a free surface role and should decrease the burden between the cut holes. Crater volumes of the blasted concrete blocks were measured by 3-dimensional digital image analysis and compared with the ideal standard crater volume which can be calculated by theoretical standard blast design method. As a result, the ratio of burden and hole diameter which should achieve the standard crater in the cut-hole blasting were suggested.