• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.187-200
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• 2023

This study analyzed the seismic fragility of bored tunnels based on their surrounding conditions and suggested a representative seismic fragility model. By analyzing the existed seismic fragility models developed for bored tunnels, we developed weighted combination models for each surrounding conditions, such as ground conditions and depth of the tunnel. The seismic fragility curves use the peak ground acceleration (PGA) as a parameter. When the PGA was 0.3 g, the probability of damage exceeding minor or slight damage was 20% for depth of 50 m or less, 10% for depth between 50 m and 100 m, and 3% for depth of 100 m or more. It was also found that the probability of damage was higher for the same PGA and depth when the surrounding ground was rock rather than soil. The probability of damage decreases as the depth increase. This study is expected to be used for developing a comprehensive seismic fragility function for tunnels in the future.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2023

In this study, the stability of the room-and-pillar underground method was investigated using numerical analysis method. In-situ geotechnical investigation was conducted, and a supporting pattern was selected based on the geotechnical investigation data. For the supporting pattern, Type-1, 2, 3 were selected for each ground condition. A 3D numerical analysis model was developed for effective simulation as the room-and-pillar underground method consist of a pillar and room. As a review of numerical analysis, it was confirmed that the crown settlement, convergence, shotcrete and rock bolt were all stable in all supporting patterns. As a result of the analysis by the construction stage, it was confirmed that excessive stress was generated in the room when the construction stage of forming pillar. So, precise construction is required during the actual construction stage of the pillar formation.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.15-30
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• 2022

Slope stability during the excavation of twin road tunnels is considered crucial in terms of safety. In this research, physical model testing and numerical analysis were used to investigate the characteristics of the settlement (uz) and vertical stresses (σz) along the two tunnel sections. First, two model tests for a (fill-rock) slope were conducted to study the settlement and stresses in presence and absence of slope support (plate support system). The law and value of the result were then validated by using a numerical model (FEM) based on the physical model. In addition, a finite element model with a slope supported by piles (equivalent to the plate) was used for comparison purposes. In the physical model, several rows of plates have been added to demonstrate the capacity of these plates to sustain the slope by comparing excavating twin tunnels in supported and unsupported slope, the results show that this support was effective in the upper part of the slope, while in the middle and lower part the support was limited. Additionally, the plates appear to induce less settlement in several areas of the slope with differing settlement and stress distribution as compared to piles. Furthermore, as a results of the previous mentioned investigation, there are many factors influence the stress and settlement distribution, such as the slope's cover depth, movement during excavation, buried structures such as the tunnel lining, plates or piles, and the interaction between all of these components.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.13 no.1
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• pp.52-63
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• 2003

Discontinuities such as faults, fractures and joints in rock mass play the dominant role in the mechanical and hydraulic properties of the rock mass. The key factors that influence on the flow of groundwater are hydraulic and geometric characteristics of discontinuities and their connectivity. In this study, a program that analyzes groundwater flow in the 3D discontinuity network was developed on the assumption that the discontinuity characteristics such as density, trace length, orientation and aperture have particular distribution functions. This program generates discontinuities in a three-dimensional space and analyzes their connectivity and groundwater flow. Due to the limited computing capacity In this study, REV was not exactly determined, but it was inferred to be greater than 25$\times$25$\times$25 ㎥. By calculating the extent of aperture that influences on the groundwater flow, it was found that the discontinuities with the aperture smaller than 30% of the mean aperture had little influence on the groundwater flow. In addition, there was little difference in the equivalent hydraulic conductivity for the the two cases when considering and not considering the boundary effect. It was because the groundwater flow was mostly influenced by the discontinuities with large aperture. Among the parameters considered in this study, the length, aperture, and orientation of discontinuities had the greatest influence on the equivalent hydraulic conductivity of rock mass in their order. In case of existence of a fault in rock mass, elements of the equivalent hydraulic conductivity tensor parallel to the fault fairly increased in their magnitude but those perpendicular to the fault were increased in a very small amount at the first stage and then converged.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.2
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• pp.120-129
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• 2012

Recently, mining facilities have being installed in an underground space according to a social demand for environment-friendly mine development. The underground structures for mining facilities usually requires a large volume of space with width greater than height, and thus the stability assessment of the large-scale underground mine structure is an important issue. In this study, we analysed a factor of safety based on strength reduction method, and proposed a numerical design approach to determining the dimension of underground mine structures in combination with a strength reduction method and a multivariate regression analysis. Input design parameters considered in the present study were the stress ratio and shear strength of rock mass, and the width and cover depth of underground mine structures. The stabilities of underground mine structures were assessed in terms of factor of safety under different conditions of the above input parameters. It was calculated by the strength reduction method, and several kinds of fit functions were obtained through various multivariate regression analyses. Using a best-fit regression model, we proposed the charts which provide preliminary design information on the dimension of underground mine structures.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.320-327
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• 2011

In this study, for stemming effect in blast of the mortar block body, the crushed granite sand as fine aggregate, which is waste rock obtained at the ○○ limestone mine, was investigated to compare with stemming materials such as sea sand, river sand, clayed soil and water can be acquired easily at the field. The mortar block body was manufactured with the dimensions of 50 cm width, 50 cm length and 70 cm height. The direct shear and sieve separator test were performed, and the properties of friction resistance were analyzed by the extrusion test for five stemming materials. Axial strain of steel bar and ejection velocity of stemming materials due to the explosive shock pressure in blasthole with the stemming length of 10 cm and 20 cm in the mortar blast test were measured by the dynamic data acquisition system. Among stemming materials, axial strain showed the largest value at the crushed granite sand as fine aggregate, and the ejection velocity was the smallest value at the stemming of water. The results has shown correlate with harden unit weight in blasthole, particle size distribution, shear resistance, and extrusion strength of stemming materials. The ejection velocity of stemming material at the mouth of blasthole and the axial strain of steel bar in the inside of blasthole tend to be inversely proportional to each other, represent exponentially.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.156-169
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• 2018

The relationship between the mechanical and textural properties of sedimentary rocks has been studied for decades. However, inconsistencies in the results have arisen from both the inhomogeneity of natural rocks and the difficulties encountered in controlling just one textural factor of interest in each experiment. This work produced artificial sedimentary rocks to enable control of every independent parameter at all times. Their homogeneity lowered the deviation of the results, and thus they produced clearer correlations than for natural rocks. The samples were made by mixing bassanite powder with water and silica sand, which produced rocks consisting of sand and gypsum cement. The effect of grain content and size on mechanical properties such as uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, and seismic velocity was estimated. Increasing grain content lowered the compressive strength but raised Young's modulus and seismic velocity. Overall, grain size did not linearly affect the mechanical properties of the samples, but affected them in some way. In future, these results can be compared and integrated with similar experiments using different cement or grain types. This should allow comparison of the effects of the rock constituents themselves and their interactions, with applicability to all kinds of sedimentary rocks.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.15 no.6
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• pp.599-612
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• 2013

This study aims to investigate an economical efficiency of two excavation methods with respect to the room-and-pillar method for the underground space and conventional excavation method, i.e. 2-arch tunnelling method. For feasibility study, an excavation cost for both room-and-pillar method and 2-arch tunnelling method was estimated when the same space in operation was required. It was assumed that properties of reinforcements and rock were adopted from literatures. However, an excavation shape of the room-and-pillar method was assumed not to be the rectangular shape which is a general type in the room-and-pillar method but to be an arch shape in order to compare with the conventional excavation method (2-arch tunnelling) and to achieve the maximum bearing capacity of the structure during excavation. Consequently, the wider space in use or required and the better condition of rock we assumed, the more economical advantage we have in the room-and-pillar method than the 2-arch tunnelling method.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.176-186
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• 2014

Roughness, aperture and filling material of rock joint are widely considered to affect the hydraulic characteristics of joint. Among these factors, in this study, the joint roughness was examined with artificial joint profiles generated by Monte Carlo simulating on the original profiles suggested by Barton and Choubey(1977). Original profiles and revised profiles were combined to establish flow channel models, in which the hydraulic characteristics were analyzed numerically on the basis of minimum aperture changes and flow channel shapes. Maximum flow rate was identified at the growing point of flow area after passing through minimum aperture generated by the two profiles, and it was resulted that maximum flow rate is inversely proportional to minimum aperture. Maximum flow rate per unit area showed different values because flow channel shapes and minimum aperture locations are different in each model. In flow channel, mechanical aperture showed approximately 1.07 ~ 3.00 times larger than hydraulic aperture. In this study, mechanical and hydraulic aperture were concluded to be closely related to $A_i$ value, and their relations can be denoted by $e_m=0.519A^{0.7169_i}$ and $e_h=0.6182A^{0.239}_i$, respectively.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.413-427
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• 2013

Thin Spray-on Liners(TSLs) based on polymer materials have been considered as an alternative to shotcrete and wire mesh in relatively fair rock conditions, and used in mines since 1990s. Nevertheless, Few experimental studies on their mechanical properties necessary for the evaluation of their bearing capacities as a support member have been carried out. In this study, tensile and bond strengths of two kinds of TSLs with different material compositions were measured at the age of 7 days. In addition, two kinds of bending tests proposed by EFNARC (2008) to simulate representative failure mechanisms of TSLs were carried out on the same materials and curing age as in tension and pull-out tests. From the tests, tensile strength of a TSL is shown to increase as its content of polymer is higher. In contrast, its bond strength seems to be in inverse proportion to its polymer content. Especially, the TSL material in which a cementitious component is included with relatively smaller polymer content shows a faster hardening characteristic which results in higher resistance to de-bonding between a TSL and a substrate. As a result, it is shown that the performance of TSLs might be dependent upon its corresponding polymer content.