• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.7-22
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• 2023

In January 2022, a new legislation was enforced to enhance the safety of underground construction. Consequently, a comprehensive assessment of underground safety is now an integral part of the planning process, including an evaluation of its impact. Ensuring the stability of temporary retaining walls during underground excavation has become paramount, prompting a heightened focus on the assessment of underground safety. This study delves into the analysis of the Multi-axis Flat Continuous Soil Cement Wall retaining wall (MFS) construction method. This method facilitates the expansion of wall thickness in the ground and provides flexibility in selecting and spacing H-piles. Through laboratory model tests, we scrutinized the load-displacement behavior of the wall, varying the H-pile installation intervals using the MFS method. Additionally, a 3-dimensional numerical analysis was conducted to explore the influence of H-pile installation intervals and sizes on the load for different thicknesses of the MFS retaining wall. The displacement analysis yielded the calculation of the height of the arching effect acting on the wall. To further our understanding, a design method was introduced, quantitatively analyzing the results of axial force and shear force acting on the wall. This involved applying the maximum arching height, calculated by the MFS method, to the existing member force review method. The axial force and shear force, contingent on the H-pile installation interval and size applied to the MFS retaining wall, demonstrated a reduction effect ranging from 24.6% to 62.9%.

• Journal of Wetlands Research
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.379-385
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• 2023

EDue to climate change and urbanization, the localized heavy rainfall frequently exceeded a design storm rainfall and flood damage has occurred in South Korea. The concept of addressing sustainable river management and environmental and social issues through Nature-based Solutions (NbS) is gaining attention as it seeks to resolve these issues through ecosystem services. Therefore, in this study, the flood reduction effect by river management using NbS was quantitatively analyzed for the Hwang River, which is directly downstream of Hapcheon Dam, South Korea. Floodplain excavation and dyke relocation, which are methods of the NbS, were applied to the flood risk area of the Hwang River. As a result of analyzing the flood level of the river through the unsteady flow analysis of HEC-RAS, we obtained flood level reduction by 8 cm at the confluence of the Nakdong River. The results of this study can be expected to be sufficiently utilized as a basis for use as a management plan through NbS rather than the river management with grey infrastructure.

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.40 no.3
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• pp.93-100
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• 2024

Pore water freezes in low-temperature compaction, which leads to different compaction characteristics compared to room temperature conditions. In regions like Alberta, Canada, where organic soils are prevalent, compaction performance is influenced by the high water retention and compressibility of organic soils, as well as their sensitivity to freezing and thawing. Alberta's strict environmental regulations demand the reuse of excavated soil for backfill, and the long winter season creates challenging conditions for civil engineering projects. In this study, a laboratory compaction test was conducted to evaluate the low-temperature compaction characteristics of organic soils with varying organic content. The results indicate that the optimum moisture content increases as the organic content increases, and the maximum dry unit weight decreases by up to 21.9%. In addition, under temperature conditions below -4℃, no optimum moisture content was observed, and the dry unit weight decreased as the moisture content increased.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.243-254
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• 2024

Currently, due to industrial development in domestic regions, buildings are saturated not only in major city centers but also in surrounding urban areas. Accordingly, people's attention has focused on underground spaces, and tunnels are being widely used, especially in urban development. Research on tunnels and tunnel excavation methods is actively underway. However, there is a lack of research on the wear and tear problems of sludge discharge pipes when using a slurry shield TBM. Therefore, in this paper, the L-shaped bend pipe used in the existing sludge discharge pipe was transformed into a T-shaped bend pipe to move sludge. As a result, it was confirmed that compared to the L-shaped bend pipe, the impact of the T-shaped bend pipe on the bend pipe when discharging sludge was reduced. Based on these results, it is expected that wear of the sludge discharge pipe can be minimized by using a T-shaped bend pipe when using slurry shield TBM equipment. This is expected to ultimately lead to economic benefits, such as reducing costs due to replacement of curved pipes or additional welding during tunnel construction.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.18 no.5
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• pp.401-412
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• 2016

It is extremely difficult to apply conventional grouting methods to subsea tunnelling construction in the high water pressure condition. In such a condition, the rapid artificial freezing method can be an alternative to grouting to form a watertight zone around freezing pipes. For a proper design of the artificial freezing method, the influence of salinity on the freezing process has to be considered. However, there are few domestic tunnel construction that adopted the artificial freezing method, and influential factors on the freezing of the soil are not clearly identified. In this paper, a series of laboratory experiments were performed to identify the physical characteristics of frozen soil. Thermal conductivity of the frozen and unfrozen soil samples was measured through the thermal sensor adopting transient hot-wire method. Moreover, a lab-scale freezing chamber was devised to simulate freezing process of silica sand with consideration of the salinity of pore-water. The temperature in the silica sand sample was measured during the freezing process to evaluate the effect of pore-water salinity on the frozen rate that is one of the key parameters in designing the artificial freezing method in subsea tunnelling. In case of unfrozen soil, the soil samples saturated with fresh water (salinity of 0%) and brine water (salinity of 3.5%) showed a similar value of thermal conductivity. However, the frozen soil sample saturated with brine water led to the thermal conductivity notably higher than that of fresh water, which corresponds to the fact that the freezing rate of brine water was greater than that of fresh water in the freezing chamber test.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.193-215
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• 2022

Recently, ground structures have reached saturation, and underground construction using underground structures such as tunnels has been in the spotlight as a way to solve increasing traffic difficulties and environmental problems. However, due to the increasing number of underground structures, close construction is inevitable for continuous underground development. When a new underground structure is constructed closely, stability may become weak due to the influence on the existing tunnel, which may cause collapse. Therefore, analyzing the stability of existing tunnels due to new structures is an essential consideration. In this study, the effect of excavating new tunnels under parallel tunnels on existing parallel tunnels was analyzed using numerical analysis. Using the Displacement Control Model (DCM), the volume loss generated during construction was simulated into three case (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%). Based on the center of the pillar, the distance where the new tunnel is located was set to 5 m, 6 m, 7 m, 8 m, 9 m, and the space for each distance were set to 5 (0D₁, 0.37D₁, 0.75D₁, 1.13D₁, 1.5D₁). In general, as the volume loss increased and the distance approached, the maximum displacement and angular displacement increased, and the strength/stress ratio to evaluate the stability of the pillar also decreased. As a result, when the distance between the new tunnel and the center of the pillar is 5 m, the space is 0D₁, and the volume loss is 1.5%, the stability of the existing parallel tunnel is the weakest.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.583-603
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• 2023

Recently, the advancement of mechanical tunnel boring machine (TBM) technology and the characteristics of subsea railway tunnels subjected to hydrostatic pressure have led to the widespread application of shield TBM methods in the design and construction of subsea railway tunnels. Subsea railway tunnels are exposed in a constant pore water pressure and are influenced by the amplification of seismic waves during earthquake. In particular, seismic loads acting on subsea railway tunnels under various ground conditions such as soft ground, soft soil-rock composite ground, and fractured zones can cause significant changes in tunnel displacement and stress, thereby affecting tunnel safety. Additionally, the dynamic response of the ground and tunnel varies based on seismic load parameters such as frequency characteristics, seismic waveform, and peak acceleration, adding complexity to the behavior of the ground-tunnel structure system. In this study, a finite difference method is employed to model the entire ground-tunnel structure system, considering hydrostatic pressure, for the investigation of dynamic behavior of subsea railway tunnel during earthquake. Since the key factors influencing the dynamic behavior during seismic events are ground conditions and seismic waves, six analysis cases are established based on virtual ground conditions: Case-1 with weathered soil, Case-2 with hard rock, Case-3 with a composite ground of soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, Case-4 with the tunnel passing through a narrow fault zone, Case-5 with a composite ground of soft soil and hard rock in the tunnel longitudinal direction, and Case-6 with the tunnel passing through a wide fractured zone. As a result, horizontal displacements due to earthquakes tend to increase with an increase in ground stiffness, however, the displacements tend to be restrained due to the confining effects of the ground and the rigid shield segments. On the contrary, peak compressive stress of segment significantly increases with weaker ground stiffness and the effects of displacement restrain contribute the increase of peak compressive stress of segment.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.761-778
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• 2017

The need of the underground space for the infrastructures in urban area is increasing, and especially the demand for shallow tunnels increased drastically. It is very important that the shallow tunnel in the urban area should fulfill not only its own safety conditions but also the safety condition for the adjacent structures and the surrounding sub-structure. Most of the studies on the behavior of shallow tunnels concentrated only on their behaviors due to the local deformation of the tunnel, such as tunnel crown or tunnel sidewall. However, few studies have been performed for the behavior of the shallow tunnel due to the deformation of the entire tunnel. Therefore, in this study the behavior of the surrounding ground and the stability caused by deformation of the whole tunnel were studied. For that purpose, model tests were performed for the various ground surface slopes and the cover depth of the tunnel. The model tunnel (width 300 mm, height 200 mm) could be simulationally deformed in the vertical and horizontal direction. The model ground was built by using carbon rods of three types (4 mm, 6 mm, 8 mm), in various surface slopes and cover depth of the tunnel. The subsidence of ground surface, the load on the tunnel crown and the sidewall, and the transferred load near tunnel were measured. As results, the ground surface subsided above the tunnel, and its amount decreased as the distance from the tunnel increased. The influence of a tunnel ceased in a certain distance from the tunnel. At the inclined ground surface, the wider subsidence has been occurred. The loads on the crown and the sidewall were clearly visible, but there was no effect of the surface slope at a certain depth. The load transfer on the adjacent ground was larger when the cover depth (on the horizontal surface) was lager. The higher the level (on the inclined surface), the wider and smaller it appeared. On the shallow tunnel under inclined surface, the transfer of the ambient load on the tunnel sidewall (low side) was clearly visible.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.279-299
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• 2019

Recently occurred earthquake Gyeongju and Pohang served as a momentum to remind that Korean peninsular is not a safety zone from earthquake anymore. The importance of seismic design, therefore, have been realized and researches regarding design response spectrum have been actively carried out by many researchers and engineers. Current tunnel seismic design method is conducted to check safety of tunnel structure by dynamic numerical analysis with condition of completed lining installation, so, it is impossible to consider safety of tunnel behavior under construction. In this study, therefore, dynamic numerical analysis considering seismic wave propagations has been performed after back analysis using results from field monitoring of tunnel under construction in fractured zone and 1st reinforcement (shotcrete, rockbolt) behaviour are analyzed. Waves are classified by period characteristic (short and long). As a result, the difference depending on period characteristic is minor, and increasements of displacement are obtained at crown displacement due to seismic wave is 28~31%, 14~16% at left side of tunnel in the fractured zone, 13~27% at right side of tunnel in the bed rock, respectively. In case of shotcrete axial force is increased 113~115% at tunnel crown, 102% at left side, 106~110% at right side, respectively. Displacement and axial force of rockbolts which are selected by type of anchored grounds (only fractured zone, fractured zone and bed rock, only bedrock) are analyzed, as a result, rockbolt which is anchored to fractured zone and bed rock at the same time are weaker than any other case.