• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.19-37
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• 2024

Rockbolts are the primary-supports in NATM tunnels and are widely used at tunnel construction sites. Among the rockbolts methods applied in domestic tunnel design, fully grouted rockbolts are the most representative and frequently used. Fully grouted rockbolts exhibit relative behavior between the bolt and the ground due to the grout material. However, during numerical analysis for tunnel design, fully grouted rockbolts are often modeled in a way that does not reflect their behavior characteristics. This may result in underestimating or overestimating the force of the supports. Based on a literature review, it was analyzed that fully grouted rockbolts are modeled using truss element or cable element. To analyze the effect of grout properties of cable elements on rockbolts behavior, this paper compared the behavior of rockbolts in two models: one estimating grout properties based on rockbolt pull-out test data, and another assuming complete adhesion between the rockbolts and the ground by applying large grout properties. Under identical tunnel conditions, the numerical analysis was conducted by modeling the fully grouted rockbolts differently using truss and cable elements, and the tunnel behavior was analyzed. The research results suggest that modeling fully grouted rockbolts as a function of the interface effect between the bolts and the ground, specifically considering grout, is desirable. The use of pull-out test data to simulate the behavior of actual fully grouted rockbolts was considered as a valid approach.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.651-668
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• 2017

For initial stability of the tunnel, the primary support, Shotcrete and rockbolt shall be placed in the most appropriate time. This is because the role of such support plays a vital role in long-term and short-term tunnel stability. In this study, the rock bolt is an important supporting system that receives the external pressure generated by the stress relaxation during tunnel excavation as axial force and transmits it to the shotcrete on the tunnel excavation surface. Until now, most of the materials of rock bolts have been used in the field, but there have been many problems such as uncertain quality of Chinese materials entering the market, poor packing due to falling down of rock bolts when filled with mortar, and corrosion due to water. Therefore, in this study, we have developed a high strength steel pipe rock bolt using Autobeam material to solve and improve various problems of existing rock bolts. In order to evaluate the performance of the developed bolt, field tests were carried out and the existing mortar filler in order to improve the performance of the rock bolt, the design and construction criteria were studied and the results were included in this paper.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.388-396
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• 2009

Rock bolt is one of the most important supports for tunnelling to prevent excessive ground relaxation at the primary tunnel excavation stage. It forms a ground arch band by confining the ground around a tunnel. Rock bolt has various effects, such as support or hanging effect, internal pressure effect, arching effect, ground improvement effect etc. Most studies on rock bolt focused on the concept of support, but only a few researches on the ground reinforcing effect by pre-tensioning a rock bolts. In this study, large scale model tests are performed to investigate the ground reinforcing effect of rock bolts for regularly jointed rocks. Simple beam model was built to find out the reinforcing effect of jointed rocks, which was reinforced by pre-tensioned rock bolts. Settlement of model beam was analyzed through measuring its sagging for various installation intervals.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.267-276
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• 2010

In modern rock engineering practice, fully grouted rock bolting is actively employed as a major supporting system, so that understanding the behavior of fully grouted rock bolts is essential for the precise design of rock bolting. Despite its importance, the supporting mechanism of rock bolts has not been fully understood yet. Since most of existing analytical models for rock bolts were developed by drastically simplifying their boundary conditions, they are not suitable for the bolts of in-situ condition. In this study, 3-D elastic FE analysis of fully grouted rock bolts has been conducted to provide insight into the supporting mechanism of the bolt. The distribution of shear and axial stresses along the bolt are investigated with the consideration of different boundary conditions including three different displacement boundary conditions at the bolt head, the presence of intersecting rock joints, and the variation of elastic modulus of adjacent rock. The numerical result reveals that installation of the faceplate at the bolt head plays an important role in mobilizing the supporting action and enhancing the supporting capabilities of the fully grouted rock bolts.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.259-271
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• 2006

This paper aims to predict the corrosion of a fully cement-grouted rockbolt induced by chloride diffusion in a cement mortar grout. From the viewpoint of the long-term durability, a rockbolt may be deteriorated by chemical components, such as sulphate and chloride, in groundwater. Especially, the steel rod of a rockbolt is corroded mainly by chloride. The rockbolt corrosion results in the volume expansion of a rod and then the cracking of a cement grout. In this study, the chloride diffusion coefficient of a cement mortar grout was used to evaluate the possibility of rockbolt corrosion by chloride, and to predict the long-term durability of a rockbolt. The electric acceleration test method was adopted to measure the chloride diffusion coefficient. In addition, a simple pullout testing system was newly proposed to measure the pullout capacity of a rockbolt more easily in a laboratory condition. From the experiments, it was showed that the chloride could diffuse in the cement grout more easily than in ordinary concrete materials. As a result, it was considered that a rockbolt might be easily corroded in a short term by the diffusion of chemical components with high concentration, although it was fully grouted.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.25 no.6
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• pp.459-468
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• 2023

In this study, an experiment on pullout capacity was conducted of rock bolts using grouting materials such as cement mortar and resin, which are widely used, and a newly proposed steel pipe friction type rock bolt using elastic restoring force, and the results were compared and analyzed. The experimental results showed that the pullout capacity on the rock bolts with cement mortar under a dry condition (no ground water) was relatively larger than the rock bolts with resin and the steel pipe. Nevertheless, the friction type steel pipe rock bolt to use elastic restoring force is expected to be useful in the field particularly where groundwater exists and it affects the loss and curing of grouting materials such as cement mortar or resin. In addition, it was found to have the advantage of being easy and quick to install.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.47-56
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• 2009

Rock bolts and shotcrete play a crucial role as a main support system in the underground space. Thus, the safety of the underground space may be affected by the defect of rock bolts. In order to evaluate the rock bolt integrity by using non-destructive technique, the transmission method of the guided ultrasonic waves, which are generated by using the piezo disk elements has been successfully performed. The energy generated by the piezo disk elements, however, is not enough for the rock bolts in the field. In addition, the piezo disk elements should be installed at the end of the steel bar during construction of the rock bolts. The purpose of this study is the devolvement of the reflection method, which may generate enough energy, and the application in the field rock bolts. Both laboratory and field tests are carried out. The guided ultrasonic waves with high energy are generated by the hammer impact with the center punch, and the AE sensor is used to measure the reflected guided waves. The received guided waves are analyzed by the wavelet transform. The peak value of the wavelet transform produces the energy velocity, which is used for the evaluation of the rock bolt integrity. The energy velocity increases with an increase in the defect ratio in both laboratory and field rock bolts. This study demonstrates that the hammer-impact reflection method may be a suitable method for the evaluation of the rock bolt in the field.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.181-189
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• 2009

This study is to evaluate an effect of supports with respect to these supports after comparing the characteristic of support between rock bolt of a widely used type and spiral bolt of a new type. For these purposes, we performed pull-out test in laboratory about rock and spiral bolts in the case of cement-mortar grout curing periods, 7 and 28 days, then calculated pull-out load, displacement, external pressure, inner pressure and shear stress using data obtained from the results of pull-out test, respectively. In relation between pull-out load and displacement, displacement of spiral bolt is larger than one of rock bolt. It is considered that mechanical property of rock bolt is due to larger than one of spiral bolt. In addition, displacement of supports shows nearly same or decreasing with curing periods. We found that because adhesive force between supports and cement-mortar grout is increasing with compressive strength of grout according to curing periods. The inner pressure of spiral bolt is represented larger than one of rock bolt at a step of same pull-out load. It is suggested that spiral bolt is more stable than rock bolt, maintaining stability of ground or rock mass, when supports are installed in a ground or rock mass under the same condition. Putting together with above results, we can consider that spiral bolt as a new support on an aspect of pull-out load and inner pressure is larger than rock bolt in a ground or rock mass under the same condition. Moreover, spiral bolt is more effective support than rock bolt, considering an economical and constructive aspects of supports, as well as ground or rock stability before or after installing supports.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1529-1539
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• 2013

Recent case studies in Japan have shown that rockbolts are commonly installed at an oblique angle to the excavation direction of the tunnel, instead of at a right angle, due to restriction of the working space. In particular, in the case of expansion in an existing tunnel, the working space can be very small, due to the large protective structures necessary to operate within an existing tunnel. In this case, where both the current use of the existing tunnel, and the reinforcement of the ground around the tunnel are required, the effects of installation angles and patterns of rockbolts are important factors in the design process. Therefore, in this study, a total number of 24 model tests are performed, to investigate the reinforcing effects of system bolting installed obliquely from the excavation direction of the tunnel, by changing the installation angle of bolts, longitudinal distance, and bonded length of bolts. The model test results indicate that the relaxed load ratio decreases, with the increase of both the bonded lengths and the number of the installed bolts, resulting in the decrease of the supported area by one bolt. Two-dimensional numerical analysis, which considered the reinforcement effect of inclined system bolting as the change of engineering properties near the tunnel, demonstrated that the deflection patterns at the tunnel crown in the numerical simulations, show a similar tendency to those measured in the model tests.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.13-22
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• 2023

In this paper, through experimental research, the period when rock bolts exert support effects is presented as grout strength and through numerical analysis, the rock bolt pull-out behavior according to ground conditions and strength reduction factors is analyzed. As a result, it is determined that rock bolts exhibit their reinforcing effect at a grout strength of 5 MPa (cured for 18 hours). The influence of the boundary interface strength reduction factor was found to be significant for rock bolt displacement in weak ground conditions, for shear stress between grout and ground in highly elastic ground conditions, and for grout stress in all ground conditions. These findings are expected to contribute to the establishment of specific standards for rock bolt testing and numerical analysis, and to facilitate improved design and implementation of rock bolt reinforcement.