• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.16 no.5 s.64
• /
• pp.394-404
• /
• 2006

Dynamic behavior of rock structures depends largely on the dynamic characteristics of ground and input earthquake wave. For blocky rocks with intense discontinuities, the mechanical characteristics of blocks and structural and mechanical characteristics of discontinuities affect overall behavior. In this study, UDEC was adopted to evaluate the dynamic behavior of rocks with various structural characteristics. Obtained results were compared to those of $FLAC^{2D}$, a continuum analysis, and the validity of the method was examined for dynamic analysis of discontinuous rocks for earthquake. Analysis considering the discontinuity showed significant changes in structural shape by the influence of joint behavior, and the behavior by continuum analysis was overestimated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.18 no.2
• /
• pp.98-106
• /
• 2008

When a tunnel is excavated in a rock mass of poor condition, the adjacent zone of excavation surface may be reinforced by adopting the appropriate methods such as grouting and rock bolting. The reinforced effect can be evaluated by use of various numerical approaches, where the reinforcing elements may be expressed as distinct discretizations or smeared into the equivalent material properties. In this study, a simple numerical method, which can be classified as the latter approach, was developed for the elasto-plastic analysis of a circular tunnel. If a circular tunnel in a Mohr-Coulomb rock mass is reinforced to a finite thickness, the reinforced annulus may have different material properties from the in-situ rock mass. In the proposed elasto-plastic method for assessing the reinforcing effect, Lee & Pietruszczak (2007)'s method is applied to both the reinforced annulus and the outer insitu rock mass of the fictitious tunnel, and then two results are combined by enforcing the compatibility condition. The method were verified through comparing the results with the proposed method and the commercial finite difference code FLAC. When taking the variation of deformation modulus and strength parameters in the reinforced zone into account, the distributions of stress and radial displacement were much different from those obtained with the assumption of homogeneous rock mass.

• Explosives and Blasting
• /
• v.26 no.2
• /
• pp.11-19
• /
• 2008

The development of an excavation damaged zone, EDZ, due to the blasting impact and stress redistribution after excavation, can influence on the long tenn stability, economy, and safety of the underground excavation. In this study, the size and characteristics of an EDZ around an underground research tunnel, which was excavated by controlled blasting, in KAERI were investigated. The results were implemented into the modelling for evaluating the influence of an EDZ on hydro-mechanical behavior of the tunnel. From in situ tests at KURT, it was possible to determine that the size of EDZ was about l.5rn. Goodman jack tests and laboratory tests showed that the rock properties in the EDZ were changed about 50% compared to the rock properties before blasting. The size and property change in the EDZ were implemented to a hydro-mechanical coupling analysis. In the modeling, rock strengths and elastic modulus were assumed to be decreased 50% and. the hydraulic conductivity was increased 1 order. From the analysis, it was possible to see that the displacement was increased while the stress was decreased because of an EDZ. When an EDZ was considered in the model, the tunnel inflow was increased about 20% compared to the case without an EDZ.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
• /
• v.16 no.1
• /
• pp.91-104
• /
• 2014

An Excavation Damaged Zone (EDZ), in which rock properties are permanently changed due to blasting impact or stress redistribution, can influence the behavior and stability of structures. In this study, the mechanical stability of an underground opening was simulated by using FLAC, which is a two-dimensional modeling code, with a consideration of EDZ. A sensitivity analysis was also carried out with fractional factorial design. From the modeling, it was found that the behavior and the stability of an underground tunnel are strongly dependent on the existence of the EDZ. The sensitivity analysis showed that the key parameters affecting the factor of safety around the tunnel are in-situ stress ratio, depth, cohesion, reduction ratio, internal friction angle, and height and width of the tunnel. It is necessary to consider the EDZ, which can significantly affect mechanical stability in tunnel design.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.21 no.6
• /
• pp.480-493
• /
• 2011

Dynamic rock property is one of most important parameters in design of earthquake-resistant structures. In this study, free-free resonant column test has been conducted to obtain dynamic Young's modulus, dynamic shear modulus, and damping ratio among dynamic properties with granite specimen of Chungnam Yeongi area. The dynamic properties obtained from this test were compared with the physical properties from static rock tests, and their relationship has been analyzed. From our study, it has been concluded that the dynamic Young's modulus and the dynamic shear modulus are linearly proportional to the elastic wave velocity. And also the damping ratio has been identified to be in non-linear inverse proportion to the elastic wave velocity.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.32 no.6
• /
• pp.411-434
• /
• 2022

In deep geological disposal concept for spent nuclear fuel, it is well-known that rock mass at near-field experiences the thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) coupled behavior. The mechanical properties of rock changes during the coupled process, and it is important to consider the changes into the analysis of numerical simulation and in-situ tests for long-term stability evaluation of nuclear waste disposal repository. This report collected the previous studies on indirect coupled behaviors of rock. The effects of water saturation and temperature on some mechanical properties of rock was considered, while the change in hydraulic conductivity of rock due to stress was included in the indirect coupled behavior.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
• /
• v.4 no.1
• /
• pp.9-15
• /
• 2006

For the accurate safety assessment of potential radioactive waste disposal site which is located in the crystalline rock it is important to simulate the mass transportation through engineered and natural barrier system precisely, characterized by porous and fractured media respectively. In this work the methods to construct discrete fracture network for the analysis of flow and mass transport through fractured-porous medium are described. The probability density function is adopted in generating fracture properties for the realistic representation of real fractured rock. In order to investigate the intersection between a porous and a fractured medium described by a 2 dimensional rectangular and a cuboid grid respectively, an additional imaginary fracture is adopted at the face of a porous medium intersected by a fracture. In order to construct large scale flow paths an effective method to find interconnected fractures and algorithms of swift detecting connectivities between fractures or porous medium and fractures are proposed. These methods are expected to contribute to the development of numerical program for the simulation of radioactive nuclide transport through fractured-porous medium from radioactive waste disposal site.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.18 no.6
• /
• pp.408-417
• /
• 2008

Rock mass classification methods such as RMR and Q system have different characteristics each other in parameters considered and applications, and so it is very important to prescribe the relationship between parameters for the analysis of correlativity of these methods. With the Held data of RMR and Q estimation in road construction sites, the acquaintance relations between RMR and Q of rock mass classifications are analyzed. The correlation equations between parameters of RMR and Q, matrix of correlation coefficients and the generalized form of acquaintance relation matrix are derived. This acquaintance relation matrix can be further extended to the form of generalized acquaintance relation network, and could be used to analyze the correlativity and to enhance the utility of common rock mass classification methods.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
• /
• v.21 no.3
• /
• pp.225-234
• /
• 2011

In this study, an in situ heater test for investigating the thermo-mechanical behavior related to heat flow was carried out. It was the first in situ heater test in Korea. For the test, an adequate design of heater, observation sensors, and data logging system was developed and installed with a consideration of the site condition and the test purposes. It was possible to observe that steep joints are overwhelmingly developed in the test area from a joint survey. The major rock and rock mass properties at the test site could be determined from the thermal and mechanical laboratory tests using the rock cores from the site. From the measured rock temperature distribution, it was possible to observe the influence of the rock joints and the heat flow through tunnel wall. When the heater temperature was maintained as $90^{\circ}C$, the rock temperature at 0.3 m from the heater hole was increased up to $40^{\circ}C$.

• Explosives and Blasting
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.21-31
• /
• 2009

An excavation damaged zone (EDZ) is created by fracturing, excavation or stress redistribution of tunnels. In this zone the mechanical and hydraulic properties of rock are changed, which makes additional cracks and serves as a dominant pathway of groundwater flow. In this study, an assessment on an EDZ size was practiced by the measurement of the deformation modulus at the KAERI underground research tunnel (KURT), and the information was applied to the modelling analysis using FLAC2D software. The EDZ at KURT fell into the range of 0.6~1.8m and the deformation moduli of the EDZ generally correspond to about 40% of intact rock mass. With a consideration of the EDZ in numerical analysis, tunnel displacements increased by about 65% and the maximum principal stress decreased to 58% from the case without EDZ. The plastic zone of the tunnel was enlarged to the crown and invert zones of the tunnel within the range of the length of rock bolts. About 2% of the total tunnel displacement with EDZ was suppressed by the KURT support system. It is anticipated that the investigation of an EDZ can be used as an important and fundamental research for validating the overall performance of a high level waste disposal system.