• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.25 no.10
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• pp.87-97
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• 2009

The seismic site coefficients are often used with the seismic hazard maps to develop the design response spectrum at the surface. The site coefficients are most commonly developed deterministically, while the seismic hazarde maps are derived probabilistically. There is, hence, an inherent incompatibility between the two approaches. However, they are used together in the seismic design codes without a clear rational basis. To resolve the fundamental imcompatibility between the site coefficients and hazard maps, this study uses a novel probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) technique that simulates the results of a standard PSHA at a rock outcrop, but integrates the site response analysis function to capture the site amplification effects within the PSHA platform. Another important advantage of the method is its ability to model the uncertainty, variability, and randomness of the soil properties. The new PSHA was used to develop fully probabilistic site coefficients for site classes of the seismic design code and another sets of site classes proposed in Korea. Comparisons highlight the pronounced discrepancy between the site coefficients of the seismic design code and the proposed coefficients, while another set of site coefficients show differences only at selected site classes.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.111-129
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• 2007

The standard construction manual of the SDA(Separated Doughnut Auger) piling method was proposed so that the resisting capacity of the augered piles could work effectively. 405 dynamic pile load tests and 30 static pile load tests were performed for 265 test piles, which were installed by the SDA piling method in 33 sites in Korea. The results of the pile load tests showed that the end bearing capacity of the SDA augered piles depended on the property of various soil stratums and did not agree with ones estimated by the existing formula based on several standard design codes. On the basis of the pile load test results, four formulas were presented according to bearing stratums to estimate quantitatively the unit end bearing capacity of the SDA augered piles. The formulas for the unit end bearing capacity of piles on soils or weathered rocks were related to N-value given by SPT(Standard Penetration Test), while the unit end bearing capacity on bedrock was suggested to be more than 1500 $tf/m^2$. The presented formulas were compared with the existing formulas, which were presented by several standard design codes to design the augered piles. In order to use correctly the presented formulas, the quality of Standard Penetration Test should be controlled precisely. Also it is desirable to choose a pilot construction site, where both dynamic and static pile load tests are performed.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.8
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• pp.107-118
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• 2006

Among a variety of influencing components, time-variant seepage and long-term underground motion are important to understand the abnormal behavior of tunnels. Excessiveness of these two components could be the direct cause of severe damage on tunnels, however, it is not easy to quantify the effect of these on the behavior of tunnels. These parameters can be estimated by using inverse methods once the appropriate relationship between inputs and results is clarified. Various inverse methods or parameter estimation techniques such as artificial neural network and least square method can be used depending on the characteristics of given problems. Numerical analyses, experiments, or monitoring results are frequently used to prepare a set of inputs and results to establish the back analysis models. In this study, a back analysis method has been developed to estimate geotechnically hard-to-known parameters such as permeability of tunnel filter, underground water table, long-term rock mass load, size of damaged zone associated with seepage and long-term underground motion. The artificial neural network technique is adopted and the numerical models developed in the first part are used to prepare a set of data for learning process. Tunnel behavior, especially the displacements of the lining, has been exclusively investigated for the back analysis.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.26 no.7
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• pp.17-24
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• 2010

Load Resistance Factor Design method is used increasingly in geotechnical design world widely and resistance factors for drilled shafts are suggested by AASHTO. However, these resistance factors are determined for intact rock conditions; by comparison, most of bedrocks in Korea have weathered condition, so that applying the AASHTO resistance factors is not reasonable. Thus, this study suggests the proper resistance factors for design of drilled shaft in Korea. The 22 cases of pile load test data from 8 sites were chosen and reliability-based approach is used to analyze the data. Reliability analysis was performed by First Order Second Moment Method (FOSM) applying 4 bearing capacity equations. As a result, when the Factor of Safety (FOS) was selected as 3.0, the target reliability indexes (${\beta}_c$) were evaluated as 2.01~2.30. Resistance factors and load factors are determined from optimization based on above results. The resistance factors ranged between 0.48 and 0.56 and load factors for dead load and live load are evaluated as approximately 1.25 and 1.75 respectively. However, when the target reliabilities are considered as 3.0, the resistance factors are evaluated as approximately 50% of the results when the target reliability index was 2.0.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.61-75
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• 2007

Deep foundations have been popularly installed in hard stratum such as gravels or rocks in Korea. However, it is necessary to consider sand or sandy gravel layers that locate at the mid-depths as the bearing stratum of piles in the thick Nakdong River deltaic deposits, as done in the Chaophraya (Bangkok) and Mississippi River deltas. This study was focused on the finding of suitable methods for estimating bearing capacity when driving prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) piles to a required depth in the deltaic area. Ground investigation was performed at five locations of two sites in the deltaic area. Bearing capacity of the driven piles has been computed using a number of proposed methods such as CPT-based and other analytical methods, based on the ground investigation and comparison one another other. Five PDA (pile driving analyzer) tests were systematically carried out at the whole depths of embedded piles, which is a well-blown useful technique for the purposes. As the results, the bearing capacities calculated by various methods were compared with the PDA and static load testing results. It was found that the shaft resistance is significantly governed by set-up effects and then the long-term value agrees well with that of the $\beta$ method. Also, the design methods for toe resistance were determined based on the SLT result, rather than PDA results that led to underestimation. Moreover, using the CPT results, appropriate methods were proposed for calculating the bearing capacity of the piles in the area.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.67-75
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• 2008

It is interesting to note that distinct element method has been used extensively to model the response of micro and discontinuous behavior in geomechanics. Impressive advances related to response of distinct particles have been conducted and there were difficulties in considering fluid effect simultaneously. Current distinct element methods are progressively developed to solve particle-fluid coupling focused on fluid flow through soil, rock or porous medium. In this research, numerical simulations of fluid injection into particulate materials were conducted to observe cavity initiation and propagation using distinct element method. After generation of initial particles and wall elements, confining stress was applied by servo-control method. The fluid scheme solves the continuity and Navior-Stokes equations numerically, then derives pressure and velocity vectors for fixed grid by considering the existence of particles within the fluid cell. Fluid was injected as 7-step into the assembly in the x-direction from the inlet located at the center of the left boundary under confining stress condition, $0.1MP{\alpha}\;and\;0.5MP{\alpha}$, respectively. For each simulation, movement of particles, flow rate, fluid velocity, pressure history, wall stress including cavity initiation and propagation by interaction of flulid-paricles were analyzed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.109-125
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• 2023

Disposal repository for high-level radioactive waste secures its safety by means of engineered and natural barriers. The performance of these barriers should be tested and verified through various aspects in terms of short and/or long-term. KAERI has been conducting various in-situ demonstrations in KURT (KAERI Underground Research Tunnel). After completing previous experiment, a conceptual design of an improved in-situ experiment, i.e. K-COIN (KURT experiment of THMC COupled and INteraction), was established and detailed planning for the experiment is underway. Preliminary characterizations were conducted in KURT for siting a K-COIN test site. 15 boreholes with a depth of about 20 m were drilled in three research galleries in KURT and intact rock specimens were prepared for laboratory tests. Using the specimens, physical measurements, uniaxial compression, indirect tension, and triaxial compression tests were conducted. As a result, specific gravity, porosity, elastic wave velocities, uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, Brazilian tensile strength, cohesion, and internal friction angle were estimated. Statistical analyses revealed that there did not exist meaningful differences in intact rock properties according to the drilled sites and the depth. Judging from the uniaxial compressive strength, which is one of the most important properties, all the specimens were classified as very strong rock so that mechanical safety was secured in all the regions.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.150-168
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• 2023

The anisotropic behavior of rocks is primarily attributed to the directional arrangement of rock-forming minerals and the distribution characteristics of microcracks. Notably, sedimentary and metamorphic rocks often exhibit distinct transverse isotropy in terms of their strength and deformation characteristics. Consequently, it is crucial to gain accurate insights into the deformation and failure characteristics of transversely isotropic rocks during rock mechanics design processes. The deformation of such rocks is described by five independent elastic constants, which are determined through laboratory testing. In this study, the characteristics of the directional variation of apparent elastic constants in transversely isotropic rocks were investigated using experimental data reported in the literature. To achieve this, the constitutive equation proposed by Mehrabadi & Cowin was introduced to calculate the apparent elastic constants more efficiently and systematically in a rotated Cartesian coordinate system. Four transversely isotropic rock types from the literature were selected, and the influence of changes in the orientation of the weak plane on the variations of the apparent elastic modulus, apparent shear modulus, and apparent Poisson's ratio was analyzed. Based on the investigation, a new constraint on the elastic constants has been proposed. If the proposed constraint is satisfied, the directional variation of the apparent elastic constants in transversely isotropic rocks aligns with intuitive predictions of their tendencies.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.169-188
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• 2023

Fires in tunnels are characterized by higher temperature rise and higher maximum temperatures compared to ground fires. For this reason, countries such as the Netherlands and Germany have developed separate temperature-time curves for use in tunnel fires. Fires in tunnels cause damage to the tunnel lining, such as loss of section and deterioration of the material properties. This study reviewed the design concept of fire stability of structures, section loss due to spalling, changes in physicochemical and mechanical properties of tunnel lining materials, fireproofing materials for structure safety, and fire damage prediction models. In order to secure the stability of a structure against fire, it is necessary to identify the type of structure and the possible fire load at the design stage, identify the expected section loss and damage range, and prepare for such damage through fireproofing materials. In this study, we have summarized the matters that can be referred to in performing such a series of tasks and presented our opinions on them.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.189-207
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• 2023

In the present study, the thermoshearing experiment on a rough rock fracture were modeled using a three-dimensional grain-based distinct element model (GBDEM). The experiment was conducted by the Korea Institute of Construction Technology to investigate the progressive shear failure of fracture under the influence of thermal stress in a critical stress state. The numerical model employs an assembly of multiple polyhedral grains and their interfaces to represent the rock sample, and calculates the coupled thermo-mechanical behavior of the grains (blocks) and the interfaces (contacts) using 3DEC, a DEM code. The primary focus was on simulating the temperature evolution, generation of thermal stress, and shear and normal displacements of the fracture. Two fracture models, namely the mated fracture model and the unmated fracture model, were constructed based on the degree of surface matedness, and their respective behaviors were compared and analyzed. By leveraging the advantage of the DEM, the contact area between the fracture surfaces was continuously monitored during the simulation, enabling an examination of its influence on shear behavior. The numerical results demonstrated distinct differences depending on the degree of the surface matedness at the initial stage. In the mated fracture model, where the surfaces were in almost full contact, the characteristic stages of peak stress and residual stress commonly observed in shear behavior of natural rock joints were reasonably replicated, despite exhibiting discrepancies with the experimental results. The analysis of contact area variation over time confirmed that our numerical model effectively simulated the abrupt normal dilation and shear slip, stress softening phenomenon, and transition to the residual state that occur during the peak stress stage. The unmated fracture model, which closely resembled the experimental specimen, showed qualitative agreement with the experimental observations, including heat transfer characteristics, the progressive shear failure process induced by heating, and the increase in thermal stress. However, there were some mismatches between the numerical and experimental results regarding the onset of fracture slip and the magnitudes of fracture stress and displacement. This research was conducted as part of DECOVALEX-2023 Task G, and we expect the numerical model to be enhanced through continued collaboration with other research teams and validated in further studies.