• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.559-572
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• 2020

This paper performs laboratory experiments for borehole stability considering temperature and true triaxial stress condition, and observes a thermo-mechanical behavior of the rock under stress and temperature conditions of deep underground. China yellow sandstone and Hwangdeung granite specimens were used to perform a true triaxial compression test. Mechanical tests were carried out under nine confining pressure conditions, and thermo-mechanical tests using granite samples were carried out under six confining pressure conditions at 60-100℃. In the mechanical tests, maximum principal stress at borehole breakout was proportional to intermediate principal stress. In the thermo-mechanical tests, it was confirmed that thermal stress is added to the stress field of the borehole with the increase in temperature, resulting in additional breakout progress. To analyze the results of the laboratory experiment, Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion was used. The results of traditional triaxial compression test on cylindrical specimens and borehole breakout under true triaxial compressions matched well with Mogi-Coulomb failure criterion.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.6C
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• pp.305-314
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• 2012

This paper presents the quantitative damage assessment of granite taken from KAERI Underground Research Tunnel using acoustic emission (AE). The results determined showed the crack initiation and crack damage stress occurred at 48%, 72% of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and until the applied stress level was reached the crack damage stress, the damage degree was 0.06. When the applied stress exceeded 80%, 90% of UCS, the damage degree were 0.34, 0.06 and which were similar to those obtained from axial deformation modulus. The simply regression analysis was used to interpret the relationship of the two damage assessment techniques and the two were highly correlated ($R^2$=0.90). Therefore, damage degree based on the AE energy and mohr-coulomb failure criterion were adopted to predict the mechanical properties. As results, the axial deformation modulus, rock strength, internal friction angle, and cohesion of KURT rock were reduced 6%, 12%, 7%, and 3% until the applied stress was 70% of UCS. But when the applied stress reached 90% of UCS, the results were more reduced 69%, 72%, 62%, and 24%, respectively.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.643-659
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• 2022

Geologic sequestration technologies such as CCS (carbon capture and storage), EGS (enhanced geothermal systems), and EOR (enhanced oil recovery) have been widely implemented in recent years, prompting evaluation of the mechanical stability of storage sites. As fluid injection can stimulate mechanical instability in storage layers by perturbing the stress state and pore pressure, poroelastic models considering various injection scenarios are required. In this study, we calculate the pore pressure, stress distribution, and vertical displacement along a surface using commercial finite element software (COMSOL); fault slips are subsequently simulated using PyLith, an open-source finite element software. The displacement fields, are obtained from PyLith is transferred back to COMSOL to determine changes in coseismic stresses and surface displacements. Our sequential use of COMSOL-PyLith-COMSOL for poroelastic modeling of fluid-injection and induced-earthquakes reveals large variations of pore pressure, vertical displacement, and Coulomb failure stress change during injection periods. On the other hand, the residual stress diffuses into the remote field after injection stops. This flow pattern suggests the necessity of numerical modeling and long-term monitoring, even after injection has stopped. We found that the time at which the Coulomb failure stress reaches the critical point greatly varies with the hydraulic and poroelastic properties (e.g., permeability and Biot-Willis coefficient) of the fault and injection layer. We suggest that an understanding of the detailed physical properties of the surrounding layer is important in selecting the injection site. Our numerical results showing the surface displacement and deviatoric stress distribution with different amounts of fault slip highlight the need to test more variable fault slip scenarios.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.25 no.3
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• pp.357-368
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• 2015

Brittle failure of Mesozoic granite in the Daejeon region is predicted using empirical analysis and numerical modeling techniques. The input parameters selected for these techniques were based on the results of laboratory tests, including damage-controlled tests. Rock masses that were considered to be strong during laboratory testing were assigned to "group A" and those considered to be extremely strong were assigned to "group B". The properties of each group were then used in the analyses. In-situ stress measurements, or the ratio of horizontal to vertical stress (k), were also necessary for the analyses, but no such measurements have been made in the study area. Therefore, k values of 1, 2, and 3 were assumed. In the case of k=1, empirical analysis and numerical modeling show no indication of brittle failure from the surface to1000 m depth. When k=2, brittle failure of the rock mass occurs at depths below 800 m. For k=3, brittle failure occurs at depths below 600 m. Although both the Cohesion Weakening Friction Strengthening (CWFS) and Mohr-Coulomb models were used to predict brittle failure, only the CWFS model performed well in simulating the range and depth of the brittle failure zone.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.221-242
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• 2021

A numerical study of the performance assesment of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in improved Korean reference disposal system (KRS⁺) for high-level radioactive waste is conducted using TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D simulator. Decay heat from high-level radioactive waste increases the temperature of the repository, and it decreases as decay heat is reduced. The maximum temperature of the repository is below a maximum temperature criterion of 100℃. Saturation of bentonite buffer adjacent to the canister is initially reduced due to pore water evaporation induced by temperature increase. Bentonite buffer is saturated 250 years after the disposal of high-level radioactive waste by inflow of groundwater from the surrounding rock mass. Initial saturation of rock mass decreases as groundwater in rock mass is moved to bentnonite buffer by suction, but rock mass is saturated after inflow of groundwater from the far-field area. Stress changes at rock mass are compared to the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and the spalling strength in order to investigate the potential rock failure by thermal stress and swelling pressure. Additional simulations are conducted with the reduced spacing of deposition holes. The maximum temperature of bentonite buffer exceeds 100℃ as deposition hole spacing is smaller than 5.5 m. However, temperature of about 56.1% volume of bentonite buffer is below 90℃. The methodology of numerical modeling used in this study can be applied to the performance assessment of coupled THM processes for high-level radioactive waste repositories with various input parameters and geological conditions such as site-specific stress models and geothermal gradients.