• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.86-94
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• 2009

A three dimensional rock joint element was developed considering fracture mechanics and subcritical crack growth to simulate non-linear behavior and the progressive failure of rock joints. Using this 3-D joint element, joint shear tests of rock discontinuities were simulated by a numerical method. The asperities on the joint surface began to fail at stress levels lower than the rock fracture toughness and continued progressively due to subcritical crack growth. As a result of progressive failing in each and every asperity, the joint showed non-linear stress-time behavior including stress hardening/softening and the reaching of a residual stress.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.5 no.2
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• pp.95-103
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• 1995

In this paper the stress redistribution around tunnel face was analyzed by using a three-dimensional finite element model. The effects of in-situ stress levels, excavation sequences, stiffness difference between the hard ground and the weak zone on the stress redistributions were considered. Displacement and stress changes at tunnel crown, side wall, and invert were investigated throughout the sequential excavation. To show ground response, percentage of the displacement and stress variations are used as a function of normalized distance that is between the face and monitoring section. Preceding displacements and stress variations were presented to be adopted in the two-dimensional tunnel analysis.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.49-68
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• 2023

The three-dimensional failure criterion is essential for maintaining wellbore stability and sand production problem. The convenient factor for a stable wellbore is mud weight and borehole orientation, i.e., mud window design and selection of borehole trajectory. This study proposes a new three-dimensional failure criterion with linear relation of three in-situ principal stresses. The number of failure criteria executed to understand the phenomenon of rock failure under in-situ stresses is the Mohr-Coulomb criterion, Hoek-Brown criterion, Mogi-Coulomb criterion, and many more. A new failure criterion is the extended Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion with the influence of intermediate principal stress (σ₂). The influence of intermediate principal stress is considered as a weighting of (σ₂) on the mean effective stress. The triaxial compression test data for eleven rock types are taken from the literature for calibration of material constant and validation of failure prediction. The predictions on rock samples using new criteria are the best fit with the triaxial compression test data points. Here, Drucker-Prager and the Mogi-Coulomb criterion are also implemented to predict the failure for eleven different rock types. It has been observed that the Drucker-Prager criterion gave over prediction of rock failure. On the contrary, the Mogi-Coulomb criterion gave an equally good prediction of rock failure as our proposed new 3D failure criterion. Based on the yield surface of a new 3D linear criterion it gave the safest prediction for the failure of the rock. A new linear failure criterion is recommended for the unique solution as a linear relation of the principal stresses rather than the dual solution by the Mogi-Coulomb criterion.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.195-202
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• 2018

Many laboratory experiments on crack propagation under uniaxial loading and biaxial loading have been conducted in the past using transparent materials such as resin, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), etc. However, propagation behaviors of three-dimensional (3D) cracks in rock or rock-like materials under tri-axial loading are often considerably different. In this study, a series of true tri-axial loading tests on the rock-like material with two semi-ellipse pre-existing cracks were performed in laboratory to investigate the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics and propagation characteristics of 3D crack groups influenced by intermediate principal stress. Compared with previous experiments under uniaxial loading and biaxial loading, the tests under true tri-axial loading showed that shear cracks, anti-wing cracks and secondary cracks were the main failure mechanisms, and the initiation and propagation of tensile cracks were limited. Shear cracks propagated in the direction parallel to pre-existing crack plane. With the increase of intermediate principal stress, the critical stress of crack initiation increased gradually, and secondary shear cracks may no longer coalesce in the rock bridge. Crack aperture decreased with the increase of intermediate principal stress, and the failure is dominated by shear fracturing. There are two stages of fracture development: stable propagation stage and unstable failure stage. The AE events occurred in a zone parallel to pre-existing crack plane, and the AE zone increased gradually with the increase of intermediate principal stress, eventually forming obvious shear rupture planes. This shows that shear cracks initiated and propagated in the pre-existing crack direction, forming a shear rupture plane inside the specimens. The paths of fracturing inside the specimens were observed using the Computerized Tomography (CT) scanning and reconstruction.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.33 no.6
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• pp.605-618
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• 2001

For the mechanical stability assessment of a deep underground high-level waste repository. computer simulations using FLAC3D were carried out and important parameters including stress ratio, depth, tunnel size, joint spacing, and joint properties were chosen from sensitivity analysis. The main effect as well as the interaction effect between the important parameters could be investigated effectively using fractional factorial design . In order to analyze the stability of the disposal tunnel and deposition hole in a discontinuous rock mass, different modelings were performed under different conditions using 3DEC and the influence of joint distribution and properties, rock properties and stress ratio could be determined. From the three dimensional modelings, it was concluded that the conceptual repository design was mechanically stable even in a discontinuous rock mass.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.375-384
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• 2020

In this study, the application of conventional cubic law to a deep depth condition was experimentally evaluated. Moreover, a modified equation for estimating the rock permeability at a deep depth was suggested using precise hydraulic tests and an effect analysis according to the vertical stress, pore water pressure and fracture roughness. The experimental apparatus which enabled the generation of high pore water pressure (< 10 MPa) and vertical stress (< 20 MPa) was manufactured, and the surface roughness of a cylindrical rock sample was quantitatively analyzed by means of 3D (three-dimensional) laser scanning. Experimental data of the injected pore water pressure and outflow rate obtained through the hydraulic test were applied to the cubic law equation, which was used to estimate the permeability of rock fracture. The rock permeability was estimated under various pressure (vertical stress and pore water pressure) and geometry (roughness) conditions. Finally, an empirical formula was proposed by considering nonlinear flow behavior; the formula can be applied to evaluations of changes of rock permeability levels in deep underground facility such as nuclear waste disposal repository with high vertical stress and pore water pressure levels.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.93-102
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• 2011

In spite of being unable to take into the effect of intermediate principal stress, Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown criteria are very popular as rock failure criteria. The recent researches reveal that the influence of intermediate principal stress on the failure strength of rock is substantial, so that 3-D failure criteria in which the intermediate principal stress could be considered is necessary for the safe design of the important rock structures. In this study, the likely application of the 3-D failure criterion proposed by Jiang & Pietruszczak (1988) to the prediction of the true triaxial strength of rock materials is discussed. The failure condition is linear in the meridian plane of principal stress space and it is represented by the smooth surface contacting the corners of the Mohr-Coulomb surface. The performance of the Jiang & Pietruszczak's criterion is demonstrated by simulating the actual true triaxial tests on the rock samples of three different rock types.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.158-170
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• 2002

Since the development of Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) by Shi (1984), there has been much improvement in the theory and programs. These, however, are all based on the assumption of a two-dimensional plane strain or plane stress state; and because a rock block system is a three-dimensional problem, a two-dimensional analysis has limited application. So a three-dimensional analysis is required in the design of rock slopes and underground spaces where three-dimensional discontinuities dominate stability. In this study three-dimensional DDA program is developed using the Shi's two-dimensional theory and program, and the two cases of three-dimensional block are analysed. The program is applied to one sliding-face blocks and wedge sliding and it gives the good results comparing to the exact solution. Multi-block cases will be analysed for many other application soon.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.237-247
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• 2002

A total of 18 stress measurements were performed in the rock and rock-like blocks in the laboratory to estimate the influence of anisotropy in rock. Full scale overcoring equipment, which consists of a coring machine and a biaxial loading system by flat jacks, was developed to simulate the in-situ rock stress condition in the laboratory By comparing the isotropic analysis with the anisotropic analysis in measuring the stress, conclusions have been drawn as to the influence of anisotropy. The maximum difference between the isotropic and the anisotropic analysis was 34% and it was shown that the stress measurement considering the anisotropy was needed. To confirm the validity of the observed data, a diagnostic analysis of stress relief curve by overcoring was conducted using the three dimensional finite difference program, FLAC 3D.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.1125-1132
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• 2009

The theory and a probe of the pilot hole wall deformation method, which is a 3-dimensional stress measurement method based on the stress relief principle, were developed. A pilot hole is drilled from the bottom of a borehole and the stress measurement probe is inserted into the pilot hole. The borehole is advanced as the overcoring and the changes in the radius of the pilot hole in three directions and in the axial lengths between the borehole bottom and the pilot hole wall along four axial lines are measured by cantilever type-displacement sensors. The differences between the displacements by the elastic stress analysis and those measured by using the probe were within 3% in the uniaxial compression test of an acrylic resin plate having a hole.