• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.263-273
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• 2007

When a tunnel or an underground structure is excavated in deep geological environments, the failure process is affected and eventually dominated by stress-induced fractures growing preferentially parallel to the excavation boundary. This fracturing is generally referred to as brittle failure by spatting and slabbing. Continuum models with traditional failure criteria such as Hoek-Brown or Mohr-Coulomb criteria have not been successful in prediction of the extent and depth of brittle failure. Instead cohesion weakening and frictional strengthening (CWFS) model is known to predict brittle failure well. In this study, CWFS model was applied to predict the brittle failure around a circular opening observed in physical model experiments. To obtain the input parameters for CWFS model, damage-controlled tests were carried out. The predicted depth and extent of brittle failure using CWFS model were compared to the results of the physical model experiment and numerical simulation using traditional model.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.109-135
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• 2020

Globally, the deepening depth in the underground is a situation of the high interest for a purpose of the development of various facilities. The development of deep underground space should be based on the structural stability of rocks. Spalling is known to have an impact on the structural stability degradation in deep underground space. As an attempt to predict spalling, many researchers have proposed predicted conditions in accordance with stress states which occur around the tunnel, rock conditions, and types of rock. In addition, the analysis on spalling method has been verified by using computer modeling such as FLAC, EXAMINE, Insight 2D, UDEC and FRACOD, along with in-situ measurement results. In Canada URL (Underground Research Tunnel), CWFS model (Cohesion Weakening Frictional Strengthening) was used to precisely predict for the state of spalling, comparing spalling modeling. CWFS model has been identified as a reliable method for predicting such phenomena. This study aims to analyze several cases of spalling, and then make a comparison between the conditions for spalling occurrence and the predicted results of model CWFS. With this, it investigates the applicability of prediction of spalling, targeting pillar under deep depth condition.

• 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.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.327-351
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• 2009

Laboratory tests are performed in this paper to investigate the brittle failure characteristics of over-stressed rocks taken in deep depth. Also, numerical simulation performed using that the so-called CWFS(Cohesion Weakening Frictional Strengthening) model is known to predict brittle failure phenomenon reasonably well. The most typical rock types of Korean peninsula - granite and gneiss - were used for testing. Results of uniaxial compression tests showed that the crack initiation stress was about 41 % to 42% of the uniaxial compressive strength regardless of rock types, where as, the crack damage stress of granite was about 75%, and that of gneiss was about 97%. Through the damage-controlled test, strength parameters of each rock were obtained as a function of damage degree. After the peak, the crack damage stress and the maximum stress were decreased, The cohesion was decreased and the friction angle was increased with increase of rock damage. Before reaching the peak, the elastic modulus was slightly increased, while decreased after the peak. Poisson's ratio was increased as the damage of rock proceeds. Comparison of uniaxial compression tests and damage-controlled tests shows the crack initiation stress estimated from the damage-controlled test fluctuated within the range of crack initiation stress obtained from the uniaxial compression test; the crack damage stress was less than that estimated from the uniaxial compression test. In order to predict the critical depth that brittle failure occurs, numerical simulations using the CWFS model were performed for an example site. Material parameters obtained from the laboratory tests mentioned above were used for CWFS simulation. Comparison between the critical depth predicted from the numerical simulation using the CWFS model and that predicted by using the damage index proposed by Martin et al.(l999), showed that critical depth cannot be reasonably predicted by the currently used damage index except for circular tunnels. A modified damage index was proposed by the author which takes the shape of tunnels other than circular into account.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.304-317
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• 2009

Most crystalline rocks have much higher compressive strength than tensile strength and show brittle failure. In-situ rock mass, strong enough in general sense, often fails in brittle manner when subjected to high stress exceeding strength in due of geometrically induced stress concentration or of high initial stress. Therefore, it is necessary to verify the brittle failure characteristics of rock and rock mass for proper stability assessment of underground structures excavated in great depths. In this study, damage controlled tests were conducted on biotite-granite and granitic gneiss, which are the two major crystalline rock types in Korea, to obtain the strain dependency characteristics of the cohesion and friction angle. A Cohesion-Weakening Friction-Strengthening (CWFS hereafter) model for each rock type was constructed and a series of compression tests were carried out numerically while varying confining pressures. The same tests were also conducted assuming the rock is Mohr-Coulomb material and results were compared.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.201-206
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• 2020

A stress-induced brittle failure in deep tunneling generates spalling and slabbing, eventually causing a v-shaped notch formation. An empirical relationship for the depth of the notch to the maximum tangential stress assuming an equivalent circular cross-section was proposed (Martin et al. 1999). While this empirical approach has been well recognized in the industry and used as a design guideline in many projects, its applicability to a non-circular opening is worth revisiting due to the use of equivalent circular profile. Moreover, even though the extent of the notch also contributes to notch failure, it has not been estimated to date. When the estimate of both the depth and the extent of notch are combined, a practical and economically justifiable support design can be achieved. In this study, a new methodology to assess the depth as well as the extent of notch failure is developed. Field data and numerical simulations using the Cohesion Weakening Frictional Strengthening (CWFS) model were collected and correlated with the three most commonly accepted failure criteria (σ₁/σ₃, D_is=σ_max/σ_c, σ_dev/σ_cm). For the numerical analyses, the D-shaped tunnel was used since most civil tunnels are built to this profile. Inferential statistical analysis is applied to predict the failure range with a 95% confidence level. Considering its accuracy and simplicity, the new correlation can be used as an enhanced version of failure assessment.