• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.339-348
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• 2022

The bored tunneling method is generally preferred for urban tunnel construction, However the cut & cover tunnel is still necessary for special conditions, such as metro station and access structures. In some case, deep excavation for cut & cover construction is planed of irregular and unusual shape, as a consequence, the convex and concave corner is often encountered during that excavation. In particular, discontinuity or imbalance of the support structure in the convex corner can lead to collapse, which may result in damages and casualties. In this study, the behavior of the convex corner of retaining structure were investigated using 3-dimensional numerical models established to be able to simulate the split-shaped behavior of convex corners. To improve the stability in the vicinity of the convex corner, several stabilizing measures were proposed and estimated numerically. It is found that linking two discretized wales at the convex corner can effectively perform the control of deformation. Furthermore, it was also confirmed that the stabilizing measures can be enhanced when the tie-material linking two discretized wales is installed at the depth of the maximum wall deflection.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.73-94
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• 1998

In the present study, a method of the three-dimensional limit equilibrium stability analysis of shape of the potential failure wedge for the concave-shaped excavation corner is assumed on the basis of the results of the FLACSU program analysis. Estimation of the three-dimensional seepage forces expected to act on the failure wedge is made by solving the three-dimensional continuity equation of flow with appropriate boundary conditions. By using the proposed method of three-dimensional stability analysis of the concave-shaped excavation corner, a parametric study is performed to examine the reinforcement effect of skew soil nailing system, range of the efficient skew angles and seepage effect on the overall stability. Also examined is the effect of an existence of the right-angled excavation corner on three-dimensional deflection behaviors of the convex-shaped skew soil nailing walls. The results of analyses of the convexshaped excavation corner with skew soil nailing system is further included to illustrate the effects of various design parameters for typical patterns of skew nails reinforcement system.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.53 no.5
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• pp.1416-1428
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• 2021

Pebble flow characteristics can be significantly affected by the configuration of pebble bed, especially for HTGR pebble beds. How to achieve a desired uniform flow pattern without stagnation is the top priority for reactor design. Pebbles flows inside some specially designed pebble bed with arc-shaped contraction configurations at the bottom, including both concave-inward and convex-outward shapes are explored based on discrete element method. Flow characteristics including pebble retention, residence-time frequency density, flow uniformity as well as axial velocity are investigated. The results show that the traditionally designed pebble bed with cone-shape bottom is not the most preferred structure with respect to flow pattern for reactor design. By improving the contraction configuration, the flow performance can be significantly enhanced. The flow in the convex-shape configuration featured by uniformity, consistency and less stagnation, is much more desirable for pebble bed design. In contrast, when the shape is from convex-forward to concave-inward, the flow shows more nonuniformity and stagnation in the corner although the average cross-section axial velocity is the largest due to the dominant middle pebbles.