• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.89-103
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• 2024

In the disposal environment, gases can be generated at the interface between canister and buffer due to various factors such as anaerobic corrosion, radiolysis, and microbial degradation. If the gas generation rate exceeds the diffusion rate, the gas within the buffer may compress, resulting in physical damage to the buffer due to the increased pore pressure. In particular, the rapid movement of gases, known as gas breakthroughs, through the dilatancy pathway formed during this process may lead to releasing radionuclide. Therefore, understanding these gas generation and movement mechanism is essential for the safety assessment of the disposal systems. In this study, an experimental apparatus for investigating gas migration within buffer was constructed based on a literature review. Subsequently, a gas injection experiment was conducted on a compacted bentonite block made of Bentonile WRK (Clariant Ltd.) powder. The results clearly demonstrated a sharp increase in stress and pressure typically observed at the onset of gas breakthrough within the buffer. Additionally, the range of stresses induced by the swelling phenomenon of the buffer, was 4.7 to 9.1 MPa. The apparent gas entry pressure was determined to be approximately 7.8 MPa. The equipment established in this study is expected to be utilized for various experiments aimed at building a database on the initial properties of buffer and the conditions during gas injection, contributing to understanding the gas migration phenomena.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.388-398
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• 2023

The changes in groundwater flow due to mining development act as a contributing factor to major issues such as ground subsidence, strength reduction and collapse. For the sustainable mining development, measures for dealing with fluctuations in seasonal underground water inflow, power losses, pump damage, and unexpected increases in inflow must be put in place. In this study, the aim is to identify the causes of underground seepage through the examination of hydrological connectivity between the study area and nearby limestone mine. A tracer tes for assessing subsurface connectivity has been planned. A variety of tracers, such as dyes and ions, were applied in lab test to select the optimal tracer material, and a hydrological model of the study area was implemented through field test. Finally, the hydrological connectivity between the external stream and underground water in the mine was analyzed.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.25 no.5
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• pp.485-496
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• 2013

In recent years, frequent terror or military attacks by explosion or impact accidents have occurred. Examplary case of these attacks were World Trade Center collapse and US Department of Defense Pentagon attack on Sept. 11 of 2001. These attacks of the civil infrastructure have induced numerous casualties and property damage, which raised public concerns and anxiety of potential terrorist attacks. However, a existing design procedure for civil infrastructures do not consider a protective design for extreme loading scenario. Also, the extreme loading researches of prestressed concrete (PSC) member, which widely used for nuclear containment vessel, gas tank, bridges, and tunnel, are insufficient due to experimental limitations of loading characteristics. To protect concrete structures against extreme loading such as explosion and impact with high strain rate, understanding of the effect, characteristic, and propagation mechanism of extreme loadings on structures is needed. Therefore, in this paper, to evaluate the impact resistance capacity and its protective performance of bi-directional unbonded prestressed concrete member, impact tests were carried out on $1400mm{\times}1000mm{\times}300mm$ for reinforced concrete (RC), prestressed concrete without rebar (PS), prestressed concrete with rebar (PSR, general PSC) specimens. According to test site conditions, impact tests were performed with 14 kN impactor with drop height of 10 m, 5 m, 4 m for preliminary tests and 3.5 m for main tests. Also, in this study, the procedure, layout, and measurement system of impact tests were established. The impact resistance capacity was measured using crack patterns, damage rates, measuring value such as displacement, acceleration, and residual structural strength. The results can be used as basic research references for related research areas, which include protective design and impact numerical simulation under impact loading.

• The Korean Journal of Zoology
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• v.14 no.2
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• pp.57-74
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• 1971

The present investigation has been done to observe the ecological habits of field mice to protect the rice from damages during the growing season in paddy-field and during the storge period. The results obtained are summarized as follows: 1. Of 155 mice captured in the period of April-November 1970, which belong to four genera (Apodemus, Cricetulus, Rattus, and Micromys), 148 mice(95%) were found as striped field mice (Apodemus agrarius coreae). The population density of striped field mouse was revealed by the present study as 55/ha, which is quite a low level compared with that in Japan of 900/ha. 2. The age distribution of the mice as judged by their body weight was found mainly composed of adult and the sex ratio was found to be 1.8 as determined with 147 individuals. The nest was found to be occupied by an adult and was composed of at least three openings and more than one food storage tunnels. The mice usually keep hulled rice rather than unhulled one in storage tunnel. The weight of food found in a nest was about 50 grams on an average. 3. The mice show a most active behaviour 1-2 hours after the sunset, around midnight, and an hour before the sunrise, but they are active even in daytime in order for searching for food and for breeding. 4. The ratio (%) of damage appeared in high stem of sweet corn in August was 30 ~ 40 percent, whereas that in low stem was 80 ~ 90 percent. The weight of spoiled grains in paddy-field was 11, 400gm/0.4ha and this gives an estimate of 349, 695 for whole country. 5. The female striped field mouse weighs average of about 30 grams and gives birth to average of 4.8 younglings which wean away from female mouse three weeks after delivery. 6. The natural enemies to the mice are found to be carnivores (weasel, cat, mountain cat, fox, raccoon, and otter), raptatores(eagle, owl, kete, buzzard), and snakes. Two kinds of field rats(Rattus norvegicus, Cricetulus tritor) are also the predator to the mice. 7. The feeding preference of striped field mice follows in decreasing order of sweet corn, soybean, sweet potatoes, chestnut, and wheat. The mice do not have a preference for barley, millet, rough millet, red bean, and green bean. 8. The starvation experiment, in which water alone was supplied, revealed that the mice in good physical and nutritional conditions survived for 71 ~ 79 hours, whereas those in worse conditions survived for only 32 ~ 39 hours.

• Journal of Bio-Environment Control
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.106-118
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• 1994

This study was conducted to analyze the effects of fluctuations in temperature, light intensity and soil temperature on the growth of red pepper seedlings in the nonheated plastic houses with various number of layers and in the open field. Relationship between the optimal environment and the growth of seedlings was discussed, and the maximum and minimum outdoor temperatures in Kwangju area from 1941 to 1985 were analyzed. The results obtained were as follows; 1. The minimum temperature in tunnel with quadruple coverings of P. E. film from December 20 to February 25 was decreased to 5$^{\circ}C$ mostly, where the exposure to chilling temperature could not be avoided during this period. The maximum temperature was increased to 33$^{\circ}C$ mostly and 42$^{\circ}C$ in peak, where some ventilation was needed. 2. The diurnal differences of inside temperature, increasing with number of layers, were 16 to 38$^{\circ}C$, while those of outside temperature were 5 to 1$0^{\circ}C$. 3. The cold injury in the quadruple coverings during winter occurred all the times below 12$^{\circ}C$ and as many as 200 times over 3$0^{\circ}C$, while effectiveness of thermal insulation in the multilayered nonheating plastic houses were clearly proved. 4. The inside light intensity was markedly reduced with the increment of layers and the minimum light intensity fallen down below the light compensation point for the growth of red pepper plants regardless of the number of layers. 5. Until 10 a. m., the temperature in the daytime during December 20 to mid - February showed below 10 to 12$^{\circ}C$ which was the limiting temperature for the growth of red pepper seedlings. After 4 p. m., the light intensity was sharply reduced despite of the air temperature kept over 12$^{\circ}C$. Therefore, limiting factors for the growth of red pepper seedlings were the temperature before 10 a. m. and the light intensity after 4 p. m. 6. The minimum soil temperature in quadruple coverings showed around 1$0^{\circ}C$ where the physiological damage for red pepper seedlings might be occurred. 7. The minimum outdoor temperatures from 1941 to 1985 was -19.4$^{\circ}C$, observed in the 5th January.

• Journal of the Society of Disaster Information
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.135-147
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• 2015

Recent underground common utility tunnels are underground facilities for jointly accommodating more than 2 kinds of air-conditioning and heating facilities, vacuum dust collector, information processing cables as well as electricity, telecommunications, waterworks, city gas, sewerage system required when citizens live their daily lives and facilities responsible for the central function of the country but it is difficult to cope with fire accidents quickly and hard to enter into common utility tunnels to extinguish a fire due to toxic gases and smoke generated when various cables are burnt. Thus, in the event of a fire, not only the nerve center of the country is paralyzed such as significant property damage and loss of communication etc. but citizen inconveniences are caused. Therefore, noticing that most fires break out by a short circuit due to electrical works and degradation contact due to combustible cables as the main causes of fires in domestic and foreign common utility tunnels fire cases that have occurred so far, the purpose of this paper is to scientifically analyze the behavior of a fire by producing the model of actual common utility tunnels and reproducing the fire. A fire experiment was conducted in a state that line type fixed temperature detector, fire door, connection deluge set and ventilation equipment are installed in underground common utility tunnels and transmission power distribution cables are coated with fire proof paints in a certain section and heating pipes are fire proof covered. As a result, in the case of Type II, the maximum temperature was measured as $932^{\circ}C$ and line type fixed temperature detector displayed the fire location exactly in the receiver at a constant temperature. And transmission power distribution cables painted with fire proof paints in a certain section, the case of Type III, were found not to be fire resistant and fire proof covered heating pipes to be fire resistant for about 30 minutes. Also, fire simulation was carried out by entering fire load during a real fire test and as a result, the maximum temperature is $943^{\circ}C$, almost identical with $932^{\circ}C$ during a real fire test. Therefore, it is considered that fire behaviour can be predicted by conducting fire simulation only with common utility tunnels fire load and result values of heat release rate, height of the smoke layer, concentration of O2, CO, CO2 etc. obtained by simulation are determined to be applied as the values during a real fire experiment. In the future, it is expected that more reliable information on domestic underground common utility tunnels fire accidents can be provided and it will contribute to construction and maintenance repair effectively and systematically by analyzing and accumulating experimental data on domestic underground common utility tunnels fire accidents built in this study and fire cases continuously every year and complementing laws and regulations and administration manuals etc.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.591-610
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• 2020

Concrete with activated carbon and titanium dioxide (TiO₂) has been used to reduce the particulate matter (PM) in underground structures (e.g., tunnels) due to the high performance of nitrogen oxides (NOx) abatement. Damage (e.g. crack, spalling, or detachment) can be caused by the environmental and ageing effects on the surface of the particulate matter reduction concrete, installed on the tunnel lining. Therefore, it is important to evaluate the existence of spalling on the concrete surface for maintaining performance of NOx reduction. In this study, a basic research was performed for feasibility of spalling evaluation using electrical resistivity characteristics. Given the test results, the electrical resistivity was decreased as the ratios of activated carbon (0~15%) and TiO₂ (0~25%) were increased for specimens. Under a dry condition, electrical resistivity of cement specimens, mixed with activated carbon and TiO₂, was decreased up to 2.3 times, compared with the normal cement specimen. In addition, under saturation conditions (degree of saturation: 85~98%), electrical resistivity of cement specimens with activated carbon, was decreased up to 3.5 times, compared with the normal cement specimen. Regardless of the condition (dry or saturated), the difference of electrical resistivity values shows the range of 2.3~2.8 times between the mixing specimen (with activated carbon (15%) and TiO₂ (25%)) and the normal cement specimen. This study can help to provide basic knowledge for spalling evaluation using the electrical resistivity on the surface of the particulate matter reduction concrete in tunnels.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.320-334
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• 2020

This study presents an application of hydro-mechanical coupled Particle Flow Code 3D (PFC3D) to simulation of fluid injection induced fault slip experiment conducted in Mont Terri Switzerland as a part of a task in an international research project DECOVALEX-2019. We also aimed as identifying the current limitations of the modelling method and issues for further development. A fluid flow algorithm was developed and implemented in a 3D pore-pipe network model in a 3D bonded particle assembly using PFC3D v5, and was applied to Mont Terri Step 2 minor fault activation experiment. The simulated results showed that the injected fluid migrates through the permeable fault zone and induces fault deformation, demonstrating a full hydro-mechanical coupled behavior. The simulated results were, however, partially matching with the field measurement. The simulated pressure build-up at the monitoring location showed linear and progressive increase, whereas the field measurement showed an abrupt increase associated with the fault slip We conclude that such difference between the modelling and the field test is due to the structure of the fault in the model which was represented as a combination of damage zone and core fractures. The modelled fault is likely larger in size than the real fault in Mont Terri site. Therefore, the modelled fault allows several path ways of fluid flow from the injection location to the pressure monitoring location, leading to smooth pressure build-up at the monitoring location while the injection pressure increases, and an early start of pressure decay even before the injection pressure reaches the maximum. We also conclude that the clay filling in the real fault could have acted as a fluid barrier which may have resulted in formation of fluid over-pressurization locally in the fault. Unlike the pressure result, the simulated fault deformations were matching with the field measurements. A better way of modelling a heterogeneous clay-filled fault structure with a narrow zone should be studied further to improve the applicability of the modelling method to fluid injection induced fault activation.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.382-393
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• 2020

The engineered barrier system of high-level radioactive waste disposal must maintain its performance in the long term, because it must play a role in slowing the rate of leakage to the surrounding rock mass even if a radionuclide leak occurs from the canister. In particular, it is very important to clarify gas dilation flow phenomenon clearly, that occurs only in a medium containing a large amount of clay material such as a bentonite buffer, which can affect the long-term performance of the bentonite buffer. Accordingly, DECOVALEX-2019 Task A was conducted to identify the hydraulic-mechanical mechanism for the dilation flow, and to develop and verify a new numerical analysis technique for quantitative evaluation of gas migration phenomena. In this study, based on the conventional two-phase flow and mechanical behavior with effective stresses in the porous medium, the hydraulic-mechanical model was developed considering the concept of damage to simulate the formation of micro-cracks and expansion of the medium and the corresponding change in the hydraulic properties. Model verification and validation were conducted through comparison with the results of 1D and 3D gas injection tests. As a result of the numerical analysis, it was possible to model the sudden increase in pore water pressure, stress, gas inflow and outflow rate due to the dilation flow induced by gas pressure, however, the influence of the hydraulic-mechanical interaction was underestimated. Nevertheless, this study can provide a preliminary model for the dilation flow and a basis for developing an advanced model. It is believed that it can be used not only for analyzing data from laboratory and field tests, but also for long-term performance evaluation of the high-level radioactive waste disposal system.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.6
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• pp.1125-1146
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• 2018

Segment lining applied to the TBM tunnel is mainly made of concrete, and it requires sufficient structural capacity to resist loads received during the construction and also after the completion. When segment lining is design to the Limit State Design, both Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and Service Limit State (SLS) should be met for the possible load cases that covers both permanent and temporary load cases - such as load applied by TBM. When design segment lining, it is important to check structural capacity at the joints as both temporary and permanent loads are always transferred through the segment joints, and sometimes the load applied to the joint is high enough to damage the segment - so called bursting failure. According to the various design guides from UK (PAS 8810, 2016), compression stress at the joint surface can generate bursting failure of the segment. This is normally from the TBM's jacking force applied at the circumferential joint, and the lining's hoop thrust generated from the permanent loads applied at the radial joint. Therefore, precast concrete segment lining's joints shall be designed to have sufficient structural capacity to resist bursting stresses generated by the TBM's jacking force and by the hoop thrust. In this study, bursting stress at the segment joints are calculated, and the joint's structural capacity was assessed using Leonhardt (1964) and FEM analysis for three different design cases. For those three analysis cases, hoop thrust at the radial joint was calculated with the application of the most widely used limit state design codes Eurocode and AASHTO LRFD (2017). For the circumferential joints bursting design, an assumed TBM jack force was used with considering of the construction tolerance of the segments and the eccentricity of the jack's position. The analysis results show reinforcement is needed as joint bursting stresses exceeds the allowable tensile strength of concrete. This highlights that joint bursting check shall be considered as a mandatory design item in the limit state design of the segment lining.