• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.16 no.6
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• pp.655-667
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• 2018

To evaluate the stability of a rock slope with one pre-exiting vertical crack, this paper performs corresponding probabilistic stability analysis. The existence of cracks is generally ignored in traditional deterministic stability analysis. However, they are widely found in either cohesive soil or rock slopes. The influence of one pre-exiting vertical crack on a rock slope is considered in this study. The safety factor, which is usually adopted to quantity the stability of slopes, is derived through the deterministic computation based on the strength reduction technique. The generalized Hoek-Brown (HB) failure criterion is adopted to characterize the failure of rock masses. Considering high nonlinearity of the limit state function as using nonlinear HB criterion, the multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) is used to accurately approximate the implicit limit state function of a rock slope. Then the MARS is integrated with Monte Carlo simulation to implement reliability analysis, and the influences of distribution types, level of uncertainty, and constants on the probability density functions and failure probability are discussed. It is found that distribution types of random variables have little influence on reliability results. The reliability results are affected by a combination of the uncertainty level and the constants. Finally, a reliability-based design figure is provided to evaluate the safety factor of a slope required for a target failure probability.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.17-23
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• 2024

Non-destructive methods are extensively utilized for assessing the integrity of rock bolts, with longitudinal wave speed being a crucial property for evaluating rock bolt quality. This research aims to propose a method for predicting reliable longitudinal wave velocities by leveraging various properties of the rock surrounding the rock bolt. The prediction algorithm employed is the Multilayer Neural Network (MNN), and the input properties includes elastic modulus, shear wave speed, compressive strength, compressional wave speed, mass density, porosity, and Poisson's ratio, totaling seven. The implementation of the MNN demonstrates high reliability, achieving a coefficient of determination of 0.996. To assess the impact of each input property on longitudinal wave speed, an importance score is derived using the random forest algorithm, with the elastic modulus identified as having the most significant influence. When the elastic modulus is the sole input parameter, the coefficient of determination for predicting the longitudinal wave speed is observed to be 0.967. The findings of this study underscore the reliability of selecting specific properties for predicting longitudinal wave speed and suggest that these insights can assist in identifying relevant input properties for rock bolt integrity assessments in future construction site experiments.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.11 no.3
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• pp.315-325
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• 2001

A series of laboratory tests was conducted to observe damage process by stress and to understand characteristics of permeability related with rock damage. Rock specimens which were composed of the Cretaceous medium grained granites were experienced of damage stress between 65% and 95% of the compressive strength. Rock deformation by damage process was identified with the elastic wave velocity test. Relationship between rock damage and permeability change was also analyzed by water injection test in the laboratory. According to the results of the tests, damage tends to be occurred from stress level of 80% of the compressive strength and it reduces elastic wave velocity. The damaged specimens with stress more than 80% of the compressive strength showed crack density more than 0.6 and persistent length with good connectivity of cracks. They also have higher permeability than that of specimens with crack density less than 0.6. Considered with the above results, the rock specimens used in this study were fully damaged from stress level of 80% of the compressive strength. Crack initiation and propagation by damage caused good connectivity of cracks through rock specimen. These damage process, therefore, brought high permeability coefficient through water flow conduit in the rock specimen.

• Explosives and Blasting
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.37-44
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• 2005

Recent studies reported that natural block size of rock and joint orientation highly affect on rock fragmentation. In this study, blasting test using high strength cement mortar was carried out to verify this fact. The result of this test indicated that fragmentation is influenced by the joint interval, and at same joint interval condition, fragmentation depends on joint orientation. These results are significantly coincident with field investigations.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.4
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• pp.330-354
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• 2024

In site characterization of high-level radioactive waste, discontinuity(joint) distribution and rock mass classification, which are key evaluation parameters in the rock engineering field, were evaluated using deep boreholes in the Wonju granite and Chuncheon granite, which belong to Mesozoic Jurassic era. To evaluate joint distribution characteristics, fracture zones and joint surfaces extracted from ATV data were used, and major joint sets were evaluated along with joint frequency according to depth, dip direction, and dip. Both the Wonju and Chuncheon granites that were studied showed a tendency for the frequency of joints to increase linearly with depth, and joints with high angles were relatively widely distributed. In addition, relatively large amounts of weathering tended to occur even in deep depth due to groundwater inflow through high-angle joints. RQD values remained consistently low even at considerable depth. Meanwhile, joint groups with low angles showed different joint characteristics from joint sets with high angles. Rock mass classification was performed based on RMR system, and along with rock mass classification for 50 m intervals where uniaxial compressive strength was performed, continuous rock mass classification according to depth was performed using velocity log data and geostatistical techniques. The Wonju granite exhibited a superior rock mass class compared to the Chuncheon granite. In the 50 m interval and continuous rock mass classification, the shallow part of the Wonju granite showed a higher class than the deep part, and the deep part of the Chuncheon granite showed a higher class than the shallow part.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.501-518
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• 2019

The rock properties measured under in-situ geological condition can be used to increase the reliability in numerical simulations with regard to the long-term performance of a high-level waste repository. In this study, the change in mechanical properties of KURT (Korea atomic energy research institute Underground Research Tunnel) granite was evaluated under the simulated THM (Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical) coupled condition due to a deep geological formation in the disposal repository. The rock properties such as uniaxial compression strength, indirect tensile strength, elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio were measured under the coupled test conditions (M, HM, TM, THM). It was found that the mechanical properties of KURT granite is more susceptible to the change in saturation rather than temperature within the test condition of this study. The changes in uniaxial compression strength and indirect tensile strength from the rock samples of dried or saturated conditions showed the maximum relative error of about 20% and 13% respectively under the constant temperature condition. Therefore, it is necessary to use the material properties of rock measured under the coupled THM condition as input parameters for the numerical simulation of long-term performance assessment of a disposal repository

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.149-163
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• 2021

Damage characteristics of granite, marble and sandstone whose properties were different were investigated by uniaxial compression test and cyclic loading-unloading test. Strength, elastic constants and damage threshold stresses were measured by uniaxial compression test and were compared with those measured by cyclic loading-unloading test. Average rock strengths measured by cyclic loading-unloading test were either lower than or similar with those measured by uniaxial compression test. Rocks with high strength and low porosity were more sensitive to fatigue than that with low strength and high porosity. Although permanent strains caused by cyclic loading-unloading were different according to rock types, they could be good indicators representing damage characteristics of rock. Damage threshold stress of granite and marble might be measured from stress-permanent strain curves. Acoustic emissions were measured during both tests and felicity ratios which represented damage characteristics of rocks were calculated. Felicity ratio of sandstone which was weak in strength and highly porous could not be calculated because of very few measurements of acoustic emissions. On the other hand, damage threshold could be predicted from felicity ratios of granite and marble which were brittle and low in porosity. The deformation behaviors and damage characteristics of rock mass could be investigated if additional tests for various rock types were performed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.5
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• pp.395-403
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• 2014

In this study, a steel pipe type rockbolt manufactured from special material was developed which has high strength and lightweight characteristics. Achievement of grout filling between rockbolt and hole wall was investigated through grout injection tests. Yield force of the developed rockbolt was also examined through tensile tests, which was compared with that of the deformed bar type rockbolt. In addition, the strength and elongation properties of the developed rockbolt were investigated through pull-out tests at three domestic sites showing different RMR classes. It is finally supposed that the developed rockbolt can be suitable for the permanent tunnel support because it has high strength and high durability rather than deformed bar type rockbolt.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.333-342
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• 2019

Geological dynamic hazards during coal mining can be caused by the failure of a composite system consisting of roof rock and coal layers, subject to different loading rates due to different advancing velocities in the working face. In this paper, the uniaxial compression test simulations on the composite rock-coal layers were performed using $PFC^{2D}$ software and especially the effects of loading rate on the stress-strain behavior, strength characteristics and crack nucleation, propagation and coalescence in a composite layer were analyzed. In addition, considering the composite layer, the mechanisms for the advanced bore decompression in coal to prevent the geological dynamic hazards at a rapid advancing velocity of working face were explored. The uniaxial compressive strength and peak strain are found to increase with the increase of loading rate. After post-peak point, the stress-strain curve shows a steep stepped drop at a low loading rate, while the stress-strain curve exhibits a slowly progressive decrease at a high loading rate. The cracking mainly occurs within coal, and no apparent cracking is observed for rock. While at a high loading rate, the rock near the bedding plane is damaged by rapid crack propagation in coal. The cracking pattern is not a single shear zone, but exhibits as two simultaneously propagating shear zones in a "X" shape. Following this, the coal breaks into many pieces and the fragment size and number increase with loading rate. Whereas a low loading rate promotes the development of tensile crack, the failure pattern shows a V-shaped hybrid shear and tensile failure. The shear failure becomes dominant with an increasing loading rate. Meanwhile, with the increase of loading rate, the width of the main shear failure zone increases. Moreover, the advanced bore decompression changes the physical property and energy accumulation conditions of the composite layer, which increases the strain energy dissipation, and the occurrence possibility of geological dynamic hazards is reduced at a rapid advancing velocity of working face.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.354-364
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• 2012

In order to evaluate the physical properties of rock which might serve as a database for both mining and civil works, a lot of laboratory tests for Jecheon limestones were conducted to find unit weight, absorption ratio, porosity, elastic wave velocity, uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, poisson's ratio, tensile strength, shore hardness, friction angle and cohesion. On investigation of the mechanical properties of both the gray limestone and the clayey limestone distributed in the studied region, the clayey limestone turned out to have more weak mechanical properties which might come from low unit weight, high absorption ratio and high porosity of rocks. The failure criteria of Jecheon limestones were discussed by means of both Mohr-Coulomb criterion and Hoek-Brown criterion. Regression analyses of the physical properties obtained from a lot of laboratory tests were also conducted by means of both linear and multiple regression analyses.