• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.16 no.6 s.65
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• pp.495-505
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• 2006

Calculating the distribution of stresses and displacements around a circular tunnel excavated in infinite isotropic rock mass subjected to hydrostatic stress condition is one of the basic problems in rock engineering. While closed-form solutions for the distribution are known if rock masses are considered as elastic, perfectly plastic, or brittle-plastic media, a few numerically approximated solutions based on various simplifying assumptions have been reported for strain-softening rock mass. In this study, a simple numerical method is introduced for the analysis of strain-softening behavior of the circular tunnel in Mohr-Coulomb rock mass. The method can also applied to the analysis of the tunnel in brittle-plastic or perfectly plastic media. For the brittle-plastic case where closed-formsolution exists, the performance of the present method is verified by showing an excellent agreement between two solutions. In order to demonstrate the strain-softening behaviors predicted by the proposed method. a parameter study for a softening index is given and the construction of ground reaction curves is carried out. The importance of defining the characteristics of dilation in plastic analysis is discussed through analyzing the displacements near the surface of tunnel.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.289-296
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• 2014

A simple analytical approach for stability assessment of underground storage caverns against ground uplift of overburden rock above the rock caverns for high pressurized fluid such as compressed air energy storage (CAES) and compressed natural gas (CNG) was developed. In the developed approach, we assumed that failure plane of the overburden is straight upward to ground surface, and factor of safety can be calculated from a limit equilibrium analysis in terms of this cylindrical shape failure model. The frictional resisting force on the failure plane was estimated by Hoek-Brown strength criterion which replaces with Mohr-Coulomb criterion such that both intact rock strength and rock mass conditions can be considered in the current approach. We carried out a parametric sensitivity analysis of strength parameters under various rock mass conditions and demonstrated that the factor of safety againt ground uplift was more sensitive to Mohr-Coulomb strength criterion rather than Hoek-Brown criterion.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2013

Although Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion has limitations in that it is a linear criterion and the effect of the intermediate principal stress on failure is ignored, this criterion has been widely accepted in rock mechanics design. In order to overcome these shortcomings, the Hoek-Brown failure criterion was introduced and recently a number of 3-D failure criteria incorporating the effect of the intermediate principal stress on failure have been proposed. However, in many rock mechanics designs, the possible failure of rock mass is still evaluated based on Mohr-Coulomb criterion and most of practitioners are accustomed to understanding the strength of rock mass in terms of the internal friction angle and cohesion. Therefore, if the equivalent Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters of the advanced failure criteria are calculated, it is possible to take advantage of the advanced failure criteria in the framework of the Mohr-Coulomb criterion. In this study, a method expressing the tangential Mohr-Coulomb strength parameters in terms of the stress invariant is proposed and it is applied to the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion and the HB-WW criterion. In addition, a new approach describing the geometric meaning of the ${\sigma}_2$-dependency of failure criteria in 3-D principal stress space is proposed. Implementation examples of the proposed method show that the influence of the intermediate principal stress on the tangential friction angle and cohesion of the HB-WW criterion is considerable, which is not the case for the 2-D failure criterion.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.4 no.2
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• pp.77-91
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• 2003

The Hoek-Brown failure criterion for rock masses developed first in 1980 is widely accepted and has been applied in a variety of rock engineering problems including slope analyses. The failure criterion was modified over the years because rock mass strength by the original failure criterion in 1980 was overestimated. The modified failure criterion, named Generalized Hoek-Brown Failure Criterion, was proposed with a new classification called the Geological Strength Index(GSI) in 1994. Generally, Hoek-Brown failure criterion is applied in numerical analyses of rock mass behaviors using equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters estimated by linear regression method. But these parameters estimated by this method have some inaccuracies to be applied and to be incorporated into numerical models and limit equilibrium programs. The most important issue is that this method cannot take account of non-linear characteristics of Hoek-Brown criterion, therefore, equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters is used as constant values regardless of field stress distribution in rock masses. In this study, the numerical analysis on rock slope stability considering non-linear characteristics of Hoek-Brown failure criterion was carried out. Futhermore, by the latest Hoek-Brown failure criterion in 2002, the revised estimating method of equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters was applied and rock mass damage criterion is introduced to account for the strength reduction due to stress relaxation and blast damge in slope stability.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.15 no.4 s.57
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• pp.288-295
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• 2005

Many mechanical defects originated from various geological causes make rock mass exhibit anisotropic characteristics. Understanding how the stress distribution occurs in anisotropic rock mass is, therefore, very important for the design of footings on rock and rock structures. In this study, the patterns of elastic stress distribution, developed by acting line load on the surface, in transversely isotropic was investigated. The influence of joint stiffness, joint spacing, and dip angle on the stress distribution was examined. By assuming the Mohr-Coulomb criterion as joint slip condition, the development of joint slip zone was also discussed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.15 no.3 s.56
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• pp.228-235
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• 2005

Friction angle and cohesion of rock masses can be estimated from Hoek and Brown failure criterion and then plastic corrections can be applied using Mohr-Coulomb yield function. This study finds that this estimation procedure would not be appropriate for weak rock masses and for cases where low confining stress is expected to develop. A procedure is outlined in this paper for estimating plastic corrections directly from Hoek and Brown material model. Comparative study shows that direct procedure would simulate non-linear failure surface better than indirect procedure especially in the low confining stress regime.

• 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.14 no.2
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• pp.86-96
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• 2004

Rock mass classification methods such as RMR, Q system and GSl have been widely adopted with certain modifications for the design of mine openings. The GSI system is the only rock mass classification system that is related to Mohr-Coulomb and Hoek-Brown strength parameters and gives a simple method to calculate the engineering properties of rock masses which can be useful input parameters for a numerical analysis. A detailed surveying for GSI mapping as well as far calculating RMR values was undertaken at Daesung and Pyunghae underground limestone mining sites. RQD values were determined for row locations in these two mining sites. Based on GSI values and intact rock strength properties, the rock mass strength modulus of elasticity as well as the Mohr-Coulomb strength parameter c$_{m}$ and $\phi$$_{m}$ were determined. GSI and RMR are correlated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.172-183
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• 2019

The generalized Hoek-Brown (GHB) failure criterion developed by Hoek et al. (2002) is a nonlinear function which defines a stress condition at failure of rock mass. The relevant strength parameter values are systematically determined using the GSI value. Since GSI index is a value quantifying the condition of in-situ rock mass, the GHB criterion is a practical failure condition which can take into the consideration of in-situ rock mass quality. Considering that most rock mechanics engineers are familiar with the linear Mohr-Coulomb criterion and that many rock engineering softwares incorporate Mohr-Coulomb criterion, the equations for the equivalent friction angle and cohesion were also proposed along with the release of the GHB criterion. The proposed equations, however, fix the lower limit of the minor principal stress range, where the linear best-fitting is performed, with the tensile strength of the rock mass. Therefore, if the tensile stress is not expected in the domain of analysis, the calculated equivalent friction angle and cohesion based on the equations in Hoek et al. (2002) could be less accurate. In order to overcome this disadvantage of the existing equations for equivalent friction angle and cohesion, this study proposes the analytical formula which can calculate optimal equivalent friction angle and cohesion in any minor principal stress interval, and verified the accuracy of the derived formula.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.73-85
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• 2014

The strength parameters used in rock mass design are mainly estimated by equations using Hoek-Brown failure criterion because the tests to obtain the values are limited and expensive. To estimate the strength parameters, the Hoek-Brown failure criterion should be transformed to the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion. But the processes are more or less cumbersome due to the several stages including the computation and the analyzing steps. In this study, several rock states of various conditions were modeled and then the strength parameters were estimated using the Hoek-Brown failure criterion. Thereafter by analyzing the results, some charts and equations estimating the strength parameters through only one step or easily in the field using the values of RMC, the uniaxial compressive strength and the rock constant ($m_i$), were suggested. And then the suggested method was compared and discussed with the existing method.