• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.314-323
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• 2010

Recently, granular soils having a large particle size are frequently used as a filling material in the construction of foundation, harbor, dam, and so on. The shear behavior of this granular soil plays a key role in the stability of structures. For example, soil particle crushing occurring at the interface between structure and soil and/or within soil mass can cause the disturbance of ground characteristics and consequently induce an issues in respect of stability of structures. In order to investigate the shear behavior according to an existence and nonexistence of particle crushing, numerical analyses were conducted by using the DEM(Discrete Element Method)-based software program PFC(Particle Flow Code). Using the crushing model and non-crushing model which were created in this study, numerical analyses of ring shear test were conducted and their results were analyzed and compared. In general, landslide and slope stability are accompanied by a large displacement and consequently not only a peak strength but also a residual strength are very important in the analysis of landslide and slope stability. However the direct shear test which has been commonly used in the determination of shear strength parameters has a limitation on displacement therefore the residual strength parameters can not be obtained. The characteristics of residual shear behavior were investigated through the numerical analyses in this study.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.175-183
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• 2014

This study investigates the response of structures to tunnelling-induced ground movements in clay ground, varying tunnel excavation condition (tunnel depth and diameter), tunnel construction condition (ground loss), and tunnel ground condition (soft clay and stiff clay). Four-story block-bearing structures have been used because the structures can easily be characterized of the extent of damages with crack size and distribution. Numerical parametric studies have been used to investigate of the response of structures to varying tunnelling conditions. Numerical analysis has been conducted using Discrete Element Method (DEM) to have real cracks when the shear and tensile stress exceed the maximum shear and tensile strength. The results of structure responses from various parametric studies have been integrated to consider tunnel excavation condition, tunnel construction condition, and tunnel ground condition and provide a relationship chart among them. Using the chart, the response of structures to tunnelling can easily be evaluated in practice in clay ground.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.1541-1549
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• 2013

This study investigates the response of structures to tunnelling-induced ground movements in sand ground, varying tunnel excavation condition (tunnel depth and diameter), tunnel construction condition (ground loss), ground condition (loose sand and dense sand). Four-story block-bearing structures have been used because the structueres can easily be characterized of the extent of dmages with crack size and distribution. Numerical parametric studies have been used to investigae of the response of structures to varying tunnelling conditions. Numerical analysis has been conducted using Discrete Element Method (DEM) to have real cracks when the shear and tensile stress exceed the maximum shear and tensile strength. The results of structure responses from various parametric studies have been integrated to consider tunnel excavation condition, tunnel construction condition, and ground condition and provided as a relationship chart. Using the chart, the response of structures to tunnelling can easily be evaluated in practice in sand ground.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.227-236
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• 2020

Non-destructive exploration using elastic waves has been widely used to characterize rock mass properties. Wave propagation in jointed rock masses is significantly governed by the characteristics and orientation of discontinuities. The relationship between spatial heterogeneity (i.e., joint spacing) and wavelength for elastic waves propagating through jointed rock masses have been investigated previously. Discontinuous rock masses can be considered as an equivalent continuum material when the wavelength of the propagating elastic wave exceeds the spatial heterogeneity. However, it is unclear how stress-dependent long-wavelength elastic waves propagate through a repetitive rock-joint system with multiple joints. A preliminary numerical simulation was performed in in this study to investigate long-wavelength elastic wave propagation in regularly jointed rock masses using the three-dimensional distinct element code program. First, experimental studies using the quasi-static resonant column (QSRC) testing device are performed on regularly jointed disc column specimens for three different materials (acetal, aluminum, and gneiss). The P- and S-wave velocities of the specimens are obtained under various normal stress levels. The normal and shear joint stiffness are calculated from the experimental results using an equivalent continuum model and used as input parameters for numerical analysis. The spatial and temporal sizes are carefully selected to guarantee a stable numerical simulation. Based on the calibrated jointed rock model, the numerical and experimental results are compared.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.41 no.6
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• pp.675-686
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• 2021

This study investigated the ground displacement occurring in a slope below a waste-rock dumping site and estimated the likelihood of a disaster due to a landslide. To start with, photogrammetry was conducted by unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to investigate the size and extent of the ground displacement. From April 2019 to July 2020, the average error rate of the five UAV surveys was 0.011-0.034 m, and an elevation change of 2.97 m occurred due to the movement of the soil layer. Only some areas of the slope showedelevation change, and this was believed to be due to thegroundwater generated during rainfall rather than the effect of the waste-rock load at the top. Sensitivity analysis for LS-RAPID simulation was performed, and the simulation results were compared and analyzed by applying a digital elevation model (DEM) and a digital surface model (DSM)as terrain data with 10 m, 5 m, and 4 m grids. When data with high spatial resolution were used, the extent of the sedimentation of landslide material tended to be excessively expanded in the DEM. In contrast, in the result of applying a DSM, which reflects the topography in detail, the diffusion range was not significantly affected even when the spatial resolution was changed, and the sedimentation behavior according to the river shape could be accurately expressed. As a result, it was concluded that applying a DSM rather than a DEM does not significantly expand the sedimentation range, and results that reflect the site situation well can be obtained.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.421-432
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• 2020

Cutting of rocks is very common encountered in tunneling and mining during underground excavations. A deep understanding of rock-tool interaction can promote industrial applications significantly. In this paper, a distinct element method based approach, PFC^3D, is adopted to simulate the rock cutting under different operation conditions (cutting velocity, depth of cut and rake angle) and with various tool geometries (tip angle, tip wear and tip shape). Simulation results showed that the cutting force and accumulated number of cracks increase with increasing cutting velocity, cut depth, tip angle and pick abrasion. The number of cracks and cutting force decrease with increasing negative rake angle and increase with increasing positive rake angle. The numerical approach can offer a better insight into the rock-tool interaction during the rock cutting process. The proposed numerical method can be used to assess the rock cuttability, to estimate the cutting performance, and to design the cutter head.

• International Journal of Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.957-966
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• 2020

This paper presents the virtual mass method to implement the prediction of total resistance for ice-going ship in floe ice region based on the combined method of CFD and DEM. Two ways of floe ice distribution are adopted for the analysis and comparison. The synthetic ice model test has been conducted to determine the optimal virtual mass coefficients for the two different floe ice distributions. Moreover, the further verification and prediction are developed in different ice conditions. The results show that, the fixed and random distributions in numerical method can simulate the interaction of ship and ice vividly, the trend of total resistance varying with the speed and ice concentration obtained by the numerical simulation is consistent with the model test. The random distribution of floe ice has higher similarity and better accuracy than fixed distribution.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.6
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• pp.549-560
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• 2021

Forces exerted on a shield TBM (tunnel boring machine) such as cutter head torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and upward force are key factors determining TBM performance. However, the forces acting on the TBM when tunnelling the mixed ground have different tendencies compared to that of the uniform ground, which could impair TBM performance. In this study, the effect of mixed ground tunnelling was numerically investigated with torque, thrust force, chamber pressure, and upward force. A coupled discrete element method (DEM) and finite difference method (FDM) model for TBM driving model was used. This numerical study simulates TBM tunnelling in mixed ground composed of upper weathered granite soil and lower weathered rock. The effect on the force acting on the TBM according to the location and slope of the boundary of the mixed ground was numerically examined.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.3
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• pp.189-207
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• 2023

In the present study, the thermoshearing experiment on a rough rock fracture were modeled using a three-dimensional grain-based distinct element model (GBDEM). The experiment was conducted by the Korea Institute of Construction Technology to investigate the progressive shear failure of fracture under the influence of thermal stress in a critical stress state. The numerical model employs an assembly of multiple polyhedral grains and their interfaces to represent the rock sample, and calculates the coupled thermo-mechanical behavior of the grains (blocks) and the interfaces (contacts) using 3DEC, a DEM code. The primary focus was on simulating the temperature evolution, generation of thermal stress, and shear and normal displacements of the fracture. Two fracture models, namely the mated fracture model and the unmated fracture model, were constructed based on the degree of surface matedness, and their respective behaviors were compared and analyzed. By leveraging the advantage of the DEM, the contact area between the fracture surfaces was continuously monitored during the simulation, enabling an examination of its influence on shear behavior. The numerical results demonstrated distinct differences depending on the degree of the surface matedness at the initial stage. In the mated fracture model, where the surfaces were in almost full contact, the characteristic stages of peak stress and residual stress commonly observed in shear behavior of natural rock joints were reasonably replicated, despite exhibiting discrepancies with the experimental results. The analysis of contact area variation over time confirmed that our numerical model effectively simulated the abrupt normal dilation and shear slip, stress softening phenomenon, and transition to the residual state that occur during the peak stress stage. The unmated fracture model, which closely resembled the experimental specimen, showed qualitative agreement with the experimental observations, including heat transfer characteristics, the progressive shear failure process induced by heating, and the increase in thermal stress. However, there were some mismatches between the numerical and experimental results regarding the onset of fracture slip and the magnitudes of fracture stress and displacement. This research was conducted as part of DECOVALEX-2023 Task G, and we expect the numerical model to be enhanced through continued collaboration with other research teams and validated in further studies.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.33-41
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• 2003

The large planar failure has occurred in a rock cut slope of highway construction site in Boeun. This area is considered to be unstable since the discontinuity, whose orientation is similar to the orientation of the failure plane, is observed in many areas. Therefore, several analysis techniques such as SMR, stereographic analysis, limit equilibrium, numerical analysis, which are commonly used in rock slope stability analysis, are adopted in this area. In order to analyze the stress redistribution and nonlinear displacement caused by cut, which are not able to be obtained in limit equilibrium method, DEM and shear strength reduction technique were used in this study. Then the factors of safety evaluated by shear strength reduction technique and limit equilibrium were compared. In addition, the factor of safety under fully saturated slope condition was calculated and subsequently, the effect of the reinforcement was evaluated.