• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.22 no.11
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• pp.55-64
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• 2006

It is very Important to predict the damage zone of a rock mass induced by blasting for the excavation of an underground cavity such as a tunnel, as the damage zones incur mechanical and hydraulic instability of the rock mass potentially. Complicated blasting processes that can hinder the proper characterization of the damage zone can be effectively represented by two loading mechanisms. The first mechanism is the dynamic impulsive load-generating stress waves that radiate outwards immediately after detonation. This load creates a crushed annulus along with cracks around the blasthole. The second is the gas pressure that remains for an extended time after detonation. As the gas pressure reopens some arrested cracks and extends these, it contributes to the final structure of the damage zone induced by the blasting. This paper presents a simple method to evaluate the damage zone induced by gas pressure during rock blasting. The damage zone is characterized by analyzing crack propagations from the blasthole. To do this, a model of a blasthole with a number of radial cracks that are equal in length in a homogeneous infinite elastic plane is considered. In this model, crack propagation is simulated through the use of only two conditions: a crack propagation criterion and the mass conservation of the gas. The results show that the stress intensity factor of a crack decreases as the crack propagates from the blasthole, which determines the crack length. In addition, it was found that the blasthole pressure continues to decrease during crack propagation.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.1-17
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• 2021

It is important to evaluate the fracture network in a rock volume because fractures control the ground conditions and fluid flow characteristics. Therefore, various attempts have been made to quantify fracture networks to better understand ground and flow conditions. The use of fracture density alone (a quantitative parameter based on geometric analysis) does not fully explain the evolution of fracture networks, or quantify the spatial relationship (e.g. connectivity) of fractures in a rock mass. Therefore, the need for fracture network characterization based on topological analysis has recently emerged. In Korea however, the topological analysis of fracture networks within a rock mass has rarely been studied. As such, the definition of the topological analysis of fracture networks and the graph theory related to the topological analysis are briefly summarized in this study. We also introduce an application method for these analyses to fracture characterization. If the topological method is used for the analysis of fracture networks, it can also be adopted to analyze fluid flow characteristics of groundwater, characterize petroleum reservoirs, and analyze the evolution of a fracture network. In addition, topological analysis can be useful for site selection of major facilities such as nuclear waste disposal sites because it can be used to evaluate the stability of the potential sites.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.117-127
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• 2011

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate the effect of in-situ rock stresses on the deformability and permeability of fractured rocks. Geological data were taken from the site investigation at Forsmark, Sweden, conducted by Swedish Nuclear Fuel and Waste Man-agement Company (SKB). A set of numerical experiments was conducted to determine the equivalent mechanical properties (essentially, elastic moduli and Poisson's ratio) and permeability, using a Discrete Fracture Network-Discrete Element Method (DFN-DEM) approach. The results show that both mechanical properties and permeability are highly dependent on stress because of the hyperbolic nature of the stiffness of fractures, different closure behavior of fractures, and change of fluid pathways caused by deformation. This study shows that proper characterization and consideration of in-situ stress are important not only for boundary conditions of a selected site but also for the understanding of the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of fractured rocks.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.381-391
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• 2011

Weathering can reduce rock strength and eventually affect the structural stability of a rock mass, which is important in the field of engineering geology. Several methods have been developed to evaluate the degree of weathering, including the chemical weathering index. In this study, we analyzed the weathering degree and characteristics of microtextures and pores in crystalline rocks (gneiss and granites) based on petrographic observations, the chemical weathering index, mineralogy by XRD, microtextural analysis by SEM/EDS, measurements of pore size and surface area by the BET method, and microporosity by X-ray CT. The formation of secondary minerals and microtexture in gneiss and granitic rocks are assumed to be affected by complex processes such as dissolution, precipitation, and fracturing. Hence, it is clear that some chemical weathering indices that are based solely on whole-rock chemistry (e.g., CIA and CWI) are unable to provide reliable assessments of the degree of weathering. Great care is needed to evaluate the degree of chemical weathering, including an understanding of the mineralogy and microtexture of the rock mass, as well as the characteristics of micropores.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.1-13
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• 1996

The fracture transmissivity($T_f$) is the most important parameter of fracture in assessing groundwater flow in fractured rock masses by using the DFN(Discrete Fracture Network) modeling. $T_f$, the most sensitive parameter m DFN modeling, is dependent upon aperture, size and filling characteristics of each fracture set. In the field test, the accuracy of $T_f$ can be increased with Borehole Acoustic Scanning (Televiewer) and Fixed Interval Length(FIL) test in constant head. $T_f$ values measured from FIL test was modified and estimated by each fracture set on the basis of the Cubic Law and the information of aperture and filling characteristics obtained from Televiewer. The modified $T_f$ results in the increase of confidence and reliability of modeling results including the amount of tunnel inflow.And, this approach would reduce the uncertaintity of the assessment for groundwater flow in fractured rock masses using the DFN modeling.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.13 no.6
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• pp.465-475
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• 2003

Groundwater inflow into the caverns constructed in fractured rock mass was simulated by numerical modeling, NAPSAC (DFN, discrete fracture network model) and NAMMU (CPM, continuous porous media model), a finite-element software package for groundwater flow in 3D fractured media developed by AEA Technology, UK. The input parameters for modeling were determined on surface fracture survey, core logging and single hole hydraulic test data. In order to predict the groundwater inflow more accurately, the anisotropic hydraulic conductivity was considered. The anisotropic hydraulic conductivities were calculated from the fracture network properties. With a minor adjustment during model calibration, the numerical modeling is able to reproduce reasonably groundwater inflows into cavern and the travel length and times to the ground surface along the flow paths in the normal, dry and rainy seasons.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.6
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• pp.516-523
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• 2016

Roughness of a joint surface is one of the most important parameters that affects the mechanical and hydraulic behavior of rock mass. Therefore, various studies on making constitutive model and/or roughness quantification have been conducted in experimental and empirical manners. Advances in recent 3D printing technology can be utilized to generate a joint surface with a specific roughness. In this study, a reliable technique to generate a rough joint surface was introduced and its quantitative assessment was made. Random midpoint displacement method was applied to generate a joint surface and the distribution of $Z_2$ was investigated to assess its roughness. As a result, a certain roughness can be embodied by controlling input parameters and furthermore it was able to generate a joint surface with specific roughness anisotropy.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.51 no.4
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• pp.309-322
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• 2018

Naturally occurring asbestos (NOA) occurs in rocks and soils as a result of natural weathering and human activities. It is proved that inhalation of asbestos fibers can lead to increase risk of developing several diseases such as lung cancer and malignant mesothelioma. The parent rocks of asbestos have been mainly associated with (ultra)mafic and carbonate rock. The previous studies on NOA were mainly limited to (ultra)mafic rock-hosted asbestos, but studies on carbonate rock-hosted asbestos are relatively rare in S. Korea. Therefore, this study was aimed to examine mineralogical characteristics of carbonate rock-hosted NOA at three sites including Muju and Jangsu, Jeonbuk province and Asan, Chungnam province. Types of rocks at the three sites mainly consisted of Precambrian metasedimentary rocks, carbonate rock, and Cretaceous and Jurassic granites. Asbestos-containing carbonate rock samples were obtained for mineralogical characterization. XRD, PLM, EPMA, SEM and EDS analyses were used to characterize mineralogical characteristics of the carbonate rock-hosted NOA. From the carbonate rock, fibrous minerals were occurred acicular and columnar forms in the three sites. Fibrous minerals were composed of mainly tremolite and associated minerals included possibly asbestos containing materials (ACM) such as talc, vermiculite, and sepiolite. The length and aspect ratios of tremolite were similar to the standard asbestiform (length >$5{\mu}m$, length:width = 3:1). These results indicate that both non-asbestiform and asbestiform tremolite with acicular forms occurred in carbonate rocks at three sites. Geological and geochemical characteristics and mineral assemblages indicate tremolite and associated minerals might be formed by hydrothermal alternation and/or hydrothermal veins of carbonate rocks due to intrusion of acidic igneous rocks.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.03a
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• pp.1409-1416
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• 2010

It is essential to predict a blasting-induced excavation damage zone (EDZ) beyond the proposed excavation line of a tunnel because the unwanted damage area requires extra support system for tunnel safety. Complicated blasting process which may hinder a proper characterization of the damage zone can be effectively represented by two loading mechanisms. The one is a dynamic impulsive load generating stress waves outwards immediately after detonation. The other is a gas pressure that remains for a relatively long time. Since the gas pressure reopens up the arrested cracks and continues to extend some cracks, it contributes to the final formation of EDZ induced by blasting. This paper presents the simple method to evaluate EDZ induced by gas pressure during blasting in rock. The EDZ is characterized by analyzing crack propagation from the blasthole. To do this, a model of the blasthole with a number of radial cracks of equal length in an infinite elastic plane is considered. In this model, the crack propagation is simulated by using three conditions, the crack propagation criterion, the mass conservation of the gas, and the adiabatic condition. As a result, the stress intensity factor of the crack generally decreases as crack propagates from the blasthole so that the length of the crack is determined. In addition, the effect of rock properties, initial number of cracks, and the adiabatic exponent are investigated.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.18 no.spc
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• pp.51-62
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• 2020

In this paper, an approach developed by the Finnish nuclear waste management organization, Posiva, for the construction license of a geological repository was reviewed. Furthermore, a computer program based on the approach was developed. By using the computer program, the lifetime of a copper disposal canister, which was a key engineered barrier of the geological repository, was predicted under the KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT) geologic conditions. The computer program was developed considering the mass transport of corroding agents, such as oxygen and sulfide, through the buffer and backfill. Shortly after the closure of the repository, the corrosion depths of a copper canister due to oxygen in the pores of the buffer and backfill were calculated. Additionally, the long-term corrosion of a copper canister due to sulfide was analyzed in two cases: intact buffer and eroded buffer. Under various conditions of the engineered barrier, the corrosion lifetimes of the copper canister due to sulfide significantly exceeded one million years. Finally, this study shows that it is necessary to carefully characterize the transmissivity of rock and sulfide concentration during site characterization to accurately predict the canister lifetime.