• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.1
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• pp.63-75
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• 2020

When tunnel is excavated via drilling and blasting, the excessive overbreak is the primary cause of personal or equipment safety hazards and increasing the cost of the tunnel operation owing to additional ground supports such as shotcrete. The practical management of overbreak is extremely difficult due to the complex causative mechanism of it. The study examines the relationship between rock mass characteristics (unsupported face condition, uniaxial compressive strength, face weathering and alteration, discontinuities- frequency, condition and angle between discontinuities and tunnel contour) and the depth of overbreak through using feed-forward artificial neuron networks. Then, Overbreak Resistance Factor (ORF) has been developed based on the weights of rock mass parameters to the overbreak phenomenon. Also, a new concept of tunnel overbreak management system using ORF has been suggested.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.30 no.4
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• pp.363-372
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• 2022

One of the most frequent issues in tunnel excavation is the collapse of rock blocks and the dropping of rock fragments from the tunnel face. The tunnel face can be reinforced using a number of techniques. One of the most popular and affordable solutions is the use of face longitudinal dowels, which has benefits including high strength, flexibility, and ease of cutting. In order to examine the reinforced face, this work shows the longitudinal deformation profile and ground response curve for a tunnel face. This approach is based on assumptions made during the analysis phase of problem solving. By knowing the tunnel face response and dowel behavior, the interaction of two elements can be solved. The rock element equation derived from the rock bolt method is combined with the dowel differential equation to solve the reinforced ground response curve (GRC). With a straightforward and accurate analytical equation, the new differential equation produces the reinforced displacement of the tunnel face at each stage of excavation. With simple equations and a less involved computational process, this approach offers quick and accurate solutions. The FLAC3D simulation has been compared with the suggested analytical approach. A logical error is apparent from the discrepancies between the two solutions. Each component of the equation's effect has also been described.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.86 no.5
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• pp.621-633
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• 2023

Stability analysis and support system estimation of the Beheshtabad water transmission tunnel is investigated in this research. A combination approach based on the rock mass rating (RMR) and rock mass quality index (Q) is used for this purpose. In the first step, 40 datasets related to the petrological, structural, hydrological, physical, and mechanical properties of tunnel host rocks are measured in the field and laboratory. Then, RMR, Q, and height of influenced zone above the tunnel roof are computed and sorted into five general groups to analyze the tunnel stability and determine its support system. Accordingly, tunnel stand-up time, rock load, and required support system are estimated for five sorted rock groups. In addition, various empirical relations between RMR and Q i.e., linear, exponential, logarithmic, and power functions are developed using the analysis of variance (ANOVA). Based on the significance level (sig.), determination coefficient (R²) and Fisher-test (F) indices, power and logarithmic equations are proposed as the optimum relations between RMR and Q. To validate the proposed relations, their results are compared with the results of previous similar equations by using the variance account for (VAF), root mean square error (RMSE), mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and mean absolute error (MAE) indices. Comparison results showed that the accuracy of proposed RMR-Q relations is better than the previous similar relations and their outputs are more consistent with actual data. Therefore, they can be practically utilized in designing the tunneling projects with an acceptable level of accuracy and reliability.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.31 no.2C
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• pp.83-92
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• 2011

Elastic modulus in rockmass is an important factor to represent the characteristic of rock deformation and is used to estimate the displacement due to tunnel excavation. Nevertheless, the study to estimate the elastic modulus, which condisiders the rock type and joint characteristics (joint shear strength and joint inclination angle), has been done in less frequency. Accordingly, this study is aimed at providing the method to estimate the elastic modulus of rockmass in the various rock and joint conditons and the results grasped from the study. For this purpose, the 2D discrete numerical analysis will be carried out and the displacements due to tunnel excavation will be investigated with the consideration of rock and joint conditions. Then the displacement results will be used to estimate the elastic modulus of rockmass in which rock and joint conditions are considered with the utilization of the elastic theory of circular tunnel. The results of elastic modulus, which considers the conditions of various rock and joint, would be expected to have a great practical use in field.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.1 s.66
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• pp.43-55
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• 2007

An underground research tunnel, KURT, was constructed at Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, for various in situ validation experiments related to the development of a high-level radioactive waste disposal system. KURT, which has length of 255 m (access tunnel 180 m and research modules 75 m) and size of $6m{\times}6m$ was excavated in a cryatalline rock mass. In the KURT project, different rock mechanics studies had been carried out during the concept design, site characterization, detailed design, and construction stages. From the geophysical survey, borehole investigation, and rock property tests in laboratory and in situ, the rock and rock mass properties required for the mechanicsl stability analysis of KURT could be achieved and used for the input parameters of computer simulations. In this paper, important results from the rock mechanics studies at KURT and the three-dimensional mechanical stability analysis will be introduced.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2003.03a
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• pp.13-30
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• 2003

In this paper, a new systematic method will be introduced, in which a Rock-mass Prediction System(RPS) predicts the geological conditions and rock mass movements before tunnel excavation and the appropriate counter-measures are taken in the expected weak zones during tunnel construction. The Rock-mass Prediction System(RPS) consists of the LIM, a horizontal core drilling and a seismic exploration method(TSP/HSP). In the Rock-mass Prediction System(RPS), the seismic exploration method (TSP/HSP) gives information on the locations of the weak zones such as major faults and voids in wide-range, and the horizontal core drillings are utilized to find exact location and widths of the faults or voids near the weak zones which was predicted by the seismic exploration method (TSP/HSP). The LIM is used to find the hardness of the rock mass and small weak zones near the excavation face. The Rock-mass Prediction System (RPS) was successfully applied to the Sol-An Tunnel and the effectiveness of the system was verified.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.8
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• pp.23-28
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• 2022

In Korea, 70% of the land is mountainous and structures occupy a high proportion in railway and road construction. In particular, in recent years, the construction of high-speed railways and highways for high-speed driving is rapidly increasing. At the same time, the construction of tunnels is also increasing. The number of tunnel construction cases in which long-term deformation occurs after tunnel excavation is completed is increasing. The stability of these tunnel structures depends entirely on the characteristics of the rock surrounding the tunnel excavation. In the case of pyroclastic rock, which is the subject of this study, it is generally vulnerable to weathering and has a characteristic that its strength decreases over a long period of time. Tunnel design and construction planning considering the strength characteristics of pyroclastic rocks are essential. This study analyzed the cases of over-deformation that occurred at the tunnel site in the pyroclastic section. Based on this study, a plan for tunnel design and construction management in an area where pyroclastic rock exist in the future is presented.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.280-287
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• 2013

Finite element or difference methods are applied to the analysis of the tunnel stability and they provide detailed behaviour of analyzed tunnel sections but it is rather inefficient to analyze all the section of tunnel by using these methods. In this study, the authors suggest a new stability analysis method for whole tunnel to provide an efficient and easy way to understand the behaviour of whole tunnel by using an analytical solution with the assumption of equivalent circular tunnel. The mechanical behaviour, radial strain and plastic zone radius of whole tunnel were analyzed and appropriate support pressure to maintain the displacement within the allowable limit was suggested after the application of this method to the tunnel. Consequently, it was confirmed that this method can provide quick analysis of the whole tunnel stability and the quantitative information for subsequent measures such as selection of tunnel sections for detailed numerical analysis, set up of the monitoring plan, and so on.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.671-683
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• 2017

Groundwater control is a significant issue in most underground construction. An estimate of the inflow rate is required to size the pumping system, and treatment plant facilities for construction planning and cost assessment. An estimate of the excavation-induced drawdown of the initial groundwater level is required to evaluate potential environmental impacts. Analytical and empirical methods used in current engineering practice do not adequately account for the effect of the jointed-rock-mass anisotropy and heterogeneity. The impact of geostructural anisotropy of fractured rocks on tunnel inflows is addressed and the limitations of analytical solutions assuming isotropic hydraulic conductivity are discussed. In this paper the unexcavated Zagros tunnel route has been classified from groundwater flow point of view based on the combination of observed water inflow and numerical modeling results. Results show that, in this hard rock tunnel, flow usually concentrates in some areas, and much of the tunnel is dry. So the remaining unexcavated Zagros tunnel route has been categorized into three categories including high Risk, moderately risk and low risk. Results show that around 60 m of tunnel (3%) length can conduit the large amount of water into tunnel and categorized into high risk zone and about 45% of tunnel route has moderately risk. The reason is that, in this tunnel, most of the water flows in rock fractures and fractures typically occur in a clustered pattern rather than in a regular or random pattern.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.16 no.4 s.63
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• pp.313-325
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• 2006

In this study, scaled model tests were performed to investigate the deformation behaviors around tunnels located in anisotropic rocks. Fifteen types of test models which had respectively different joint angles and rock pressure conditions were made, where the modelling materials were the mixture of sand, plaster and water. All of the tested models showed the shear failure mechanism at the stress-concentrated regions and sliding phenomena according to the joint planes. The direction of joint inclination turned out to have great effect on the tunnel deformation behaviors. The models of joint inclination less than $30^{\circ}$ showed considerable floor heavings. The model of $50^{\circ}$ joint inclination showed the least tunnel convergence among the tested models regardless of rock pressure condition, so that it was thought as the most stable model. Furthermore, the failure mechanisms and deformation behaviors of tunnel models were strongly dependent on the coefficient of rock pressure.