• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.39-50
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• 1997

Reference concepts for the disposal of spent nuclear fuel and the current status of underground rock laboratory were studied. An analysis to simulate the deep disposal of spent nuclear fuel in saturated rock mass was conducted. Main input parameters for numerical study were determined based on the KBS-3 concept. A series of results showed that the temperature distribution around a cavern reached the maximum value at about 10 years after the emplacement of spent fuel. The maximum temperature at the surface of canister was more than about 12$0^{\circ}C$ at about 4 years. This temperature was not much higher than the temperature criteria to meet the performance criteria of an artificial barrier in the KBS-3 concept. The maximum upward displacement due to the heat generation of spent fuel was about 0.9cm at about 10 years after the emplacement of spent fuel. It turned out that the vertical displacement became smaller with the decrease in heat generation of a canister. The quantity of groundwater inflow into a disposal tunnel increased by about 1.6 times at 20 years after the emplacement of spent fuel with the increase of pore pressure around a cavern.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.28 no.5
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• pp.476-492
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• 2018

In this study, various laboratory experiments were conducted on tuff, basalt and diorite specimens, which were obtained in the southern part of Korean Peninsula. Experiments were performed under dry and water saturated conditions. Results showed that strength degradation and change of deformation characteristics were remarkable although the specimens had small porosity. Based on the results, regression models that are capable of predicting important mechanical rock properties, such as uniaxial compressive strength, Young's modulus, Brazilian tensile strength were proposed. P-wave velocity and Shore hardness were selected as independent variables and the results showed satisfactory prediction performance for the experimental data collected in this study.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2007.06a
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• pp.291-296
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• 2007

We measured potential waveform of load, displacement, micro electric signal generated by rock and mortar fracture using PXI A/D Converter. The rock type used for measurement was used granite, limestone and sandstone, and mortar specimen. we made measuring equipment of physical properties to confirm basic information of physical properties, measured physical properties of rock engineering, electric resistivity and seismic velocity. Potential waveform system was built using PXI A/D Converter and measured potential waveform of load, displacement, micro-electric signal generated using this during uniaxial compressive test by the specimen finished such test of physical properties. Using the saturated rock and mortar specimen, micro electric signal increased, and It didn't increase a signal in dried rock and mortar specimen according as load and strain rate increases. But signal also increased in saturated or dried specimen in case of sandstone. It was possible to check the close correlation relationship the signal and fracture behavior by a compressive load as the signal of fracture position was increased bigger than the other position. It was also possible to check the correlation relationship between physical properties and micro geo-electric signal.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2000.10a
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• pp.281-288
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• 2000

Three-dimensional dynamic analysis of underground openings subjected to explosive loadings considering the effects of water saturation is carried out in this study. The problem considered in this study is an unlined circular tunnel subjected to a finite cylindrical charge placed at the center of the proposed tunnel. The surrounding rock mass is assumed to be the limestone with 13.5% of porosity. Two calculations are compared using an identical explosive charge; the first in dry rock of 13.5% porosity, the second in the identical rock, but in a fully saturated condition. It is shown that underground openings in saturated porous medium could be significantly more vulnerable to the potential damages associated with high motions and shear failure than those in dry medium.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.25 no.2
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• pp.159-170
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• 2021

Particle size of tailings in different areas of dams varies due to sedimentation and separation. Saturated hydraulic conductivity of high-stacked talings materials are seriously affected by void ratio and particle breakage. Conjoined consolidation permeability tests were carried out using a self-developed high-stress permeability and consolidation apparatus. The hydraulic conductivity decreases nonlinearly with the increase of consolidation pressure. The seepage pattern of coarse-particle tailings is channel flow, and the seepage pattern of fine-particle tailings is scattered flow. The change rate of hydraulic conductivity of tailings with different particle sizes under high consolidation pressure tends to be identical. A hydraulic conductivity hysteresis is found in coarse-particle tailings. The hydraulic conductivity hysteresis is more obvious when the water head is lower. A new hydraulic conductivity-void ratio equation was derived by introducing the concept of effective void ratio and breakage index. The equation integrated the hydraulic conductivity equation with different particle sizes over a wide range of consolidation pressures.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2005.03a
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• pp.627-632
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• 2005

In this study, a series of large-scale oedometer tests was performed to investigate the compressibility of rock fill materials. The testing samples were prepared to have three different grain size distributions and for each distribution, exist in two different states(dried and saturated). The test results indicated that particle breakages occurred mainly for the particles larger than 4.75mm in size and increased with increasing grain sizes. Also, it was found that, for a dry sample as it became well-graged, its compressibility decreased and accordingly, its tangent constrained modulus increased. A comparion between the samples in dry and saturated states revealed that compressibility of the materials increases with increasing water content. The values of tangent constrained modulus calculated for the tested dry samples were larger by about 10 to 20%, on average, than those for the saturated samples.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.25-32
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• 2004

We have carried out laboratory measurements of P-wave velocity and deformation strain during $CO_2$ injection into a porous sandstone sample, in dry and water-saturated conditions. The rock sample was cylindrical, with the axis normal to the bedding plane, and fluid injection was performed from one end. Using a piezoelectric transducer array system, we mapped fluid movement during injection of distilled water into dry sandstone, and of gaseous, liquid, and supercritical $CO_2$ into a water-saturated sample. The velocity changes caused by water injection ranged from $5.61\;to\;7.52\%$. The velocity changes caused by $CO_2$ injection are typically about $-6\%$, and about $-10\%$ for injection of supercritical $CO_2$, Such changes in velocity show that the seismic method may be useful in mapping $CO_2$ movement in the subsurface. Strain normal to the bedding plane was greater than strain parallel to the bedding plane during $CO_2$ injection; injection of supercritical $CO_2$ showed a particularly strong effect. Strain changes suggest the possibility of monitoring rock mass deformation by using borehole tiltmeters at geological sequestration sites. We also found differences associated with $CO_2$ phases in velocity and strain changes during injection.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.9 no.3
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• pp.243-251
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• 1999

Granitic rock, by its nature, contains numerous micro-discontinuities including grain boundary, microcracks, microcavities and mineral cleavages. The brittle fracture of rock is a progressive procedure in which the failure occurs with prior microcracking. In this paper, initiation, propagation and interaction of microcracks are considered to be the dominant, controlling micromechanisms of macroscopic failure. The authors show a few patterns of microcrack initiation and propagation by using sequential photographs of water-saturated granite taken under triaxial compressive state. The failure process was observed directly and continuously by a newly developed triaxial compressive test system.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.305-312
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• 2017

The most effective way to distinguish subsurface interfaces that produce various geophysical responses is through the integration of multiple geophysical methods, with each method detecting both a complementary and unique set of distinct physical properties relating to the subsurface. In this study, shallow seismic reflection (SSR) and ground penetrating radar (GPR) surveys were conducted at the Cheongju-Gadeok site of the Korea National Groundwater Monitoring Network to map the water table, which was measured at 12 m depth during the geophysical surveys. The water table proved to be a good target reflector in both datasets, as the abrupt transition from the overlying unsaturated weathered rock to the underlying saturated weathered rock yielded large acoustic impedance and dielectric constant contrasts. The two datasets were depth converted and integrated into a single section, with the SSR and GPR surveys conducted to ensure subsurface imaging at approximately the same wavelength. The GPR data provided detailed information on the upper ~15 m of the section, whereas the SSR data imaged structures at depths of 10-45 m. The integrated section thus captured the full depth coverage of the sandy clay, water table, weathered rock, soft rock, and hard rock structures, which correlated well with local drillcore and water table observations. Incorporation of these two geophysical datasets yielded a synthetic section that resembled a simplified aquifer model, with the best-fitting seismic velocity, dielectric constant, and porosity of the saturated weathered layer being $v_{seismic}=1000m/s$, ${\varepsilon}_r=16$, and ${\phi}=0.32$, respectively.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.219-225
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• 2008

To obtain the input data for the design and long-tenn performance assessment of a high-level waste repository, the thermal conductivities of several granite rocks which were taken from the rock cores from the declined borehole were measured. The rock specimens were sampled at the various depths from the surface, and the thermal conductivity was measured under the dry and water-saturated conditions. Under the dry condition, the thermal conductivities of the granite rocks decrease with increasing porosity and range from 2.1 W/mK to 3.1 W/mK. The water-saturated rock samples showed greater thermal conductivities than the dry samples, and the thermal conductivities of the granite rocks range from 2.9 W/mK 3.6 W/mK. The anisotropy effects on the thermal conductivity of granite of the site seem to be insignificant.