• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.15-22
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• 2022

This study aims to observe the swelling representative rocks in Korea and to suggest improvements in the use of test methods and prior analysis in relation to the weathering of rocks. The swelling test and analysis were performed on the drilling cores obtained for the ground investigation at the domestic highway construction site. For the method of determining the absorption expansion index of rocks, the method proposed in "Standard Methods for Sample Collection and Specimen Preparation" of ISRM and Korean Rock Engineers Standard Rock Test Method was used. The specimen for the measurement of the expansion displacement was cylindrical with a height of 10 cm and a diameter of 5 cm. The existing swelling analysis method evaluates the sensitivity to weathering by using the maximum expansion displacement, but since the classification by bedrock grade is unclear, it is reasonable to use the rate of change of the expansion displacement according to the immersion time. It is necessary to conduct an experiment to distinguish between weathering and fault deterioration. In addition, long-term weathering prediction technology for each cancer type is needed through the expansion displacement analysis of the chemical weathering stage.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2008.03a
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• pp.848-857
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• 2008

In September 2007, the collapses of slopes and landslides are happened at Jeonlanamdo due to heavy rains accompanied with Typoon "Nari". The study area is the tunnel portal slope in new road construction site. This slope consists of pyroclastic rocks and has lots of faults. Particularly, the residual soils of the slope is deteriorated with yellowish mudstone layer as a results of chemical and physical weathering. This has a variety of swelling clay minerals and might be moved easily down at the gentle terrain. The inner factor of $\bigcirc\bigcirc$tunnel portal slope's collapse is the geological weak zone, the convergent topography, the inferiority of drainage and the heavy rain act on the failure as direct trigger.

• Nuclear Engineering and Technology
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• v.45 no.1
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• pp.41-52
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• 2013

Adequate design of engineered barriers, including canister, buffer and backfill, is important for the safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste. Three-dimensional computer simulations were carried out under different condition to examine the thermal and mechanical behavior of engineered barriers and rock mass. The research looked at five areas of importance, the effect of the swelling pressure, water content of buffer, density of compacted bentonite, emplacement type and the selection of failure criteria. The results highlighted the need to consider tensile stress in the outer shell of a canister due to thermal expansion of the canister and the swelling pressure from the buffer for a more reliable design of an underground repository system. In addition, an adequate failure criterion should be used for the buffer and backfill.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.339-350
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• 2007

Content, swelling, concentration, drainage of clay are critical factors that could control rock failures as well as discontinuous geological structures like faults and joints. Especially, the proportional components of clay minerals can be one of few direct indicators to a rock failure caused well by rainfall. Criticality of the role of clay mineral contents gets bigger in the slope and tunnel design. This study, using a horizontal boring core of pelitic/psammitic phyllite from the OO tunnel construction site, aims to investigate mineral composition changes related to fault distribution and their mechanical effects to the activity of these discontinuous layers (i.e., clay-filled fault layers), and eventually to define correlation among rock compositions, weathering products and rock instabilities. Field survey and lab tests were carried out for the composition and strength index of fault clay minerals within the core samples and microscopic analysis of fresh and weathered rock samples.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.20 no.8
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• pp.15-27
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• 2004

Sliding aspects of rock slope, where large-scaled tension cracks are induced during preliminary excavation, have been analyzed. Structure of rock mass is investigated by performing the electrical resistivity survey and the orientations and positions of discontinuities are measured from DOM-drilled core log. Geological evidence far primary failure movement has been detected and clay minerals which possess swelling properties are identified through XRD analysis. Slope stability is examined by considering the orientations of discontinuities and their trace distributions on the cut-face and neighboring natural slope surface. Both orientations and positions of failure-invoking discontinuity planes, traces of which are exposed within the anticipated sliding region, are concerned fur analyzing the preferred sliding directions. Regional sliding vectors are assessed based on the relative positions of potential sliding planes in the boreholes and the general trend of anticipated failure movement of rock slope is also investigated.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.193-213
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• 2020

A mathematical model to simulate more realistically the penetration of compacted bentonite buffer installed in the deposition hole into the discontinuity in the excavation damaged zone formed at the inner wall of the deposition hole in the geological repository for spent fuel is developed. In this model, the penetration of compacted bentonite is assumed to be the flow of Bingham fluid through the parallel planar rock fracture. The penetration of compacted bentonite is analyzed using the developed model. The results show that the maximum penetration depth of compacted bentonite into the rock fracture is proportioned to the swelling pressure of saturated compacted bentonite and the aperture of rock fracture. However, it is in inverse proportion to the yield strength of compacted bentonite. The viscosity of compacted bentonite dominates the penetration rate of compacted bentonite, but has no influence to the maximum penetration depth.

• Korean Journal of Environmental Agriculture
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.36-41
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• 2007

Phosphate-solubilizing microorganisms were isolated from soil around Kyungnam and Kyungbook regions using potato dextrose agar-calcium phosphate medium. A fungus with the greatest phosphate-solubilizing activity was selected and identified to Aspergillus sp. PS-104, based on the morphological characteristics of conidiophore and conidia; unbranching type of conidiophore, terminally swelling of conidiophore and septate of mycelium, in malt extract agar and potato dextrose agar media. The optimum temperature and initial pH to solubilize rock phosphate in potato dextrose broth-rock phosphate medium were $30^{\circ}C$ and pH 7.0, respectively. In these optimum conditions, phosphate-solubilizing activities of Aspergillus sp. PS-104 against four twos of insoluble phosphate, tricalcium phosphate, aluminium phosphate, hydroxyapatite and rock phosphate, were quantitatively determined. As result, the maximum phosphate-solubilizing activity was obtained with tricalcium-phosphate (1,900 ppm) while minimum activity was obtained with hydroxyapatite (320 ppm). Futhermore, phosphate-solubilizing activity of Aspergillus sp. PS-104 was found higher when treated with nitrates as compared to the ammonium salts as a nitrogen sources.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.5
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• pp.341-348
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• 2011

As a result of the detailed site investigation performed for the design of a 4.3 km long tunnel, geological anomalies of four fault zones and a rock boundary were discovered on the tunnel route. Most of all, it was confirmed that pyrite, which may corrode steel material, is contained inside the geological anomalies, and pressured ground water flows out of the fault fractured zone. To overcome these geological conditions, antisulfur concrete for the concrete lining and anticorrosive swelling rock bolts are designed in the pyrite-containing sections. For the sections where a great amount of groundwater outflows, water blocking methods including grouting are applied according to the result of numerical analyses on the seepage. In addition, since the past earthquakes occurred around Korea have take place mainly near fault zones, seismic analyses were performed based on the Soil-Structure Interaction (SSI) concept and the strength of concrete tunnel lining is designed to be 27 MPa from 24 MPa in order to reinforce the tunnel structure.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.30 no.6
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• pp.519-539
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• 2020

We reviewed numerical approaches to assess a hydraulic properties of excavation-disturbed zone (EDZ)created in argillaceous sedimentary rocks. It has been reported that fractures in the sedimentary rocks containing expansive clays are gradually closing due to swelling and their permeabilities are evolving to the level of in-tact rock, which is known as a self-healing or self-sealing process. The numerical approaches introduced here are capable of simulating spatio-temporal variation of EDZ permeability during long-term operation of a repository by including the self-healing characteristics of fractures, which wa observed in laboratory as well as in-situ experiments, The applicability of the numerical approaches was verified from the comparison to in-situ measurements of EDZ permeability at underground research laboratories.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.1
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• pp.71-87
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• 2024

In deep geological disposal of high-level radioactive waste, the surrounding rock at the immediate vicinity of the deposition hole may experience localized changes in permeability due to in-situ stress at depth, swelling pressure from resaturated bentonite buffer, and the heat generated from the decay of radioactive isotopes. In this study, experimental data on changes in permeability of granite, a promising candidate rock type in South Korea, were obtained by applying various confining pressures and temperature conditions expected in the actual disposal environment. By conducting the permeability test on KURT granite specimens under three or more hydrostatic pressure conditions, the relation in which the permeability decreases exponentially as the confining pressure increases was derived. The temperature-induced changes in permeability were found to be negligible at temperatures below the expected maximum of 90℃. In addition, by establishing a relation in which the initial permeability is proportional to the power of the initial porosity, it was possible to estimate permeability value for granite with a specific porosity under a certain confining pressure.