• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2006.03a
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• pp.1-11
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• 2006

To be design the slope, the area distributed the shale or mica schist which was metamorphosed by shale must carefully consider the stability. The shale has the detrital materials of which the grain size are 1/256mm and fissility. As the reason the slope of shale is always unstable by bedding slip and fissility but also the joint and fault. Mica schist is also another unstable rock for slope by schistosity, cleavage, axial plane of a fold etc. In general shale and mica schist contain the swelling clay minerals such as smectite, vermiculite and montmorillonite. These minerals make the slope unstable. At OO tunnel construction area for the rail way of the Kyungbu high speed train, the slope of mica schist is very unstable by the distribution phenomena of the discontinuous plane such as joints which are 1-5cm spacing and thrust and strike-slip fault. By the drilling core of this area, most RQD have 0-20%.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.31 no.4
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• pp.221-242
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• 2021

A numerical study of the performance assesment of coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) processes in improved Korean reference disposal system (KRS⁺) for high-level radioactive waste is conducted using TOUGH2-MP/FLAC3D simulator. Decay heat from high-level radioactive waste increases the temperature of the repository, and it decreases as decay heat is reduced. The maximum temperature of the repository is below a maximum temperature criterion of 100℃. Saturation of bentonite buffer adjacent to the canister is initially reduced due to pore water evaporation induced by temperature increase. Bentonite buffer is saturated 250 years after the disposal of high-level radioactive waste by inflow of groundwater from the surrounding rock mass. Initial saturation of rock mass decreases as groundwater in rock mass is moved to bentnonite buffer by suction, but rock mass is saturated after inflow of groundwater from the far-field area. Stress changes at rock mass are compared to the Mohr-Coulomb failure criterion and the spalling strength in order to investigate the potential rock failure by thermal stress and swelling pressure. Additional simulations are conducted with the reduced spacing of deposition holes. The maximum temperature of bentonite buffer exceeds 100℃ as deposition hole spacing is smaller than 5.5 m. However, temperature of about 56.1% volume of bentonite buffer is below 90℃. The methodology of numerical modeling used in this study can be applied to the performance assessment of coupled THM processes for high-level radioactive waste repositories with various input parameters and geological conditions such as site-specific stress models and geothermal gradients.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.228-243
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• 2023

Bentonite is widely recognized and utilized as a buffer material in high-level radioactive waste repositories, mainly due to its favorable characteristics such as swelling capability and low permeability. Bentonite buffers play an important role in ensuring the safe disposal of radioactive waste by providing a low permeability barrier and effectively preventing the migration of radionuclides into the surrounding rock. However, the long-term performance of bentonite buffers still remains a subject of ongoing research, and one of the main concerns is the erosion of the buffer induced by swelling and groundwater flow. The erosion of the bentonite buffer can significantly impact repository safety by compromising the integrity of buffer and leading to the formation of colloids that may facilitate the transport of radionuclides through groundwater, consequently elevating the risk of radionuclide migration. Therefore, it is very important to numerically quantify the erosion of bentonite buffer to evaluate the long-term performance of bentonite buffer, which is crucial for the safety assessment of high-level radioactive waste disposal. In this technical note, Two-region model is introduced, a proposed model to simulate the erosion behavior of bentonite based on a dynamic bentonite diffusion model, and quantitative evaluation is conducted for the bentonite buffer erosion with this model.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.10 no.2
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• pp.18-35
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• 2000

The most dominant type of landslide in Korea is debris flows which mostly take place along mountain slopes during the rainy season, July to August. The landslides have been reported to begin activation when rainfall is more than 200mm within 2days. The debris flows are usually followed by translational slips which occur upper part of mountain slopes and they transit to debris flow as getting down to the valleys. Lithology, location, slope inclination, grain size distribution of soil, permeability, dry density and porosity have been proved as triggering factor causing translational slides. The triggering data taken from mapping are statistically analysed to get landslide potential quantitatively. Rock mass creeps mostly occur on well bedded sedimentary rocks in Kyeongsang Basin. Although the displacement of rock mass creep is relatively small about 1m, the creep can cause severe hazards due to relatively large volume of the involved rock mass. Examples are rock mass creep occurred in the mouth of Hwangryongsan Tunnel, in Chilgok and in Sachon in 1999. Although the direct factor of the creeps are due to slope cutting at the foot area, more attention is required A rotational slide occurring within thick soil formation or weathered rock is also closely related to bottom part of slope cutting. It is propagated circular or semi-circular type. Especially in korea, the rotational slide may be frequently occurred in Tertiary tuff area. Because they are mainly composed of volcanic ash and pyroclastic materials, well developed joints and high degree of swelling and absorption can easily cause the slide. The landslide among the Pohang-Guryongpo national road is belong to this type of slide.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.455-468
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• 2022

Colloid Formation and Migration (CFM) project is being carried out within the Grimsel Test Site (GTS) Phase Ⅵ. Since 2008, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) has joined CFM to investigate the behavior of colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport in a generic Underground Research Laboratory (URL). The CFM project includes a long-term in-situ test (LIT) and an in-rock bentonite erosion test (i-BET) to assess the in-situ colloid-facilitated radionuclide transport through the bentonite erosion in the natural flow field. In the LIT experiment, radionuclide-containing compacted bentonite was equipped with a triple-packer system and then positioned at the borehole in the shear zone. It was observed that colloid transport was limited owing to the low swelling pressure and low hydraulic conductivity. Therefore, a postmortem analysis is being conducted to estimate the partial migration and diffusion of radionuclides. The i-BET experiment, that focuses more on bentonite erosion, was newly designed to assess colloid formation in another flow field. The i-BET experiment started with the placement of compacted bentonite rings in the double-packer system, and the hydraulic parameters and bentonite erosion have been monitored since December 2018.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.293-303
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• 2016

Underground $CO_2$ storage technology is one of the most effective methods to reduce atmospheric $CO_2$. In this study, $CO_2$ storage condition was simulated in the laboratory. Sandstone and shale specimens were saturated in 1M NaCl and were reacted at $45^{\circ}C$, 10 atm for 4 weeks. The physical and microstructural properties of rock specimens were measured. Variations on physical properties of shale specimens were bigger than those of sandstone specimens, such as volume, density, elastic wave velocity, Poisson's ratio and Young's modulus. Microstructure were analyzed using X-ray computed tomography. Total number of pores were decreased, and average volume, average area and average equivalent diameter of each pore were changed after $CO_2$ reaction. Swelling and leakage of clay mineral caused by $CO_2$-mineral reaction were the reason of changes. The results of this study can be applied to predict the physical and microstructural changes in underground $CO_2$ storage condition.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.264-273
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• 2011

Bentonite buffer is one of the major components of an engineered barrier for an HLW (High-Level Waste) repository. The bentonite buffer is significantly exposed to the decay heat from radioactive wastes, the inflow of groundwater from the surrounding rock of the repository, and the high swelling pressure of densely-compacted bentonite that comes in contact with the groundwater. Therefore, it is essential to understand the THM (Thermal-Hydro-Mechanical) behavior of the bentonite buffer and to acquire the input data of its related constitutive models for the performance and safety assessment of an HLW repository. This paper analyzed the THM properties which have been obtained by conducting laboratory tests with a candidate buffer material for a Korean HLW repository. Moreover the formulation recipe of the reference bentonite buffer was defined on the basis of functional criteria, thus suggesting the THM properties which correspond to the formulation recipe of the reference bentonite buffer.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.19 no.5
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• pp.393-405
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• 2019

This paper evaluates the geotechnical and geo-engineering properties of the South Pars Zone (SPZ) marls in Assalouyeh, Iran. These marly beds mostly belong to the Aghajari and Mishan formations which entail the gray, cream, black, green, dark red and pink types. Marls can be observed as rock (soft rock) or soil. Marlstone outcrops show a relatively rapid change to soils in the presence of weathering. To geotechnically characterise the marls, field and laboratory experiments such as particle-size distribution, hydrometer, Atterberg limits, uniaxial compression, laboratory direct-shear, durability and carbonate content tests have been performed on soil and rock samples to investigate the physico-mechanical properties and behaviour of the SPZ marls in order to establish empirical relations between the geo-engineering features of the marls. Based on the experiments conducted on marly soils, the USCS classes of the marls is CL to CH which has a LL ranging from 32 to 57% and PL ranging from 18 to 27%. Mineralogical analyses of the samples revealed that the major clay minerals of the marls belong to the smectite or illite groups with low to moderate swelling activities. The geomechanical investigations revealed that the SPZ marls are classified as argillaceous lime, calcareous marl and marlstone (based on the carbonate content) which show variations in the geomechanical properties (i.e., with a cohesion ranging from 97 to 320 kPa and a friction angle ranging from 16 to 35 degrees). The results of the durability tests revealed that the degradation potential showed a wide variation from none to fully disintegrated. According to the results of the experiments, the studied marls have been classified as calcareous marl, marlstone and argillaceous lime due to the variations in the carbonate and clay contents. The results have shown that an increase in the carbonate content leads to a decrease in the degradation potential and an increase in the density and strength parameters such as durability and compressive strength. A comparison of the empirical relationships obtained from the regression analyses with similar studies revealed that the results obtained herein are reasonably reliable.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.1
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• pp.20-32
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• 2011

Failure aspects of cut-slope, which induce the sequential collapses during the excavation stage, have been analyzed. Slope rock structures are investigated by examining the orientations and positions of discontinuity planes calculated based on the BIPS image inside the boreholes. Drilled core log has been also used to identify the structural defects. Clay minerals of swelling potentials are detected through XRD analysis. Numerical analysis for slope stability has been performed by utilizing the joint shear strength acquired from the direct joint shear test. Cut-slope collapse characteristics have been studied by investigating the posture of failure-prawn joint planes and the stability of tetrahedral blocks of different sizes. Cross-section analysis has been also performed to analyze the cut-slope behavior and to estimate the amount of reinforcement required to secure the stability of cut-slope. Behavior of reinforced cut-slope is also investigated by analyzing the slope monitoring data.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 2000.04b
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• pp.77-84
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• 2000

In this paper, the stress analysis of the cast iron insert of spent nuclear fuel disposal canister in a deep repository at 500m underground is done for the underground pressure variation. Since the nuclear fuel disposal usually emits much heat and radiation, its careful treatment is required. And so a long term safe repository at a deep bedrock is used. Under this situation, the canister experiences some mechanical external loads such as hydrostatic pressue of underground water, swelling pressure of bentonite, sudden rock movement etc.. Hence, the canister should be designed to withstand these loads. The cast iron insert of the canister mainly supports these loads. Therefore, the stress analysis of the cast iron insert is done to determine the design variables such as the diameter versus length of canister and the number and array type of inner baskets in this paper, The linear static structural analysis is done using the finite element analysis method. And the finite element analysis code, NISA, is used for the computation.