• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.428-441
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• 2013

Nowadays, a roadheader as a mechanical excavator is in high demand, especially for mines under various conditions and tunnels where TBMs are inapplicable. However, the records of roadheaders in Korea are seldom reported. Moreover, the number of countries with their intrinsic design and manufacturing technologies of roadheaders is very limited. Therefore, this study aimed to analyse the excavation principles of roadheader as well as its key design parameters for its optimized selection and design. In addition, the database with 143 world-widely collected roadheader design data was built, and a few statistical correlations were derived from it. A schematic procedure for roadheader design based on the database was also proposed.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.124-134
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• 2019

Subcritical crack growth in rock material can occur under monotonic and cyclic loading. Subcritical crack growth plays an important role in evaluating the long-term stability of structures in rocks. This paper presents the results of studies conducted to determine subcritical crack growth parameters under monotonic and cyclic loading in rock-like material. The constant stress rate method was employed for monotonic loading. The subcritical crack growth parameter of n under cyclic loading was determined by the relation between the rate of crack growth per cycle and stress intensity factor range. The specimens contained pre-existing flaws with 45 and 60 degrees of inclination angle and flaws spacing and continuity were varied to arrange crack growth in shear or tensile manner. The results show that the parameter of n is almost constant regardless of the applied load conditions such as monotonic and cyclic or shear and tension.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.255-268
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• 2018

Subsea tunnel can be highly vulnerable to seawater intrusion due to unexpected high-water pressure during construction. An artificial ground freezing (AGF) will be a promising alternative to conventional reinforcement or water-tightening technology under high-water pressure conditions. In this study, the freezing energy and required time was calculated by the theoretical model of the heat flow to estimate the total amount of refrigerant required for the artificial ground freezing. A lab-scale freezing chamber was devised to investigate changes in the thermal and mechanical properties of sandy soil corresponding to the variation of the salinity and water pressure. The freezing time was measured with different conditions during the chamber freezing tests. Its validity was evaluated by comparing the results between the freezing chamber experiment and the numerical analysis. In particular, the freezing time showed no significant difference between the theoretical model and the numerical analysis. The amount of refrigerant for artificial ground freezing was estimated from the numerical analysis and the freezing efficiency obtained from the chamber test. In addition, the energy ratio for maintaining frozen status was calculated by the proposed formula. It is believed that the energy ratio for freezing will depend on the depth of rock cover in the subsea tunnels and the water temperature on the sea floor.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.17 no.4
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• pp.473-485
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• 2015

The problems for non-rotating of a disc cutter proceed from the faults in inner parts of the disc cutter such as the leak of hydraulic fluid, the intrusion of tunnel mucks and water, overloading, overheating, poor assembly and substandard material. The rotating of a disc cutter is an indicator to show that the inner parts of disc cutter is operable, although the rotational torque depends on the extent of the damage. Therefore, the key in the problems for non-rotating of disc cutter is to maintain that the tapered roller bearings are working properly. This study aims to investigate the inner parts disassembled from disc cutters applied to the field tests in order to help decision for reuse of the disc cutters. As results, surface finishing to remove the scratch on the load zone of the hubs is needed, with the intent to reuse a hub. And the investigation of lapping surface by optical microscope of floating seals and the contamination test of oil need to be performed for reuse of a disc cutter. Especially, the analysis results show that the floating seals play a key role in the normal operation of bearings. There is nothing significant to report in the rest parts such as bearing, shaft, seal retainers.