• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.17 no.5
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• pp.372-380
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• 2007

Surface damage due to subsidence is an inevitable consequence of underground mining, which may be immediate or delayed for many years. The surface damage due to abandoned underground mine is observed to be two subsidence types such as simple sinkhole or trough formation to a large scale sliding of the ground from with in the subsided area. An evaluation of the risk of a subsidence occurrence is vital in the areas affected by mining subsidence. For a subsidence prediction or a risk evaluation, there has been used various methods using empirical models, profile functions, influence functions and numerical models. In this study, a simple but efficient evaluation method of subsidence hazard is suggested, which is based on a diffusion theory and uses just information about geometry of caving and topography. The diffusion model has an analogous relationship with granular model which can explain a mechanism of subsidence. The diffusion model is applied for the evaluation of subsidence hazard in abandoned metal and coal mines. The model is found to be a simple but efficient tool because it needs information of geometry of caving and gangway and the topography.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.319-325
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• 2013

The objective of this study is to assess risks which might occur in connection with the storage of the highly compressed air in underground opening. Risk factors were selected throughout literature survey and analysis for the characteristic of CAES. Large risk factors were categorized in three components; planning and design phase, construction phase, and operation & maintenance phases. Large category was composed of 8 medium risk groups and 24 sub-risks. AHP technique was applied in order to analyze the questionnaires answered by experts and high-risk factors were selected by evaluating the relative importance of risks. AHP analysis showed that the operation & maintenance phases are the highest risk group among three components of large category and the highest risk group of eight medium risk groups is risk associated with the quality and safety. Risk having the highest risk level in 24 sub-risks is evaluated to be a failure of tightness security of inner containment storing compressed air.

• Journal of Korean Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.269-283
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• 2005

To figure out the cause of underestimating the roughness and shear strength of rock joints suggested by numerous researchers, we analyzed roughness mobilization characteristics, characteristics of roughness parameters, effects of sampling interval, and waviness for roughness parameters. It was found out that lack of understanding of the roughness mobilization characteristics, inappropriate applications of roughness parameters, and effect of aliasing provide a main reasons for those problems. Several practical alternatives for improving those problems were suggested. As far as digitizing methods are concerned, we can find that using a 3D scanner can give a relatively effective result. To avoid aliasing, sampling interval should be less than one-quarter of the minimum asperities. As for the quantification of roughness, it was analyzed that the roughness parameter should be classified into two components depending on the scale of roughness to apply the shear strength model. For classifying the roughness, a framework of the criterion was suggested based on the plastic flow concept for the asperity failure, and the basis for proposing a new alternative shear strength model was established.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.6
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• pp.425-438
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• 2019

A scaled model test was performed to evaluate the stability of subway twin tunnels excavated in the sedimentary rocks with subhorizontal bedding planes. The size of studied tunnel was 6.2 m×6.8 m and pillar width was 4 m. The anisotropic model test specimen was manufactured with the modeling materials suitable for in-situ rocks by way of dimensional analysis. Fracture and deformation behaviors of tunnels according to applied loads were investigated through the biaxial compression test. As the load was increased on the model specimen, the first crack occurred in the middle part of the pillar across twin tunnels and the gradual fractures progressed at crown and floor of twin tunnels. All the cracks in pillar were generated along the existing bedding planes so that they were found to be the main cause of the pillar failure. In addition, the test results were verified by numerical analysis on the experimental conditions using FLAC ubiquitous joint model. The distribution of plastic regions obtained from numerical analysis were in general agreement with test results, confirming the reliability of the scaled model test conducted in this study.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.23 no.2
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• pp.99-109
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• 2013

The slopes of open-pit mine are typically designed without considering the reinforcement and support method due to the economical efficiency. However, the long-term stability of final pit slope is needed in some case, therefore the appropriate measures that can improve the stability are required. In this study, the field survey and laboratory test were carried out in S limestone mine. The stability assessment of final pit slope was performed through the stereographic projection method, SMR, and numerical analysis. And countermeasures for stabilization were proposed. The results of analysis show that full scale of slope failure is not expected but the failures of bench slope scale are likely to occur. In oder to increase the stability of bench slope, we suggested the remedial methods as follows: excavating the final pit slope by pre-splitting blasting, placing the wide berm in the intermediate bench slope and installing the horizontal drainage hole in the place of local ground water runoff.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.107-117
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• 2008

In this study, the failure and deformation characteristics of steel fiber reinforced shotcrete (SFRS) which is a primary tunnel support was investigated to find out ground-support mutual behavior. To this end, a mock-up of a tunnel was made and experimented with the conditions of lateral earth pressure coefficient 0.5 and 1.0. During the tests, 11 hydraulic cylinders were used for loading. for better simulation of the lateral earth pressure effect, these cylinders were controlled separately by two groups; crown and side wall. Meanwhile, the deformation of shotcrete was measured by 11 LVDTs. Backfill material was also used fur better load transfer from hydraulic cylinders to shotcrete. For the validation of the mock-up test results, 3D numerical analysis is carried out. To do numerical analysis under the same condition as a mock-up test, the load history curve which was obtained during the test was tried to be simulated using an individual FISH routine in the numerical analysis.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.29 no.3
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• pp.157-171
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• 2019

The fracturing by liquid carbon dioxide ($LCO_2$) as a fracking fluid has been an alternative to mitigate the environmental issues often caused by the conventional hydraulic fracking since it facilitates the fluid permeation owing to its low viscosity. This study presents how $LCO_2$ injection influences the breakdown pressure, acoustic emission, and fracture morphology. Three fracturing fluids such as $LCO_2$, water, and oil are injected with different pressurization rate to the synthetic and porous mortar specimens. Also, the shale which has been a major target formation in conventional fracking practices is also tested to examine the failure characteristics. The results show that $LCO_2$ injection induces more tortuous and undulated fractures, and particularly the larger fractures are developed in cases of shale specimen. On the other hand, the relationship between the fracturing fluids and the breakdown pressure shows opposite tendency in the tests of mortar and shale specimens.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.36 no.5
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• pp.511-525
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• 2024

Underground openings significantly affect the mechanical stability of underground spaces and create damaged zones. This study investigated the acoustic emission (AE) characteristics associated with the formation of damaged zones around circular openings. Uniaxial compression experiments were conducted on three types of rock specimens, namely, granite (GN-1 and GN-2), gabbro (GB), and slate (SL), containing a circular opening. AE and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques were used to monitor and evaluate the damaged zones near the circular openings. The AE characteristics were evaluated using AE parameters, including count, energy, amplitude, average frequency, and RA value. The DIC results revealed that the estimated diameters of the damaged zones of GN-1, GN-2, GB, and SL were 1.66D, 1.53D, 1.49D, and 1.9D, respectively. The average displacements at the surface of the damaged zones for these specimens were 0.814, 0.786, 0.661, and 0.673 mm, respectively, thus demonstrating a strong correlation with Young's modulus. The AE analysis with DIC revealed that tensile failure occurred in the direction parallel to the maximum compression axis as the load increased. Thus, this study provides fundamental data for a comprehensive analysis of damaged zones in underground openings and will facilitate the optimization of rock engineering projects and safety assessments thereof.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.6
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• pp.498-506
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• 2009

The stability assessment of a concrete liner of a compressed air storage tunnel should be performed by an approach which is different from that commonly used for the liners of road tunnels, since the liner is exposed to high air pressure. In this study, the stability analysis method for the liner of compressed air storage tunnel is proposed based on the elastic and elasto-plastic solutions of the thick-walled cylinder problem. In case of elastic analysis, the yield initiation condition at the inner boundary is considered as the failure condition of the liner, while the condition which results in the extension of yielding zone to a certain depth is taken as a failure indicator of the liner in the elasto-plastic analysis taking Mohr-Coulomb criterion. The application of the proposed method revealed that the influence of the relative magnitude of boundary loads on the stability of liner is considerable. In particular, noting that the estimation of the outer boundary load may be relatively difficult, it is thought that the precise prediction of outer boundary load is very important in the analysis. Accordingly, the emphasis is put on the selection of the liner installation time, which may govern the magnitude of outer boundary load.

• KSCE Journal of Civil and Environmental Engineering Research
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• v.32 no.6C
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• pp.305-314
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• 2012

This paper presents the quantitative damage assessment of granite taken from KAERI Underground Research Tunnel using acoustic emission (AE). The results determined showed the crack initiation and crack damage stress occurred at 48%, 72% of uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) and until the applied stress level was reached the crack damage stress, the damage degree was 0.06. When the applied stress exceeded 80%, 90% of UCS, the damage degree were 0.34, 0.06 and which were similar to those obtained from axial deformation modulus. The simply regression analysis was used to interpret the relationship of the two damage assessment techniques and the two were highly correlated ($R^2$=0.90). Therefore, damage degree based on the AE energy and mohr-coulomb failure criterion were adopted to predict the mechanical properties. As results, the axial deformation modulus, rock strength, internal friction angle, and cohesion of KURT rock were reduced 6%, 12%, 7%, and 3% until the applied stress was 70% of UCS. But when the applied stress reached 90% of UCS, the results were more reduced 69%, 72%, 62%, and 24%, respectively.