• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.12 no.2
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• pp.83-91
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• 2002

Stability analysis of rocky embankment slopes is done by both the limit equilibrium method and the finite difference method. The height or the rocky embankment is approximately 40 m and the side slope is 1 vertical to 1.5 horizontal. The cohesion and internal friction angle of rock debris are assumed zero and 43$^{\circ}$, respectively. For finite difference analysis, strength reduction method is used to calculate the saft factor of the slope. As a result, the safety factor of the slope is discovered to be 1.4 by using either methods. Considering that the design criteria of the safety factor is 1.3, it can be judged that the rock fragments embankment slope is in a stable state.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2017

An experimental technique for determining the spalling strength of rock-like materials under a high strain rate is developed. It is observed that the spalling strength of a specimen can be determined by only knowing the wavelength, loading peak value and length of the first spallation of an incident wave under a specific loading waveform. Using this method in combination with a split-Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) and other experimental devices, the spalling strength of granite specimens under a high strain rate is tested. Comparisons with other experimental results show that the new measuring method can accurately calculate the dynamic tensile strength of rock materials under a high strain rate.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.39 no.4 s.179
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• pp.451-471
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• 2006

Major projects and research topics in the field of rock mechanics are analyzed to obtain the following results: $\cdot$ Rock mechanics deals with the behavior of deformation, failure and displacement of the rock and rock mass on the basis of geological basics. Discontinuities in the rock mass are the most important parameters to control the behavior of rock mass around underground openings. $\cdot$ The objective of site investigation and testing is to determine the strength properties of the rock mass and the in situ stress regime. Specimens for laboratory and in situ tests are to be selected in order that the results of the tests give the representative properties oi the rock mass of the site in question. $\cdot$ The result of a numerical model would be better evaluated not quantitatively but qualitatively. The displacement behavior of the rock mass has to be monitored properly for the NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method) principles. $\cdot$ The stability of rock slope is to be evaluated preferably by back analysis with strength parameters, such as cohesion and friction angle.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.491-498
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• 2018

The Earth Mechanics Institute (EMI) was established at the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) in 1974 to develop innovations in rock mechanics research and education. During the last four decades, extensive rock mechanics research has been conducted at the EMI. Results from uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength (BTS), point load index (PLI), punch penetration (PP), and many other types of tests have been recorded in a database that has been unexamined for research purposes. The EMI database includes over 20,000 tests from over 1,000 different projects including mining and underground construction, and analysis of this database to identify relationships has been started with preliminary results reported here. Overall, statistically significant correlations are identified between bulk density and mechanical strength properties through UCS, BTS, PLI, and PP testing of sedimentary, igneous, and metamorphic rocks. In this paper, bulk density is considered as a surrogate metric that reflects both mineralogy and porosity. From this analysis, sedimentary rocks show the strongest correlation between the UCS and bulk density, whereas metamorphic rocks exhibit the strongest correlation between UCS and PP. Data trends in the EMI database also reveal a linear relationship between UCS and BTS tests. For the singular case of rock coral, the database permits correlations between bulk density of the core versus the deposition depth and porosity. The EMI database will continue under analysis, and will provide additional insightful and comprehensive understanding of the variation and predictability of rock mechanical strength properties and density. This knowledge will contribute significantly toward the increasingly safe and cost-effective geostructures and construction.

• Proceedings of the Computational Structural Engineering Institute Conference
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• 1999.10a
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• pp.3-10
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• 1999

There is an increasing demand for using rock anchors as foundations in many geotechnical engineering structures such as transmission towers, dams, etc. For investigate the behavior and strength of rock anchors, in-situ pull-out tests were carried out. From the tests, various forms of failure of rock anchors were observed. Ultimate capacity of each failure modes of 1) Tendon failure, 2) Interface failure(tendon-grout interface, sheath-grout interface and grout-rock interface), 3) Combined interface failure, was obtained by varying the parameters such as diameter and length of tendon, grout strength, and quality of rock.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.03a
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• pp.711-716
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• 2002

When judging the ground by core-logging, depth of coring might be stopped by coming into view of the moderately weathered rock and also considered as bedrock line. However, highly weathered rock may appear again, if coring more, because there are core-stones in the residual soil and highly weathered rock by the effect of hydraulic-thermal differentiation and does the irregular rock weathering or metamorphic rock region. Therefore, there are room for misunderstanding of diagnosing the moderately weathered rock. Even though the irregular ground where the corestones were come out will show clear geotechnical differences between the ground and the gradually weathered bedrock, nowadays, the construction sites do not take into account the characteristic of core-stone region. In conclusion, to study the failure-strength characteristics of soil layers containing core-stones, we made artificial core-stones and varied percentage of corestones, and measured cohesion and friction factors to adjust them to construction sites containing corestones such as slope, tunnel, and underground.

• Journal of the Korean GEO-environmental Society
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• v.23 no.1
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• pp.15-23
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• 2022

This paper presents the results of full-scale load tests performed frictional anchors to various lengths at several sites in Korea. Various rock types were tested, ranging from highly weathered shale to sound gneiss. In many tests, rock failure was reached and the ultimate loads were recorded along with observations of the shape and extent of the failure surface. Laboratory tests were also conducted to investigate the influence of the corrosion protection sheath on the bond strength. Based on test results, the main parameters governing the uplift capacity of the rock anchor system were determined. By evaluation of the ultimate uplift capacity of anchor foundations in a wide range of in situ rock masses, rock classification suitable for structural foundation was developed. Finally, a very simple and economical design procedure is proposed for rock anchor foundations subjected to uplift tensile loads.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.229-238
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• 2002

This paper introduces the surface roughness parameter, Rs to the characterization of joint roughness and quantitatively illustrates the influence of joint roughness on the joint shear strength. A new peak shear strength criterion for rock joints using Rs is suggested. The results show that the surface roughness parameter, Rs can appropriately reflect the degree of roughness for the rock joint surfaces tested in this study A measuring interval of 2mm and profile length of 5cm can be used to characterize the joint roughness of the rock core size surfaces; however, the scale of fluctuation, $\delta_\alpha$ should be considered to extend the surface roughness parameter, Rs to the large-scale field rock joint surfaces. For the smooth joint roughness, sliding of the rock cores is the principal shear mechanism; however, the breakage of roughness from the rock cores is inferred for rougher joint roughness.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.205-215
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• 2011

In this study, we analyzed physical properties of granites and their correlation with rock mass classification methods. The granite samples were obtained from field survey, in-situ borehole tests and laboratory tests for a design phase of various roads, railways and other civil engineering works in Korea. Among the measured physical properties, the results of unit weight, compressive strength, tensile strength, seismic velocity, cohesion, friction angle, elastic modulus and deformation modulus were introduced. We also correlated these properties with the compressive strength. The results of different rock classification method of RQD, RMR, and Q-system against the granites in Korea were compared with each other, and the correlation equations were proposed in a more simplified form. We also derived RMR values using the compressive strength as well as the RQD values of in-situ drilled cores, and estimated the deformation modulus of in-situ rock mass in terms of the RMR values.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.34 no.6
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• pp.683-696
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• 2023

The destruction and fracture of rock masses are crucial components in engineering and there is an increasing demand for the study of the influence of rock mass heterogeneity on the safety of engineering projects. The numerical manifold method (NMM) has a unified solution format for continuous and discontinuous problems. In most NMM studies, material homogeneity has been assumed and despite this simplification, fracture mechanics remain complex and simulations are inefficient because of the complicated topology updating operations that are needed after crack propagation. These operations become computationally expensive especially in the cases of heterogeneous materials. In this study, a heterogeneous model algorithm based on stochastic theory was developed and introduced into the NMM. A new fracture algorithm was developed to simulate the rupture zone. The algorithm was validated for the examples of the four-point shear beam and semi-circular bend. Results show that the algorithm can efficiently simulate the rupture zone of heterogeneous rock masses. Heterogeneity has a powerful effect on the macroscopic failure characteristics and uniaxial compressive strength of rock masses. The peak strength of homogeneous material (with heterogeneity or standard deviation of 0) is 2.4 times that of heterogeneous material (with heterogeneity of 11.0). Moreover, the local distribution of parameter values can affect the configuration of rupture zones in rock masses. The local distribution also influences the peak value on the stress-strain curve and the residual strength. The post-peak stress-strain curve envelope from 60 random calculations can be used as an estimate of the strength of engineering rock masses.