• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.5
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• pp.51-63
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• 2023

Numerical analysis was conducted to determine the effect of soil behavior by thawing and freezing of seasonal frozen soil on pile foundations. The analysis was performed using the finite element method (FEM) to simulate soil-pile interaction based on the atmosphere temperature change. Thermomechanical coupled modeling using FEM was applied with the temperature-dependent nonlinear properties of the frozen soil. The analysis model cases were applied to the MCR and HDP models to simulate the elastoplastic behavior of soil. The numerical analysis results were analyzed and compared with various conditions having different length and width sizes of the pile. The results of the numerical analysis showed t hat t he HDP model was relat ively passive, and t he aspect and magnit ude of t he bearing capacit y and displacement of the pile head were similar depending on the length and width of the pile conditions. The vertical displacement of the pile head by thawing and freezing of the ground showed a large variation in displacement for shorter length conditions. In the MCR model, the vertical displacement appeared in the maximum thaw settlement and frost heaving of 0.0387 and 0.0277 m, respectively. In the HDP model, the vertical displacement appeared in the maximum thaw settlement and frost heaving of 0.0367 and 0.0264 m, respectively. The results of the pile bearing capacity for the two elastoplastic models showed a larger difference in the width condition than the length condition of the pile, with a maximum of about 14.7% for the width L condition, a maximum of about 5.4% for M condition, and a maximum of about 5.3% for S condition. The significance of the effect on the displacement of the pile head and the bearing capacity depended on the pile-soil contact area, and the difference depended on the presence or absence of an active layer in the soil and its thickness.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.32 no.1
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• pp.30-58
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• 2022

The deep geological repository for high-level radioactive waste disposal is a multi barrier system comprised of engineered barriers and a natural barrier. The long-term integrity of the deep geological repository is affected by the coupled interactions between the individual barrier components. Erosion and piping phenomena in the compacted bentonite buffer due to buffer-rock interactions results in the removal of bentonite particles via groundwater flow and can negatively impact the integrity and performance of the buffer. Rapid groundwater inflow at the early stages of disposal can lead to piping in the bentonite buffer due to the buildup of pore water pressure. The physiochemical processes between the bentonite buffer and groundwater lead to bentonite swelling and gelation, resulting in bentonite erosion from the buffer surface. Hence, the evaluation of erosion and piping occurrence and its effects on the integrity of the bentonite buffer is crucial in determining the long-term integrity of the deep geological repository. Previous studies on bentonite erosion and piping failed to consider the complex coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical behavior of bentonite-groundwater interactions and lacked a comprehensive model that can consider the complex phenomena observed from the experimental tests. In this technical note, previous studies on the mechanisms, lab-scale experiments and numerical modeling of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are introduced, and the future expected challenges in the investigation of bentonite buffer erosion and piping are summarized.