Tunnel and Underground SpaceISSN:1225-1275(Print) 2287-1748(Online)한국암반공학회

Pre-fracturing, a type of pre-conditioning blast, is a method used to weaken rock masses prior to mechanical excavation. In this study, various laboratory tests were conducted on rock core samples obtained from the field to verify the effectiveness of pre-fracturing in controlling the BIDZ (Blast-Induced Damaged Zone) by measuring the physical properties of rock cores obtained from a test site and assessing changes in these properties. In the EDZ (Excavation Damaged Zone) caused by combined excavation using blasting and mechanical excavation, the effect of blasting is generally more significant than that of mechanical excavation, so BIDZ control directly leads to EDZ control. In terms of Poisson’s ratio, elastic wave velocity, porosity, density, thermal conductivity, tensile strength and hydraulic conductivity, the BIDZ size in pre-fracturing was smaller than that of conventional blasting. However, no clear reduction in the BIDZ was observed in the case of Young’s modulus and uniaxial compressive strength. By applying a theoretical formula predicting the range of tensile cracks caused by blasting and comparing it with the laboratory results, the BIDZ was reasonably predicted. Nonetheless, limitations in accurately predicting BIDZ size were identified due to assumptions regarding ground conditions and charge density in the formula.

Steel rebar is commonly used as reinforcement in reinforced concrete (RC) structures. However, steel rebar corrodes over time, leading to a significant reduction in structural safety as the structure ages. Therefore, Glass Fiber Reinforced Plastic (GFRP) rebar, which is not prone to corrosion, has gained attention as a replacement for conventional steel reinforcement. This study investigates the fundamental technology required for applying GFRP rebar to concrete members. Based on this, the bond behavior and tension stiffening effect of GFRP-reinforced members were analyzed. The analysis revealed that key properties of GFRP rebar, such as bond behavior, rebar diameter, and reinforcement ratio, are major factors influencing the tension stiffening effect. To further expand the application of GFRP rebar,it is expected that a new model that accurately reflects the tension stiffening effect will be required.

The roughness of rock joint surfaces is considered a critical factor in determining the stability of underground spaces and tunnels, leading to attempts to measure it using various devices. This study explored the applicability of portable 3D scanner for measuring rock joint roughness in comparison to laser scanner. By constructing various one-dimensional roughness profiles using laser scanner and portable 3D scanner, and calculating the Z2(statistical roughness parameter) for comparison, it was found that the portable 3D scanner tends to underestimate roughness compared to the laser scanner. The variations in roughness and Z2 showed very similar patterns between the two devices. Through Direct shear tests that induced wear on the specimens, differences in roughness and Z2 due to wear were compared using the portable 3D scanner, confirming variations in roughness height and Z2 related to wear.

As the paradigm of urban development has recently changed to development of underground space, the road tunnels and railway tunnels are increasing to relieve traffic congestion. This technical notes is related to the development of underground spaces using NATM (New Austrian Tunneling Method). Limitations of conventional 2D blasting pattern design method were analyzed, and BIM-based automatic design method was developed to overcome them. Since it was developed to facilitate modeling of all safety facilities along a alignment using coordinates and GIS data, it can overcome the limitations of the number of safety facilities that can be considered and time required for conventional design. In the conventional design, the results of borehole test blasting were used to predict the blasting impact. However, the developed technology is possible to recalculate by applying the measurement results obtained from actual tunnel blasting, enabling rapid re-evaluation of the blasting impact on all safety facilities during construction, leading economical design. As a result of applying it to GTX-A5 and 6 sites, it took about 5 minutes, which is 1/480 compared to the conventional design method. In addition, the construction cost was reduced by about 8 billion won/km and the period was reduced by about 41 days/km. It is expected to be used as technical basis for calculating the optimal blasting pattern in the BIM-based design and construction management process.

To effectively dispose of high-level radioactive waste, it is crucial to understand the geological characteristics of the deep rock at the disposal site where the disposal facility will be located. Deep drilling is essential in this process and can obtain multidisciplinary deep rock characteristics by conducting tests using recovered cores and various tests using boreholes. However, in Korea, there are currently no established guidelines or procedures for deep drilling aimed at sit investigation and characterization for high-level radioactive waste disposal. This report proposes a deep drilling procedure based on five years from 2020 of multipurpose deep drilling experience conducted for various rock types by the Korea Institute of Geoscience and Mineral Resources. The proposed procedure includes various processes such as health, safety, and environments, pre-drilling work, drilling work, circulating drilling water management, site characterization evaluation parameter acquisition tests and measurements, and sampling. These procedures will need to be continuously revised and amended in the future to meet the needs of drilling and HLW disposal industries and related fields, as well as to strengthen quality assurance under the Nuclear Safety Act.

In the research project for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste, where the deep rock environment is considered as the main target for the disposal facilities, the hydrogeological characteristics of rock aquifers are utilized as the most important evaluation factor for the suitability of the disposal site, design/construction of facilities and stability analysis during operation. Such hydrogeological data are obtained by conducting in-situ hydraulic tests using deep boreholes located at the target sites. In this process, the reliability and accuracy of the investigation results are closely linked to various factors including the selection of the optimal testing methods, the performance of testing equipment, the standardization of testing procedures, and data interpretation methods. In this paper, to improve the reliability of the evaluation of hydrogeological characteristics in deep rock aquifers, we conducted a comparative analysis of the hydraulic conductivity characteristics derived from the injection and recovery phases of the most representative hydraulic test, the constant pressure injection test. A high-performance hydraulic testing equipment and standardized testing procedures were applied to deep boreholes in the fractured rock aquifers located in granite/volcanic rock areas in Korea, to obtain the downhole pressure-flow rate, and the hydraulic conductivity was derived by using various transient flow analysis solutions. The results of the study showed a high consistency between the hydraulic conductivity values obtained during the injection and recovery phases within the same test section, even under different permeability conditions (low-permeability/high-permeability). This research case, which precisely conducted a comparative analysis of two different phases (injection/recovery) within a single specific hydraulic testing process using actual field data from deep rock aquifers in Korea, is expected to help overcome the inherent limitations of in-situ field tests, where the validation and verification of measurement results are challenging, and ultimately contribute to enhancing the reliability of deriving in-situ hydrogeological characteristics information.

A fundamental study was carried out on automatic steering control necessary for autonomous operation of shield TBMs in the future. It outlines and proposes theories and algorithms for predicting the strokes of articulation jacks used in a shield TBM and calculating the three-dimensional path coordinates of the shield TBM based on these predictions. To predict the strokes of articulation jacks, two methods were applied: a machine learning model based on the random forest regressor, and an iterative calculation method to satisfy a preset allowable error. For the iterative calculation, optimization methods were applied to reduce computation time. The mean and variance of the relative errors from the iterative calculation with allowable error were found to be relatively smaller than the predictions of the machine learning model. However, even with optimization methods applied, the iterative calculation method showed limitations in the allowable error that could be applied in terms of computation time. Therefore, it would be better to apply the machine learning model when real-time calculation speed is crucial. On the other hand, when pre-calculated results can be used during construction, the iterative calculation can be applied to achieve higher accuracy.

There has been increased interest, media coverage, and debate over constructing new underground structures to replace existing at-grade rail tracks. This new scheme aims to free up space to provide cities with room for more housing with green amenities. Due to urbanisation, tunnel engineers have encountered greenfield ground conditions in cities on only a few occasions. However, the new scheme provides opportunities to investigate a unique scenario where new tunnels are driven parallel to the existing rail tracks on the surface with little ground cover in soft ground. This paper presents findings obtained from a semi-empirical approach that aims to investigate the likely track irregularity associated with tunnelling-induced ground movements. This paper presents contour maps that show track rotation according to the relative position of the new tunnel and existing rail tracks. Tunnel engineers would consult these maps for their tunnel route design for the scheme.

In this study, a field test was conducted to determine the effect of reinforcement around the insert on the wear damage of the pickcutter. Prior to the field test, a linear cutting test was conducted on the reinforced pickcutter and unreinforced pickcutter to determine the effect of the pickcutter reinforcement on the cutter force, and the capacity of the roadheader was checked based on the results. The cutter force analysis showed that the average normal force and cutting force were similar regardless of the reinforcement, but the maximum normal force and cutting force showed a large standard deviation depending on the reinforcement. From the torque review, it was determined that a depth of penetration of 6 mm or less using the average cutting force and 4 mm or less using the maximum cutting force was appropriate. In the wear damage analysis, the number of used pickcutters, the number of pickcutters with inserts retained, the number of cases of uneven wear, and the difference in weight between before and after use showed that the reinforced pickcutters outperformed the unreinforced pickers by 16% to 28%. From these results, we can conclude that pickcutter reinforcement has a significant impact on the durability of the pickcutter. However, the cost of reinforcing pickcutters is higher than that of unreinforced pickcutters due to material costs and additional processes, so it is necessary to consider the effect of performance improvement and cost.

Nuclear power generation, which belongs to the eco-friendly energy category, has a comparative advantage over other power generation methods in terms of cost and efficiency, and its share of electricity energy has recently shifted to an increasing trend worldwide. In Korea, various empirical studies have been conducted centering on KURT (KEARI Underground Research Tunnel) to secure elemental technology necessary for safe and efficient disposal of high-level radioactive waste inevitably generated during the operation of nuclear power plants. Considering the domestic rock type and geological conditions, the multi-barrier system is evaluated as the most effective among various high-level radioactive waste disposal methods. The objectives of this study were, first, to evaluate the hydraulic characteristics of deep and low-permeable rock masses and second, to secure quantitative information on the hydraulic connectivity between boreholes for establishing a large-scale in-situ test system necessary for the proper design and stability evaluation of the multi-barrier system. In this regard, diverse borehole tests using DHTS (Deep borehole Hydraulic Testing System) were performed in the two research modules in KURT, and in particular, the injection type cross-hole hydraulic connectivity tests were successfully completed for the first time in Korea. In this paper, we briefly introduced MDST (Mini Downhole Shut-in Tool) developed to update the performance of DHTS and mainly discussed the key results obtained from the stepwise in-situ borehole tests.

This study investigated the effects of microwave irradiation on the physical properties of basalt to explore its potential as an efficient technique for lunar surface and deep excavation. Experiments were conducted to measure changes in P-wave velocity, Leeb hardness, Schmidt hammer rebound hardness, Cerchar Abrasivity Index (CAI), Uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Young's modulus, and temperature of basalt specimens according to microwave irradiation time. Results showed that microwave irradiation induced microcracks in basalt and reduced its physical strength. Notably, after 5 minutes of microwave irradiation, UCS and Young's modulus decreased significantly. P-wave velocity also decreased markedly with increased irradiation time, indicating internal structural weakening of the rock. This is primarily attributed to thermal stress induced by microwave penetration into the rock and crack propagation due to differential thermal expansion between minerals. By confirming the rock weakening effect of microwave irradiation under conditions similar to the lunar environment, this study suggests the possibility of greatly improving the efficiency of lunar surface and deep excavation operations.