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

Continuous excavation technologies are developed to improve the excavation rate of shield TBM. Continuous excavation is a technology that provides thrust to segments, excluding being installed one, to reduce tunneling downtime. This paper investigated the prior technology related to continuous excavation segments. The main technology was classified into helical segment, honeycomb segment, and conventional segment methods. The helical segment method has not been applied in actual construction yet, and the honeycomb segment method has not succeeded in commercialization. The continuous excavation method using conventional segments has been successfully demonstrated. The thrust force and operation method of the thrust jacks for the semi-continuous technology were analyzed. Continuous excavation TBM research is also progressing in Korea, and through the analysis of successful cases, the need to develop independent continuous excavation methods has been identified.

The underground disposal facility for spent nuclear fuel demands a specialized design, distinct from conventional practices, to ensure long-term thermal, mechanical, and hydraulic integrity, preventing the release of radioactive isotopes from high-temperature spent nuclear fuel. SKB has established design criteria for such facilities and executed practical design implementations for Forsmark. Moreover, in response to subsurface uncertainty, SKB has proposed an empirical approach involving monitoring and adaptive design modifications, alongside stepwise development. SKB has further introduced a unique support system, categorizing ground types and behaviors and aligning them with corresponding support types to confirm safety through comparative analyses against existing systems. POSIVA has pursued a comparable approach, developing a support system for Onkalo while accounting for distinct geological characteristics compared to Forsmark. This demonstrates the potential for domestic implementation of spent nuclear fuel disposal facility designs and the establishment of a support system adapted to national attributes.

As the jacks provide a thrust force on the inclined surface, bending deformations by a side force occur in the pedestal and rod parts. This can induce disorder or degradation of the thrust module, buckling stability on the inclined compression condition should be clarified to secure the reliability of shield TBM. For analyzing the stability, a buckling testing method for hydraulic cylinder was investigated and compression testing system was installed. Before the test, a numerical analysis was conducted to check the stress concentration parts. The maximum allowable force was loaded on the cylinder specimen at 0 degree surface condition as a preliminary test. After the test, plastic deformations or hydraulic leakage was not observed. The static stability of it was verified at 0 degree condition.

In relation to the high-level radioactive waste disposal project in deep fractured rock aquifer environments, it is essential to evaluate hydrogeological characteristics for evaluating the suitability of the site and operational stability. Such subsurface hydrogeological data is obtained through in-situ tests using boreholes excavated at the target site. The accuracy and reliability of the investigation results are directly related to the selection of appropriate test methods, the performance of the investigation system, standardization of the investigation procedure. In this report, we introduce the detailed procedures for the representative test method, the constant pressure injection test (CPIT), which is used to determine the key hydrogeological parameters of the subsurface fractured rock aquifer, namely hydraulic conductivity and storativity. This report further refines the standard test method suggested by the KSRM in 2022 and includes practical field application case conducted in volcanic rock aquifers where this investigation procedure has been applied.

Scientific exploration of extraterrestrial planets has gripped human imagination since the advent of space travel. Human missions to Mars could produce insight into the essential questions of how, when and where life began on Earth. Such missions would only be feasible using local space resources materials, a concept called in situ-resource utilization (ISRU). The purpose of this paper is to provide a thorough review of the currently available Mars soil simulants and to determine those with geotechnical properties most appropriate for vehicle mobility studies. Sourcing and processing are considered since full-scale studies require bulk quantities of material on the order of tens of tons. This review identifies the simulants with the highest fidelity to Mars wind drift soils. In addition, recommendation guide for mars soil simulant development made.

The changes in groundwater flow due to mining development act as a contributing factor to major issues such as ground subsidence, strength reduction and collapse. For the sustainable mining development, measures for dealing with fluctuations in seasonal underground water inflow, power losses, pump damage, and unexpected increases in inflow must be put in place. In this study, the aim is to identify the causes of underground seepage through the examination of hydrological connectivity between the study area and nearby limestone mine. A tracer tes for assessing subsurface connectivity has been planned. A variety of tracers, such as dyes and ions, were applied in lab test to select the optimal tracer material, and a hydrological model of the study area was implemented through field test. Finally, the hydrological connectivity between the external stream and underground water in the mine was analyzed.

The present study conducted a numerical modeling of CO₂ injection at the Janggi Basin using the TOUGH-FLAC simulator, and examined the hydro-mechanical stability of the aquifer and the fault. Based on the site investigations and a 3D geological model of the target area, we simulated the injection of 32,850 tons of CO₂ over a 3-year period. The analysis of CO₂ plume with different values of the aquifer permeability revealed that assuming a permeability of 10^-14 m² the CO₂ plume exhibited a radial flow and reached the fault after 2 years and 9 months. Conversely, a higher permeability of 10^-13 m² resulted in predominant westward flow along the reservoir, with negligible impact on the fault. The pressure changes around the injection well remained below 0.6 MPa over the period, and the influence on the hydro-mechanical stability of the reservoir and fault was found to be insignificant.

In this study, a total of 326 data on a variety of geometric parameters of pick cutters and the corresponding cuttable rock conditions were collected and built as a database. Statistical analysis of the database showed that there is a significant positive correlation between the parameters that define the geometry of a pick cutter, especially between the parameters related to the length of a pick cutter and the geometry of a tungsten carbide insert. The diameter of a pick cutter shaft was also strongly correlated with the geometry of the inserts. On the other hand, it was difficult to find a clear correlation between the parameters for the rock conditions defined by the four conditions and the geometric parameters of pick cutters, which may be due to the uncertainty of the rock mass and the fact that the application of a pick cutter is presented as a range rather than a numerical single value. However, the mean values of geometric parameters of pick cutters tend to increase as a rock mass becomes harder. However, the pick length parameters are found to decrease as a rock mass becomes harder, which may be a way to reduce the moments that can occur when using long pick cutters in a hard rock condition.

To measure the wear amount of the TBM disk cutter in real time, it is important not only to automate the measurement using sensors, but also to stably transmit the measured data to the information processing system. In this study, we investigated the viability of utilizing Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology to wirelessly transmit sensor data from the TBM cutter head to a receiver located at the chamber's rear. Through laboratory experiments, we analyzed the Received Signal Strength Index (RSSI) of the receiver considering various signal strength of the transmitter, separation distances between the transmitter and receiver and chamber fill materials. Our results demonstrate that wireless data transmission is feasible across all tested conditions when the transmitter signal strength is 0 dBm or higher.