• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.7 no.4
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• pp.375-401
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• 2014

It is generally accepted that material heterogeneity has a great influence on the deformation, strength, damage and failure modes of rock. This paper presents numerical simulation on rock failure process based on the characterization of rock heterogeneity by using a digital image processing (DIP) technique. The actual heterogeneity of rock at mesoscopic scale (characterized as minerals) is retrieved by using a vectorization transformation method based on the digital image of rock surface, and it is imported into a well-established numerical code Rock Failure Process Analysis (RFPA), in order to examine the effect of rock heterogeneity on the rock failure process. In this regard, the numerical model of rock could be built based on the actual characterization of the heterogeneity of rock at the meso-scale. Then, the images of granite are taken as an example to illustrate the implementation of DIP technique in simulating the rock failure process. Three numerical examples are presented to demonstrate the impact of actual rock heterogeneity due to spatial distribution of constituent mineral grains (e.g., feldspar, quartz and mica) on the macro-scale mechanical response, and the associated rock failure mechanism at the meso-scale level is clarified. The numerical results indicate that the shape and distribution of constituent mineral grains have a pronounced impact on stress distribution and concentration, which may further control the failure process of granite. The proposed method provides an efficient tool for studying the mechanical behaviors of heterogeneous rock and rock-like materials whose failure processes are strongly influenced by material heterogeneity.

• Geomechanics and Engineering
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.431-446
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• 2017

Rock bridges in rock masses would increase the bearing capacity of Non-persistent discontinuities. In this paper the effect of ratio of rock bridge surface to joint surface, rock bridge shape and normal load on failure behaviour of intermittent rock joint were investigated. A total of 42 various models with dimensions of $15cm{\times}15cm{\times}15cm$ of plaster specimens were fabricated simulating the open joints possessing rock bridge. The introduced rock bridges have various continuities in shear surface. The area of the rock bridge was $45cm^2$ and $90cm^2$ out of the total fixed area of $225cm^2$ respectively. The fabricated specimens were subjected to shear tests under normal loads of 0.5 MPa, 2 MPa and 4 MPa in order to investigate the shear mechanism of rock bridge. The results indicated that the failure pattern and the failure mechanism were affected by two parameters; i.e., the ratio of joint surface to rock bridge surface and normal load. So that increasing in joint area in front of the rock bridge changes the shear failure mode to tensile failure mode. Also the tensile failure change to shear failure by increasing the normal load.

• Geotechnical Engineering
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.37-50
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• 1996

In this study, we collected data through the investigation of rock slopes of highway. By analyzing the collected data, the main factors of rock slope failure were studied. We studied on the failure types and scales according to rock types and geological structures in many rock slopes of highway. As a result, it was shown that many failed slopes were distributed in the areas of Cretaceous sedimentary rocks of south-eastern part in the Korean Peninsula and the Gneiss Complex in both Kyonggi-Do and Kangwon-Do. According to rock types, the following slope failure types were shown : that igneous rocks had the types of rock fall, plane failure, soil erosion and circular failure but had low failure frequency, and sedimentary rocks had predominantly the type of plane failure. Metamorphic rock showed the types of circular failure, wedge failure and plane failure due to poor rock qualities . According to geological structures, the following slope failure types were shown slope failure in igneous rocks was caused by joints, and in sedimentary rocks by bedding plane, and in metamorphic rocks by faults and poor rock qualities.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2011.09a
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• pp.3-21
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• 2011

Laboratory experiments and numerical simulations using Particle Flow Code (PFC2D) were performed to study the effects of joint separation and joint overlapping on the full failure behavior of rock bridges under direct shear loading. Through numerical direct shear tests, the failure process is visually observed and the failure patterns are achieved with reasonable conformity with the experimental results. The simulation results clearly showed that cracks developed during the test were predominantly tension cracks. It was deduced that the failure pattern was mostly influenced by both of the joint separation and joint overlapping while the shear strength is closely related to the failure pattern and its failure mechanism. The studies revealed that shear strength of rock bridges are increased with increasing in the joint separation. Also, it was observed that for a fixed cross sectional area of rock bridges, shear strength of overlapped joints are less than the shear strength of non-overlapped joints.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2009.03a
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• pp.1147-1153
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• 2009

The failure modes of rock anchors subjected to tension can be defined as follows: tensile failure of tendon, shear failure on tendon-grout interface, shear failure on grout-rock interface and tensile failure of rock. This study proposes a design method to induce the rock anchor systems to avoid the brittle failure by ensuring the minimum embedded length of rock anchors. Pull-out test results of full-scale rock anchors show that the proposed method is effective in predicting the design conditions expecting the ductile tendon failure.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.19 no.2
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• pp.95-106
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• 2009

Numerical analysis of the progressive failure of a rock slope was conducted using a 3-D rock joint element considering fracture mechanics and subcritical crack growth of asperities in the rock joints. Even though the stress state in the rock slope is not changing, the elapse of time causes subcritical crack growth to break asperities in the joints. The increase of broken asperities causes failure of joints in the rock slope and the increase of failed joints results in failure of a jointed rock slope. As a result, the progressive failure of a jointed rock slope due to the gradual breaking of small asperities along joints generated by subcritical crack growth occurs at a lower stress than if rock failure occurred by exceeding the static strength or fracture toughness.

• Smart Structures and Systems
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.535-547
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• 2022

Failure patterns of rock specimens represent valuable information about the mechanical properties and crack evolution mechanism of rock. Several kinds of research have been conducted regarding the failure mechanism of brittle material, however; the influence of brittleness on the failure mechanism of rock specimens has not been precisely considered. In the present study, experimental and numerical examinations have been made to evaluate the physical and mechanical phenomena associated with rock failure mechanisms through the uniaxial compression test. In the experimental part, Unconfined Compressive Strength (UCS) tests equipped with Acoustic Emission (AE) have been conducted on rock samples with three different brittleness. Then, the numerical models have been calibrated based on experimental test results for further investigation and comparing the micro-cracking process in experimental and numerical models. It can be perceived that the failure mode of specimens with high brittleness is tensile axial splitting, based on the experimental evidence of rock specimens with different brittleness. Also, the crack growth mechanism of the rock specimens with various brittleness using discrete element modeling in the numerical part suggested that the specimens with more brittleness contain more tensile fracture during the loading sequences.

• Proceedings of the Korean Society for Rock Mechanics Conference
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• 2011.09a
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• pp.89-97
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• 2011

Brittle failure of rock is a classical rock mechanics problem. Rock failure not only involves initiation and propagation of single crack, but also is a complex problem associated with initiation, propagation and coalescence of many cracks. As the most important feature of rock material properties is the heterogeneity, the Weibull statistical distribution is employed in the rock failure process analysis (RFPA) method to describe the heterogeneity in rock properties. In this paper, the applications of the RFPA method in geotechnical engineering and rockburst modeling are introduced with emphasis, which can provide some references for relevant researches.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.295-303
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• 2002

The stability of rock slopes is closely related to the factors such as: type of rock, development of geological structures, weathering, characteristics of rock, and the shape of the geological features. When we design the rock slope, the slope stability is determined by the discontinuity causing the circular, plane or wedge failure. The failure happens when the slope is under the unstable geological condition. But in some cases, slope failure has occurred even though the slope is under stable geological conditions. In this respect, this paper presents the plane failure conditions for domestic rock slopes through research of sites where slope failure has occurred regardless of whether or not it satisfied the stable geological conditions.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2002.11b
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• pp.103-114
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• 2002

Stability of cut-slope is considered to have a deep relationship with rock types since rock has its own engineering and geological characteristic such as shear strength, durability, weathering profile, geological structures. Therefore, analysis of geological and engineering characterisics of rock mass is essential for the evaluation of rock slope stability This paper introduces the statistical data of slope failure cases which was collected from highway slopes constructed in sedimentary rock mainly of shale in Ky ng-sang Basin. Primary failure feature in this area is planar failure along the bedding regardless of slope geometry. Even a disasterous slope failure case due to the thick clay layer between the beddings was reported. Failures and rock fall were reported to ocurred frequently after the completion of cutting due to the weathering, so long-term slope stability should be considered as a important factors in design.