The influence of an excavation damaged zone on the thermal-mechanical and hydro-mechanical behaviors of an underground excavation

• Published in: Engineering geology Vol. 101; no. 3; pp. 110 - 123
• Main Authors: Kwon, S., Cho, W.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier B.V 17.10.2008; Elsevier
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building structure; Buildings. Public works; Construction (buildings and works); Exact sciences and technology; Excavation damaged zone; Geotechnics; Hydro-mechanical coupling; Radioactive waste disposal; Soil investigations. Testing; Thermo-mechanical coupling; Tunnelling; Tunnels, galleries; Underground research tunnel; Underground structure; Asia; Korea; Korea, Rep; Underground research tunnel; Excavation damaged zone; Thermo-mechanical coupling; PWR; LILW; KRS; THMC; DECOVALEX; URL; CANDU; KURT; HLW; Tunnelling; BIPS; BHTV; KAERI; EDZ; Watt/tHM; Radioactive waste disposal; Hydro-mechanical coupling; Radioactive waste; Waste dumping; Geology; In situ test; Thermomechanical properties; Impact study; Blasting operation; Waste disposal; Excavations; Failure analysis; Underground construction; Hydromechanics; Tunnel driving; Stress redistribution; Structural analysis
• ISSN: 0013-7952; 1872-6917
• DOI: 10.1016/j.enggeo.2008.04.004

In Korea, a reference disposal system, KRS, was proposed in 2006 after 10 years of research and development. In the KRS, the high-level radioactive waste repository is considered to be located in a crystalline rock likes granite. For a validation of the feasibility, safety, and stability of the KRS, an underground research tunnel, KURT was constructed in Nov. 2006. During the construction of KURT by a controlled blasting, the size and characteristics of an excavation damaged zone(EDZ) were investigated by in situ as well as laboratory tests. The possible influences of an EDZ around a tunnel on the thermal, hydraulic and mechanical behaviors of the near field were investigated by using hydro-mechanical and thermo-mechanical coupling analyses. From this study, it was found that the existence of an EDZ can influence the thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical behaviors of the near field and it was recommended that an EDZ should be considered as an important parameter during the design of underground repositories.