Al-Mg-Si alloys are light weight and have excellent corrosion resistance, and are attracting attention as a liner material for high-pressure hydrogen containers in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. Because it has excellent plastic hardening properties, it is also applied to car body panel materials, but it is moderate in strength, so research to improve the strength by adding Si-rich or Cu is in progress. So far, the authors have conducted research on the intergranular fracture of alloys with excessive Si addition from the macroscopic mechanical point of view, such as specimen shape. To evaluate their impact tensile properties, the split-Hopkinson bar impact test was performed using thin plate specimens of coarse and fine grain alloys of Al-Mg-X (X = Cr,Si) alloy. The effect of the shape of the specimen on the characteristics was studied through finite element method (FEM) analysis. As a result, it was found that the intergranular fracture of the alloy with excessive Si depended on the specimen width (W)/grain size (d), which can be expressed by the specimen size and grain size. As W/d decreases, the intergranular fracture transforms into a transgranular fracture. As the strain rate increases, the fracture elongation decreases, and the fracture surface of the intergranular fracture becomes more brittle. It was confirmed that intergranular fracture occurred in the high strain rate region even in materials with small grain sizes.

In this study, the relationship between the color of the pigment added to the plastic resin and the size of the fractured part of the specimen was confirmed when processing ABS plastic tensile specimens using a sealed 3D printer. Through the test, it was confirmed that the fracture dimension existed in the range of 13.104 to 13.138 ㎜ and there was no significant difference in dimension according to the color of the additive, and the null hypothesis was adopted. In addition, it was confirmed that a significant difference occurred in the order of red, black, white, and green colors.

In the present work, multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNT) were anchored with the assistance of vinyl ester resin (VE) on the carbon fiber surfaces of conventional carbon fabrics (CCF) and semi-spread carbon fabrics (SSCF) having different areal density, ply thickness, and crimp number, respectively. Here, MWCNT anchoring means that MWCNT were physically attached on the individual carbon fiber surfaces of each fabric by coating with dilute VE and then by thermally curing it. The MWCNT anchoring effect on the interlaminar shear strength (ILSS) of CCF/VE and SSCF/VE composites was investigated. MWCNT were also simply applied (without physical attachment) to the carbon fiber surfaces of CCF and SSCF for comparison, respectively. It was found that SSCF/VE composites exhibited the ILSS higher than CCF/VE composites, regardless of simple-applying or anchoring of MWCNT, increasing the ILSS with the MWCNT concentration. It was noted that MWCNT anchoring was effective to improve not only the interlaminar adhesion but also the interfacial bonding between the carbon fiber and the matrix due to the formation of MWCNT bridges between the individual carbon fibers of SSCF, indicating that the MWCNT anchoring effect was more pronounced with SSCF than with CCF. The result of the interlaminar property was well supported by the fiber and composite fracture topography.

Evaluation of low temperature performance of asphalt mixture is significant not only for mitigating transverse thermal cracking but also for preventing potential traffic accidents. In addition, the engineers in pavement agency need to inform the proper pavement section where urgent management is needed. Since early 2000, Korea Expressway Corporation Research Division (KECRD) developed an 3D Pavement condition Monitoring profiler vehicle (3DPM) to survey expressway pavement surface condition precisely. The management of whole expressway network became more precise, effective and efficient than before due to application of 3DPM and HPMS. One thing recommended is: performing extensive mechanical test and corresponding data analysis work procedure to further strengthen the feasibility of current 3DPM approach and HPMS. In this paper two activities were considered: first, the pavement section where the urgent care is recommended is selected by means of 3DPM approach. Then asphalt mixture cores were acquired on that specified section then low temperature fracture test: Semi Circular Bending (SCB) test, was performed. The mechanical parameters, energy release rate and fracture toughness were computed then compared. It is concluded that the current 3DPM approach in KEC can successfully evaluate and analyze selected pavement condition. However, more extensive experimental works are needed to further strengthen the current pavement analyzing approaches.

In this study, we investigated the change in fracture properties after friction stir welding on Al606. In the L-T direction test, the fracture toughness of the unwelded base material was 275 MPa, and the specimen subjected to friction stir welding (FSW) was 227 MPa, showing that the fracture toughness decreased significantly with friction stir welding. In the T-L direction test, the difference between the base material and the weld material was not large, but the fracture toughness was shown to decrease during welding. In the comparison of the L-T direction and the T-L direction, it was found that both the base material and the weld material showed high fracture toughness in the L-T direction.In this study, the following conclusions were obtained after friction stir welding of Al 6061-T6.

This study reports an experimental and analytical exploration of concrete columns laterally confined with Fe-based shape-memory alloy (Fe-SMA) spirals. For performing experiments, Fe-SMA rebars with a 4% prestrain and diameter of 10 mm were fabricated and concrete columns with internal Fe-SMA spiral reinforcement were constructed with a diameter of 200 mm and height of 600 mm. An acrylic bar with an attached strain gauge was embedded in the center of the specimen to measure local strains. Experimental variables encompassed the Fe-SMA spiral reinforcement, spacing, and activation temperature. Uniaxial compression tests were conducted after applying active confinement to the concrete columns through electrical-resistance heating. Notably, as the Fe-SMA spiral spacing decreased, the local failure zone length and compressive fracture energy of the prepared specimens increased. Additionally, a model incorporating compressive fracture energy was proposed to predict the stress–strain behavior of the. This model, accounting for active and passive confinement effects, demonstrated accurate predictions for the experimental results of this study as well as for previously reported results.

The membrane structure should maintain the membrane materials in tension for structural stability guaranty. The anchoring part in the membrane structure is an important part. It has the function to introduce tension into membrane materials and function to transmit stress which membrane materials receives to boundary structure such as steel frames. In this paper, it grasps anchoring system of the anchoring part in the membrane structure concerning the fracturing characteristic condition of membrane structure, and the influence which is caused to yield it designates the stress state when breaking the membrane structure which includes the anchoring part and that stress transition mechanism is elucidated as purpose. This paper follows to previous paper, does 1 axial tensile test concerning the bolting part specimen, grasp of fracturing progress of the bolting part and the edge rope and hardness of the rubber, does the appraisal in addition with the difference of bolt tightening torque. As a result, the influence which the bolt anchoring exerts on the fracturing characteristics of the membrane material in the membrane structure anchoring part is examined.

The increasing accumulation of spent nuclear fuel has raised interest in High-Level Waste (HLW) repositories. For example, Sweden is under construction of the KBS-3 repository. To ensure the safety of such HLW repository, various countries have been developing assessment models. In the Republic of Korea, the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute has been developing on the AKRS model. However, traditional safety assessment models have not considered the fracture growth in the far-field host rock as a function of time. As repository safety assessments guarantee safety for million years, sustained stress naturally leads to the progressive growth of fractures as time goes on. Therefore, it becomes essential to account for fracture growth in the surrounding host rock. To address this, our study proposes a new coupling scheme between the Fracture growth model and the radionuclide transport model. That coupling scheme consists of the Cubic Law model as a fracture growth function and the GoldSim code which is a commercial software for radionuclide transport calculations. The model that adopting such fracture growth functions showed an increase of up to 15% in the release of radionuclide compared to traditional assessment models. our observations indicated that crack growth as a function of time led to an increase in hydraulic conductivity that allowed more radionuclide transport. Notably, these findings show the significance of adopting fracture growth models as a critical element in evaluating the safety of nuclear waste repositories.

It is crucial to understand the hydro-mechanical behavior of rock mass to assess the performance of natural barriers. As rock fractures serve as both mechanically weak planes and prominent pathways for hydraulic flow, they significantly influence the hydro-mechanical behavior of the rock mass. Hence, understanding the characteristics of rock fractures is necessary to analyze the long-term behavior of natural barriers. In particular, fracture apertures are crucial parameters directly associated with groundwater flow and consequently hold significant importance in determining the hydro-mechanical behavior of natural barriers. Fracture apertures are defined as mechanical and hydraulic apertures, and various studies have been conducted to measure and analyze them. However, direct measurement of mechanical aperture according to changes in normal stress is known to be a challenging task. For this reason, there has been a scarcity of direct comparative findings between mechanical and hydraulic apertures under various normal stress conditions. This study aims to analyze the characteristics of the mechanical and hydraulic apertures according to changes in normal stress based on experimental results. A digital analysis technique using a pressure film image was applied to analyze the mechanical aperture characteristics of the fracture. This technique can be applied by performing a pressure film compression test and a normal stiffness test on a fracture specimen, and has the advantage of being able to derive mechanical apertures under various normal stress conditions. The hydraulic aperture characteristics of the fracture were analyzed based on Cubic law after measuring the flow rate by performing a constant pressure injection test under triaxial compression conditions. By applying various confining pressures, it was possible to examine the hydraulic apertures according to changes in normal stress conditions. Through the experimental results, the relationship between the mechanical and hydraulic apertures of the fracture was summarized under various normal stress conditions. In addition, the experimental results were used to examine the applicability of various empirical equations for mechanical and hydraulic apertures proposed in previous studies. The characteristics of the fracture aperture resulting from this study are significant because they are required in the hydro-mechanical model of natural barriers. Future studies will entail further experiments, with the objective of establishing novel relationships based on the accumulation of experimental data.

The safe disposal of high-level radioactive waste has become a prominent global concern, necessitating rigorous safety assessments for deep geological disposal facilities. In Korea, crystalline rock with low-permeability is considered as the host rock for radioactive waste disposal, and fluid flow and solute transport in a low-permeability rock formation predominantly occur through interconnected fracture network. To analyze and predict fluid flow and solute transport behavior within the fractures, a comprehensive understanding of solute mixing at fracture intersections is crucial. However, difficulty in direct observation of the mixing processes occurring within microscale fracture intersections has led only to analytical and numerical studies, which requires thorough experimental study based on direct observations and measurements for a fundamental understanding of the mixing processes in fracture intersections. In this study, elaborate experiments are being prepared and conducted to measure the complex flow velocity/structure and solute concentration at rough-walled fracture intersections, using a microscale visualization technique of micro Particle Image Velocimetry (micro-PIV) system. Most analytical and numerical studies have shown that at high Peclet number (Pe) > 1,000, streamlinerouting model plays a major role in redistributing solutes at the fracture intersection, at which the mixing ratio converges to zero. As opposed to the conventional mixing model, our experiments found the rebounding of the mixing ratio in the inertial flow regime, indicating an enhanced solute mixing at the intersection. Flow visualization has demonstrated that the inertial flow features, such as the development of large-scale eddies and the straightening of main streamlines, enhance the physical mixing of solutes at rough-walled fracture intersections. The findings provide insights into the influence of fracture geometry on flow dynamics and its significant impact on solute mixing at fracture intersections.

In this study, a fracture evaluation of the spent nuclear fuel storage canister was conducted. Stainless steel alloys are typically used as the material for canisters, and therefore, a separate destructive evaluation is not required for safety analysis reports. However, in this research, a methodology for conducting a destructive evaluation was proposed for assessing the acceptability of cracks detected during in-service inspections for long-term storage due to reasons such as stress corrosion cracking. For the fracture evaluation, analytical equations provided in the design code such ASME were employed, and finite element method (FEM) based linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) was performed to validate the effectiveness of the analytical equations. Impact analyses such as tip-over of the storage cask on a concrete pad were performed, and the fracture evaluation using stresses resulting from the impact analysis under accident conditions and residual stresses from welds were carried out. Through this research, geometric dimensions for cracks exceeding the fracture criteria were established.

To investigate the mechanical integrity of spent nuclear fuel, the failure behavior of the cladding tube was examined under accident conditions. According to the SNL report, the failure behavior of cladding can be broadly classified into two types. The first is failure due to bending load caused by falling. The second is failure due to pinch load caused by space grid. In this study, mechanical integrity was evaluated through the stress intensity factor applied to the crack in failure behavior due to bending load. Since the exact value of the impact load due to fall was unknown, the load was applied by increasing the value up to 200 G in 20 G increments. The size of the crack is an important input variable, and 300 um was given by referring to the EPRI report, and the elastic modulus, a material property that determines the stress field, was given 75.22 GPa by referring to the FRAPCON code. Since the relationship between the direction of stress and the direction of the crack is also a major variable, simulations were conducted for both cracks perpendicular to and parallel to the stress direction. It was confirmed that at a load of 200 G, when the crack was parallel to the stress direction, stress concentration did not occur and had a very low stress intensity factor 0.01 􀜯􀜲􀜽√􀝉. When perpendicular to the direction of stress, the stress intensity factor showed a value of 1 􀜯􀜲􀜽√􀝉. However, considering that the critical value of the stress intensity factor due to hydride is 5 􀜯􀜲􀜽√􀝉, it can be seen that perpendicular result also ensures the mechanical integrity of the cladding.

The Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) cladding serves as the first barrier that prevents the release of radioactive materials. It is very important to maintain cladding integrity in SNF management. It is known that the pinch load applied to the cladding can lead to Mode-3 failure and the cladding becomes more vulnerable to this failure mode with the existence of radial hydrides and other forms of mechanical defects. In this study, a numerical analysis process was proposed to scientifically and systematically evaluate the fracture resistance of cladding with reoriented hydrides under pinch load. The mechanical behavior and fracture of the irradiated cladding under pinch load can be evaluated by Ring Compression Test (RCT). Under the stress field generated by RCT, the cracks propagate more easily through radial hydrides than circumferential hydrides. The δ-hydride which form within the α-zirconium matrix causes a large expansion strain due to the volume difference and voids form at the interface between the hydride and the zirconium matrix. Chan demonstrated that the load needed to form voids and separate the hard hydride precipitates from the Zr matrix is considerably lower than that which initiates brittle fracture of hydrides using a micro-cantilever test. Therefore, we propose a microstructure crack propagation analysis method based on Continuum Damage Mechanics (CDM) that can simulate fracture of hydride, zirconium matrix, and Zr/hydride interface. CDM is possible to simulate the hydride, zirconium matrix, and interface cracking in a continuum model based on cladding deformation. The RCT simulation model was constructed from the microscopic images of irradiated cladding. A pixel-based finite element model was created by separating the hydride, zirconium matrix, and interface using the image segmentation method on a morphology operation basis. The appropriate element size was selected for the efficiency of the analysis and crack propagation using CDM. The force-displacement curves and strain energy from RCT were compared and analyzed with the simulation results of different element sizes. The finalized RCT simulation model can be used to evaluate the fracture resistance of the irradiated cladding under the quantified pinch load and to establish the failure criterion of fuel rods under pinch load. The advantages and limitations of the proposed process are discussed.

PURPOSES : The evaluation of the low-temperature performance of an asphalt mixture is crucial for mitigating transverse thermal cracking and preventing traffic accidents on expressways. Engineers in pavement agencies must identify and verify the pavement sections that require urgent management. In early 2000, the research division of the Korea Expressway Corporation developed a three-dimensional (3D) pavement condition monitoring profiler vehicle (3DPM) and an advanced infographic (AIG) highway pavement management system computer program. Owing to these efforts, the management of the entire expressway network has become more precise, effective, and efficient. However, current 3DPM and AIG technologies focus only on the pavement surface and not on the entire pavement layer. Over the years, along with monitoring, further strengthening and verification of the feasibility of current 3DPM and AIG technologies by performing extensive mechanical tests and data analyses have been recommended. METHODS : First, the pavement section that required urgent care was selected using the 3DPM and AIG approaches. Second, asphalt mixture cores were acquired from the specified section, and a low-temperature fracture test, semi- circular bending (SCB) test, was performed. The mechanical parameters, energy-release rate, and fracture toughness were computed and compared. RESULTS : As expected, the asphalt mixture cores acquired from the specified pavement section ( poor condition – bad section) exhibited negative fracture performances compared to the control section (good section). CONCLUSIONS : The current 3DPM and AIG approaches in KEC can successfully evaluate and analyze selected pavement conditions. However, more extensive experimental studies and mathematical analyses are required to further strengthen and upgrade current pavement analysis approaches.

본 연구에서는 평활화 유한요소법(Smoothed finite element method)을 도입한 위상분야법(Phase-field method)에 대해 소개하고자 한다. 위상분야법은 최근 균열 개시 및 전파 해석에 많이 사용되는 기법으로 균열 표면을 추적하기 위한 추가적인 처리기법이 필요하 지 않는 특징이 있다. 위상분야법에서 복잡한 균열 전파를 포착하기 위해 높은 정확도의 변형률 에너지를 평활화 유한요소법을 도입 하여 계산하였다. 평활화 유한요소법은 유한요소를 하위 셀로 나누고 각각의 하위 셀을 평활화 영역으로 재조립하여 변형률 에너지 를 계산하게 된다. 또한 해석 시간 단축을 위하여 쿼드트리 요소망을 제안한 기법에 사용하였다. 수치 예제를 통하여 제안한 기법을 참 조해 및 유한요소법과 비교하여 검증하였다.

Bentonite is a promising buffer material for high-level radioactive waste (HLW) disposal due to the high nuclides sorption capacity and swelling property. However, bentonite has the potential to generate colloid particles, with small particle sizes less than 1,000 nm when in contact with groundwater. The bentonite colloids easily form pseudo-colloid with the released nuclides and migrate through the water-conducting rock to the biosphere. Therefore, understanding the generation and migration of bentonite colloids is crucial in assessing the safety of the HLW repository. In this study, an artificial fracture system was prepared to investigate colloid release from compacted bentonite. A 250 mm diameter acrylic artificial fracture system was used, with 30 mm of compacted calcium bentonite installed. Artificial groundwater flow was injected into the system at a flow rate of 250 μL/h, and every 6 mL of leachate was collected by a fraction collector. A film-type pressure sensor was equipped to monitor the swelling pressure, and the swelling was observed using a digital microscope. The results indicate that the compacted bentonite formed a mineral ring originating from the swelling of the bentonite, and the end of the ring generated colloid particles due to chemical erosion. Although the release rate of colloids increased with increasing flow rate, the colloid ratio depended on the low ionic strength of the injected artificial groundwater. This work contributes to the understanding of the chemical erosion and colloid release mechanism of compacted bentonite.

A disposal research program for HLW has been carried out since 1997 with the aim of establishing the preliminary concept of geological disposal in Korea. The preliminary studies were conducted by conducting manufacture and installation of an in-situ nuclide migration system in KAERI Underground Research Tunnel (KURT). Nuclides could be released from a deep underground disposal facility due to thermal and physicochemical changes into the surrounding environments. Understanding on the migration and retardation processes of nuclides in a fractured rock is very important in the safety assessment for the radioactive waste disposal. In this study, we evaluated fracture filling minerals and aperture distribution (3D map) along the fracture surfaces under the controlled conditions. The fractured granite block which has a single natural fracture of 1 m scale was sampled in a domestic quarry (Iksan), which groundwater had been flowed through. This rock has an interconnected porosity of 0.36 with the specific gravity of 2.57. The experimental set-up with the granite block with dimensions of 100×60×60 (cm). A flow of de-ionized water through the fracture between pairs of boreholes was initiated and the pressure required to maintain a steady flow was measured. In additions, fracture filling minerals were sampled and examined by mineralogical and chemical analyses. There are phyllosilicate minerals such as illite, kaolinite, and chlorite including calcite, which are fracture filling minerals. The illite and kaolinite usually coexist in the fracture, where their content ratio is different according to which mineral is predominant. For the evaluation of fracture, surface was divided into an imaginary matrix of 20×20 sub-squares as schematically. The calculated results are expressed as a two dimensional contour and a three dimensional surface plot for the aperture distribution in the fracture. The aperture value is distributed between 0.075 and 0.114 mm and the mean aperture value is 0.095 mm. The fracture volume is about 55 ml. Also the 137Cs sorption (batch test) distribution coefficients increased to Kd = 800~860 mL/g in the fractured rock because of the presence of secondary minerals formed by weathering processes, compared to the bedrock (Kd = 750~830 mL/g). These results will be very useful for the evaluation of environmental factor affecting the nuclides migration and retardation.

The distribution characteristics of rock fractures determine the hydro-mechanical behavior of natural barriers. Rock fractures are defined by various parameters, which are analyzed as the probability distribution from observation results by surveying the exposed rock surface or borehole. The size is known to have the most uncertainty among the fracture parameters because it cannot be directly measured. Therefore, various estimation methods have been proposed for fracture size distribution using the fracture traces observable on the rock surface. However, most methods are based on a planar survey area, limiting their applicability to the underground research laboratory (URL) excavated in the form of tunnels. This study aims to review a method that can be applied to estimate the size distribution of fractures in deep rock masses at the URL site. The estimation method using the joint center volume (JCV) has recently been extended to be applicable regardless of the geometry of the survey area, which means that it can be applied to the URL site with complex structures. To apply the JCV-based estimation method to non-planar survey areas, JCV calculation using Monte Carlo simulation and estimation of fracture size distribution using the maximum likelihood method are required. In this study, we applied the JCV-based estimation method to a tunnel-shaped survey area to examine its applicability to the URL site. The error rates were analyzed when there were fracture sets with various orientations, size distributions, and maximum fracture sizes in the rock mass, and it was found to be less than 10% in all cases. This result indicates that the JCV-based estimation method can be used to estimate the fracture size distribution of the surrounding rock mass if accompanied by a reliable survey of fracture traces on the tunnel surface inside the URL site. Also, since there are no restrictions on the geometry of the survey area, we can continuously update the estimation results during the URL excavation process to increase reliability. The fracture size distribution is essential for constructing the discrete fracture network (DFN) model of the rock mass units at the URL site. In the future, the uncertainty for the fracture size in the DFN model is expected to be reduced by applying the JCV-based estimation method.

The damage ratio of Spent Nuclear Fuel (SNF) is a very important intermediate variable for dry storage risk assessment which require an interdisciplinary and comprehensive investigation. It is known that the pinch load applied to the cladding can lead to Mode-3 failure and the cladding becomes more vulnerable to this failure mode with the existence of radial hydrides and other forms of mechanical defects. In this study, a sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the importance of the damage parameters that need to be calibrated for the simulation of zircaloy-4 cladding failure using computational mechanics. The simulation model was generated from a microscopic image of the cladding with hydride. The image segmentation method was used to separate the Zircaloy-4, hydride, and hydride- Zircaloy matrix interfaces to create a pixel-based finite element model. The ring compression test (RCT) was simulated because the resistance of the cladding under pinch load can be evaluated by this test. It was assumed that the damage starts with the formation and growth of voids or small cracks in the material, which grow and combine to form larger cracks, eventually leading to the complete fracture of the material. Therefore, the ductile damage criterion was applied to all materials to simulate crack formation and propagation. The sensitivity analysis was performed based on the design of experiments using L8 orthogonal array. The effects of five factors on the fracture resistance of hydrided cladding were quantified, and they are the fracture strains describing the damage initiation in zircaloy-4 matrix, hydride, and hydride-zirconium matrix, and yield stress and Young’s modulus for hydride-zirconium matrix. Information on those parameters are hardly available in literature and experimental data which enable the estimation of those are also very rare. It is planned to build a computational model which can accurately simulate the fracture behavior of hydrided cladding by calibrating significant fracture parameters using reverse engineering. The results of this study will help to figure out those significant parameters.