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Fracture Mechanics Modelling of an In Situ Concrete Spalling Experiment

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Abstract

During the operation of nuclear waste disposal facilities, some sprayed concrete reinforced underground spaces will be in use for approximately 100 years. During this time of use, the local stress regime will be altered by the radioactive decay heat. The change in the stress state will impose high demands on sprayed concrete, as it may suffer stress damage or lose its adhesion to the rock surface. It is also unclear what kind of support pressure the sprayed concrete layer will apply to the rock. To investigate this, an in situ experiment is planned in the ONKALO underground rock characterization facility at Olkiluoto, Finland. A vertical experimental hole will be concreted, and the surrounding rock mass will be instrumented with heat sources, in order to simulate an increase in the surrounding stress field. The experiment is instrumented with an acoustic emission system for the observation of rock failure and temperature, as well as strain gauges to observe the thermo-mechanical interactive behaviour of the concrete and rock at several levels, in both rock and concrete. A thermo-mechanical fracture mechanics study is necessary for the prediction of the damage before the experiment, in order to plan the experiment and instrumentation, and for generating a proper prediction/outcome study due to the special nature of the in situ experiment. The prediction of acoustic emission patterns is made by Fracod 2D and the model later compared to the actual observed acoustic emissions. The fracture mechanics model will be compared to a COMSOL Multiphysics 3D model to study the geometrical effects along the hole axis.

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Acknowledgements

The authors wish to thank Matti Hakala, Jouni Valli and Charlotta Simelius for their excellent work reporting the third phase of the POSE, which is the starting point for the ICSE, and for the use of Figs. 2, 4 and 6. The authors also wish to thank Ph.D. student Daniele Martinelli for his contribution to the ICSE, Emer. Prof. John Hudson for advice and proofreading, M.Sc. Johannes Suikkanen for valuable conversations about fracture mechanics and commenting on this paper, Posiva for their interest in and financial support of the research subject, the Confederation of Finnish Construction Industries RT and Aalto University for their support that financially enabled the writing of this article. The referenced Posiva and SKB reports can be downloaded from their websites; however, the views expressed in this article are those of the authors and are not necessarily those of Posiva or SKB.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Aalto University, Espoo, Finland

    Topias Siren, Lauri Uotinen & Mikael Rinne

  2. CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering, Brisbane, Australia

    Baotang Shen

  3. Aalto University, P.O. Box 12100, 00076, Aalto, Finland

    Topias Siren

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  1. Topias Siren
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  2. Lauri Uotinen
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  3. Mikael Rinne
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  4. Baotang Shen
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Correspondence to Topias Siren.

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Siren, T., Uotinen, L., Rinne, M. et al. Fracture Mechanics Modelling of an In Situ Concrete Spalling Experiment. Rock Mech Rock Eng 48, 1423–1438 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0646-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-014-0646-1

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