After the joint research on North Korea railway in 2018, expectations for linking with North-South Korea and Eurasian railways. Therefore, a study for the connection and renovation of North-South Korea railways is needed.
North-South Korea show great...
After the joint research on North Korea railway in 2018, expectations for linking with North-South Korea and Eurasian railways. Therefore, a study for the connection and renovation of North-South Korea railways is needed.
North-South Korea show great differences in winter climate. In South Korea, air temperature range is about –10~25℃ during winter. On the other hand, during the winter in North Korea, the temperature is about –25~40℃. Due to the extreme cold in North Korea, the tunnels are frequently damaged by freezing. However, North Korea is only implementing maintenance without solution. Therefore, in order to prevent tunnel freezing damage, it is necessary to review the tunnel freezing range considering the winter climate of North Korea.
Considering the North-South Korea railway connection, two methods are expected. The first is to reinforce and use North Korea's aging tunnels. The second is to apply and improve the South Korean single-track tunnel standards. Therefore, in this study, for the smooth connection and improvement of North-South Korea railway, the prevention of tunnel frost heave was suggested through numerical analysis.
As a result of investigating the current status of aging railway tunnels in North Korea, tunnels with a length of less than 1km or less were built on Gyeongui Line, and tunnels with a maximum of 5km were built on the Donghae Line. Thus, the length of the numerical analysis model was set to a maximum of 5km. In addition, in order to verify the reliability of the numerical anaylsis, it was compared with domestic and overseas tunnel temperature measurements. As a result of the comparison, the reliability of the numerical analysis was confirmed.
As a result of reviewing the numerical analysis program(CFD) considering the winter temperature, inflow wind speed, and tunnel conditions in North Korea, the range for freezing of aging tunnel and improved tunnel increased as the temperature decreased and the wind speed increased.
In addition, the freezing depth at the rear of the concrete lining was analyzed numerically using the North Korean freezing index map, and through this, the thickness of the insulation between the lining and the shotcrete according to the temperature drop was calculated. Furthermore, when applying the insulation method, a flow chart to prevent frost heave was proposed.
To summarize the conclusion, the freezing range of aging tunnels and improved tunnels was derived through numerical analysis in consideration of North Korea's winter climate. Based on the expected freezing range, applicable domestic maintenance methods and a flow chart for preventing frost heave were presented. Through the proposed maintenance methods and flow chart, it is expected to connect North-South Korea railway by enhancing the cold resistance of aging tunnel.