Given the challenge of definitively discriminating between chemical and nuclear explosions using seismic methods alone, surface detection of signature noble gas radioisotopes is considered a positive identification of underground nuclear explosions (UNEs). However, the migration of signature radionuclide gases between the nuclear cavity and surface is not well understood because complex processes are involved, including the generation of complex fracture networks, reactivation of natural fractures and faults, and thermo-hydro-mechanical-chemical (THMC) coupling of radionuclide gas transport in the subsurface. In this study, we provide an experimental investigation of hydro-mechanical (HM) coupling among gas flow, stress states, rock deformation, and rock damage using a unique multi-physics triaxial direct shear rock testing system. The testing system also features redundant gas pressure and flow rate measurements, well suited for parameter uncertainty quantification. Using porous tuff and tight granite samples that are relevant to historic UNE tests, we measured the Biot effective stress coefficient, rock matrix gas permeability, and fracture gas permeability at a range of pore pressure and stress conditions. The Biot effective stress coefficient varies from 0.69 to 1 for the tuff, whose porosity averages 35.3% f 0.7%, while this coefficient varies from 0.51 to 0.78 for the tight granite (porosity <1%, perhaps an underestimate). Matrix gas permeability is strongly correlated to effective stress for the granite, but not for the porous tuff. Our experiments reveal the following key engineering implications on transport of radionuclide gases post a UNE event: (1) The porous tuff shows apparent fracture dilation or compression upon stress changes, which does not necessarily change the gas permeability; (2) The granite fracture permeability shows strong stress sensitivity and is positively related to shear displacement; and (3) Hydromechanical coupling among stress states, rock damage, and gas flow appears to be stronger in tight granite than in porous tuff. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).

A nuclear explosion in the rock mass medium can produce strong shock waves, seismic shocks, and other destructive effects, which can cause extreme damage to the underground protection infrastructures. With the increase in nuclear explosion power, underground protection engineering enabled by explosion-proof impact theory and technology ushered in a new challenge. This paper proposes to simulate nuclear explosion tests with on-site chemical explosion tests in the form of multi -hole explosions. First, the mechanism of using multi -hole simultaneous blasting to simulate a nuclear explosion to generate approximate plane waves was analyzed. The plane pressure curve at the vault of the underground protective tunnel under the action of the multi -hole simultaneous blasting was then obtained using the impact test in the rock mass at the site. According to the peak pressure at the vault plane, it was divided into three regions: the stress superposition region, the superposition region after surface re flection, and the approximate plane stress wave zone. A numerical simulation approach was developed using PFC and FLAC to study the peak particle velocity in the surrounding rock of the underground protective cave under the action of multi -hole blasting. The time-history curves of pressure and peak pressure partition obtained by the on-site multi -hole simultaneous blasting test and numerical simulation were compared and analyzed, to verify the correctness and rationality of the formation of an approximate plane wave in the simulated nuclear explosion. This comparison and analysis also provided a theoretical foundation and some research ideas for the ensuing study on the impact of a nuclear explosion. (c) 2024 Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY -NC -ND license (http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).