The Journal of Engineering Geology ISSN:1226-5268(Print) 2287-7169(Online) 지질공학

The pertinent Korean Industrial Standard (KS F) requires that rocks dried at 105 ± 5°C be taken out of the oven into air and weighed on a scale. However, when rocks are exposed to air after the drying process, they absorb moisture, meaning that their weight will increase. In this study, eight cubic samples of Hwangdeung granite of different sizes were used to measure and compare the dry weight. The dry singularity weight measured in air was smaller than that measured in the drying oven. The difference in dry weight showed a positive correlation with sample size. Conversely, the difference in dry weight per unit weight of rock showed a negative correlation with sample size. The weight of a rock sample exposed to air is determined by the magnitude of the influence of convection currents occurring around the heated rock and the influence of moisture absorption in air. A singularity occurs when the magnitudes of these two effects are equal. The larger the rock sample, the longer the time taken for the singularity to occur, the greater the weight loss of the sample, and the longer the time taken for the sample to return to the initially measured weight on account of the greater moisture absorption for larger samples than smaller samples. In the future, research into the singularity and dry weights measured inside the drying oven will help to identify and address the limitations of the current KS F testing regulations.