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Elastic modulus analysis of a 3D-printed permafrost simulation model with varying porosity in a seismic physical modeling

Daechul Kim1 ,  Yeonjin Choi1 ,  Wookeen Chung2 ,  Sungryul Shin2*
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1 Division of Glacier and Earth Sciences, Korea Polar Research Institute, Incheon, Republic of Korea
2 Department of Energy and Resources Engineering, College of Ocean Science and Engineering, National Korea Maritime and Ocean University, Busan, Republic of Korea
JSE 2026, 35(2), 025420091 https://doi.org/10.36922/JSE025420091
Submitted: 17 October 2025 | Revised: 2 January 2026 | Accepted: 16 January 2026 | Published: 6 March 2026
© 2026 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Global warming is causing permafrost thawing, which can lead to permafrost collapse. Assessing the stability of permafrost against this collapse risk is essential. One effective approach to evaluating permafrost stability is to use the elastic modulus. Since the elastic modulus varies with the ice content in the pore spaces, analyzing its relationship with porosity is crucial for understanding permafrost stability. Previous studies have used rock cores to analyze the relationship between elastic modulus and porosity. However, the analysis of elastic modulus relative to various porosities in permafrost is limited. To overcome these limitations, porosity was controlled using 3D printing, and a permafrost analog model with seismic velocities and porosities similar to those of natural permafrost was fabricated and assumed as permafrost. To analyze elastic modulus as a function of porosity in permafrost, seismic velocities were measured through seismic physical modeling experiments, and the elastic modulus was estimated from the measured seismic velocities. Analysis of the relationship between elastic modulus and porosity revealed that the elastic modulus decreased after increasing to a specific porosity in the permafrost simulation model. These findings provide a quantitative basis for evaluating the stability of infrastructure on permafrost by demonstrating the significant effect of ice expansion on mechanical properties. Furthermore, this study validates the 3D printing approach as an effective tool to overcome the limitations of natural rock cores for systematic permafrost research.

Keywords
Seismic physical modeling
Permafrost
3D printing
Porosity
Elastic modulus
Funding
This research was supported by the Korea Institute of Marine Science and Technology Promotion (KIMST) funded by the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, Korea (RS- 2023-00259633) and by the “Busan Regional Innovation System and Education (RISE)” Project supported by the Ministry of Education and Busan Metropolitan City (2025- RISE-02-002-012).
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no competing interests.
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Journal of Seismic Exploration, Print ISSN: 0963-0651, Published by AccScience Publishing
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