Research on the origin and evolution of technical management regulations for railway

Purpose–To facilitate technical managers and field workers to master and understand the provisions of Technical Management Regulations for Railway more accurately,so as to better serve the comprehensive revision of the Regulations,this paper carries out the research on the traceability and evolution of the provisions of the Regulations.Design/methodology/approach–This paper studies and analyzes the evolution of the 11th edition of the Regulations by analyzing the relevance of clauses and summarizes the historical background of the development of calendar editions of the Regulations.The basic research on the traceability and evolution of the Regulations is carried out from four aspects:the continuity of the development of the Regulations,the authority of contents,the relevance of clauses and the richness of historical materials.Findings–From the first edition of the Regulations issued by the former Ministry of Railways in 1950 to the 11th edition,there have been ten comprehensive revisions.There is a strong correlation and continuity between the calendar editions of the Regulations in terms of chapter structure and clauses.Studying the context of the terms of the Regulations is an important way to understand and master the current clauses of the Regulations.Originality/value–Through the research on the traceability and evolution of the clauses of the Regulations,one is to explore the context of the development of railway technical equipment in China,the other is to clarify the historical background when the provisions were formulated and the third is to trace the development and evolution of the provisions.The revision of the Regulations is based on an accurate grasp of the context of the provisions,which can effectively judge the possible security risks caused by the revision of the provisions and avoid the possible risks in field implementation from the source.

Deep seabed mining:Frontiers in engineering geology and environment

Ocean mining activities have been ongoing for nearly 70 years,making great contributions to industrialization.Given the increasing demand for energy,along with the restructuring of the energy supply catalyzed by efforts to achieve a low-carbon economy,deep seabed mining will play an important role in addressing energy-and resource-related problems in the future.However,deep seabed mining remains in the exploratory stage,with many challenges presented by the high-pressure,low-temperature,and complex geologic and hydrodynamic environments in deep-sea mining areas,which are inaccessible to human activities.Thus,considerable efforts are required to ensure sustainable,economic,reliable,and safe deep seabed mining.This study reviews the latest advances in marine engineering geology and the environment related to deep-sea min-ing activities,presents a bibliometric analysis of the development of ocean mineral resources since the 1950s,summarizes the development,theory,and issues related to techniques for the three stages of ocean mining(i.e.,exploration,extraction,and closure),and discusses the engineering geology environment,geological disasters,in-situ monitoring techniques,envi-ronmental protection requirements,and environmental effects in detail.Finally,this paper gives some key conclusions and future perspectives to provide insights for subsequent studies and commercial mining operations.

Impact of seepage flow on sediment resuspension by internal solitary waves:parameterization and mechanism

Sediment incipient motion is the first step in sediment resuspension.Previous studies ignored the effect of seepage flow on the mobility of sediment particles and simplified the seabed surface as a rigid boundary.A flume experiment was designed to innovatively divide the seabed into two parts to control the dynamic response of the seabed and control the seepage conditions.In the experiment,the seabed sediments and the amplitude of internal solitary waves(ISWs)were changed to compare and analyze the impact of seepage flow on the sediment resuspension by shoaling ISWs.Moreover,parametric research and verification were carried out.Results indicate that seepage flow can greatly influence fine sand,promote sediment resuspension,and increase the amount of suspension by two times on average.However,seepage flow had a little effect on the suspension of clayey silt and sandy silt.Besides,seepage force was added to the traditional gravity,drag force,and uplift force,and the parameterization of threshold starting shear stress of coarse-grained sediments was developed.The results of this parameterization were verified,and seepage force was critical to parameterization.The threshold starting shear stress was reduced by 54.6%after increasing the seepage force.The physical mechanism of this process corresponded to the vertical reciprocating transient seepage in and out the seabed interface caused by the wave-induced transient excess pore water pressure.This quantitative study on seepage flow for shear stress of coarse-grained sediments induced by ISWs is critical to geohazard assessment.

Nepheloid layer generation by gas eruption:unexpected experimental results

Knowledge of nepheloid layers is important to improve the understanding of physical,geological,and sedimentary processes from continental shelf to abyssal environments.We had not tried to study the nepheloid layers in a hydrate-associated tank until unexpected results occurred.Tank experimental results show that gas eruptions triggered intermediate nepheloid layers.Thus,we proposed a new mechanism of intermediate nepheloid layer generation by eruptions.The intermediate nepheloid layers were generated in uniform-density fluid,which indicated that stratified fluid is not a necessary condition for intermediate nepheloid layers.Sufficient space for advection and an oblique slope for detachment are the key ingredients for intermediate nepheloid layer generation by eruptions.Our experiments also offer a new experimental evidence for bottom nepheloid layer generation by earthquakes.Given the scale effects of laboratory experiment,it is important to determine whether submarine volcanic eruption or hydrate-associated venting causes intermediate nepheloid layer in the nature.

The profile of sound speed and dissolved oxygen in the polymetallic nodules depositional area in the Western Pacific

With the consumption of terrestrial metal resources,the exploitation of deep-sea polymetallic nodule minerals has been widely concerned around the world.Therefore,the environmental impact of deep-sea polymetallic nodule mining cannot be ignored.However,duo to the lacks in stable and safe deep-sea(the depth>1000 m)vertical profile observation systems and consequently in long-term in-situ observation data,the sound speed and dissolved oxygen and the other water environment factors in the deposition areas of polymetallic nodules remains poorly understood.In this study,a deep-sea in-situ observation system was designed and deployed,and the water environment data of the polymetallic nodule deposition area were collected and analyzed.Result shows that the dissolved oxygen in the depth of 0–600 m was mainly affected by biological factors,while that in the area deeper than 600 m was affected by physical factors.The sound speed in the water body was mainly affected by temperature and pressure.At depths below 840 m,the sound speed is mainly controlled by temperature,and at depths between 840 m and 5700 m,the sound speed is mainly controlled by pressure.The correlations of sound speed vs.pressure and vs.temperature were regressed into equation.The resuspension of sediments rich in various metals may result in the reduction of dissolved oxygen and the improvement of redox potential.This environmental impact caused by a single sediment resuspension could last for 24 h or more.These findings enrich the understanding of the background value of the water environment in the polymetallic nodule deposition area.

Centrifuge experiment on the penetration test for evaluating undrained strength of deep-sea surface soils

Rapid advances in deep-sea mining engineering have created an urgent need for the accurate evaluation of the undrained strength of marine soils,especially surface soils.Significant achievements have been made using full-flow penetration penetrometers to evaluate marine soil strength in the deep penetration;however,a method considering the effect of ambient water on the surface penetration needs to be established urgently.In this study,penetrometers with multiple probes were developed and used to conduct centrifuge experiments on South China Sea soil and kaolin clay.First,the forces on the probes throughout the penetration process were systematically analyzed and quantified.Second,the spatial influence zone was determined by capturing the resistance changes and sample crack development,and the penetration depth for a sample to reach a stable failure mode was given.Third,the vane shear strength was used to invert the penetration resistance factor of the ball and determine the range of the penetration resistance factor values.Furthermore,a methodology to determine the penetration resistance factors for surface marine soils was established.Finally,the effect of the water cavity above various probes in the surface penetration was used to formulate an internal mechanism for variations in the penetration resistance factor.

The controlling factors of high suspended sediment concentration in the intertidal flat off the Huanghe River Estuary

The Huanghe River(Yellow River)is known by its high suspended sediment concentration(SSC)in its river mouth tidal flat.However,the factors controlling the high SSC over there are not well understood.Therefore,we conducted 7-d hydrodynamic observations(water depth,wave height,and current velocity)and SSC measurements on the tidal flat off the Huanghe River Mouth.The data shows that in most of time,under the calm sea condition,the SSC ranges 0.1–3.5 g/L,and sediment discharge from the river is the main source.However,when hydrodynamics are enhanced in a tidal cycle and large-scale erosion occurs on the seafloor,resuspended sediment becomes the main source,and the SSC in the water column reaches 17.3 g/L.We find the suspended sediment flux is mainly controlled by the tidal current and Stokes drift,while the wave-induced shear stress could also affect the variation of suspended sediment flux.During the observation period,when sea under calm-rippled conditions,the current-induced resuspended sediment concentration(RSC)was greater than the wave-induced RSC.In contrast,in smooth-wavelet sea conditions,the wave-induced RSC was greater than the current-induced RSC,for instance,a single wave event was found to cause 11.8 cm seabed erosion within 6 h.This study reveals different controlling factors for the high SSC near a river-influenced tidal flat,and helps us get a better understanding of a delta's depositional and erosional mechanisms.

Wave flume experiments on dynamics of the bottom boundary layer in silty seabed

The objectives of this study are carried out a series of controlled large wave flume experiments using fine-grained sediment from the Huanghe River Delta,exploring the complete sequence of sediment behavior in the bottom boundary layer(BBL)during wave-induced liquefaction.The results show that:(1)The BBL in silty seabed is exposed to a progressive wave,goes through a number of different stages including compaction before liquefaction,sediment liquefaction,and compaction after liquefaction,which determines the range and thickness of BBL.(2)With the introduction of waves,first,the sediment surface has settled by an amount S(S=1–2 cm)in the course of wave loadings with an insufficient accumulation of pore water pressure.And a thin high concentration layer formed the near-bed bottom.(3)Once the liquefaction sets in,the liquefied sediment with an‘orbital motion’and the sub-liquefied sediment form a two-layer-sediment region.The range of BBL extends downwards and stopped at a certain depth,subsequently,develops upwards with the compaction process.Meanwhile,resuspended sediments diffuse to the upper water column.(4)During the dynamics process of the BBL beneath progressive waves,the re-suspended sediment increment ranked as sediment liquefaction>erosion before liquefaction>compaction after liquefaction.

Microseismic observations reveal that internal waves intensify seabed methane release

Internal waves transport material and energy from the upper water column to the deep ocean, disturbing seabed sediments and resulting in phenomena such as seabed erosion and changes in topography. On the northern slope of the South China Sea and in many coastal margins worldwide, the zones with internal wave action closely overlap with areas where natural gas hydrates are present. However, due to significant differences in the spatial and temporal scales, understanding the influence of internal waves on methane releases from deep seabeds is challenging. In this study, in situ observations of seabed microseismicity and internal waves are conducted at water depths of 655 meters and 1450 meters in the Pearl River Canyon of the South China Sea. The microseismicity caused by internal waves and seabed methane releases is identified, and a method to establish the correlation between internal waves and seabed methane releases through the use of microseismic recordings is proposed, aiming to obtain direct observational evidence of internal waves intensifying seabed methane releases. The results show that internal waves and seabed methane releases generate significant microseismic signals, indicating the continuous influence of internal waves on the deep seabed of the northern slope of the South China Sea and revealing active methane release phenomena on the seabed. At both long and short time scales, internal waves increase the frequency of seabed methane releases by 4.2 times and 2.4 times, respectively, while also enhancing the intensity of these releases. These changes are influenced by the alterations in seabed flow velocity, pressure, and temperature that are induced by internal wave activities. This study emphasizes that microseismic signals are effective carriers of information for multiscale geological processes on seabeds and suggests that internal waves exacerbate marine geological hazards and contribute to global climate change by intensifying seabed methane releases.