Vibrations induced by tunnel boring machine in urban areas: In situ measurements and methodology of analysis

Excavation with tunnel boring machine(TBM)can generate vibrations,causing damages to neighbouring buildings and disturbing the residents or the equipment.This problem is particularly challenging in urban areas,where TBMs are increasingly large in diameter and shallow in depth.In response to this problem,four experimental campaigns were carried out in different geotechnical contexts in France.The vibration measurements were acquired on the surface and inside the TBMs.These measurements are also complemented by few data in the literature.An original methodology of signal processing is pro-posed to characterize the amplitude of the particle velocities,as well as the frequency content of the signals to highlight the most energetic bands.The levels of vibrations are also compared with the thresholds existing in various European regulations concerning the impact on neighbouring structures and the disturbance to local residents.

Methane seepages in the northern South China Sea: evidence from in situ measurements

Continental margins in world oceans contain large amounts of marine gas hydrates. Changes in the temperature and pressure of sediment may destabilize the methane hydrate, leading to its release and seepage into the sea. This process would increase the dissolved methane in the ambient seawater. In this study, a methane sensor was used to detect methane anomalies in the water column in southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu, northern slope of the South China Sea. Methane plumes were detected at stations SCS001 and T001 in the southwestern Dongsha area, and station SCS002 in the Shenhu area, respectively. The maximum methane concentrations were 8.8 nmol/L in southwestern Dongsha and 10.1 nmol/L in Shenhu, which are about 4–5 times higher than the background methane concentration. This indicates that there are active methane seepages present in both the southwestern Dongsha and Shenhu areas, which are likely related to a methane hydrate reservoir beneath the seafloor. A methane sensor with a low detection limit is a practical instrument with which to detect methane plumes in oceanic environments and to monitor methane leakage from the seafloor.

In Situ Measurement of the Undisturbed Ground Temperature for Ground Source Heat Pump System

The undisturbed ground temperatures are important for design of the ground heat exchangers in ground source heat pump （GSHP） systems. In this paper, the undisturbed ground temperatures measured in two different methods are presented. The investigation was carried out in two cases. The temperature measured with the direct method is assumed to give the correct undisturbed ground temperature profile. The temperature measured with indirect method overestimates the undisturbed ground temperature by 2.1℃ and 1.7~C. This difference is mainly caused by the circulation pump and ambient air to the fluid. Therefore, the results that are decreased about 2℃ as compared with the indirect measured are recommended to estimate the undisturbed ground temperature in situ measuring. A smaller pump or deeper borehole or mild weather would result in a more correct temperature. Because the undisturbed ground temperature is affected by many factors. Whether or not these conclusions are correct to other areas, this would need further investigation.

In situ measurements of benthic oxygen fluxes in Hui-quan Bay of Qingdao by eddy correlation techniques:short term pattern variations in gravel beach

The oxygen fluxe across the sediment-water interface(SWI)in coastal region is a key measure to fully understand the regulation of biogeochemical cycles in an aquatic environment.However,studies on fluxes of dissolved oxygen in gravel beach are limited,because of the difficulty in sample collection and instrumentations deployment.In this study,benthic oxygen fluxes across rocky substratum in an intertidal zone of Huiquan Bay was estimated by using noninvasive eddy correlation techniques.A total of 10 burst measurements were analyzed.The oxygen flux fluctuated from-5.7888±2.6 to+49.3344±2.6 mmol O2 m-2/d were observed.The cospectra analysis showed that the oxygen flux at the frequency band between 0.093 and 0.279 Hz(at a period from 3.58 to 10.75 s)contributed 50.19%to the total spectrum on average.The results showed that the major contribution band moved to the high frequency region gradually and reached a steady state with increasing tidal flood.It is demonstrated that wave movement and wave breaking interaction resulted in the change of oxygen flux between gravel beach and shallow waters at the start and the end of a rising tide period,respectively.The eddy correlation techniques offer an efficient means for flux measurement over a gravel or mixed sand and gravel beaches.

Measured dynamic load distribution within the in situ axlebox bearing of high-speed trains under polygonal wheel–rail excitation

The dynamic load distribution within in-service axlebox bearings of high-speed trains is crucial for the fatigue reliability assessment and forward design of axlebox bearings. This paper presents an in situ measurement of the dynamic load distribution in the four rows of two axlebox bearings on a bogie wheelset of a high-speed train under polygonal wheel–rail excitation. The measurement employed an improved strain-based method to measure the dynamic radial load distribution of roller bearings. The four rows of two axlebox bearings on a wheelset exhibited different ranges of loaded zones and different means of distributed loads. Besides, the mean value and standard deviation of measured roller–raceway contact loads showed non-monotonic variations with the frequency of wheel–rail excitation. The fatigue life of the four bearing rows under polygonal wheel–rail excitation was quantitatively predicted by compiling the measured roller–raceway contact load spectra of the most loaded position and considering the load spectra as input.

Establishment of continuous cooling transformation diagrams of aluminum alloys using in situ voltage measurement

An effective method was proposed to establish the continuous cooling transformation（CCT） diagrams of aluminum alloys using in situ voltage measurement.The voltage change of samples with predefined dimension was recorded under the constant current state during continuous cooling.Solutionizing time,together with starting and finishing temperatures of phase transformation of the alloy can be obtained from relationships of voltage vs time and temperature.A critical cooling rate without detectable phase transition during continuous cooling can be determined.Continuous cooling transformation diagrams of tested samples can be established conveniently based on these results.Microstructure observation and differential scanning calorimetry（DSC） testing were applied to verify the reliability of continuous cooling transformation diagram.

Self-contained in situ sediment acoustic measurement system based on hydraulic driving penetration

A novel self-contained in situ sediment acoustic measurement system based on hydraulic driving penetration is proposed to solve the problem of large disturbances to sediments of the in situ equipments already in existence. By using a hydraulic driving device, the system drives four acoustic probes into sediments at an even speed, and this decreases disturbances to sediments introduced by the penetration of acoustic probes. By means of the special design of the central control unit, the system can work full-automatically and the data are stored self-containedly, and this avoids the requirement of real-time remote controlling from the ship. Its operating water depth, measuring depth and measuring frequency is 500m, 1.0m and 30kHz respectively. A set of in situ sound speeds and attenuation coefficients of sediments are obtained at 40 stations using the system. The results confirm that the data obtained by the in situ sediment acoustic system are accurate and credible.

Design and assembly of a nested imaging X-ray telescope for the Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor mission

The Hot Universe Baryon Surveyor (HUBS) mission will carry a nested X-ray telescope capable of observing an energy range from 0.5 keV to 2 keV to study hot baryon evolution. In this paper, we report the latest progress in the design and construction of nested X-ray telescopes which were designed to use a three-stage conic-approximation type assembly to simplify the manufacturing process. The mirror substrate is made using the thermal glass slumping method, with mirrors characterized by a root-mean-square roughness of 0.3 nm, with expected high reflectivity and good thermal stability. We also discuss methods of telescope construction and conduct a deformation analysis of the manufactured mirror. The in situ measurement system program is developed to guide the telescope assembly process.

Rheo-optic in situ synchronous study on the gelation behaviour and mechanism of waxy crude oil emulsions

An improved rheo-optic in situ synchronous measurement system was employed to investigate the gelation behaviour and mechanism of waxy crude oil emulsions. By combining transmitted natural light and reflected polarized light microscopy, a multiangle composite light source was built to achieve the simultaneous observation of wax crystals and emulsified water droplets, as well as their dynamic aggregation process. Main outcomes on the microscopic mechanism were obtained by developed microscopic image processing method. It was found that the microstructure of W/O waxy crude oil emulsion has the evolution of “individual structure--homogeneous aggregate structure--heterogeneous coaggregate structure--floc structure” during the static cooling, which results in the four stages during gelation process. Different from previous studies, the aggregation of emulsified water droplets was found to be more significant and contributes to the formation and development of the wax crystals-emulsified water droplets coaggregate, which plays a decisive role in the further evolution of the gelled microstructure. Time series microscopic images show the dynamic aggregation of emulsified water droplets and wax crystals. Two different aggregation behaviours between wax crystals and water droplets were observed. That wax crystals can not only embed in gaps between adjacent water droplets and enhance the structure, but also surround the outside of the water droplets and continue to grow resulting in the interconnection of different coaggregates to form a larger floc structure. In addition, correlation between viscoelasticity and microstructure evolution of waxy crude oil emulsions of different water contents was discussed. With increasing water contents, the microstructure is changed from wax crystal flocculation structure as the main skeleton and the emulsified water droplets embedded in it, into the aggregation of emulsified water droplets occupying the main position. When the number of wax crystals and water droplets reaches a certain ratio, did wax crystals form coaggregates with emulsified water droplets, and the remaining wax crystals formed an overall flocculation structure, the viscoelasticity of the waxy crude oil emulsion is the highest.

Nitrogen-doping boosts ^(*)CO utilization and H_(2)O activation on copper for improving CO_(2) reduction to C_(2+) products

To improve the electrocatalytic transformation of carbon dioxide (CO_(2)) to multi-carbon (C_(2+)) products is of great importance.Here we developed a nitrogen-doped Cu catalyst,by which the maximum C_(2+) Faradaic efficiency can reach 72.7%in flow-cell system,with the partial current density reaching 0.62 A cm^(-2).The in situ Raman spectra demonstrate that the *CO adsorption can be strengthened on such a N-doped Cu catalyst,thus promoting the *CO utilization in the subsequent C–C coupling step.Simultaneously,the water activation can be well enhanced by N doping on Cu catalyst.Owing to the synergistic effects,the selectivity and activity for C_(2+) products over the N-deoped Cu catalyst are much improved.

A COMBINED MEASUREMENT SYSTEM FOR UV/V IN SITU SPECTROELECTROCHEMICAL STUDY

A microcomputer-based UV/V in situ spectroelectrochemical measurement system has been developed.This paper presents a description of the experimental details regarding the methods and equipment.

Development of Sb Microelectrode and In-situ pH Measurement of Electroless Nickel Reaction Interface

Sb microelectrodes were prepared by plating. The results of testing show that they have excellent stability, quick responding speed, high pH sensitivity (35～40 mV/pH) and long useful life in high temperature acidic electroless nickel (EN) bath. By using Sb microelectrode, the pH value in EN reaction interface was measured in situ . There exists the fluctuation of pH during EN plating, and the amplitude of fluctuation tends to decrease with plating time. The largest fluctuation amplitude can reach 1～2 pH value. The in situ pH measurement provides reliable experimental results for explaining the formation of layer structure of EN deposit.

New speckle pattern interferometry for precise in situ deformation measurements

A new electronic speckle pattern interferometry method is proposed to realize in situ deformation measurements.The feature of the method is the combination of a high-speed camera and multiple laser Doppler vibrometers(LDVs)for synchronous measurements.The high-speed camera is used to record and select effective interferograms,while the LDVs are used to measure the rigid body displacement caused by vibrations.A series of effective interferograms with known shifted phase values are obtained to calculate the deformation phase.The experimental results show that the method performs well in measuring static and dynamic deformations with high accuracy in vibrating environments.

In Situ Acquisition of Equivalent Circuit Parameters of Crystal Resonance during Copper Deposition and Dissolution in Acidic Solution by Electrochemical Quartz Crystal Impedance System

Electrochemical quartz crystal impedance system (EQCIS) which allows in situ dynamic quartz crystal impedance measurement in an electrochemical experiment was developed by combining an HP 4395A Network/Spectrum/Impedance analyzer with an EG&G M283 potentiostat. Equivalent circuit parameters of crystal resonance change significantly during electrodeposition and dissolution of copper in 0.1 mol/L H2SO4 aqueous solution in a cyclic potential sweep experiment, which is explained with an overall picture of mass loading, solution density and viscosity, etc..

Safety of barricades in cemented paste-backfilled stopes

In underground mining,there has been an increasing use of"cemented paste"for the backfilling of stopes.As this cemented paste backfill(CPB)enters the stope as a fluid,shotcrete barricades are often used to retain the fill material during and after the filling operations.However,failures of barricades have been reported around the world in recent years.This paper presents an analytical solution based on the elastic thin plate theory for calibrating the design of shotcrete barricades in underground mines using CPB.This solution was used to determine the quantitative relationships between the lateral loading from the paste and the barricade response during the backfilling process.The results show that the proposed solution agrees well with in situ data.According to the actual barricade responses,the acceptable tensile stress and an analysis method of cracks development are proposed.The proposed solution has practical significance for underground mines.

Relationships between the sound speed ratio and physical properties of surface sediments in the South Yellow Sea

Building empirical equations is an effective way to link the acoustic and physical properties of sediments.These equations play an important role in the prediction of sediments sound speeds required in underwater acoustics.Although many empirical equations coupling acoustic and physical properties have been developed over the past few decades,further confirmation of their applicability by obtaining large amounts of data,especially for equations based on in situ acoustic measurement techniques,is required.A sediment acoustic survey in the South Yellow Sea from 2009 to 2010 revealed statistical relationships between the in situ sound speed and sediment physical properties.To improve the comparability of these relationships with existing empirical equations,the present study calculated the ratio of the in situ sediment sound speed to the bottom seawater sound speed,and established the relationships between the sound speed ratio and the mean grain size,density and porosity of the sediment.The sound speed of seawater at in situ measurement stations was calculated using a perennially averaged seawater sound speed map by an interpolation method.Moreover,empirical relations between the index of impedance and the sound speed and the physical properties were established.The results confirmed that the existing empirical equations between the in situ sound speed ratio and the density and porosity have general suitability for application.This study also considered that a multiple-parameter equation coupling the sound speed ratio to both the porosity and the mean grain size may be more useful for predicting the sound speed than an equation coupling the sound speed ratio to the mean grain size.

Rock mass movements around development workings in various density of standing-and-roof-bolting support

Presented measurement results of roof rocks and wall rock movements of un- derground development workings after their drifting.The research was carried out in the coal mine workings with standing-and-roof bolting support.There were various density of the support,so the aim of the special monitoring programme was to determine movement intensity of rock mass in the premises of the heading area.There were four types of re- search did by the authors.They measured convergence,roof layers separation using tell- tales and sonic probes and load bearing of the headings' roofs by hydraulic dynamometers Evaluation of fracture zone around the heading and investigation the load zone caused by failed roof rocks may become a basement for the determination of support parameters of the workings.The combined system of standing support and roof bolting seems to be an essential for underground headings protection.

Assessing satellite-derived net surface radiative flux in the Arctic

Satellite-derived surface radiative fluxes have been recently improved and extended.However,the accuracy of recent satellite-derived surface radiative fluxes in the Arctic is not well characterized.Here,the authors assess the accuracy of the net surface radiative flux （NETSRF） in the Arctic,focusing on the ice-covered ocean,for three satellite products against four in situ measurements collected from different areas in the Arctic.The three satellite products are the Surface Radiation Budget project （SRB）,the International Satellite Cloud Climatology Project （ISCCP）,and the Extended AVHRR Polar Pathfinder version-2 （APP-x）.Our comparisons suggest that：（1） in terms of the overall bias,root-mean-square error,and correlation,the NETSRF of ISCCP is closer to in situ observations than that of SRB and APP-x;（2） in terms of the diurnal variation of the biases,it is not very clear which satellite product is superior to the others;and （3） in terms of the interannual variability of the bias,the NETSRF of ISCCP is more accurate than that of SRB and APP-x.This comparison may provide useful guidance to the community as to which data-set may provide the smallest bias in NETSRF

Tectonic Stress State Changes Before and After the Wenchuan M_s 8.0 Earthquake in the Eastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau

Crustal tectonic activities are essentially the consequences of the accumulation and release of in situ stress. Therefore, studying the stress state near active faults is important for understanding crustal dynamics and earthquake occurrences. In this paper, using in situ stress measurement results obtained by hydraulic fracturing in the vicinity of the Longmenshan fault zone before and after the Wenchuan Ms 8.0 earthquake and finite element modeling, the variation of stress state before and after the Wenchuan M. 8.0 earthquake is investigated. The results show that the shear stress, which is proportional to the difference between principal stresses, increases with depth and distance from the active fault in the calm period or after the earthquakes, and tends to approach to the regional stress level outside the zone influenced by the fault. This distribution appears to gradually reverse with time and the change of fault properties such as frictional strength. With an increase in friction coefficient, low stress areas are reduced and areas with increased stress accumulation are more obvious near the fault. In sections of the fault with high frictional strengths, in situ stress clearly increases in the fault. Stress accumulates more rapidly in the fault zone relative to the surrounding areas, eventually leading to a stress field that peaks at the fault zone. Such a reversal in the stress field between the fault zone and surrounding areas in the magnitude of the stress field is a potential indicator for the occurrence of strong earthquakes.

Numerical study of AE and DRA methods in sandstone and granite in orthogonal loading directions

The directional dependency of the acoustic emission （AE） and deformation rate analysis （DRA） methods was analyzed, based on the contact bond model in the two-dimensional particle flow code （PFC2D） in two types of rocks, the coarse-grained sandstone and Aue granite. Each type of rocks had two shapes, the Brazilian disk and a square shape. The mechanical behaviors of the numerical model had already been verified to be in agreement with those of the physical specimens in previous research. Three loading protocols with different loading cycles in two orthogonal directions were specially designed in the numerical tests. The results show that no memory effect is observed in the second loading in the orthogonal direction. However, both the cumulative crack number of the second loading and the differential strain value at the inflection point are influenced by the first loading in the orthogonal direction.