An Improved Simplified Method for Predicting the Hydroelastic Response of Mat-Like VLFS

Very Large Floating Structures (VLFS) have received considerable attention recently. Efficient and accurate estimation of their hydroelastic responses in waves is very important for the design. The most efficient approach would obviously be the analytical one, Within the category of analytical approaches, the simplified method proposed by Ohkusu and his colleague are of special characteristics. However, when one studies their methods, several questions arise. The purpose of this paper is to critically study the simplified methods proposed by Ohkusu and his colleague in order to answer these questions. Some problems in their original methods have been found and possible improvements are suggested. It is concluded that the improved simplified method using the same idea of Ohkusu and his colleague could provide a reasonable estimate of the hydroelastic response of mat-like VLFS in a certain range of incident angles of waves.

A simplified method for prediction of embankment settlement in clays

The prediction of embankment settlement is a critically important issue for the serviceability of subgrade projects,especially the post-construction settlement.A number of methods have been proposed to predict embankment settlement;however,all of these methods are based on a parameter,i.e.the initial time point.The difference of the initial time point determined by different designers can de?nitely induce errors in prediction of embankment settlement.This paper proposed a concept named"potential settlement"and a simpli?ed method based on the in situ data.The key parameter"b"in the proposed method was veri?ed using theoretical method and?eld data.Finally,an example was used to demonstrate the advantages of the proposed method by comparing with other methods and the observation data.

Simplified Method and Improved Solution for Deriving Fifth Order Stokes Wave

As the solution of the two equations for determining the existing fifth order Stokes wave derived by Skjelbreia is complex and tedious, the two equations are simplified into one equation for determining d / L, i. e., f(H, T, d / L) = 0. According to this simplified method, three cases of the solution for the Skjelbreia equations have been found: one accurate solution; more than one accurate solution and no accurate solution (but there exists the optimum approximate solution in the area of satisfying Skjelbreia equations). As to the case of more than one accurate solution, the reasonable solution can be judged from the method of variational principle, by means elf which an optimum solution improved from the solution of Skjelbreia equations in the area of satisfying the original mathematical equations of non-vortex and nonlinear wave theory, i. e., the optimum fifth order Stokes wave, is given.

Simplified Method and Influence Factors of Vibration Characteristics of Isolated Curved Girder Bridge

The isolated curved girder bridge's vibration characteristics play a major part in the seismic responses of structures and anti-seismic properties.A clear analytic relationship between design parameters and the system's vibration characteristics could be established by its simplified dynamic analysis model,making it convenient for providing a reference to the optimization of design and safety analysis.A double-mass six-degree-of-freedom model for curved girder bridges with isolation bearings installed at the top of the bridge piers is built and a simplified analysis method for the vibration characteristics of the system is provided.Combined with the Matlab programming,the influences of radius of curvature,central angle,bridge deck width and damping ratio of the isolation layer and circular frequency of the isolation layer of isolated curved girder bridges on the pseudo-undamped natural circular frequency(called pseudo-frequency for short)and system damping ratio are systematically analyzed,and the sensitivity of vibration characteristics of isolated curved girder bridges is studied.The results show that the vibration characteristics of isolated curved girder bridges can be reflected well with this simplified model and calculation method.The pseudo-frequency of curved girder and system damping ratios increases with the increase of the isolation layer.The third-order vibration characteristic is more sensitive to the parameters of a curved girder,and the first-order vibration characteristic is sensitive to both central angle and radius of curvature to some extent while insensitive to the width of the bridge deck.Furthermore,the second-order vibration characteristic is not sensitive to the parameters of a curved girder.

Influence of joint spacing and rock characteristics on the toppling stability of cut rock slope through a simplified limit equilibrium method

Toppling failure of rock mass/soil slope is an important geological and environmental problem.Clarifying its failure mechanism under different conditions has great significance in engineering.The toppling failure of a cutting slope occurred in a hydropower station in Kyushu,Japan illustrates that the joint characteristic played a significant role in the occurrence of rock slope tipping failure.Thus,in order to consider the mechanical properties of jointed rock mass and the influence of geometric conditions,a simplified analytical approach based on the limit equilibrium method for modeling the flexural toppling of cut rock slopes is proposed to consider the influence of the mechanical properties and geometry condition of jointed rock mass.The theoretical solution is compared with the numerical solution taking Kyushu Hydropower Station in Japan as one case,and it is found that the theoretical solution obtained by the simplified analysis method is consistent with the numerical analytical solution,thus verifying the accuracy of the simplified method.Meanwhile,the Goodman-Bray approach conventionally used in engineering practice is improved according to the analytical results.The results show that the allowable slope angle may be obtained by the improved Goodman-Bray approach considering the joint spacing,the joint frictional angle and the tensile strength of rock mass together.

A comparative study between simplified and nonlinear dynamic methods for estimating liquefaction potential

This paper estimated the liquefaction potential of a saturated soil deposit subjected to a horizontal seismic excitation at its base using the total stress approach.A comparative analysis between the simplified and the nonlinear dynamic methods was used to verify to what extent the simplified method could be reliable.In order to generalise the reliability of the simplified method for any value of the maximum acceleration for the used earthquakes,a correction for the maximum acceleration less than 0.3 g was proposed based on the comparison of safety factor values determined by the dynamic method illustrated by the equivalent linear model with lumped masses and the simplified method for a given profile of soil subjected to 38 earthquakes.The nonlinear behaviour of soil was represented by two hyperbolic models:Hardin and Drnevich,and Masing.To determine the cyclic resistance ratio(CRR),the cone penetration test(CPT) based method,the standard penetration test(SPT) based method,and the shear wave velocity based method were used.The safety factor was calculated as the ratio of CRR/CSR,where CSR represents the cyclic stress ratio.The results of the proposed correction have given smaller values of the safety factor compared to the nonlinear dynamic methods for the maximum acceleration less than 0.3 g.In other words,by considering this correction,the most unfavourable case is always given by the modified simplified method.

SIMPLIFIED ANALYSIS METHOD FOR ULTIMATE LOAD CAPACITY OF WEB PLATES OF BOX GIRDERS

The prosperous post buckling load capacity of web plates of box girders can be used.In this article,the post buckling behaviour of web plates of box girders under different loading conditions is theoretically analyzed and on the basis of domestic and overseas design codes of steel structures,the corresponding simplified analysis methods are put forward for the engineering design or code revision.It is proved that the simplified methods are safe,efficient and practicable through the comparison between several results.

Simplified Calculation Methods for All-Vertical-Piled Wharf in Offshore Deep Water

All-vertical-piled wharf is a kind of high-piled wharf, but it is extremely different from the traditional ones in some aspects, such as the structural property, bearing characteristics, failure mechanism, and static or dynamic calculation methods. In this paper, the finite element method （FEM） and theoretical analysis method are combined to analyze the structural property, bearing behavior and failure mode of the all-vertical-piled wharf in offshore deep water, and to establish simplified calculation methods determining the horizontal static ultimate bearing capacity and the dynamic response for the all-vertical-piled wharf. Firstly, the bearing capability and failure mechanism for all-vertical-piled wharf are studied by use of FEM, and the failure criterion is put forward for all-vertical-piled wharf based on the ＇plastic hinge＇. According to the failure criterion and P-Y curve method, the simplified calculation method of the horizontal static ultimate bearing capacity for all-vertical-piled wharf is proposed, and it is verified that the simplified method is reasonable by comparison with the FEM. Secondly, the displacement dynamic magnification factor for the all-vertical-piled wharf under wave cyclic loads and ship impact loads is calculated by the FEM and the theory formula based on the single degree of freedom （SDOF） system. The results obtained by the two methods are in good agreement with each other, and the simplified calculation method of the displacement dynamic magnification factor for all-vertical-piled wharf under dynamic loads is proposed. Then the simplified calculation method determining the dynamic response for the all-vertical-piled wharf is proposed in combination with P-Y curve method. That is, the dynamic response of the structure can be obtained through the static calculation results of P-Y curve method multiplied by the displacement dynamic magnification factor. The feasibility of the simplified dynamic response method is verified by comparison with the FEM under different conditions.

A simplified dynamic method for field capacity estimation and its parameter analysis

This paper presents a simplified dynamic method based on the definition of field capacity. Two soil hydraulic characteristics models, the Brooks-Corey （BC） model and the van Genuchten （vG） model, and four soil data groups were used in this study. The relative drainage rate, which is a unique parameter and independent of the soil type in the simplified dynamic method, was analyzed using the pressure-based method with a matric potential of -1/3 bar and the flux-based method with a drainage flux of 0.005 cm/d. As a result, the relative drainage rate of the simplified dynamic method was determined to be 3% per day. This was verified by the similar field capacity results estimated with the three methods for most soils suitable for cultivating plants. In addition, the drainage time calculated with the simplified dynamic method was two to three days, which agrees with the classical definition of field capacity. We recommend the simplified dynamic method with a relative drainage rate of 3% per day due to its simple application and clearly physically-based concept.

Dynamic Characteristics and Simplified Numerical Methods of An All-Vertical-Piled Wharf in Offshore Deep Water

There has been a growing trend in the development of offshore deep-water ports in China. For such deep sea projects, all-vertical-piled wharves are suitable structures and generally located in open waters, greatly affected by wave action. Currently, no systematic studies or simplified numerical methods are available for deriving the dynamic characteristics and dynamic responses of all-vertical-piled wharves under wave cyclic loads. In this article, we compare the dynamic characteristics of an all-vertical-piled wharf with those of a traditional inshore high-piled wharf through numerical analysis; our research reveals that the vibration period of an all-vertical-piled wharf under cyclic loading is longer than that of an inshore high-piled wharf and is much closer to the period of the loading wave. Therefore, dynamic calculation and analysis should be conducted when designing and calculating the characteristics of an all-vertical-piled wharf. We establish a dynamic finite element model to examine the dynamic response of an all-vertical-piled wharf under wave cyclic loads and compare the results with those under wave equivalent static load; the comparison indicates that dynamic amplification of the structure is evident when the wave dynamic load effect is taken into account. Furthermore, a simplified dynamic numerical method for calculating the dynamic response of an all-vertical-piled wharf is established based on the P-Y curve. Compared with finite element analysis, the simplified method is more convenient to use and applicable to large structural deformation while considering the soil non-linearity. We confirmed that the simplified method has acceptable accuracy and can be used in engineering applications.

A Simplified Hirota Method and Its Application

By means of the homogeneous balance principle, a nonlinear transformation to the well known breaking soliton equation with physical interest was given. The original equation was turned into a homogeneity differential equation with this nonlinear transformation. By solving the homogeneity equation via the simplified Hirota method and applying the nonlinear transformation, one soliton, two soliton and three soliton solutions as well as some other types of explicit solutions to the breaking soliton equation were obtained with the assistance of Maple.

Sensorless Control of Double-sided Linear Switched Reluctance Motor Based on Simplified Flux Linkage Method

The utilization of position sensor reduces the system reliability of switched reluctance motor(SRM),especially in harsh environments.It also increases the complexity of the system.Therefore,the research on sensorless control has become one of the hot spots in recent years.Comparing with the existing sensorless control technology,the new method exploring the sensorless control of double-sided linear switched reluctance motor(DLSRM)shows the following advantages:1)high accuracy,and 2)good practicability.Based on the new proposed method,the DLSRM speed controller is augmented with the peak current method and the voltage chopping closed-loop speed control.Moreover,the winding resistance in the equation is corrected according to the integral flux linkage when the phase current is zero.The accuracy and feasibility of the simplified flux linkage method in estimating the position of the DLSRM is verified.

Simple Method for Dynamic Responses of Soil-Pile-Isolated Structure Interaction System

To investigate the effect of soil-pile-structure interaction(SPSI effect)on the dynamic response of a baseisolated structure with buried footings on a pile foundation,certain shake table tests are previously conducted.Based on the test results and the existing related studies,an efficient simplified model and a corresponding calculation method are verified for estimating the dynamic characteristics of a base-isolated structure with buried footings on a pile foundation with the SSI effect.In this method,the solutions by Veletsos and co-workers for a non-isolated structure with the SSI effect are verified and advanced for a base-isolated structure,and the solutions by Maravas and co-workers for a non-isolated structure on a pile foundation are introduced to consider the effect of the piles.By comparison with the shake table test,this work proves that the simplified method can efficiently estimate the dynamic responses of a base-isolated structure with buried footings on a pile foundation.Using parameter analysis,this work also shows that the dynamic characteristics of a non-isolated structure are quite similar to those of the base-isolated structure when the soil foundation is sufficiently soft,which means that the isolation layer gradually loses its isolation function as the soil foundation softens.

A computational method for post-construction settlement of high-speed railway bridge pile foundation considering soil creep effect

Based on reasonable assumptions that simplified the calculational model,a simple and practical method was proposed to calculate the post-construction settlement of high-speed railway bridge pile foundation by using the Mesri creep model to describe the soil characteristics and the Mindlin-Geddes method considering pile diameter to calculate the vertical additional stress of pile bottom.A program named CPPS was designed for this method to calculate the post-construction settlement of a high-speed railway bridge pile foundation.The result indicates that the post-construction settlement in 100 years meets the requirements of the engineering specifications,and in the first two decades,the post-construction settlement is about 80% of its total settlement,while the settlement in the rest eighty years tends to be stable.Compared with the measured settlement after laying railway tracks,the calculational result is closed to that of the measured,and the results are conservative with a high computational accuracy.It is noted that the method can be used to calculate the post-construction settlement for the preliminary design of high-speed railway bridge pile foundation.

Research on the Influencing Factors of Changes in Industrial Carbon Emissions in China: Based on Simplified D&L Model

The simplified D＆L method with special properties required by ideal decomposition method was used to decompose the impact of carbon emission intensity,input-output technology,the final demand structure and the final demand level on changes in industrial carbon emissions in China during 1997-2012. The results showed that the final demand level which was the most important factor leading to the growth of carbon emissions performed a steadily and significantly positive and sustained effect. The carbon emissions intensity which was the only factor that led to the reduction in carbon emissions showed a negative effect. The input-output technology showed a positive effect. The final demand structure underwent a transition from a negative effect to a weak positive effect and finally to a positive effect. In order to achieve the goal of total carbon emission control,China should take some measures such as reducing direct carbon emission coefficient to strengthen the negative impact of carbon emission intensity. Meanwhile,China should implement some structural adjustment measures such as optimizing the final demand structure and reducing the proportion of industries with a great increase of influence coefficient to change the input-output technology and the final demand structure from the positive effect to the negative effect.

Newly Detected Transmission of bla_(KPC-2) by Outer Membrane Vesicles in Klebsiella Pneumoniae

Objective The prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae(CR-KP)is a global public health problem.It is mainly caused by the plasmid-carried carbapenemase gene.Outer membrane vesicles(OMVs)contain toxins and other factors involved in various biological processes,includingβ-lactamase and antibiotic-resistance genes.This study aimed to reveal the transmission mechanism of OMV-mediated drug resistance of Klebsiella(K.)pneumoniae.Methods We selected CR-KP producing K.pneumoniae carbapenemase-2(KPC-2)to study whether they can transfer resistance genes through OMVs.The OMVs of CR-KP were obtained by ultracentrifugation,and incubated with carbapenem-sensitive K.pneumoniae for 4 h.Finally,the carbapenem-sensitive K.pneumoniae was tested for the presence of bla_(KPC-2)resistance gene and its sensitivity to carbapenem antibiotics.Results The existence of OMVs was observed by the electron microscopy.The extracted OMVs had bla_(KPC-2)resistance gene.After incubation with OMVs,bla_(KPC-2)resistance gene was detected in sensitive K.pneumoniae,and it became resistant to imipenem and meropenem.Conclusion This study demonstrated that OMVs isolated from KPC-2-producing CR-KP could deliver bla_(KPC-2)to sensitive K.pneumoniae,allowing the bacteria to produce carbapenemase,which may provide a novel target for innovative therapies in combination with conventional antibiotics for treating carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae.

FEM and ANN analyses of short and tall geosynthetic reinforced soil walls:Evaluation of various effective aspects and ASSHTO acceptable design methods

In addition to confined investigations on tall geosynthetic reinforced soil(GRS)walls,a remarkable database of such walls must be analyzed to diminish engineers’concerns regarding the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials(AASHTO)Simplified or Simplified Stiffness Method in projects.There are also uncertainties regarding reinforcement load distributions of GRS walls at the connections.Hence,the current study has implemented a combination of finite element method(FEM)and artificial neural network(ANN)to distinguish the performance of short and tall GRS walls and assess the AASHTO design methods based on 88 FEM and 10000 ANN models.There were conspicuous differences between the effectiveness of stiffness(63%),vertical spacing(22%),and length of reinforcements(14%)in the behavior of short and tall walls,along with predictions of geogrid load distributions.These differences illustrated that using the Simplified Method may exert profound repercussions because it does not consider wall height.Furthermore,the Simplified Stiffness Method(which incorporates wall height)predicted the reinforcement load distributions at backfill and connections well.Moreover,a Multilayer Perceptron(MLP)algorithm with a low average overall relative error(up to 2.8%)was developed to propose upper and lower limits of reinforcement load distributions,either at backfill or connections,based on 990000 ANN predictions.

Minimizing chemical interference errors for the determination of lithium in brines by flame atomic absorption spectroscopy analysis

Chemical interferences （ionization and oxide/hydroxide formation） on the atomic absorbance signal of lithium in FAAS analysis of brine samples are elaborated in this article. It is suggested that inadequate or overaddition of deionization buffers can lead to loss of sensitivities under particular operating conditions. In the analysis of brine samples, signal enhancing and oxide/hydroxide formation inducing signal reduction resulting from overaddition of deionization buffers can be seen with varying amounts of chemical buffers. Based on experimental results, the authors have arrived at the optimized operating conditions for the detection of lithium, under which both ionization and stable compound formation can be suppressed. This is a simplified and quick method with adequate accuracy and precision for the determination of lithium in routine brine samples from chemical plants or R＆D laboratories, which contain comparable amounts of lithium with some other components.

Seismic analysis of long tunnels:A review of simplified and unified methods

Seismic analysis of long tunnels is important for safety evaluation of the tunnel structure during earthquakes.Simplified models of long tunnels are commonly adopted in seismic design by practitioners,in which the tunnel is usually assumed as a beam supported by the ground.These models can be conveniently used to obtain the overall response of the tunnel structure subjected to seismic loading.However,simplified methods are limited due to the assumptions that need to be made to reach the solution,e.g.shield tunnels are assembled with segments and bolts to form a lining ring and such structural details may not be included in the simplified model.In most cases,the design will require a numerical method that does not have the shortcomings of the analytical solutions,as it can consider the structural details,non-linear behavior,etc.Furthermore,long tunnels have significant length and pass through different strata.All of these would require large-scale seismic analysis of long tunnels with three-dimensional models,which is difficult due to the lack of available computing power.This paper introduces two types of methods for seismic analysis of long tunnels,namely simplified and unified methods.Several models,including the mass-spring-beam model,and the beam-spring model and its analytical solution are presented as examples of the simplified method.The unified method is based on a multiscale framework for long tunnels,with coarse and refined finite element meshes,or with the discrete element method and the finite difference method to compute the overall seismic response of the tunnel while including detailed dynamic response at positions of potential damage or of interest.A bridging scale term is introduced in the framework so that compatibility of dynamic behavior between the macro-and meso-scale subdomains is enforced.Examples are presented to demonstrate the applicability of the simplified and the unified methods.

LIMIT AND SHAKEDOWN ANALYSIS OF PRESSURIZED PIPELINES CONTAINING DEFECTS

In this paper, the integrity assessment of pressurized pipelines containing defects is performed by direct simplified methods of limit and shakedown analysis. The defects considered are part-through slots of various geometrical configurations. The engineering situation considered here has practical importance in the pressure vessel and pipe industry. The results are compared with those obtained by a step-by-step procedure using the professional code ABAQUS and where possible, with those provided by semi-empirical formulae used in engineering. The simplified methods are found more economical and more reliable than marching solutions achieved by step-by-step evolutive elastic-plastic analysis. The effects of various part-through slots on the load-carrying capacities of pipelines are investigated.