Experimental investigation and flow analysis of clear-water scour around pier and abutment in proximity

Local scour around bridge piers and abutments is one of the most significant causes of bridge failure.Despite a plethora of studies on scour around individual bridge piers or abutments,few studies have focused on the joint impact of a pier and an abutment in proximity to one another on scour.This study conducted laboratory experiments and flow analyses to examine the interaction of piers and abutments and their effect on clear-water scour.The experiments were conducted in a rectangular laboratory flume.They included 18 main tests(with a combination of different types of piers and abutments)and five control tests(with individual piers or abutments).Three pier types(a rectangular pier with a rounded edge,a group of three cylindrical piers,and a single cylindrical pier)and two abutment types(a wingewall abutment and a semicircular abutment)were used.An acoustic Doppler velocimeter was used to measure the three-dimensional flow velocity for analyses of streamline,velocity magnitude,vertical velocity,and bed shear stress.The results showed that the velocity near the pier and abutment increased by up to 80%.The maximum scour depth around the abutment increased by up to 19%.In contrast,the maximum scour depth around the pier increased significantly by up to l71%.The presence of the pier in the vicinity of the abutment led to an increase in the scour hole volume by up to 87%relative to the case with a solitary abutment.Empirical equations were also derived to accurately estimate the maximum scour depth at the pier adjacent to the abutment.

Lateral abutment pressure distribution and evolution in wide pillars under the first mining effect

The wide pillars are generally popular due to the high productivity and efficiency in Northwest China.The distribution of lateral abutment pressure in coal pillars is important for mining safety.To reveal the effect of the first mining on the lateral abutment pressure distribution and evolution in wide pillars,an in-situ experiment,theoretical analysis and numerical simulation were performed.First,the field monitoring of lateral abutment pressure was conducted from the perspective of time and space in the Chahasu Coal Mine,Huangling No.2 Coal Mine and Lingdong Coal Mine during the first mining.Based on the field monitoring stress,a theoretical model was proposed to reveal the lateral abutment pressure distribution.The methodology was demonstrated through a case study.Aiming at the distribution mechanism,a numerical experiment was conducted through the finite-discrete element method(FDEM).Last,field observations of borehole fractures were performed to further study the damage distribution.In addition,two types of lateral abutment pressure evolution with mining advance were discussed.Suggestions on the stress monitoring layout were proposed as well.The results could provide foundations for strata control and disaster prevention in wide pillars in underground coal mines.

Predicting and validating the load-settlement behavior of large-scale geosynthetic-reinforced soil abutments using hybrid intelligent modeling

Settlement prediction of geosynthetic-reinforced soil(GRS)abutments under service loading conditions is an arduous and challenging task for practicing geotechnical/civil engineers.Hence,in this paper,a novel hybrid artificial intelligence(AI)-based model was developed by the combination of artificial neural network(ANN)and Harris hawks’optimisation(HHO),that is,ANN-HHO,to predict the settlement of the GRS abutments.Five other robust intelligent models such as support vector regression(SVR),Gaussian process regression(GPR),relevance vector machine(RVM),sequential minimal optimisation regression(SMOR),and least-median square regression(LMSR)were constructed and compared to the ANN-HHO model.The predictive strength,relalibility and robustness of the model were evaluated based on rigorous statistical testing,ranking criteria,multi-criteria approach,uncertainity analysis and sensitivity analysis(SA).Moreover,the predictive veracity of the model was also substantiated against several large-scale independent experimental studies on GRS abutments reported in the scientific literature.The acquired findings demonstrated that the ANN-HHO model predicted the settlement of GRS abutments with reasonable accuracy and yielded superior performance in comparison to counterpart models.Therefore,it becomes one of predictive tools employed by geotechnical/civil engineers in preliminary decision-making when investigating the in-service performance of GRS abutments.Finally,the model has been converted into a simple mathematical formulation for easy hand calculations,and it is proved cost-effective and less time-consuming in comparison to experimental tests and numerical simulations.

UHPFRC Cast-in-Situ Over-Lay of Bridge Abutments

Use of UHPFRC(ultra high performance fiber reinforced concrete)cast-in-situ over-lays for repairs and strengthening of bridge decks is already quite a widely used technology,while use of this method for strengthening of bridge supports is still much less often.This paper describes the first use of this technology for bridge abutments in the Czech Republic,and if we know well,also the first use of such a ribbed over-lay internationally.

Proportioning Criteria for Traditional and Innovative Extrados Techniques for the Strengthening of Barrel Vaulted Structures Subjected to Rocking of the Abutments

In this paper, the behavior of barrel-vaulted structures undergoing rocking of the abutments and the effectiveness of a few retrofit solutions are discussed. The comprehension of the structural performance of vault-abutment systems is fundamental for their seismic vulnerability assessment, and for the design of efficient strengthening techniques. In the paper, traditional techniques such as extrados thin concrete slab or masonry spandrel walls as well as an innovative solution with an extrados thin improved lime mortar slab reinforced by means of glass fiber mesh are considered. The different strengthening solutions are studied and compared on the basis of the results of non linear numerical analyses and by reference to a simplified analytical approach. Numerical and analytical models are validated through comparison with the results of a recent experimental study focusing on the behavior of vaulted masonry structures subjected to rocking of the abutments. The validated models can be used by engineers for the seismic vulnerability assessment of masonry vaulted structures as well as for the proportioning of possible extrados strengthening solutions, and will be used in the future to explore different structural system configurations.

Influence of cement-fly ash-gravel pile-supported approach embankment on abutment piles in soft ground

Abutment piles in soft ground may be subjected to both vertical and horizontal soil movements resulting from approach embankment loads. To constrain the soil movements, the soft soil ground beneath the approach embankment is often improved using composite pile foundations, which aim at mitigating the bump induced by high-speed trains passing through the bridge. So far, there is limited literature on exploring the influence of the degree of ground improvement on abutment piles installed in soft soil grounds. In this paper, a series of three-dimensional （3D） centrifuge model tests was performed on an approach embankment over a silty clay deposit improved by cement-fly ash-gravel （CFG） piles combined with geogrid. Emphasis is placed on the effects of ground replacement ratio （m） on the responses of the abutment piles induced by embankment loads. Meanwhile, a numerical study was conducted with varying ground replacement ratio of the pile-reinforced grounds. Results show that the performance of the abutment piles is significantly improved when reinforcing the ground with CFG piles beneath the approach embankment. Interestingly, there is a threshold value of the replacement ratio of around 4.9% above which the effect of CFG pile foundations is limited. This implies that it is essential to optimize the ground improvement for having a cost-effective design while minimizing the risk of the bump at the end of bridge.

Abutment pressure distribution for longwall face mining through abandoned roadways

Abutment pressure distribution is different when a longwall panel is passing through the abandoned gate roads in a damaged coal seam. According to the geological condition of panel E13103 in Cuijiazhai Coal Mine in China, theoretical analysis and finite element numerical simulation were used to determine the front pressure distribution characteristics when the longwall face is 70, 50, 30, 20, 10, and 5 m from the abandoned roadways. The research results show that the influence range of abutment pressure is 40 to 45 m outby the face, and the peak value of front abutment pressure is related to the distance between the face and abandoned roadways. When the distance between the longwall face and abandoned roadways is reduced from 50 to 10 m, the front abutment pressure peak value kept increasing. When the distance is 10 m, it has reached the maximum. The peak value is located in 5 to 6 m outby the faceline. When the distance between the longwall face and abandoned roadways is reduced from 10 to 5 m, the front abutment pressure sharply decreases, the intact coal yields and is even in plastic state. The peak value transfers to the other side of the abandoned roadways. The research results provide a theoretical basis for determining the advance support distance of two roadways in the panel and the reinforcement for face stability when the longwall face is passing through the abandoned roadways.

Side abutment pressure distribution by field measurement

Given the 7123 working face in the Qidong Coal Mine of the Wanbei Mining Group, nine dynamic roof monitors were installed in the crossheading to measure the amount and velocity of roof convergence in different positions and at different times and three steel bored stress sensors were installed in the return airway to measure rock stress at depth. On the basis of this arrange- ment, the rule of change of the distribution of the side abutment pressure with the advance of the working face and movement of overlying strata was studied. The rule of change and the stability of rock stress at depth were measured. Secondly, the affected area and stability time of the side abutment pressure were also studied. The results show that: 1) During working, the face advanced distance was from 157 m to 99 m, the process was not effected by mining induced pressure. When the distance was 82 m, the posi- tion of peak stress was 5 m away from the coal wall. When the distance was 37 m, the position of peak stress away from the coal wall was about 15 m to 20 m and finally reached a steady state; 2) the time and the range of the peak of side rock pressure obtained from stress sensors were consistent with the results from the dynamic roof monitors; 3) the position of the peak pressure was 25 m away from the coal wall.

Effect of trapezoidal collars as a scour countermeasure around wing-wall abutments

Local scour around bridge abutments is a widespread problem that can result in structural failure. Collars can be used as a countermeasure to reduce the scour depth. In this study, the temporal scour development around a wing-wall abutment was investigated with and without collars. The tests were carried out under clear-water conditions for different abutment lengths, with collars of different sizes placed at the bed level. When no collar was used in the experiments, 70% of the maximum scour depth occurred in less than 2 h. However, when a collar with a width greater than the length of the abutment was used, no scour was observed for up to 200 min from the beginning of the experiments. The results show that an increase in the collar width not only led to a lag time for the onset of scouring but also reduced the maximum scour depth. Moreover, an increased collar width led to a better performance in mitigating scouring around smaller abutments. Generally, the scour depth decreased by 9%-37% with different collar widths.

Formation and evolution of gas flow channels in the abutment pressure area

The permeability of coal ahead of the working face obviously changes dues to changes in abutment pressure.The formation and evolution of gas flow channels within the abutment pressure area was studied by analyzing the fracture extension mechanism and fracture development in different zones of the abutment pressure area.Fracture and damage mechanics theory is used to understand the observations.The following two techniques were used to understand the evolution of gas flow channels:field observation of the characteristic fractures at different positions relative to the working face and fluorescence micrographs of prepared coal samples.Bending tensile fractures develop along an approximately vertical direction that forms a microscopic network of channels in areas of stress concentration.The abutment pressure affects the local stress and,hence,the local gas conduction.The fractures induced by large deformation and plastic flow form macroscopically networked channels in the reduced stress area.Closer to the working face the gas flow channels evolve from microscopic to macroscopic and from isolated to network.Gas permeability continuously increases during this time.This is corroborated by field observations of the displacement of top coal and the gas flow from gas extraction drillings.

Reliability and sensitivity analysis of wedge stability in the abutments of an arch dam using artificial neural network

In this study,the seismic stability of arch dam abutments is investigated within the framework of the probabilistic method.A large concrete arch dam is considered with six wedges for each abutment.The seismic safety of the dam abutments is studied with quasi-static analysis for different hazard levels.The Londe limit equilibrium method is utilized to calculate the stability of the wedges in the abutments.Since the finite element method is time-consuming,the neural network is used as an alternative for calculating the wedge safety factor.For training the neural network,1000 random samples are generated and the dam response is calculated.The direction of applied acceleration is changed within 5-degree intervals to reveal the critical direction corresponding to the minimum safety factor.The Latin hypercube sampling(LHS)is employed for sample generation,and the safety level is determined with reliability analysis.Three sample numbers of 1000,2000 and 4000 are used to examine the average and standard deviation of the results.The global sensitivity analysis is used to identify the effects of random variables on the abutment stability.It is shown that friction,cohesion and uplift pressure have the most significant effects on the wedge stability variance.

Influence of Abutment Material on the Stress of Implant-supported All-ceramic Single Crown

In order to investigate the influence of abutment material on the stress of implant-supported all-ceramic single crown, a 3D finite element model of implant-supported mandibular first premolar was computed by COSMOS/M 2.85 software. Alumina, zirconia, and titanium were used as abutment materials respectively. Vertical 600 N and horizontal 225 N load was applied on the occlusal surface. The results show that the stress distribution of implant-supported single crown was similar for different abutment materials. Maximum stresses within the crown were higher when titanium abutment was used. Maximum stress of titanium abutment was lower than that of ceramic abutment. Within the screw and fixture, maximum stresses had no difference under vertical loading but higher as titanium abutment was used under horizontal loading. There was no difference of maximum stress within the bone when different abutment materials were used. The present findings indicate that the abutment material had no influence on the stress distribution of implant-supported all- ceramic single crown but maximum stress when the titanium abutment was lower than that of ceramic abutment.

Analytical solutions of hard roof's bending moment,deflection and energy under the front abutment pressure before periodic weighting

The distribution of front abutment pressure is closely related to the force,deformation and energy distribution of hard roof before periodic weighting. So it is necessary to carry out research on the relationship between them. According to front abutment pressure distribution feature,using the location of peak front abutment pressure as the dividing point,coal seam is divided into two parts along the direction of mining: the yield zone that is the area between the faceline and the point where the maximum front abutment pressure occurs,and the elastic zone that is the part before the point of peak front abutment pressure. The proposed mechanical model of unit width hard roof at the panel center before periodic weighting consists of five parts including the yield zone. All parameters of the deflection equations for each of the five parts that satisfy the continuity conditions and natural boundary conditions are obtained by using the Matlab software. The continuous curves of front abutment pressure,deflection,bending moment and bending strain energy density distribution of hard roof are obtained by iterative approximation method,and the relationship between the yield zone width and the above curves are analyzed in detailed.

Characteristics of deformation and stress distribution of small coa pillars under leading abutment pressure

Based on the engineering project on a small coal pillar of 12,521 working face roadway in Xieqiao Coalmine, data regarding surface displacements of the coal pillar, deep displacements and mining stress have been collected and analyzed. The results show that macroscopic transverse fractures of the inner coal pillar are developed within 2–4 m of the roadway surface, which is located outside the coal pillar anchorage zone. There is a displacement of 530 mm at the monitoring point in the 6 m deep zone of the pillar. Transfer of the fracture zone is found in a small coal pillar and the fractures within 3–4 m of the coal-rock zone from the roadway surface undergo propagation and closure of cracks which means this fracture zone is transferred from 3–4 m outside the roadway to only 2–3 m from the roadway surface. In the monitoring zone, vertical and horizontal stresses increase with a feature that shows that acceleration in the deep zone of the pillar is greater than that in the shallow zone. Furthermore, the acceleration of vertical stress is also greater than that of horizontal stress with a peak value in the 4 m zone.The research findings provide a reference for the regulation of a reasonable width of coal pillar in coalmines and optimal control design of surrounding rock.

Effects of longwall-induced stress and deformation on the stability and mechanical integrity of shale gas wells drilled through a longwall abutment pillar

This paper presents the results of a comprehensive study conducted by CONSOL Energy, Marcellus Shale Coalition, and Pennsylvania Coal Association to evaluate the effects of longwall-induced subsurface deformations on the mechanical integrity of shale gas wells drilled over a longwall abutment pillar.The primary objective is to demonstrate that a properly constructed gas well in a standard longwall abutment pillar can maintain mechanical integrity during and after mining operations. A study site was selected over a southwestern Pennsylvania coal mine, which extracts 457-m-wide longwall faces under about 183 m of cover. Four test wells and four monitoring wells were drilled and installed over a 38-m by84-m centers abutment pillar. In addition to the test wells and monitoring wells, surface subsidence measurements and underground coal pillar pressure measurements were conducted as the 457-m-wide longwall panels on the south and north sides of the abutment pillar were mined by. To evaluate the resulting coal protection casing profile and lateral displacement, three separate 60-arm caliper surveys were conducted. This research represents a very important step and initiative to utilize the knowledge and science obtained from mining research to improve miner and public safety as well as the safety and health of the oil and gas industries.

Distribution laws of abutment pressure around fully mechanized top-coal caving face by in-situ measurement

In order to obtain the distribution rules of abutment pressure around the 1151 （3） fully mechanized top-coal caving （FMTC） face of Xieqiao Colliery, the KSE-II-1 type bore-hole stress gauges were installed in the tailentry and headentry to measure the mining-induced stress. The distribution rules of the front and side abutment pressure were demonstrated. The results show that distribution rules of stress are obviously different in the vicinity of the face and entries. The peak value of abutment pressure in the protective coal pillar and face are located commonly in front of the working face along the strike, and they are located at the stress-decreased zone near the face. There is no stress peak value in the lateral coal mass beside the headentry in front of the face on the strike, and the peak value of abutment pressure appears at the rear area of the face. There are stress peak values both in the protective coal pillar and in the lateral coal mass beside the headentry to the dip.

Analysis of ARMPS2010 database with LaModel and an updated abutment angle equation

The Analysis of Retreat Mining Pillar Stability(ARMPS) program was developed by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH) to help the United States coal mining industry to design safe retreat room-and-pillar panels. ARMPS calculates the magnitude of the in-situ and mining-induced loads by using geometrical computations and empirical rules. In particular, the program uses the "abutment angle" concept in calculating the magnitude of the abutment load on pillars adjacent to a gob. In this paper, stress measurements from United States and Australian mines with different overburden geologies with varying hard rock percentages were back analyzed. The results of the analyses indicated that for depths less than 200 m, the ARMPS empirical derivation of a 21° abutment angle was supported by the case histories;however, at depths greater than 200 m, the abutment angle was found to be significantly less than 21°. In this paper, a new equation employing the panel width to overburden depth ratio is constructed for the calculation of accurate abutment angles for deeper mining cases. The new abutment angle equation was tested using both ARMPS2010 and La Model for the entire case history database of ARMPS2010. The new abutment angle equation to estimate the magnitude of the mining-induced loads used together with the La Model program was found to give good classification accuracies compared to ARMPS2010 for deep cover cases.

Comparison of Stress Distribution of Platform-switched and Non-platform Switched Abutment for Implant Supported Single Crown

The influence of platform-switched abutment on stress distribution within the surrounding bone,fixture,abutment,and screw under various loading conditions were studied.Two 3-D finite element models representative of an implant-supported metal crown for the mandibular first molar and its surrounding bone were computed.Model A simulated the implant with non-platform-switched abutment and model B was for platform-switched abutment.A load of 100 N was applied vertically and obliquely at the center fossa,the tip of the buccal cusp and the distal fossa,respectively.The results show that the distribution of Von Mises stress in the two models is similar.When platform-switched abutment is used,the maximum Von Mises stress within the surrounding bone is lower;however,this value is higher within the fixture and screw.

Prediction Model of Abutment Pressure Affected by Far-Field Hard Stratum Based on Elastic Foundation Theory

In view of the three-dimensional dynamic abutment pressure,the influence of the far-field hard stratum(FHS)in deep,thick coal seams is indeterminant.Based on elastic foundation theory,a three-dimensional dynamic prediction model of the abutment pressure was established.Using this model,the dynamic change in the coal seam abutment pressure caused by the movement of the FHS was studied,and a method for determining the dynamic change range of the abutment pressure was developed.The results of the new prediction model of the abutment pressure are slightly higher than the measured values,with an error of 0.51%,which avoids the shortcomings of the results because the Winkler foundation model results are lower than the measured values and have an error of 9.98%.As time progresses,the abutment pressure and its distribution range are affected by the FHS movement,which has the characteristics of gradually increasing dynamic change until the FHS fractures.The peak value of the abutment pressure increases linearly with time,and the influence range increases with time following a power function with an exponent of less than 1.The influence range of the FHS movement on the abutment pressure ahead of the working face,behind the working face,and along the working face is 10 times,25 times,and 17 times the mining thickness,respectively.According to the actual geological parameters,the dynamic change range of the coal seam abutment pressure was determined by drawing an additional stress curve and by determining the threshold value.These research results are of great significance to the partition optimization of the roadway support design of deep,thick coal seams.

Safety monitoring and stability analysis of left abutment slope of Jinping Ⅰ hydropower station

Safety monitoring and stability analysis of high slopes are important for high dam construction in high mountainous regions or precipitous gorges. In this paper, deformation characteristics of toppling block at upper abutment, deforming tensile rip wedge in the middle part and deep fractures are comprehensively analyzed based on the geological conditions, construction methods and monitoring results of left abutment slope in Jinping Ⅰ hydropower station. Safety analyses of surface and shallow-buried rock masses and the corresponding anchorage system are presented. The monitoring results indicate that the global stability of the large wedge block in the left abutment is effectively under control, and the abutment slope is stable in a global sense. After the completion of excavation, the deformations of toppling block at the top of the slope and deep fracture zone continue at a very low rate, which can be explained as 'rock mass creep'. Further monitoring and analysis are needed.