Support design method for deep soft-rock tunnels in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field

Due to the long-term plate tectonic movements in southwestern China,the in-situ stress field in deep formations is complex.When passing through deep soft-rock mass under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field,tunnels will suffer serious asymmetric deformation.There is no available support design method for tunnels under such a situation in existing studies to clarify the support time and support stiffness.This study first analyzed the mechanical behavior of tunnels in non-hydrostatic in-situ stress field and derived the theoretical equations of the ground squeezing curve(GSC)and ground loosening curve(GLC).Then,based on the convergence confinement theory,the support design method of deep soft-rock tunnels under non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field was established considering both squeezing and loosening pressures.In addition,this method can provide the clear support time and support stiffness of the second layer of initial support.The proposed design method was applied to the Wanhe tunnel of the China-Laos railway in China.Monitoring data indicated that the optimal support scheme had a good effect on controlling the tunnel deformation in non-hydrostatic high in-situ stress field.Field applications showed that the secondary lining could be constructed properly.

Measures for controlling large deformations of underground caverns under high in-situ stress condition--A case study of JinpingⅠhydropower station

The Jinping I hydropower station is a huge water conservancy project consisting of the highest concrete arch dam to date in the world and a highly complex and large underground powerhouse cavern. It is located on the right bank with extremely high in-situ stress and a few discontinuities observed in surrounding rock masses. The problems of rock mass deformation and failure result in considerable challenges related to project design and construction and have raised a wide range of concerns in the fields of rock mechanics and engineering. During the excavation of underground caverns, high in-situ stress and relatively low rock mass strength in combination with large excavation dimensions lead to large deformation of the surrounding rock mass and support. Existing experiences in excavation and support cannot deal with the large deformation of rock mass effectively, and further studies are needed. In this paper, the geological conditions, layout of caverns, and design of excavation and support are first introduced, and then detailed analyses of deformation and failure characteristics of rocks are presented. Based on this, the mechanisms of deformation and failure are discussed, and the support adjustments for controlling rock large deformation and subsequent excavation procedures are proposed. Finally, the effectiveness of support and excavation adjustments to maintain the stability of the rock mass is verified. The measures for controlling the large deformation of surrounding rocks enrich the practical experiences related to the design and construction of large underground openings, and the construction of caverns in the Jinping I hydropower station provides a good case study of large-scale excavation in highly stressed ground with complex geological structures, as well as a reference case for research on rock mechanics.

Stress initialization methods for dynamic numerical simulation of rock mass with high in-situ stress

In the context of deep rock engineering,the in-situ stress state is of major importance as it plays an important role in rock dynamic response behavior.Thus,stress initialization becomes crucial and is the first step for the dynamic response simulation of rock mass in a high in-situ stress field.In this paper,stress initialization methods,including their principles and operating procedures for reproducing steady in-situ stress state in LS-DYNA,are first introduced.Then the most popular four methods,i.e.,explicit dynamic relaxation(DR)method,implicit-explicit sequence method,Dynain file method and quasi-static method,are exemplified through a case analysis by using the RHT and plastic hardening rock material models to simulate rock blasting under in-situ stress condition.Based on the simulations,it is concluded that the stress initialization results obtained by implicit-explicit sequence method and dynain file method are closely related to the rock material model,and the explicit DR method has an obvious advantage in solution time when compared to other methods.Besides that,it is recommended to adopt two separate analyses for the whole numerical simulation of rock mass under the combined action of in-situ stress and dynamic disturbance.

Experimental study on the effect of flexible joints of a deep-buried tunnel across an active fault under high in-situ stress conditions

During dislocation,a tunnel crossing the active fault will be damaged to varying degrees due to its permanent stratum displacement.Most previous studies did not consider the influence of the tunnel’s deep burial and the high in-situ stress,so the results were not entirely practical.In this paper,the necessity of solving the anti-dislocation problem of deep-buried tunnels is systemically discussed.Through the model test of tunnels across active faults,the differences in failures between deep-buried tunnels and shallow-buried tunnels were compared,and the dislocation test of deep-buried segmental tunnels was carried out to analyze the external stress change,lining strain,and failure mode of tunnels.The results are as follows.(1)The overall deformation of deep-buried and shallow-buried tunnels is both Sshaped.The failure mode of deep-buried tunnels is primarily characterized by shear and tensile failure,resulting in significant compressive deformation and a larger damaged area.In contrast,shallow-buried tunnels mainly experience shear failure,with the tunnel being sheared apart at the fault crossing,leading to more severe damage.(2)After the segmental structure design of the deep-buried tunnel,the “S”deformation pattern is transformed into a “ladder”pattern,and the strain of the tunnel and the peak stress of the external rock mass are reduced;therefore,damages are significantly mitigated.(3)Through the analysis of the distribution of cracks in the tunnel lining,it is found that the tunnel without a segmental structure design has suffered from penetrating failure and that cracks affect the entire lining.The cracks in a flexible segmental tunnel affect about 66.6% of the entire length of the tunnel,and cracks in a tunnel with a short segmental tunnel only affect about 33.3% of the entire length of the tunnel.Therefore,a deep-buried tunnel with a short segmental tunnel can yield a better anti-dislocation effect.(4)By comparing the shallow-buried segmental tunnel in previous studies,it is concluded that the shallow-buried segmental tunnel will also suffer from deformation outside the fault zone,while the damages to the deep-buried segmental tunnel are concentrated in the fault zone,so the anti-dislocation protection measures of the deep-buried tunnel shall be provided mainly in the fault zone.The results of the above study can provide theoretical reference and technical support for the design and reinforcement measures of the tunnel crossing active fault under high in-situ stress conditions.

Disturbance failure mechanism of highly stressed rock in deep excavation:Current status and prospects

This article reviews the current status on the dynamic behavior of highly stressed rocks under disturbances.Firstly,the experimental apparatus,methods,and theories related to the disturbance dynamics of deep,high-stress rock are reviewed,followed by the introduction of scholars’research on deep rock deformation and failure from an energy perspective.Subsequently,with a backdrop of highstress phenomena in deep hard rock,such as rock bursts and core disking,we delve into the current state of research on rock microstructure analysis and residual stresses from the perspective of studying the energy storage mechanisms in rocks.Thereafter,the current state of research on the mechanical response and the energy dissipation of highly stressed rock formations is briefly retrospected.Finally,the insufficient aspects in the current research on the disturbance and failure mechanisms in deep,highly stressed rock formations are summarized,and prospects for future research are provided.This work provides new avenues for the research on the mechanical response and damage-fracture mechanisms of rocks under high-stress conditions.

A continuous and long-term in-situ stress measuring method based on fiber optic. Part I: Theory of inverse differential strain analysis

A method for in-situ stress measurement via fiber optics was proposed. The method utilizes the relationship between rock mass elastic parameters and in-situ stress. The approach offers the advantage of long-term stress measurements with high spatial resolution and frequency, significantly enhancing the ability to measure in-situ stress. The sensing casing, spirally wrapped with fiber optic, is cemented into the formation to establish a formation sensing nerve. Injecting fluid into the casing generates strain disturbance, establishing the relationship between rock mass properties and treatment pressure.Moreover, an optimization algorithm is established to invert the elastic parameters of formation via fiber optic strains. In the first part of this paper series, we established the theoretical basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method for in-situ stress measurement, which was subsequently verified using an analytical model. This paper is the fundamental basis for the inverse differential strain analysis method.

Performance of water-coupled charge blasting under different in-situ stresses

Water-coupled charge blasting is a promising technique to efficiently break rock masses.In this study,numerical models of double boreholes with water-coupled charge are established using LS-DYNA and are calibrated by the tests of rock masses subjected to explosion loads to examine its performance.The crack levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting and air-coupled charge blasting are first compared.It is found that water-coupled charge blasting is more appropriate to fracture deep rock mass than air-coupled charge blasting.In addition,the effects of rock properties,water-coupled charge coefficients,and borehole connection angles on the performance of water-coupled charge blasting are investigated.The results show that rock properties and water-coupled charge coefficients can greatly influence the crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass induced by water-coupled charge blasting under uniform and non-uniform in-situ stresses.However,changing borehole-connection angles can only affect crack and fragmentation levels of rock mass under non-uniform in-situ stresses but barely affect those under uniform in-situ stresses.A formula is finally proposed by considering the above-mentioned factors to provide the design suggestion of water-coupled charge blasting to fracture rock mass with different in-situ stresses.

Influences of clean fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on hydraulic fracture propagation and morphology in coal seam

The viscosity of fracturing fluid and in-situ stress difference are the two important factors that affect the hydraulic fracturing pressure and propagation morphology. In this study, raw coal was used to prepare coal samples for experiments, and clean fracturing fluid samples were prepared using CTAB surfactant. A series of hydraulic fracturing tests were conducted with an in-house developed triaxial hydraulic fracturing simulator and the fracturing process was monitored with an acoustic emission instrument to analyze the influences of fracturing fluid viscosity and horizontal in-situ stress difference on coal fracture propagation. The results show that the number of branched fractures decreased, the fracture pattern became simpler, the fractures width increased obviously, and the distribution of AE event points was concentrated with the increase of the fracturing fluid viscosity or the horizontal in-situ stress difference. The acoustic emission energy decreases with the increase of fracturing fluid viscosity and increases with the increase of horizontal in situ stress difference. The low viscosity clean fracturing fluid has strong elasticity and is easy to be compressed into the tip of fractures, resulting in complex fractures. The high viscosity clean fracturing fluids are the opposite. Our experimental results provide a reference and scientific basis for the design and optimization of field hydraulic fracturing parameters.

Resistance index and browning mechanism of apple peel under high temperature stress

Apples are one of the most important economic crops worldwide.Because of global warming and an aggravation of environmental,abnormally high temperatures occur frequently in fruit-growing season and seriously affect normal fruit growth and reduce fruit quality and yield.We took five-year-old Ruixue’(Qinfu 1×Pink Lady;CNA20151469.1) fruits as test materials,and the ambient temperature during fruit development was monitored.The results showed that during the fruit-growing season,especially during the rapid growth stage (July to August),the maximum daily temperature exceeded 30℃ and lasted for more than 40 days.To determine the effects of high temperature stress on the apple fruit resistance,we treated expanding,veraison,and maturity-period fruits at different temperatures.It was found that the fruits of the expanding period showed strong resistance to high temperature stress,whereas during veraison and maturity,fruit resistance to high temperature stress decreased,and the fruit peel browning phenotype appeared.Meanwhile,the content of malonaldehyde (MDA),hydrogen peroxide (H_(2)O_(2)),and superoxide anion (O._(2)^(-)) in the peel gradually increased with increasing temperature.The content of total phenols,flavanol,and flavonoids in the peel decreased substantially at 45℃.Moreover,it was found that polyphenol oxidase gene (MdPPO1) was most sensitive to high temperature stress in apple.Furthermore,transient and stable MdPPO1 overexpression significantly promoted peel browning.The transgenic materials were more sensitive to high temperatures,and browning was more severe compared to non-genetically modified organism (WT).Stable MdPPO1 knockout calli obtained via clustered regularly interspersed short palindromic repeats (CRISPR/Cas9) gene knockout technology reduced the browning phenotype,and the resultant fruits were not sensitive to the effects of high temperature stress.Thus,MdPPO1 expression may be a key factor of high temperature-related changes observed in the browning phenotype that provides a scientific theoretical basis for the selection of high temperature-resistant varieties and apple cultivation and management in the future.

Economic Stress, Precariousness and Risk of High Blood Pressure: A Descriptive Survey of Life Models within Households of the Central Region of Cameroon

Context/Objective: High blood pressure (HBP) currently represents the most widespread chronic non-communicable disease in Cameroon. The increase in its prevalence in the country is the result of multiple factors including economic stress imposed by precariousness, poor living conditions, sources of anxiety, anguish, depression and other behavioral disorders. Economic stress is a globalizing concept that integrates into a purely hermeneutic approach, a particular functioning of the nervous system of an individual who faces employment problems and precarious remuneration conditions. The non-satisfaction by an individual of his basic needs due to insufficient financial means can cause him to become irritable, aggressive, and socially and symbolically isolated, thereby increasing the desire to resort to morbid life models such as excessive consumption of narcotics and other psychoactive substances often associated with high blood pressure. The fight against the emergence of BPH is a complex, multifaceted and multifactorial reality that requires taking into account economic stress. The main objective of this survey is to describe the situation of economic stress within the Cameroonian population, which imposes precariousness and life models at risk of high blood pressure. Specifically, we determined the level of household income and the sources of income. Methods: A cross-sectional survey with a descriptive aim among five hundred households in the Central Region of Cameroon was conducted. A probabilistic technique called simple randomness was used. The number of households to be surveyed was determined indirectly using the Cochrane formula. Data collection in face-to-face mode using a physical questionnaire took place from July 1 to August 31, 2023, after obtaining ethical clearance from the Regional Health Research Ethics Committee, Human from the Center and an administrative authorization for data collection. Regarding their processing, the data was grouped during processing in Excel sheets. Normality and reliability tests of the collected data were carried out. For this, the Chi-square test was used for data with a qualitative value and that of Kolmogorov-Sminorf for data with a quantitative value. Descriptive analysis was possible using R software version 3.2, SPSS version 25.0, XLSTAT 2016, PAST and EXCEL programs from Microsoft Office 2013. Results: The main results highlight economic stress, with 45.60% of households surveyed earning less than US$154 per month;55% of household heads were women in single-parent families;14% of household heads were unemployed, 22% worked in the private sector and 19% were self-employed. This general economic situation leads to precarious living conditions, thereby increasing the risk of high blood pressure among the Cameroonian population.

Effect of Exogenous Nitric Oxygen on Lipid Peroxidation and Chlorophyll Fluorescence in Wheat Leaves under High Temperature and Strong Irradiance Stress

[Objective] The study aimed to prove effects of NO on oxidative damage and photosynthetic apparatus at filling stage of wheat leaves under high temperature and irradiance stress.[Method] Yunong 949 was taken as experimental material to study the effects of sodium nitropprusside (SNP,an exogenous nitric oxide donor) at 0.1 mmol/L on protective enzyme activities, oxidative damage and fluorescence.[Result] The treatment with SNP (at 0.1 mmol/L) significantly increased the activity of SOD and APX, proline content, decreased the MDA content and relative electrical conductivity, Kept the higher Fv/Fm and lower Fo.[Conclusion] The adaptability of wheat with SNP treatment at 0.1 mmol/L was improved under high temperature and irradiance stress.

A critical review on the developments of rock support systems in high stress ground conditions

Extreme ground behaviour in high-stress rock masses such as rockburst prone and squeezing ground conditions are encountered in a range of underground projects both in civil and mining applications.The occurrence of such ground behaviour types are difficult to predict and special design and construction measures must be taken to control them.Determining the most appropriate support system in such grounds is one of the major challenges for ground control engineers because there are many contributing factors to be considered,such as the rock mass parameters,the stress condition,the type and performance of the support systems,the condition of major geological structures and the size and geometry of the underground excavation.The main characteristics and support requirements of rockburst-prone and squeezing ground conditions are herein critically reviewed and characteristics of support functions are discussed.Different types of energy-absorbing rockbolts and other support elements applicable for ground support in burst-prone and squeezing grounds are introduced.Important differences in the choice and economics of ground support strategies in high-stress ground conditions between civil tunnels and mining excavations are discussed.Ground support benchmarking data and mitigation measures for mines and civil tunnels in burst-prone,squeezing and heavily swelling grounds conditions are briefly presented by some examples in practice.

Effects of High Light Stress on Chlorophyll-protein Complexes of Two Subspecies of Rice

Influence of high light stress on the photosynthesis of flag leaves of indica subspecies (cv. “Shanyou 63', sensitive to photoinhibition) and japonica subspecies (cv. “Wuyujing', resistant to photoinhibition) of rice ( Oryza sativa L.) was comparatively investigated. In both cultivars of rice, the excitation energy distribution between two photosystems was altered and the excitation energy transfer from light harvesting chlorophyll protein complexes to PSⅡ was inhibited by high light stress. These decreases were more pronounced in indica rice cultivar as compared to japonica one. The analysis of mild SDS_PAGE showed that in indica rice, high light stress almost disaggregated the trimer of light harvesting chlorophyll protein complexes of PSⅡ (LHC Ⅱ 1). The stress reduced the contents of internal antennae chlorophyll protein complexes of PSⅡ (CPa), light harvesting chlorophyll protein of PSⅠ (CPⅠa) and Chl a protein complex of PSⅠ reaction center (CPⅠ) as well as dimer of LHCⅡ (LHCⅡ 2) in indica rice. In japonica subspecies, however, high light stress depressed the contents of LHCⅡ 1, CPa and CPⅠa, but slightly impacted on CPⅠ content. Moreover, the increase in the contents of monomer of LHCⅡ by high light stress was found in both subspecies. In consistent with above results, analysis of polypeptide indicated that the amounts of 27 kD and 25 kD polypeptide of LHCⅡ in particular, as well as that of 21 kD polypeptide of CPⅠa were reduced by high light stress in both subspecies. It was found that, comparing with japonica rice, the stress pronouncedly diminished 43 kD and 47 kD proteins of CPa and 23 kD extrisic protein in indica rice.

Fatigue reliability quantitative analysis of cement concrete for highway pavement under high stress ratio

In order to obtain the change law of the fatigue reliability of cement concrete for highway pavement under high stress ratios, first, the probability densities of monotonic random variables including concrete fatigue life are deduced. And then, the fatigue damage probability densities of the Miner and Chaboche-Zhao models are deduced. By virtue of laboratory fatigue test results, the fatigue damage probability density functions of the two models can be obtained, considering different stress ratios. Finally, substituting load cycles into them, the change law of cement concrete fatigue reliability about load cycles can be acquired. The results show that under the same stress ratio, with the increase in the load cycle, the fatigue reliability declines from almost 100% to 0% gradually. No matter under what stress ratio, during the initial stage of the load action, there is always a relatively stable phase for fatigue reliability. With the increase in the stress ratio, the stable phase gradually shortens and the load cycle corresponding to the reliability of 0% also decreases. In the descent phase of reliability, the higher the stress ratio is, the lower the concrete reliability is for the same load cycle. Besides, compared with the Chaboche-Zhao fatigue damage model, the Miner fatigue damage model is safer.

Numerical simulation of optimum mining design for high stress hard-rock deposit based on inducing fracturing mechanism

The 3D numerical simulation model of deep hard-rock deposit in Kaiyang Phosphate Mine of Guiyang was established based on the practical engineering using 3DEC numerical simulation software. The distribution characteristics of displacement fields and plastic zones of the orebody were simulated in three different excavation cases, including the case of excavation artificial inducted roadway in the orebody, the case of horizontal or vertical excavation direction and the case of the upward or downward excavation order. The simulation results indicate that the plastic zone and displacement field of surrounding rock around the inducted roadway are continuously increasing with the increase of the exposure time after digging an artificial inducted roadway in the orebody. Thus the raw rock ore becomes easier to be fragmented, which provides advantageous conditions for roadheader to cut high stress hard-rock. It is worthy noting that there is a large difference in effective utilization of deep ground pressure between horizontal and vertical excavation directions. The later can produce larger deformation and fracture zone than the former on the rock mass around the deduced roadway, which means that the later may utilize the high ground pressure more effectively to break hard-rock. And the obtained results also show that upward excavation order is more helpful for ground pressure to break rock than downward excavation order.

Effects of Short-term High Temperature Stress on the Photosynthesis of Potato in Different Growth Stages

[Objective] The aim was to study the effects of short-term high temperature stress on the photosynthesis of potato in different growth stages. [Method] Choosing powder potato named Longshu No.3 widely cultivated in Ningxia as test material,the changes of stomata conductance （Gs）,transpiration rate （Tr） and CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber,net photosynthetic rate （Pn） and photosynthetic water use efficiency （WUE） in different growth stages under short-term high temperature were analyzed. [Result] During seedling stage,the hysteretic nature of net photosynthetic rate and CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber of potato could be found under high temperature stress,while the change trends of stomata conductance and transpiration rate under high temperature stress were consistent to that at normal temperature,but stomata conductance and transpiration rate were higher than those at normal temperature,and CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber affected net photosynthetic rate most obviously. During branching stage,the change trends of net photosynthetic rate,CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber,stomata conductance and transpiration rate under high temperature stress and normal temperature were similar,but they changed abruptly and reached peak value at noon under high temperature stress,while there existed consistent variation of water use efficiency under high temperature stress and at normal temperature,and CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber also affected net photosynthetic rate most greatly,next came transpiration rate. [Conclusion] High temperature stress affected the photosynthesis of potato in different growth stages,and it was more obvious during branching stage than seedling stage,while CO2 concentration difference between internal and external leaf chamber had the most important influence on net photosynthetic rate.

Effects of High Temperature Stress on Growth of Stress-Tolerant Rice Seedlings with Resistibility

Two heat-tolerant rice varieties, N5 and TQ, were chosen as test materi- als. Specifically, rice seedlings （leaf age at 2.1）, cultivated in room, were treated at 40 ℃ for 7 d and some indices were measured, including plant height, dry weight, leaf color, proline, malondialdehyde and conductivity. The results showed that high temperature advanced the growth of N5 seedlings, for example, plant height, root length and dry weight of ground parts all increased. However, high temperature prevented TQ seedlings growth, plant height in particular. Furthermore, high temper- ature treatment increased the content of chlorophyll of N5 and had none effects on PSII of N5, with little damages on membrane system. On the other hand, high temperature actually reduced PSII activity of TQ, and seriously damaged TQ mem- brane system. It is speculated that the differences of the two varieties lie on pro- duction or removing capacity of reactive oxide species.

Differentiation of Barley Genotypes with High Phosphorus Efficiency under Low Phosphorus Stress

[Objective] This study aimed to investigate differences in phosphorus effi-ciency between two-rowed barley and multiple-rowed barley and differences in phos-phorus efficiency among various agronomic traits, and to explore the relationship be-tween agronomic traits and row type with phosphorus efficiency. [Method] Under available phosphorus mass fractions of 1.32 and 36.6 mg/kg, 172 barley varieties, including 79 two-rowed foreign barley, 22 multiple-rowed foreign barley, 58 two-rowed Chinese barley and 13 multiple-rowed Chinese barley, were selected to com-pare differences in phosphorus efficiency-related agronomic traits. Plant height, spike length, number of unfil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains, main panicle weight, to-tal panicle weight, total stem weight, weight of aerial part and heading stage were surveyed for statistical analysis. [Result] The results showed that, various agronomic traits were larger under fertilization condition than under non-fertilization condition ex-cept number of unfil ed grains and heading stage. Plant high, spike length, weight of aerial part and heading stage varied greatly under non-fertilization condition; number of fil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains and total stem weight varied greatly under fertilization condition. In two-rowed barley, plant height and number of fil ed grains of Chinese varieties were higher than those of foreign varieties, while other agronomic traits such as spike length, number of unfil ed grains, main panicle weight, total panicle weight, total stem weight, weight of aerial part and heading stage of foreign varieties were higher than those of Chinese varieties. Spike length and weight of aerial part in multiple-rowed and two-rowed foreign barley were higher than those in Chinese barley. In multiple-rowed barley, plant height, number of unfil ed grains, total panicle weight and total stem weight of foreign varieties were higher under non-fer-tilization condition and lower under fertilization condition compared with those of Chi-nese varieties; number of fil ed grains, main panicle weight and heading stage of foreign varieties were lower under non-fertilization condition and higher under fertil-ization condition compared with those of Chinese varieties. [Conclusion] Heading stage, number of fil ed grains, number of unfil ed grains and total stem weight are more sensitive to phosphorus efficiency. Multiple-rowed barley is more sensitive to phosphorus efficiency than two-rowed barley.

Effect of High-Gate-Voltage Stress on the Reverse Gated-Diode Current in LDD nMOSFET’s

The reverse generation current under high-gate-voltage stress condition in LDD nMOSFET＇s is studied. We find that the generation current peak decreases as the stress time increases. We ascribe this finding to the dominating oxide trapped electrons that reduce the effective drain bias, lowering the maximal generation rate. The density of the effective trapped electrons affecting the effective drain bias is calculated with our model.

Subsoiling and Ridge Tillage Alleviate the High Temperature Stress in Spring Maize in the North China Plain

High temperature stress（HTS） on spring maize（Zea mays L.） during the filling stage is the key factor that limits the yield increase in the North China Plain（NCP）.Subsoiling（SS） and ridge tillage（R） were introduced to enhance the ability of spring maize to resist HTS during the filling stage.The field experiments were conducted during the 2011 and 2012 maize growing seasons at Wuqiao County,Hebei Province,China.Compared with rotary tillage（RT）,the net photosynthetic rate,stomatal conductance,transpiration rate,and chlorophyll relative content（SPAD） of maize leaves was increased by 40.0,42.6,12.8,and 29.7% under SS,and increased by 20.4,20.0,5.4,and 14.2% under R,repectively.However,the treatments reduce the intercellular CO 2 concentration under HTS.The SS and R treatments increased the relative water content（RWC） by 11.9 and 6.2%,and the water use efficiency（WUE） by 24.3 and 14.3%,respectively,compared with RT.The SS treatment increased the root length density and soil moisture in the 0-80 cm soil profile,whereas the R treatment increased the root length density and soil moisture in the 0-40 cm soil profile compared with the RT treatment.Compared with 2011,the number of days with temperatures 33°C was more 2 d and the mean day temperature was higher 0.9°C than that in 2012,whereas the plant yield decreased by 2.5,8.5 and 10.9%,the net photosynthetic rate reduced by 7.5,10.5 and 18.0%,the RWC reduced by 3.9,5.6 and 6.2%,and the WUE at leaf level reduced by 1.8,5.2 and 13.1% in the SS,R and RT treatments,respectively.Both the root length density and the soil moisture also decreased at different levels.The yield,photosynthetic rate,plant water status,root length density,and soil moisture under the SS and R treatments declined less than that under the RT treatment.The results indicated that SS and R can enhance the HTS resistance of spring maize during the filling stage,and led to higher yield by directly improving soil moisture and root growth and indirectly improving plant water status,photosynthesis and grain filling.The study can provide a theoretical basis for improving yield of maize by adjusting soil tillage in the NCP.