Prediction of overbreak depth in Ghalaje road tunnel using strength factor

It is well known that the overbreak caused by the blasting damage during tunnel excavation increases costs associated with filling the collapsed area with shotcrete and results in filing of a claim by the contractor. This paper outlines a new approach for prediction the overbreak depth during tunnel construction. Hence, firstly excavation damage zone(EDZ) are determined by average specific charge in each zone. Numerical modelling is used to simulate the EDZ around tunnel boundary and the overbreak depth are calculated by the rock strength factor. The predicted overbreak depth compared with observed field data from a case study. The results show that there exists an approximately up to 40% difference between the prediction and the observed volume of overbreak depth. Therefore, the method can be well used to predict the overbreak depth to estimate more precision of shotcrete and concrete volumes in tunnelling cost during design phase.

Strength reduction factors for seismic analyses of buildings exposed to near-fault ground motions

To estimate the near-fault inelastic response spectra, the accuracy of six existing strength reduction factors （R） proposed by different investigators were evaluated by using a suite of near-fault earthquake records with directivity-induced pulses. In the evaluation, the force-deformation relationship is modelled by elastic-perfectly plastic, bilinear and stiffness degrading models, and two site conditions, rock and soil, are considered. The R-value ratio （ratio of the R value obtained from the existing R-expressions （or the R-p-T relationships） to that from inelastic analyses） is used as a measurement parameter. Results show that the R-expressions proposed by Ordaz ＆ Perez-Rocha are the most suitable for near-fault ground motions, followed by the Newmark ＆ Hall and the Berrill et al. relationships. Based on an analysis using the near-fault ground motion dataset, new expressions of R that consider the effects of site conditions are presented and verified.

Influencing factor of sinter body strength and its effects on iron ore sintering indexes

Sinter body strength, which reflects the strength of sinter, plays an important role in the improvement of sinter. In this study, the sinter body strengths of iron ores were measured using a microsintering method. The relationship between the chemical composition and sinter body strength was discussed. Moreover, sinter-pot tests were performed. The effects of sinter body strength on the sintering indexes were then elucidated, and the bottom limit of sinter body strength of blending ores was confirmed. In the results, the compressive strengths（CSs） of iron ores are observed to decrease with the increasing of the contents of loss on ignition（LOI）, SiO 2, and Al2O3; however, LOI of less than 3wt% does not substantially influence the CSs of fine ores. In the case of similar mineral composition, the porosity, in particular, the ratio between the number of large pores and the total number of pores, strongly influences the sinter body strength. With an increase of the blending-ore CSs used in sinter-pot tests, the yield, productivity, and tumbler strength increase, and the solid fuel consumption decreases. The CSs of the blending ores only slightly affect the sintering time. The CS bottom limit of the blending ores is 310 N. When the CSs of the blending ores increase by 10%, the yield, productivity, and tumbler index increase by 1.9%, 2.8%, and 2.0%, respectively, and the solid fuel consumption decreases by 1.9%.

Strength and stiffness reduction factors for infilled frames with openings

Framed structures are usually infilled with masonry walls. They may cause a significant increase in both stiffness and strength, reducing the deformation demand and increasing the energy dissipation capacity of the system. On the other hand, irregular arrangements of the masonry panels may lead to the concentration of damage in some regions, with negative effects; for example soft story mechanisms and shear failures in short columns. Therefore, the presence ofinfill walls should not be neglected, especially in regions of moderate and high seismicity. To this aim, simple models are available for solid infills walls, such as the diagonal no-tension strut model, while infilled frames with openings have not been adequately investigated. In this study, the effect of openings on the strength and stiffness of infilled frames is investigated by means of about 150 experimental and numerical tests. The main parameters involved are identified and a simple model to take into account the openings in the infills is developed and compared with other models proposed by different researchers. The model, which is based on the use of strength and stiffness reduction factors, takes into account the opening dimensions and presence of reinforcing elements around the opening. An example of an application of the proposed reduction factors is also presented.

Study on strength reduction factors consid-ering the effect of classification of design earthquake

The strength reduction factors are not only the key factors in determining seismic action for force-based seismic design, but also the key parameters to derive the inelastic response spectra for performance-based seismic design. In this paper, with a high quality ground motion database that includes a reasonable-sized set of records from China, a statistical study on the strength reduction factors is conducted and a new expression of strength reduction factors involving classification of design earthquake, which is an important concept to determine design spectra in Chinese seismic design code, is proposed. The expression of strength reduction factors can reflect the ground motion characteristics of China to a certain extent and is particularly suitable for Chinese seismic design. Then, the influence effects of site condition, classification of design earthquake, period of vibration, ductility level, earthquake magnitude and distance to fault on strength reduction factors are investigated. It is concluded that the effect of site condition on the strength reduction factors cannot be neglected, especially for the short-period structures of higher ductility. The classification of design earthquake also has an important effect on strength reduction factors and it may be unsuitable to use the existing expressions of strength reduction factors to the design spectra of current Chinese seismic code. The earthquake magnitude has no practical effect on strength reduction factors and if the near-fault records with forward directivity effect are not taken into consideration, the effect of distance to fault on strength reduction factors can also be neglected.

Revisiting the Bjerrum's correction factor:Use of the liquidity index for assessing the effect of soil plasticity on undrained shear strength

The undrained shear strength （su） of fine-grained soils that can be measured in situ and in laboratory isone of the key geotechnical parameters. The unconfined compression test （UCT） is widely used in laboratoryto measure this parameter due to its simplicity; however, it is severely affected by sampledisturbance. The vane shear test （VST） technique that is less sensitive to sample disturbance involves acorrection factor against the soil plasticity, commonly known as the Bjerrum＇s correction factor, m. Thisstudy aims to reevaluate the Bjerrum＇s correction factor in consideration of a different approach and arelatively new method of testing. Atterberg limits test, miniature VST, and reverse extrusion test （RET）were conducted on 120 remolded samples. The effect of soil plasticity on undrained shear strength wasexamined using the liquidity index instead of Bjerrum＇s correction factor. In comparison with the resultobatined using the Bjerrum＇s correction factor, the undrained shear strength was better representedwhen su values were correlated with the liquidity index. The results were validated by the RET, whichwas proven to take into account soil plasticity with a reliable degree of accuracy. This study also showsthat the RET has strong promise as a new tool for testing undrained shear strength of fine-grained soils.

Residual fatigue strength of 48MnV crankshaft based on safety factor

Residual fatigue strength of 48MnV crankshaft was studied and analyzed based on safety factor. Three different status crankshafts were used to the hop-up tests, which maintain new after 500h hop-up tests and after 1000h hop-up tests. Then, crankshafts were cut into unit cranks. The unit cranks were used to do endurance bending tests to get the residual fatigue strength. Finally, the results were analyzed based on safety factor. The results show that safety factor of crankshaft descends a little with the increase of the running time, and the residual safety factor is still much bigger than the endurable safety factor. Furthermore, after the crankshaft accomplishes a full life cycle, the residual fatigue strength of the crankshaft is enough to remanufacture and fulfill the next life cycle.

Effect of structural characteristics distribution on strength demand and ductility reduction factor of MDOF systems considering soil-structure interaction

It is known that structural stiffness and strength distributions have an important role in the seismic response of buildings. The effect of using different code-specified lateral load patterns on the seismic performance of fixed-base buildings has been investigated by researchers during the past two decades. However, no investigation has yet been carried out for the case of soil-structure systems. In the present study, through intensive parametric analyses of 21,600 linear and nonlinear MDOF systems and considering five different shear strength and stiffness distribution patterns, including three code-specified patterns as well as uniform and concentric patterns subjected to a group of earthquakes recorded on alluvium and soft soils, the effect of structural characteristics distribution on the strength demand and ductility reduction factor of MDOF fixed-base and soil-structure systems are parametrically investigated. The results of this study show that depending on the level of inelasticity, soil flexibility and number of degrees-of-freedoms (DOFs), structural characteristics distribution can significantly affect the strength demand and ductility reduction factor of MDOF systems. It is also found that at high levels of inelasticity, the ductility reduction factor of low-rise MDOF soil-structure systems could be significantly less than that of fixed-base structures and the reduction is less pronounced as the number of stories increases.

Limit equilibrium method(LEM) of slope stability and calculation of comprehensive factor of safety with double strength-reduction technique

When the slope is in critical limit equilibrium(LE) state, the strength parameters have different contribution to each other on maintaining slope stability. That is to say that the strength parameters are not simultaneously reduced. Hence, the LE stress method is established to analyze the slope stability by employing the double strengthreduction(DSR) technique in this work. For calculation model of slope stability under the DSR technique, the general nonlinear Mohr–Coulomb(M–C) criterion is used to describe the shear failure of slope. Meanwhile, the average and polar diameter methods via the DSR technique are both adopted to calculate the comprehensive factor of safety(FOS) of slope. To extend the application of the polar diameter method, the original method is improved in the proposed method. After comparison and analysis on some slope examples, the proposed method's feasibility is verified. Thereafter, the stability charts of slope suitable for engineering application are drawn. Moreover, the studies show that:(1) the average method yields similar results as that of the polardiameter method;(2) compared with the traditional uniform strength-reduction(USR) technique, the slope stability obtained using the DSR techniquetends to be more unsafe; and(3) for a slope in the critical LE state, the strength parameter φ, i.e., internal friction angle, has greater contribution on the slope stability than the strength parameters c, i.e., cohesion.

Influence Factor Analysis on Strength of Lime-Fly Ash Loess

Lime-fly ash loess is composed of fly ash, lime and loess. It is a new material in subgrade backfill. Main factors to influence the strength of lime-fly ash loess are age, amount of fly ash and lime, ratio of fly ash to lime (1:K), and moisture content. In order to observe the effect of each factor influencing the strength of lime-fly ash loess and find out the relationship between each other, this paper adopted orthogonal test design to conduct unconfined compression tests. The result shows that 90d strength can be considered to calculate the strength of lime-fly ash loess in practice. And the most important factor to influence the 90d strength of lime-fly ash loess is the amount of fly ash and lime, the second is moisture content, and then is the ratio of fly ash to lime (1:K). These achievements are significant to the design and application of lime-fly ash loess in subgrade construction of loess areas.

Residual Strength of Stiffened LY12CZ Aluminum Alloy Panels with Widespread Fatigue Damage

Experimental and analytical investigations on the residual strength of the stiffened LY12CZ aluminum alloy panels with widespread fatigue damage （WFD） are conducted. Nine stiffened LY12CZ aluminum alloy panels with three different types of damage are tested for residual strength. Each specimen is pre-cracked at rivet holes by saw cuts and subjected to a monotonically increasing tensile load until failure is occurred and the failure load is recorded. The stress intensity factors at the tips of the lead crack and the adjacent WFD cracks of the stiffened aluminum alloy panels are calculated by compounding approach and finite element method （FEM） respectively. The residual strength of the stiffened panels with WFD is evaluated by the engineering method with plastic zone linkup criterion and the FEM with apparent fracture toughness criterion respectively. The predicted residual strength agrees well with the experiment results. It indicates that in engineering practice these methods can be used for residual strength evaluation with the acceptable accuracy. It can be seen from this research that WFD can significantly reduce the residual strength and the critical crack length of the stiffened panels with WFD. The effect of WFD crack length on residual strength is also studied.

陕北地区传统民居靠崖式砖窑承载力及稳定性评估

为研究陕北地区传统民居靠崖式砖窑的承载能力及稳定性,通过现场检测和调查靠崖式砖窑的残损情况及坍塌区域对整体结构的影响,采用有限元软件ABAQUS对窑洞单体和窑洞-边坡整体进行了承载力和稳定性分析。研究结果表明:靠崖式砖窑较严重残损主要分布在窑腿、拱顶,病害主要表现为窑腿开裂和外闪,拱券开裂、局部松动乃至坍塌;坍塌区域的地基由于应力释放引起上部窑洞部分区域倾斜、开裂;窑洞单体在外荷载作用下变形及应力较小,受地震作用影响较小;窑洞-边坡模型失稳时的强度折减系数为1.15,表明该边坡目前处于稳定状态,在降水较多时存在失稳的风险。

In situ strengths of matrix in a composite

A major obstacle to achieving reasonable strength prediction of a composite only from its constituent information is in the determination of in situ strengths of the matrix. One can measure only the original strengths of the pure matrix, on the basis of which the predicted transverse strengths of a unidirectional (UD) composite are far from reality. It is impossible to reliably measure matrix in situ strengths. This paper focuses on the correlation between in situ and original strengths. Stress concentrations in a matrix owing to the introduction of fibers are attributed to the strength variation. Once stress concentration factors (SCFs) are obtained, the matrix in situ strengths are assigned as the original counterparts divided by them. Such an SCF cannot be defined following a classical approach. All of the relevant issues associated with determining it are systematically addressed in this paper. Analytical expressions for SCFs under transverse tension, transverse compression, and transverse shear are derived. Closed-form and compact formulas for all of the uniaxial strengths of a UD composite are first presented in this paper. Their application to strength predictions of a number of typical UD composites demonstrates the correctness of these formulas.

Stress and Fracture Strength Analysis for Three-Way Pipes

Three-way pipes, T and Y pipes, are very important connecting components in pipeline systems, their strength are related to the safety of pipelines. In the case that crack is not detected in the three-way pipe, ANSYS finite element program version 5.6 is applied to study the stress distribution of the three-way pipe and to obtain the optimum fillet radius in the crotch region of the two pipes. The reasonable intersection angle of the two pipes is also obtained. In the case that a surface crack is detected in the three-way pipe, the maximum stress intensity factor (SIF) near the front of the surface crack is studied.

Estimation of Reliability for Stress-Strength Cascade Model

The study endeavors to provide statistical inference for a (1 + 1) cascade system for exponential distribution under joint effect of stress-strength attenuation factors. Estimators of reliability function are obtained using Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLE) and Uniformly Minimum Variance Unbiased Estimator (UMVUE) of the parameters. Asymptotic distribution of the parameters is also obtained. Comparison between estimators is made using data obtained through simulation experiment.

Crack patterns corresponding to the residual strength plateau of ceramics subjected to thermal shock

The formation strength plateau of ceramics is addressed. A set of of 99A1203 are conducted, mechanism of the residual subjected to thermal shock thermal shock experiments where the thin specimens of 1 mm× 10 mm×50 mm exhibit parallel through edge cracks, and thus permit quantitative measurements of the crack patterns. The cracks evolve with the severity of ther- mal shock. It is found that there is a correlation between the length and density of the thermal shock cracks. The increase of crack length weakens the residual strength, whereas the increase of crack density improves it. In a considerably wide temperature range, the two contrary effects just counteract each other; consequently a plateau appears in the variation curve of the residual strength. A comparison between the numerical and experimental results of the residual strength is made, and they are found in good agreement. This work is helpful to a deep understanding of the thermal shock failure of ceramics.

Analysis of Influencing Factors of Silt Solidified Soil in Flowing State

Every year, a large amount of silt is generated by river dredging. For the characteristics of dredging silt, such as high moisture content, low strength and high compressibility, the traditional solidification method can no longer better solve this kind of silt problem.?This paper mainly studies the fluidized solidification treatment of high water content sludge, not only makes the silt soil achieve a good solidification effect, but also the project cost is lower, the construction method is more environmentally friendly and green. The influencing factors of the solidified soil are mainly investigated by the unconfined compression test and the fluidity test. The experiment result shows?1)When the cement to sludge mass ratio (RCS) is 0.09?-?0.16 and the fly ash to cement mass ratio (RFC) is 0.35?-?0.80, as the amount of?RFC?increases, the flow rate of the solidified soil gradually decreases. With the increase of time, the liquidity is significantly reduced, and the influence of cement on the fluidity is greater than that of fly ash.?2) When?RCS?= 0.09?-?0.16, the strength of the sludge solidified soil at 28?d age increased by 4.5?-?6 times. 3)?When?RCS?= 0.09?-?0.16 and?RFC?= 35%?-?80%, the intensity of 14?d increased by 1.23 times than that of 7?d, and the intensity of 28 days increased by 1.29 times than that of 14?d. This experiment can provide the mix ratio design of solidified materials for different needs of the project, which can better provide a basis for engineering application and strength prediction.

Evaluation and Optimization of Tensile Strength Responses of Coir Fibres Reinforced Polyester Matrix Composites (CFRP) Using Taguchi Robust Design

In this study, control factors which included aspect ratio of fibres, volume fraction of fibres and fibres orientation were the focus for determining the optimum tensile strengths of coir fibres reinforced polyester resin composites. After using Archimedes principle to determine the volume fraction of fibres, tensile test was conducted on the samples of treated and untreated coir fibres reinforced polyester resin composites, respectively. For the optimum properties to be obtained, a Universal Testing Machine-TUE-C-100 was used for the conducted tensile tests which established the levels of control factors settings for quality characteristics needed to optimize the mechanical properties being investigated. Applying Taguchi robust design technique for the greater-the-better, the highest signal-to-noise ratio (S/N ratio) for the quality characteristics being investigated was obtained employing Minitab 16 software. The optimum values of the control factors were established for treated coir fibres reinforced polyester resin composites and untreated coir fibres reinforced polyester resin composites. The treated coir fibres reinforced polyester matrix composite has the optimum tensile strength of 42.7 N/mm2 while the untreated coir fibres reinforced matrix composite has the optimum tensile strength of 21.9 N/mm2. The reinforcement combinations of control factors contribute greatly to the tensile properties, and the treated coir fibres reinforced polyester composites are stronger in tension than the untreated coir fibres reinforced polyester composites.

Strength behaviour of a model rock intersected by non-persistent joint

Several constructions in the field of civil engineering quite often need to deal with rocks.Strength behaviour of rock intersected by a discontinuity or a set of discontinuities has been a topic of keen interest for engineering community.The popular attributes of discontinuities that have been given due importance are their frequency,orientation and surface characteristics.Non-persistency,however,has been given little attention.This article presents an experimental study wherein focus has been made on the effect of non-persistency of the joint on the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)of a model rock for various geometries such as orientation,discontinuity length ratio and number of joint segments.The applicability of single plane of weakness theory(SPWT)to assess the strength of jointed specimens has also been evaluated.It has been noticed that SPWT captures the strength behaviour only for a narrow range of discontinuity orientations.As an improvement,an approach is suggested by extending concepts of degree of persistence and joint factor to have a better understanding towards strength behaviour of rocks intersected by non-persistent joints.

握力与认知功能障碍的性别差异研究:基于2011—2014美国健康和营养调查的横断面研究

目的探究握力与认知功能的关联是否存在性别差异。方法利用2011—2014年美国国家健康与营养调查(National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey,NHANES)数据库开展横断面研究,评估即时记忆、延迟记忆、言语流畅性和注意力4个认知领域。采用加权线性回归、加权Logistic回归、相乘模型进行分析。结果回归分析显示,在男性,与握力最低组的研究对象相比,握力最高组研究对象有更低的整体认知功能降低(OR=0.377,95%CI:0.182~0.781)和即时记忆降低(OR=0.409,95%CI:0.221~0.759)的风险。在女性,握力与整体认知功能降低(OR=0.405,95%CI:0.224~0.733)、言语流畅性降低(OR=0.567,95%CI:0.356~0.902)以及注意力降低(OR=0.357,95%CI:0.211~0.607)的风险呈显著负相关关系。同时,性别和握力在整体认知功能、言语流畅性和注意力均存在显著交互作用,但是即时记忆、延迟回忆2个认知领域未检测到显著的交互作用。结论握力对整体认知功能和不同认知领域的影响存在性别差异。因此,提高握力水平,特别是女性,有利于预防认知功能下降。