Cyclic performance and simplified pushover analyses of precast segmental concrete bridge columns with circular section

In recent years, precast segmental concrete bridge columns became prevalent because of the benefits of accelerated construction, low environmental impact, high quality and low life cycle costs. The lack of a detailed configuration and appropriate design procedure to ensure a comparable performance with monolithic construction has impeded this structural system from being widely used in areas of high seismicity. In this study, precast segmental bridge column cyclic loading tests were conducted to investigate the performance of unbonded post-tensioned segmental bridge columns. One monolithic and two precast segmental columns were tested. The preeast segmental column exhibited minor damage and small residual displacement after the maximum 7% cyclic drift; energy dissipation （ED） can be enhanced byadding ED bars. The experimental results were modeled by a simplified pushover method （SPOM）, as well as a fiber model （FIBM） finite element method. Forty-five cases of columns with different aspect ratios, axial load ratios and ED bar ratios were analyzed with the SPOM and FIBM, respectively. Using these parametric results, a simplified design method was suggested by regressive analysis. Satisfactory correlation was found between the experimental results and the simplified design method for preeast segmental columns with different design parameters.

Impact of economic development on wetlands in Hangzhou Bay Industrial Belt

Based on Landsat TM images in 2005 and urban planning data of 2005-2020 in Hangzhou Bay Industrial Belt, this paper studied the potential risk of the planned urban construction land extension to the wetlands by employing a GIS spatial analysis method. The results show that： （1） The wetland resources are widely distributed and diverse, with a proximal distribution to present urban construction lands spatially. （2） From 2005 to 2020, the urban construction lands will expand vastly and rapidly, and will take over large areas of wetlands that are mostly the ponds and the aquiculture water areas in the reclamation areas of Hangzhou Bay south coast. Moreover, this change will be spatially uneven obviously, e.g., the most serious recessions of the wetlands are concentrated in Ningbo city, Hangzhou city and Cixi city. （3） Overall, the potential risk to wetlands is very high, and will keep increasing with the trend of urbanization. （4） The quantity and spatial pattern of the planning urban construction land have substantial impacts on the wetland loss. Therefore, some policies and regulations are suggested to coordinate the relationship between urban economic development and wetland resource protection such as adjusting the construction land planning, compensating for wetland occupation as well as constructing wetland parks.

Calculation of earth pressure based on disturbed state concept theory

The theoretical formulations of Coulomb and Rankine still remain as the fundamental approaches to the analysis of most gravity-type retaining wall,with the assumption that sufficient lateral yield will occur to mobilize fully limited conditions behind the wall.The effects of the magnitude of wall movements and different wall-movement modes are not taken into consideration.The disturbance of backfill is considered to be related to the wall movement under translation mode.On the basis of disturbed state concept(DSC),a general disturbance function was proposed which ranged from-1 to 1.The disturbance variables could be determined from the measured wall movements.A novel approach that related to disturbed degree and the mobilized internal frictional angle of the backfill was also derived.A calculation method benefited from Rankine's theory and the proposed approach was established to predict the magnitude and distribution of earth pressure from the cohesionless backfill under translation mode.The predicted results,including the magnitude and distribution of earth pressure,show good agreement with those of the model test and the finite element method.In addition,the disturbance parameter b was also discussed.

Effects of Specimen Shape and Size on Water Loss and Drying Shrinkage of Cement-based Materials

The effects of specimen size and shape on development of water loss and shrinkage of mortar and concrete respectively were investigated. The experimental results showed that the effects of specimen size and shape on water loss ratio were consistent with those on drying shrinkage strain. It is also indicated that drying shrinkage strain has obvious linear correlation with water loss ratios independent of specimen size and shape. The effects of specimen size and shape on the water loss ratio were embodied in established model of averaged relative humidity improved by considering effects of sequential hydration and calculated by finite difference method. Furthermore, the effects of specimen size and shape on drying shrinkage strain of concrete were experimentally deduced and applied to modify criterion EB-FIP1990. The comparison between experimental and calculated results shows that the modified EB-FIP1990 can be adopted to predict drying shrinkage strain of concrete with reasonable accuracy.

Lattice models of traffic flow considering drivers' delay in response

This paper proposes two lattice traffic models by taking into account the drivers＇ delay in response. The lattice versions of the hydrodynamic model are described by the differential-difference equation and difference-difference equation, respectively. The stability conditions for the two models are obtained by using the linear stability theory. The modified KdV equation near the critical point is derived to describe the traffic jam by using the reductive perturbation method, and the kink-antikink soliton solutions related to the traffic density waves are obtained. The results show that the drivers＇ delay in sensing headway plays an important role in jamming transition.

Removal of aqueous Ni(Ⅱ) with carbonized leaf powder: Kinetics and equilibrium

Nickel is a heavy metal which has the potential threaten to human＇s health and attracts public concern recently. The carbonized leaf powder is expected as suitable adsorbent for Ni（II） removal became of the composition of some beneficial groups. In this work, carbonized leaf powder was evaluated for its adsorption performance towards Ni（II）. According to the results, adsorbent component, dosage, initial solute concentration, solution pH, temperature and contact time can significantly affect the efficiency of Ni（II） removal. Sips model fits the test results best, and the adsorption capacity towards Ni（II） is determined around 37.62 mg/g. The thermodynamic behaviors reveal the endothermic and spontaneous nature of the adsorption. The free adsorption energy （fluctuate around 8 kJ/mol） predicted by D-R model indicates that the adsorption capacity originated from both physical and chemical adsorption. Room temperature （15-25 ℃） is suitable for Ni（II） removal as well as low energy consumption for temperature enhancement. Further conclusions about the mechanism of chemical adsorption are obtained through analysis of the FT-IR test and XRD spectra, which indicates that the adsorption process occurs predominantly between amine, carbonate, phosphate and nickel ions.

Mechanical properties of cement mortar in sodium sulfate and sodium chloride solutions

To investigate the mechanical properties of cement mortar in sodium sulfate and sodium chloride solutions, uniaxial compression test and ultrasonic test were performed. Test results show that the relative dynamic elastic modulus, the mass variation,and the compressive strength of cement mortar increase first, and then decrease with increasing erosion time in sodium sulfate and sodium chloride solutions. The relative dynamic elastic moduli and the compressive strengths of cement mortars with water/cement ratios of 0.55 and 0.65 in sodium sulfate solution are lower than those in sodium chloride solution with the same concentration at the420 th day of immersion. The compressive strength of cement mortar with water/cement ratio of 0.65 is more sensitive to strain rate than that with water/cement ratio of 0.55. In addition, the strain-rate sensitivity of compressive strength of cement mortar will increase under attacks of sodium sulfate or sodium chloride solution.

Effects of Carbonation on Micro Structures of Hardened Cement Paste

In order to investigate the effects of carbonation on the microstructure of cement concrete,the carbonation depth and microstructure of cement paste with 0.3,0.4 and 0.5 water/cement ratio after 7,14,21 and 28 d accelerated carbonation were studied respectively.The results showed that with the increase of waterto-cement ratio and carbonation age,the carbonation depth was deepened with faster early carbonation speed and slower later carbonation rate.Carbonation densified the structure of hardened cement stone with refinement of pore structure and reduced porosity.Then,during the carbonation process from the surface to the inside of carbonation area,it was prone to form micro-cracks extending to the interior specimen,resulting in cement paste carbonation depth uneven.It is further illustrated that the color reaction method using phenolphthalein solution combined with X-CT and X-ray diffraction analysis is much more reasonable to evaluate the cement concrete carbonation degree.Moreover,during carbonation process sulfur element in cement paste migrated to the area un-carbonated and the concentrated shape of sulfur element is consistent with the coloring region in carbonation interface.Finally it was identified that carbonation not only reduced the p H value in cement concrete but also made prone to crack in carbonation zone,which increased the probability of reinforcement corrosion.

Hydration evolution of pre-cast concrete with steam and water curing

The hydration characteristics of pre-cast concrete considering the effects of effective initial steam-curing and water-curing duration were measured and analyzed with XRD, TG, X-ray CT, SEM-BSE and MIP techniques. The results show that the effective initial steam-curing duration for pre-cast concrete with lower water-binder ratio was 10 14 h at 50 °C and the initial water-curing duration was 7 14 d. And the hydration evolution of cement, fly ash and slag in pre-cast concrete was obtained respectively by combining the hydrochlorides and EDTA selecting dissolution methods, based on which the contents of hydrated and anhydrate in concrete were calculated and the corresponding dynamic capillary porosity was also determined. Moreover, the comparison between calculated results and experimental ones indicates that the proposed evolution models of microscopic characteristics corresponding to hydration kinetics of cemented materials could be adopted to predict the developing trend of capillary porosity and hydration-products content in pre-cast concrete with fly ash and slag under certain curing conditions.

Theoretical study on setup of expanded-base pile considering cavity contraction

When an expanded-base pile is installed into ground, the cavity expansion associated with penetration of the enlarged pile base is followed by cavity contraction along the smaller-diameter pile shaft. In order to account for the influence of cavity contraction on the change of bearing capacity of expanded-base pile, a theoretical calculation methodology, predicting the setup of expanded-base pile, was established by employing the cavity contraction theory to estimate the shaft resistance of expanded-base pile, and horizontal consolidation theory to predict the dissipation of excess pore pressure. Finally, the numerical solutions for the setup of expanded-base pile were obtained. The parametric study about the influence of cavity contraction on setup of expanded-base pile was carried out, while a field test was introduced. The parametric study shows that the decrements in radial pressure and the maximum pore water pressure after considering cavity contraction are increased as the expanded ratio(base diameter/shaft diameter) and rigidity index of soil are raised. The comparison between calculated and measured values shows that the calculated results of ultimate bearing capacity for expanded-base pile considering cavity contraction agree well with the measured values; however, the computations ignoring cavity contraction are 2.5-3.0 times the measured values.

Characteristics and mechanisms of Ni(Ⅱ) removal from aqueous solution by Chinese loess

Nickel is a toxic heavy metal among trace elements which has a detrimental impact on living organisms. There is growing need of finding an economic and effective solution for Ni(Ⅱ) immobilization in environments. Chinese loess was selected as adsorbent to remove Ni(Ⅱ) from aqueous solution. Adsorbent dosage, reaction time, solute concentration, temperature, and solution p H also have influences on efficiency of Ni(Ⅱ) removal. The monolayer adsorption capacity of loess towards Ni(Ⅱ) is determined to be about 15.61 mg/g. High temperature and p H favor the removal of Ni(Ⅱ) using Chinese loess soil and the optimal dosage of loess is determined to be 10 g/L. The kinetics and adsorption isotherms of the adsorption process can be best-fitted with the pseudo second order kinetics and Langmuir isothermal model, respectively. The thermodynamic analysis reveals that the adsorption process is spontaneous, endothermic and the system disorder increases with duration. Nickel ions can be removed with the removal efficiency of 98.5% at p H greater than or equal to 9.7. Further studies on loess and Ni(Ⅱ) laden loess(using X-Ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy) and Ni(Ⅱ) species distribution at various p H have been conducted to discuss the adsorption mechanism. Loess soils in China have proven to be a potential adsorbent for Ni(Ⅱ) removal from aqueous solutions.

Analysis of the stress intensity factor of welded joints under prior corrosion and complex stress fields

Taking cruciform welded joints under different corrosion degrees, together with 45° inclined angle and full penetration load-carrying fillet, as the research object, the stress intensity factor of a quarter-circular comer crack of welded joints is calculated based on FRANC3D with ABAQUS. Effects of different corrosion pit sizes, crack aspect ratios, and crack depths on stress intensity factor are analyzed. The results show that pit depth plays a major role in stress intensity factor, while the effect of pit radius is relatively small. The cracking modes of the surface and the deepest point are mode I, and mixed modes I and II, respectively. Effects of pit depths, crack aspect ratios, and crack depths on the stress intensity factor at the surface point are greater than at the deepest point.

Physiological Function of Selenium in Plants

The global understanding of selenium(Se)in plant biology mainly comes from the fields of medicine and animal science,while the research on Se in plant biology in the field of plant science lags behind.This paper summarized the physiological functions of Se in plants.These studies indicate that Se can promote plant seed development and growth and plant photosynthesis,increase plant economic yield and quality,and enhance plant antioxidant capacity and resistance to stress.However,its effects have a"dual"character,and its concentration or dosage range is very narrow.At appropriate concentrations,Se has an important impact on the physiological processes of plants and is a beneficial element for many plants to maintain health and good growth and development.

EFFECT OF A NOVEL INTERNAL ROLLER SHADING SYSTEM ON ENERGY PERFORMANCE

The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of movable solar shading on energy performance in subtropical regions of China.An office building retrofitted with a novel internal roller shading system consisting of two shading layers was selected to carry out field measurements and numerous computer simulations were conducted in order to quantify the energy saving performance of this solar shading system,which was further compared with commonly used Low-E windows and regular fabric roller shades.The results show that the solar transmittance ratio is only 1.3%to 7%depending on used solar shading layers in summer and there is almost no negative impact on heating season in winter.The room base temperature reduction ranges from 4-14oC in summer,indicating a significant indoor thermal performance improvement.Meanwhile,the total energy saving for this shading system is 26.06%,24.42%and over 50%,respectively,compared to Low-E windows,fabric roller shades and the bare window case.Thus,this novel solar shading system is a high energy saving measure and can be widely used in a subtropical zone.

Search for circular and noncircular critical slip surfaces in slope stability analysis by hybrid genetic algorithm

A local improvement procedure based on tabu search(TS) was incorporated into a basic genetic algorithm(GA) and a global optimal algorithm,i.e.,hybrid genetic algorithm(HGA) approach was used to search the circular and noncircular slip surfaces associated with their minimum safety factors.The slope safety factors of circular and noncircular critical slip surfaces were calculated by the simplified Bishop method and an improved Morgenstern-Price method which can be conveniently programmed,respectively.Comparisons with other methods were made which indicate the high efficiency and accuracy of the HGA approach.The HGA approach was used to calculate one case example and the results demonstrated its applicability to practical engineering.

Measurement on soil deformation caused by expanded-base pile in transparent soil using particle image velocimetry (PIV)

A new small-scale geotechnical physical model in 1-g and unconfined condition, combining the transparent soil, close-range photogrammetry and particle image velocimetry(PIV), was employed, which provides a non-intrusively internal deformation measurement approach to monitor the internal deformation of soil caused by expanded-base pile jacking with casing. The transparent soil was made of fused quartz and its refractive index matched blended oil, adding reflective particles(glass beads). Closerange photogrammetry was employed to record the images of the process of casing jacking and extraction in transparent soil, allowing the use of Matlab-based Geo-PIV to figure out the displacement field converted from image space to object space. Analysis of test results indicates that the maximum displacement caused by casing jacking for expandedconical-base pile is decreased by 29% compared with that for expanded-flat-base pile. The main movement happens at the early stage of casing extraction. The maximum displacement caused by casing extraction for the conical base is about 43% of that for the flatbase, while the affected zone caused by casing extraction for the conical base accounts for about 1/3 of that for the flat base. The contraction for horizontal displacements tends to decrease with the depth increasing. By contrast, the contraction under pile base decreases with the increasing of displacement. The displacements generated by jacking a conventional pile having a diameter equal to the casing diameter of the expanded-base pile were comparable to the net displacement taking place due to expanded-base pile installation for the conical base pile.

Recognition of defensive factors in the architectural heritage of Iran’s organic ancient shelters

In ancient Iran, in addition to defensive elements such as castles, fortresses, and fortifications, there were underground cities called dastkand. These cities had a shelter-protection function and provided safe space to protect residents when enemies attacked. In the scope of dastkand architectural studies, form typology, land-use typology, and provision of thermal comfort have been investigated in various studies but there is no study on dastkand defensive architecture, which is the main purpose of the present research. The research method is a mixed method (qualitative-quantitative). The required data are collected through a survey and then, analyzed using factor analysis in R method. The statistical population includes Iranian architectural heritage specialists and the sample size is estimated to be 165 persons. Sampling adequacy is confirmed based on the results of KMO test. The samples are selected using a non-probability sampling method. The obtained results indicate that ten factors have been effective in the architecture of Iran’s ancient organic shelters. In order from largest to smallest coefficient of variance, the factors include collective defense, multi-layered defense, environmental camouflage, path control, self-sufficiency, secret passage, sustainable architecture, residential values, covert surveillance, and cluster development.

Green Infrastructure and Its Inspiration for Urban Green Space System in China

Currently, urban Green Space Systems in China show fragile ecological conditions, the overseas Green Infrastructure is a new idea to construct urban green ecological spaces. Typical Green Infrastructure construction cases in the U. K., such as London greenbelt, park system, green corridor, green chain and Green Grid were studied to analyze problems of China urban Green Space System planning, construction, and management, so as to propose suggestions for improving ecological functions of the urban Green Space System.

New Advances in Plant Biology Research on Reevesia Lindley

Reevesia spp.are rare and precious trees full of characteristics.China is the geographical distribution center of Reevesia Lindley in the world,but all the plants of Reevesia Lindley are wild with very small number,which is worth developing and utilizing.This study reviews the recent advances in the study of Reevesia Lindley,including morphological characteristics and taxonomic status,plant species and geographical distribution,biology and humanistic sociological values,as well as population ecology and reproductive biology.