Comprehensive Analysis Method of Slope Stability Based on the Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Methods and Its Application

To study the safety and stability of large slopes, taking the right side slope of the Yuxi’an tunnel of the Yuchu Expressway Bridge in Yunnan Province as an example, limit equilibrium and finite element analysis were applied to engineering examples to calculate the stability coefficient of the slope before and after excavation in the natural state. After comparative analysis, it was concluded that the former had a clear mechanical model and concept, which could quickly provide stability results;the latter could accurately determine the sliding surface of the slope and simulate the stress state changes of the rock and soil mass. The stability coefficients calculated by the two methods were within the stable range, but their values were different. On this basis, combined with the calculation principles, advantages and disadvantages of the two methods, a comprehensive analysis method of slope stability based on the limit equilibrium and finite element methods was proposed, and the rationality of the stability coefficient calculated by this method was judged for a slope case.

Study on Optimization of Design Parameters for Precast Pipe Pile Treatment of Soft Soil Subgrade on the Jianghan Plain

The soft soil in the Jianghan Plain is characterized by a high water content, liquid limit, sensitivity, porosity ratio, and organic matter content and low strength and is commonly known as “five highs and one low” soft soil. Thus, the construction of expressways in this area is likely to cause subgrade settlement. The manuscript investigated the influence of the design parameters of precast pipe piles on the soft ground treatment in the Jianghan Plain based on the case of the soft soil subgrade project of the Xiaogan south section of the Wuhan city ring expressway, China. Midas GTS NX 2019 finite element software was used to analyse the settlement pattern of the subgrade under the variations in pile length, pile spacing and pile diameter. The results show that precast pipe piles are effective in reducing the settlement of soft soil subgrades with a high compressibility and water content;the soft foundation settlement decreases with increasing pile length and pile diameter and decreasing pile spacing. As the pile tip is embedded in the bearing stratum, the settlement of the soft foundation is greatly affected by the variations in pile length and pile spacing while slightly influenced by the variation in pile diameter;in combination with the curve fitting obtained from the real-time monitoring data, the analysis concludes that the soft foundation treatment plan with a pile length of 15 m, pile spacing of 1.2 m to 1.5 m and pile diameter of 0.6 m can better contain the soft soil subgrade settlement in this section.

Morphological Engineering of Sensing Materials for Flexible Pressure Sensors and Artificial Intelligence Applications

As an indispensable branch of wearable electronics,flexible pressure sensors are gaining tremendous attention due to their extensive applications in health monitoring,human-machine interaction,artificial intelligence,the internet of things,and other fields.In recent years,highly flexible and wearable pressure sensors have been developed using various materials/structures and transduction mechanisms.Morphological engineering of sensing materials at the nanometer and micrometer scales is crucial to obtaining superior sensor performance.This review focuses on the rapid development of morphological engineering technologies for flexible pressure sensors.We discuss different architectures and morphological designs of sensing materials to achieve high performance,including high sensitivity,broad working range,stable sensing,low hysteresis,high transparency,and directional or selective sensing.Additionally,the general fabrication techniques are summarized,including self-assembly,patterning,and auxiliary synthesis methods.Furthermore,we present the emerging applications of high-performing microengineered pressure sensors in healthcare,smart homes,digital sports,security monitoring,and machine learning-enabled computational sensing platform.Finally,the potential challenges and prospects for the future developments of pressure sensors are discussed comprehensively.

Effect of VFe addition on hydrogen storage behavior of TiMn_(1.5)-based alloys

The hydrogen absorption and desorption behavior of TiMn_(1.25)Cr_(0.25)alloys with VFe substitution for partial Mn was investigated at 273, 293 and 313 K. It is found thatVFe substitution increases their hydrogen storage capacity, decreases the plateau pressure and thehysteresis factor of their pressure-composition-temperature (PCT) curves. After annealing treatmentat 1223 K for 6 h, TiMn_(0.95)Cr_(0.25)(VFe)_(0.3) alloy exhibits a lower hydrogen desorptionplateau pressure (0.27 MPa at 313 K) and a smaller hysteresis factor (0.13 at 313 K); the maximumand effective hydrogen storage capacities (mass fraction) are 2.03% and 1.12% respectively, whichcan satisfy the demand of hydrogen storage tanks for proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFC).

Hydroxylated metal–organic-layer nanocages anchoring single atomic cobalt sites for robust photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction

Assembly of two-dimensional(2D)metal–organic layers(MOLs)based on the hard and soft acid–base theorem represents an exquisite strategy for the construction of photocatalytic platforms in virtue of the highly exposed active sites,much improved mass transport,and greatly elevated stability.Herein,nanocages composed of MOLs are produced for the first time through a cosolvent approach utilizing zirconium-based UiO-66-(OH)2 as the structural precursor.To endow the catalytic activity for CO_(2) conversion,single atomic Co^(2+)sites are appended to the Zr-oxo nodes of the MOL cages,demonstrating a remarkable CO yield of 7.74 mmol·g^(-1)·h^(-1) and operational stability of 97.1%product retention after five repeated cycles.Such an outstanding photocatalytic performance is mainly attributed to the unique nanocage morphology comprising enormous 2D nanosheets for augmented Co^(2+)exposure and the abundant surface hydroxyl groups for local CO_(2) enrichment.This work underlines the tailoring of both metal–organic framework(MOF)morphology and functionality to boost the turnover rate of photocatalytic CO_(2) reduction reaction(CO_(2)RR).

Gold-catalyzed ketene dual functionalization and mechanistic insights:divergent synthesis of indenes and benzo[d]oxepines

An unprecedented gold-catalyzed ketene C=O/C=C bifunctionalization method has been developed.Mechanistic studies and density function theory(DFT)calculations indicate that the reaction is initiated by gold-catalyzed Wolff rearrangement of diazoketone to form the ketene intermediate,followed by intermolecular nucleophilic addition and terminated with two divergent cyclization processes via enol intermediates.In the case with alcohols as the nucleophiles,the reaction goes through a C-5-endodig carbocyclization to give the indene products;whereas,O-7-endo-dig cyclization occurs dominantly when indoles/pyrroles are used as the nucleophiles,delivering the 7-membered benzo[d]oxepines.In comparison with the well-documented cycloaddition and nucleophilic addition reactions,this cascade reaction features a novel reaction pattern for the ketene dual functionalization through addition with nucleophile and electrophile in sequence.