Mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of soft rock with different water contents under dynamic disturbance

Uniaxial compression tests and cyclic loading acoustic emission tests were conducted on 20%,40%,60%,80%,dry and saturated muddy sandstone by using a creep impact loading system to investigate the mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of soft rocks with different water contents under dynamic disturbance.The mechanical properties and acoustic emission characteristics of muddy sandstones at different water contents were analysed.Results of experimental studies show that water is a key factor in the mechanical properties of rocks,softening them,increasing their porosity,reducing their brittleness and increasing their plasticity.Under uniaxial compression,the macroscopic damage characteristics of the muddy sandstone change from mono-bevel shear damage and‘X’type conjugate bevel shear damage to a roadway bottom-drum type damage as the water content increases.Dynamic perturbation has a strengthening effect on the mechanical properties of samples with 60%and less water content,and a weakening effect on samples with 80%and more water content,but the weakening effect is not obvious.Macroscopic damage characteristics of dry samples remain unchanged,water samples from shear damage and tensile–shear composite damage gradually transformed into cleavage damage,until saturation transformation monoclinic shear damage.The evolution of acoustic emission energy and event number is mainly divided into four stages:loading stage(Ⅰ),dynamic loading stage(Ⅱ),yield failure stage(Ⅲ),and post-peak stage(Ⅳ),the acoustic emission characteristics of the stages were different for different water contents.The characteristic value of acoustic emission key point frequency gradually decreases,and the damage degree of the specimen increases,corresponding to low water content—high main frequency—low damage and high water content—low main frequency—high damage.

AHFO-based soil water content sensing technology considering soil-sensor thermal contact resistance

The actively heated fiber-optic(AHFO)technology has become emerged as a research focus due to its advantages of distributed,real-time measurement and good durability.These attributes have led to the gradual application of AHFO technology to the water content measurement of in situ soil.However,all existing in situ applications of AHFO technology fail to consider the effect of soilesensor contact quality on water content measurements,limiting potential for the wider application of AHFO technology.To address this issue,the authors propose a method for determining the soilesensor thermal contact resistance based on the principle of an infinite cylindrical heat source.This is then used to establish an AHFO water content measurement technology that considers the thermal contact resistance.The reliability and validity of the new measurement technology are explored through a laboratory test and a field case study,and the spatial-temporal evolution of the soil water content in the case is revealed.The results demonstrate that method for determining the soilesensor thermal contact resistance is highly effective and applicable to all types of soils.This method requires only the moisture content,dry density,and thermal response of the in situ soil to be obtained.In the field case,the measurement error of soil water content between the AHFO method,which takes into account the thermal contact resistance,and the neutron scattering method is only 0.011.The water content of in situ soil exhibits a seasonal variation,with an increase in spring and autumn and a decrease in summer and winter.Furthermore,the response of shallow soils to precipitation and evaporation is significant.These findings contribute to the enhancement of the accuracy of the AHFO technology in the measurement of the water content of in situ soils,thereby facilitating the dissemination and utilization of this technology.

A Calculation Method of Double Strength Reduction for Layered Slope Based on the Reduction of Water Content Intensity

The calculation of the factor of safety(FOS)is an important means of slope evaluation.This paper proposed an improved double strength reductionmethod(DRM)to analyze the safety of layered slopes.The physical properties of different soil layers of the slopes are different,so the single coefficient strength reduction method(SRM)is not enough to reflect the actual critical state of the slopes.Considering that the water content of the soil in the natural state is the main factor for the strength of the soil,the attenuation law of shear strength of clayey soil changing with water content is fitted.This paper also establishes the functional relationship between different reduction coefficients.Then,a USDFLD subroutine is programmed using the secondary development function of finite element software.Controlling the relationship between field variables and calculation time realizes double strength reduction applicable to the layered slope.Finally,by comparing the calculation results of different examples,it is proved that the stress and displacement distribution of the critical slope state obtained by the improved method is more realistic,and the calculated safety factor is more reliable.The newly proposedmethod considers the difference of intensity attenuation between different soil layers under natural conditions and avoids the disadvantage of the strength reduction method with uniform parameters,which provides a new idea and method for stability analysis of layered and complex slopes.

Estimation of unfrozen water content of saturated sandstones using nuclear magnetic resonance, mercury intrusion porosimetry, and ultrasonic tests

The unfrozenwater content(UWC)is a crucial parameter that affects the strength and thermal properties of rocks in relation to engineering construction and geological disasters in cold regions.In this study,three different methods were employed to test and estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones,including nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR),mercury intrusion porosimetry(MIP),and ultrasonic methods.The NMR method enabled the direct measurement of the UWC of sandstones using the free induction decay(FID).The MIP method was used to analyze the pore structures of sandstones,with the UWC subsequently calculated based on pore ice crystallization.Therefore,the MIP test constituted an indirect measurement method.Furthermore,a correlation was established between the P-wave velocity and the UWC of these sandstones based on the mixture theory,which could be employed to estimate the UWC as an empirical method.All methods demonstrated that the UWC initially exhibited a rapid decrease from 0C to5C and then generally became constant beyond20C.However,these test methods had different characteristics.The NMR method was used to directly and accurately calculate the UWC in the laboratory.However,the cost and complexity of NMR equipment have precluded its use in the field.The UWC can be effectively estimated by the MIP test,but the estimation accuracy is influenced by the ice crystallization process and the pore size distribution.The P-wave velocity has been demonstrated to be a straightforward and practical empirical parameter and was utilized to estimate the UWC based on the mixture theory.This method may be more suitable in the field.All methods confirmed the existence of a hysteresis phenomenon in the freezing-thawing process.The average hysteresis coefficient was approximately 0.538,thus validating the GibbseThomson equation.This study not only presents alternative methodologies for estimating the UWC of saturated sandstones but also contribute to our understanding of the freezing-thawing process of pore water.

Multi-omics analysis reveals the pivotal role of phytohormone homeostasis in regulating maize grain water content

Grain water content(GWC)is a key determinant for mechanical harvesting of maize(Zea mays).In our previous research,we identified a quantitative trait locus,qGWC1,associated with GWC in maize.Here,we examined near-isogenic lines(NILs)NILL and NILH that differed at the qGWC1 locus.Lower GWC in NILL was primarily attributed to reduced grain water weight(GWW)and smaller fresh grain size,rather than the accumulation of dry matter.The difference in GWC between the NILs became more pronounced approximately 35 d after pollination(DAP),arising from a faster dehydration rate in NILL.Through an integrated analysis of the transcriptome,proteome,and metabolome,coupled with an examination of hormones and their derivatives,we detected a marked decrease in JA,along with an increase in cytokinin,storage forms of IAA(IAA-Glu,IAA-ASP),and IAA precursor IPA in immature NILL kernels.During kernel development,genes associated with sucrose synthases,starch biosynthesis,and zein production in NILL,exhibited an initial up-regulation followed by a gradual down-regulation,compared to those in NILH.This discovery highlights the crucial role of phytohormone homeostasis and genes related to kernel development in balancing GWC and dry matter accumulation in maize kernels.

Effect of Size and Initial Water Content on the Effective Diffusion Coefficient during Convective Drying of Sweet Potato Cut into Cubic and Cylindrical Shapes

In this article, we investigated the influence of size and initial water content on the effective diffusion coefficient of sweet potatoes samples cut into cubic and cylindrical shapes. The sizes of the cubic samples are 0.5, 1, 1.5, 1.75, 2, 2.5 and 3 cm edge with a respective initial water content of 2.7, 3.76, 3.48, 2.68, 3.28, 2.17 and 2.29 kg/kgms. For cylindrical samples, the radius is set at 0.5 cm and sample heights are 1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 3, 3.5 and 4 cm with respective water contents of 2.2, 3.19, 2.85, 2.1, 2.17, 2.39 and 2.03 kg/kgms. The effective diffusion coefficients of cubic samples are of the order of 10−10 and 10−9 m2∙s−1 grew with sample edge. As for the cylindrical samples, the effective diffusion coefficients were of the order of 10−9 m2∙s−1 and there was no linear correlation between cylinder height and their effective diffusion coefficient. As for the examination of the initial water content on the effective diffusion coefficient, it turned out that the initial water content had no influence on the effective diffusion coefficient of the sweet potato samples.

Estimation of the unfrozen water content of saturated sandstones by ultrasonic velocity

The unfrozen water content(UWC)of rocks at low temperature is an important index for evaluating the stability of the rock engineering in cold regions and artificial freezing engineering.This study addresses a new method to estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones at low temperature by using the ultrasonic velocity.Ultrasonic velocity variations can be divided into the normal temperature stage(20 to 0℃),quick phase transition stage(0 to-5℃)and slow phase transition stage(-5 to-25℃).Most increment of ultrasonic velocity is completed in the quick phase transition stage and then turns to be almost a constant in the slow phase transition stage.In addition,the UWC is also measured by using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)technology.It is validated that the ultrasonic velocity and UWC have a similar change law against freezing and thawing temperatures.The WE(weighted equation)model is appropriate to estimate the UWC of saturated sandstones,in which the parameters have been accurately determined rather than by data fitting.In addition,a linear relationship between UWC and ultrasonic velocity is built based on pore ice crystallization theory.It is evidenced that this linear function can be adopted to estimate the UWC at any freezing temperature by using P-wave velocity,which is simple,practical,and accurate enough compared with the WE model.

Experimental and numerical investigation on failure characteristics and mechanism of coal with different water contents

Water injection, as a widely used technique to prevent coal burst, can restrain the fractured coal seam and released the energy storage. In this study, laboratory tests were frstly carried out on standard coal specimens with fve diferent water contents (i.e., 0%, 0.6%, 1.08%, 1.5%, 2.0%, and 2.3%). The failure mode, fragment size, and energy distribution characteristics of coal specimens were investigated. Experimental results show that strength, elastic strain energy, dissipated energy, brittleness index, as well as impact energy index decrease with increasing water content. Besides, the failure mode transitions gradually from splitting ejection to tensile-shear mixed failure mode as water content increases, and average fragment size shows positively related to water content. Moreover, scanning electron microscope tests results indicate that water in coal sample mainly causes the mineral softening and defects increase. Furthermore, a numerical model containing roadway excavation was established considering the water on coal burst prevention. Modelling results revealed that water injection can reduce degree of coal burst and ejection velocity of coal blocks, while it will raise up the depth of crack zone and surface displacement of roadway. Combined with laboratory tests and numerical results, the micro mechanism, energy mechanism, and engineering signifcance of water injection on coal burst prevention were fnally analyzed.

Effect of Polypropylene Fiber on the Unconfined Compressive Strength of Loess with Different Water Content

Fiber-reinforced soils have been of great interest to experimenters for building foundations’strength performance,time,and economy.This paper investigates the effects of water content and polypropylene fiber dosage and length on loess’s unconfined compressive strength(UCS)according to the central composite response surface design test procedure.The water content is 11%–25%,the mass ratio of fiber to soil is 0.1%–0.9%,and the fiber length ranges from 6–18 mm.The response surface method(RSM)developed full quadratic models of different variables with response values.After analysis of variance(ANOVA),the mathematical model developed in this study was statistically significant(p≤0.05)and applicable to the optimization process.The optimization results showed that the optimal water content values,fiber amount,and fiber length were 16.41%,0.579%,and 14.90 mm,respectively.The unconfined compressive strength of the optimized specimens was increased by 288.017 kPa.The research results can reference the design and construction of fiber-reinforced soil in practical projects such as road base engineering and foundation engineering.

Estimation of surface water content at the Tianwen-1 Zhurong landing site

China’s first Mars rover,Zhurong,successfully landed in the south of Utopia Planitia.The surface water content at the landing area can provide constraints on mineral formation conditions and help us better understand the evolution of the Martian aqueous and geological environment.In this work,the surface kinetic temperature of the Zhurong landing area was derived by analyzing data from the Mars Express Observatoire pour la Minéralogie,l’Eau,les Glaces et l’Activité(OMEGA)spectrometer.Using the Discrete Ordinate Radiative Transfer(DISORT)model,we performed atmospheric correction and thermal correction for the OMEGA data to obtain the surface effective single-particle absorption thickness(ESPAT)parameter to evaluate the surface water content.The surface water content distribution at the landing area was relatively uniform at a lateral scale of~10 km.At the Zhurong landing site,the surface water content in the topmost layer(a few hundred micrometers)of the regolith was 5−8 weight percent water(wt%H_(2)O),assuming surface particle sizes of<45μm,or 1.6−2.5 wt%H_(2)O,assuming surface particle sizes in the range of 125−250μm.The Mars Surface Composition Detector(MarSCoDe)onboard Zhurong also observed significant H_(2)O/OH signals in the landing area.Our results provide an important regional context for the hydration state of the area and can be further verified by the H content derived from the Laser-Induced Breakdown Spectrometer(LIBS)data of MarSCoDe.

Soil water content and nitrogen differentially correlate with multidimensional leaf traits of two temperate broadleaf species

The variation and correlation of leaf economics and vein traits are crucial for predicting plant ecological strategies under different environmental changes.However,correlations between these two suites of traits and abiotic factors such as soil water and nitrogen content remain ambiguous.We measured leaf economics and vein traits as well as soil water and nitrogen content for two different shade-tolerant species(Betula platyphylla and Acer mono)in four mixed broadleaved-Korean pine(Pinus koraiensis)forests along a latitudinal gradient in Northeast China.We found that leaf economics traits and vein traits were decoupled in shade-intolerant species,Betula platphylla,but significantly coupled in a shadetolerant species,A.mono.We found stronger correlations among leaf traits in the shade tolerant species than in the shade intolerant species.Furthermore,leaf economic traits were positively correlated with the soil water gradient for both species,whereas vein traits were positively correlated with soil water gradient for the shade intolerant species but negatively correlated in the shade tolerant species.Although economic traits were positively correlated with soil nitrogen gradient in shade intolerant species but not correlated in shade tolerant species,vein traits were negatively correlated with soil nitrogen gradient in shade tolerant species but not correlated in shade intolerant species.Our study provides evidence for distinct correlations between leaf economics and vein traits and local abiotic factors of species differing in light demands.We recommend that the ecological significance of shade tolerance be considered for species when evaluating ecosystem functions and predicting plant responses to environmental changes.

Combination of effective color information and machine learning for rapid prediction of soil water content

Soil water content(SWC)is one of the critical indicators in various fields such as geotechnical engineering and agriculture.To avoid the time-consuming,destructive,and laborious drawbacks of conventional SWC measurements,the image-based SWC prediction is considered based on recent advances in quantitative soil color analysis.In this study,a promising method based on the Gaussian-fitting gray histogram is proposed for extracting characteristic parameters by analyzing soil images,aiming to alleviate the interference of complex surface conditions with color information extraction.In addition,an identity matrix consisting of 32 characteristic parameters from eight color spaces is constituted to describe the multi-dimensional information of the soil images.Meanwhile,a subset of 10 parameters is identified through three variable analytical methods.Then,four machine learning models for SWC prediction based on partial least squares regression(PLSR),random forest(RF),support vector machines regression(SVMR),and Gaussian process regression(GPR),are established using 32 and 10 characteristic parameters,and their performance is compared.The results show that the characteristic parameters obtained by Gaussian-fitting can effectively reduce the interference from soil surface conditions.The RGB,CIEXYZ,and CIELCH color spaces and lightness parameters,as the inputs,are more suitable for the SWC prediction models.Furthermore,it is found that 10 parameters could also serve as optimal and generalizable predictors without considerably reducing prediction accuracy,and the GPR model has the best prediction performance(R^(2)≥0.95,RMSE≤2.01%,RPD≥4.95,and RPIQ≥6.37).The proposed image-based SWC predictive models combined with effective color information and machine learning can achieve a transient and highly precise SWC prediction,providing valuable insights for mapping soil moisture fields.

Effects of soil temperature and soil water content on soil respiration in three forest types in Changbai Mountain

Soil incubation experiments were conducted in lab to delineate the effect of soil temperature and soil water content on soil respirations in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest (mountain dark brown forest soil), dark coniferous forest (mountain brown coniferous forest soil) and erman's birch forest (mountain soddy forest soil) in Changbai Mountain in September 2001. The soil water content was adjusted to five different levels (9%, 21%, 30%, and 43%) by adding certain amount of water into the soil cylinders, and the soil sample was incubated at 0, 5, 15, 25 and 35°C for 24 h. The results indicated that in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest the soil respiration rate was positively correlated to soil temperature from 0 to 35°C. Soil respiration rate increased with increase of soil water content within the limits of 21% to 37%, while it decreased with soil water content when water content was over the range. The result suggested the interactive effects of temperature and water content on soil respiration. There were significant differences in soil respiration among the various forest types. The soil respiration rate was highest in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest, middle in erman's birch forest and the lowest in dark coniferous forest. The optimal soil temperature and soil water content for soil respiration was 35°C and 37% in broad-leaved/Korean pine forest, 25°C and 21% in dark coniferous forest, and 35°C and 37% in erman's birch forest. Because the forests of broad-leaved/Korean pine, dark coniferous and erman's birch are distributed at different altitudes, the soil temperature had 4–5°C variation in different forest types during the same period. Thus, the soil respiration rates measured in brown pine mountain soil were lower than those in dark brown forest and those measured in mountain grass forest soil were higher than those in brown pine mountain soil. Key words Soil temperature - Soil water content - Soil respiration - The typical forest ecosystem in Changbai Mountain CLC number S7118.51 Document code A Foundation item: This study was supported by grant from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 30271068), the grant of the Knowledge Innovation Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (KZ-CX-SW-01-01B-12) and the grant from Advanced Programs of Institute of Applied Ecology Chinese Academy of Sciences.Biography: WANG Miao (1964-), male, associate professor in Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Science, Shenyang 110016, P. R. China.Responsible editor: Song Funan

Water content and modulus relationship of a compacted unsaturated soil

In order to assess the performance of the embankment soil under various climate conditions during the period of service, the modulus behaviour of an unsaturated compacted soil is evaluated using the constant water content triaxial test. Since the water content measurement method is simple and economical and it is used widely in engineering, the soil suction is replaced by the water content and the relationship between the water content and the modulus is developed. The compacted samples are prepared with different compacted water contents, and samples with a similar water content subjected to drying or wetting procedures prior to the triaxial test are also investigated. The effect of the water content and the confining pressure on the modulus is analyzed. The results show that the modulus decreases with the increase in the water content and a power function can be proposed to quantitatively describe the relationship between the modulus and the water content in the range of the measured water content. The modulus increases with the increase in the confining pressure of the compacted soil. However, the effect of the water content on the modulus is more pronounced than that of the confining pressure. This research can be referenced for the compacted embankment soil assessment in-service period.

Effect of water content on corrosion inhibition behavior of self-assembled TDPA on aluminum alloy surface

Self assembled monolayers （SAMs） of 1-tetradecylphosphonic acids （TDPA, CH3（CH2）13P（O）（OH）2 ） were formed on the 2024 aluminum alloy surface in TDPA-containing ethanol-water solutions with different water content. The adsorption and corrosion protection properties of the SAMs for 2024 alloy in 0.1 mol/L H2SO4 solution were examined and characterized by potentiodynamic polarization, electrochemical impedance spectrum （EIS）, Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy （FTIR）, Auger electron spectra （AES） and atomic force microscopy （AFM）. FTIR and AES results show that the TDPA molecules were successfully adsorbed on the 2024 aluminum alloy surface, and the density of the SAMs increased with the increasing water content in the assembly solution. The results of electrochemical studies and corrosion morphologies observed by AFM show that a 4 h modification resulted in maximal inhibition efficiency, and the higher the water content in the assembly solution is, the better the inhibition performance of the SAMs can be achieved. The effect of water content in TDPA solutions on the performance of the SAMs is related to the hydration reaction of the metal surface.

Characteristics of Soil Porosity and Changes of Soil Water Content in Eucalyptus Plantation

Objective] This study almed to investigate the characteristics of soiI total porosity （STP） and various factors affecting soiI water content （SWC） in eucalyptus pIantation （EP）, thereby providing references for soiI water utiIization in eucalyptus pIanting in the red soiI hiI y region of South China. [Method] In the same cIimatic region, soiI sampIes were coI ected from surface soiI Iayer （A）, iI uvial horizon （B） and parent material horizon （C） in the upper sIope, middIe sIope and Iower sIope of eucalyptus pIantation, native forest and pine forest, respectiveIy, to determine the soiI porosity and soiI water content and analyze changes and various infIuencing factors of soiI water content in horizontal and vertical direction. [Result] Average soiI porosity in eucalyptus pIantation, native forest and pine forest was 45.9%, 41.4%and 55.3%, respectiveIy; soiI water content in these three forest stands was 13.3%, 13.4% and 15.5%, respectiveIy. In addition, soiI water content in these three forest stands exhibited no significant differences （P＆gt;0.05） among different soiI profiIes and sIope positions, but soiI water content in surface soiI Iayer varied significantIy （P＆lt;0.05） among different forest stands; in the horizontal direction, soiI water content exerted an extremeIy significant positive correIation with total coverage. [Conclusion] Total coverage of canopy Iayer, herb and Iitter Iayer is one of the most critical fac-tors affecting the changes of soiI water content in surface soiI Iayer of forest stands.

Effects of Relative Soil Water Content on Antioxidant Enzyme System in Malus sieversii(Lebed.) Roem

By pot experiment under artificially simulated water stress conditions, soluble protein content, MDA content and SOD, POD, CAT and APX activities in Malus sieversfi leaves were determined to reveal the response mechanism of M. sieversii to changes of relative soil water content. According to the results, with the decrease of relative soil water content, MDA content in M. sieversii leaves increased by mem- brane lipid peroxidation. Cells resist water stress-induced membrane lipid peroxidation and clear the increased reactive oxygen species by improving soluble protein content and SOD, POD, CAT and APX activities. However, various enzymes were involved in the response to water stress under different moisture conditions. In addition, the results indicated that M. sieversii had a good adaptability to higher relative soil water contents.

QTL Analysis for Relative Water Content in Rice

Drought tolerance is complex in rice. Under drought stress, leaf water content trait can be used as a indicator for variety evaluation. In this study, ahybrid F2 population was constructed with drought-tolerant indica rice cultivar Luhan No.1 and japonica rice cultivar Nipponbare, to analyze QTLs related with relative water content in rice. According to the results, two QTLs were detected between markers 4-27M and 4-23M and between markers 6-3M and RM276 on chromosomes 4 and 6, with the contribution rate of 4.81% -6.43% to phenotypic variation.

Measurement of Water Content in Different Organs of Phyllostachys pubescens

The height growth of bamboo in 2008 and 2009 as well as the water contents of bamboo stump,leaves,straw,and rhizome in 2009 were measured at the Tianmu Mountain Nature Reserve.The results revealed that the relationship between the height growth（Pn）and growth time（t）showed S-shaped curve in the two years;the water contents of bamboo stump,leaf,straw,rhizome and bamboo shoot were 0.50-2.31,0.46-1.8,0.50-1.38,0.56-1.58 and 0.89-8.96,respectively.Among them,the water content of bamboo shoot was the highest and noticeable changed,followed by bamboo stump,leaves,rhizome and straw in order.The water contents of the underground and aboveground parts respectively were 0.34-0.62 and 0.33-0.57.

Experimental measurements of water content in crude oil emulsions by terahertz time-domain spectroscopy

We measured the water content （0.01% 0.25% w/w） in crude oil emulsions using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy （THz-TDS）. To improve the precision and range of the measurements, we used 1 and 10 mm thick quartz cells. The experiments were performed at 20 ℃ and the THz wave was transmitted vertically to the samples and detected on the other side. The experimental results suggest linear relation for the THz absorption coefficient and the water content of the crude oil emulsions in the observed range. The linear dependence facilitates high-precision measurements of the water content of crude oil. This suggests the potential of THz-TDS in determining the water concentration in crude oil and borehole fluid identification.