Effect of NaCl Concentration on the Cumulative Strain and Pore Distribution of Clay under Cyclic Loading

Clay,as the most common soil used for foundationfill,is widely used in various infrastructure projects.The phy-sical and mechanical properties of clay are influenced by the pore solution environment.This study uses a GDS static/dynamic triaxial apparatus and nuclear magnetic resonance experiments to investigate the effects of cyclic loading on clay foundations.Moreover,the development of cumulative strain in clay is analyzed,and afitting model for cumulative plastic strain is introduced by considering factors such as NaCl solution concentration,con-solidation stress ratio,and cycle number.In particular,the effects of the NaCl solution concentration and con-solidation stress ratio on the pore distribution of the test samples before and after cyclic loading are examined,and the relationship between microscopic pore size and macroscopic cumulative strain is obtained accordingly.Our results show that as the consolidation stress ratio grows,an increasing number of large pores in the soil samples are transformed into small pores.As the NaCl solution concentration becomes higher,the number of small pores gradually decreases,while the number of large pores remains unchanged.Cyclic loading causes the disappearance of the large pores in the samples,and the average pore size before cyclic loading is posi-tively correlated with the axial cumulative strain after cyclic loading.The cumulative strain produced by the soil under cyclic loading is inversely proportional to the NaCl solution concentration and consolidation stress ratio.

The seismicity research in the sub-regions of Chinese mainland using strain accumula-ting and releasing model

The sub-regions are divided for the seismicity of the Chinese mainland based on the hypothesis of the active crustal blocks and the division of the active boundaries. On this result, the seismicity of each active crustal blocks are studied by calculating the accumulated and released strain of the earthquakes based on strain accumulating and releasing model, and the different seismicity stages of the sub-regions are discussed basically. Finally we have discussed the premise of the model application and the potential problems of the model results.

Characteristics of dynamic strain and strength of frozen silt under long-term dynamic loading

The dynamic swain and strength of frozen silt under long-term dynamic loading are studied based on creep tests. Three groups of tests are performed (Groups I, II, and III). The initial deviator stresses of Groups I and II are same and the dynamic stress ampli- tude of Group II is twice as that of Group I. The minimum value of dynamic stress in Group IlI is near zero and its dynamic stress amplitude is larger than those of Groups I and II. In tests of all three groups there are similar change trends of accttmulative sWain, but with different values. The accumulative swain curves consist of three stages, namely, the initial stage, the steady stage, and the gradual flow stage. In the tests of Groups I and II, during the initial stage with vibration times less than 50 loops the strain ampli- tude decreased with the increase of vibration times and then basically remained constant, fluctuating in a very small range. For the tests of Group III, during the initial and steady stages the sWain amplitude decreased with the increase of vibration times, and then increased rapidly in the gradual flow stage. The dynamic strength of frozen silt decreases and trends to terminal dynamic strength as the vibration times of loading increase.

Seismicity research in the subregions of Chinese mainland using strain accumulating and releasing model based on G-R relation

According to the deficiency of the strain accumulating and releasing curves and the previous models, the strain-accumulating rate of the strain accumulating and releasing model has been deduced based on the G-R relation and the empirical formula between energy release and earthquake magnitude, where the strain-accumulating rate is relative independent of the strain-releasing rate. Five typical areas in Chinese mainland are selected on the basis of the hypothesis on active tectonic block, and small earthquakes from 1970 are imported to calculate the annual strain-accumulating rates considering the completeness of historical seismic data. Having introduced the strain-accumulating rates into the amended model, present strain phases are got. According to the present stages in their own cycles, the future earthquake tendency of each sub-region is discussed.

On the Consistency of Large Earthquake Moment and Strain Rate Inferred from GPS Data in North China

The new GPS data can map crustal strain rates over large areas with a useful degree of precision. Stable strain measurement results open the door for improved estimates of earthquake occurrence. The Kostrov’s formula (1974) translates the smoothed strain rates in North China into geodetic moment rates. In North China, the ratio of seismic moment released to moment accumulated from GPS measurement is 60.6% in NS direction, 68.9% in EW direction, and 104.1% in NE shear direction. The near unit ratio points to the reliability of GPS measurements there. The combination of historical seismicity and GPS measurement offers a powerful attack on earthquake hazard.

Horizontal crustal movement before the great Wenchuan earthquake obtained from GPS observations in the regional network

The great Wenchuan earthquake of M8.0 on May 12, 2008, occurred in an area with dense GPS observation stations in the regional network of the Crustal Movement Observation Network of China （CMONOC）. Non-continuous observations were carried out at the 1 000 GPS stations of the regional network in 1999, 2001, 2004 and 2007. The horizontal displacements at GPS stations in the regional network before the Wenchuan earthquake show that the main driving tectonic force of the earthquake was the northward pushing of the Indian plate, added at the same time by the pushing of plates on the east and south. In comparison to the displacements in other regions, the horizontal displacements near and around the seismic area is characterized by diverging eastward displacements, that is, the stations to the north of the epicenter moved in the ENE direction while those to the south of epicenter moved in ESE direction with smaller displacements at stations near the epicenter. The accuracy of the estimated strain results is briefly discussed. In order to obtain the anomalous information before the earthquake, the methods of both best fits by trend surface and statistics have been used in the study for finding the future epicentral area from the strain accumulations in the regional network observed from 1999 to 2007 before the Wenchuan earthquake. Besides the epicentral area of the western Kunlun mountain pass earthquake of M8.1 in 2001, the results of best fits by trend surfaces of the strain accumulations from 1999 to 2007 in the regional network show that the Wenchuan earthquake occurred at the eastern fringe of a large area with relatively large accumulations of the first shear strains and also at the northeastern fringe of a smaller area with significant accumulated areal compressions. The statistics of the accumulations of the strain components demonstrates that they also showed anomalous distribution pattems in this area and its neighborhood with increasing accumulations of both shear strains and areal compressions.

Effect of Austenite Recrystallization on Microstructure and Properties of Q345 Steel

The Q345 plate steel austenite recrystallization behavior and strain accumulation during rolling were investigated through thermal simulation and rolling. The effect of the recrystallization behavior on the microstructure and properties of the steel was discussed and analyzed. The control principles of the pass reduction in the austenite recrystallization region and partial recrystallization region were established. It is found that to increase the thickness of intermediate billet in the finish temperature interval of 880-820℃ is favorable to grain refinement. The result has been applied to the industrial production of the 3 500 mm plate mill of Shougang Group. The average grain size of the steel plate conforms to ASTM No. 10-12, and the grade of band structure has been reduced to below 1.5.

Severe plastic deformation of commercially pure aluminum using novel equal channel angular expansion extrusion with spherical cavity

Equal channel angular expansion extrusion with spherical cavity(ECAEE-SC)was introduced as a novel severe plastic deformation(SPD)technique,which is capable of imposing large plastic strain and intrinsic back-pressure on the processed billet.The plastic deformation behaviors of commercially pure aluminum during ECAEE-SC process were investigated using finite element analysis DEFORM-3D simulation software.The material flow,the load history,the distribution of effective strain and mean stress in the billet were analyzed in comparison with conventional equal channel angular extrusion(ECAE)process.In addition,single-pass ECAEE-SC was experimentally conducted on commercially pure aluminum at room temperature for validation,and the evolution of microstructure and microhardness of as-processed material was discussed.It was shown that during the process,the material is in the ideal hydrostatic stress state and the load requirement for ECAEE-SC is much more than that for ECAE.After a single-pass ECAEE-SC,an average strain of 3.51 was accumulated in the billet with homogeneous distribution.Moreover,the microstructure was significantly refined and composed of equiaxed ultrafine grains with sub-micron size.Considerable improvement in the average microhardness of aluminum was also found,which was homogenized and increased from HV 36.61 to HV 70.20,denoting 91.75%improvement compared with that of the as-cast billet.

Prediction of Rolling Load, Recrystallization Kinetics, and Microstructure During Hot Strip Rolling

The recrystallization kinetics and grain size models were developed for the C Mn and niobium containing steels to describe the metallurgical phenomenon such as softening, grain growth, and strain accumulation. Based on the recrystallization kinetics equations, the mean flow stress and the rolling load of each pass were predicted and the optimum rolling schedule was proposed for hot strip rolling. The austenite grain refinement is associated with the addition of niobium, the decrease of starting temperature of finish rolling, and the reduction of finished thickness. The mean flow stress curve with a continuous rising characteristic can be usually observed in the finish rolling of niobium containing steel, which is formed as a result of the heavy incomplete softening and strain accumulation. The predic ted rolling loads are in good agreement with the measured ones.

Crustal deformation measurements by global positioning system(GPS)along NSL,western India

The Narmada Son Lineament(NSL)is a major palaeo-rift system and seismically active intra-plate region.In this paper,we processed and analyzed the GPS data from 2009 to 2016 to study the geodynamic characteristics of NSL.The velocities derived from GPS were used to calculate the associated deformation and crustal strain,while the slip deficit was estimated using the horizontal motion of GPS sites.The investigation reveals that the maximum deformation of western NSL is 1.6 mm per year,and the upper bound of the seismic moment(M;)is 2.0×10;dyn/cm,corresponding to an earthquake of about 6.0 magnitude.The study highlights the significance of Aravalli and Satpura mobile belts.The estimated strain of 0.03μstrain/yr is low but comparable to the stable continental region,and a close association of factors(the fragility,crustal conductors,and compressive tectonics)is considered responsible for seismogenic activities in western NSL.

Long-term dynamic behavior of monopile supported offshore wind turbines in sand

The complexity of the loads acting on the offshore wind turbines （OWl＇s） structures and the significance of investigation on structure dynamics are explained. Test results obtained from a scaled wind turbine model are also summarized. The model is supported on monopile, subjected to different types of dynamic loading using an innovative out of balance mass system to apply cyclic/dynamic loads. The test results show the natural frequency of the wind turbine structure increases with the number of cycles, but with a reduced rate of increase with the accumulation of soil strain level. The change is found to be dependent on the shear strain level in the soil next to the pile which matches with the expectations from the element tests of the soil. The test results were plotted in a non-dimensional manner in order to be scaled to predict the orototvoe conseouences usin~ element tests of a soil usin~ resonant column aoDararus.

Settlement and Stability Analysis on Soft Clay Under Cyclic Loading

The results of undrained cyclic triaxial tests on three types of clays are collected and a relationship among the accumulated strain, the initial stress state, cyclic stress in the soil, as well as the number of cycles is established based on the experimental data. With this relationship, a procedure is proposed for subsidence and stability analysis on soft clay under the action of cyclic loads.

Intermittent swelling and shrinkage of a highly expansive soil treated with polyacrylamide

This laboratory study examines the potential use of an anionic polyacrylamide(PAM)-based material as an environmentally sustainable additive for the stabilization of an expansive soil from South Australia.The experimental program consisted of consistency limits,sediment volume,compaction and oedometer cyclic swell-shrink tests,performed using distilled water and four different PAM-to-water solutions of P_(D)=0.1 g/L,0.2 g/L,0.4 g/L and 0.6 g/L as the mixing liquids.Overall,the relative swelling and shrinkage strains were found to decrease with increasing number of applied swell-shrink cycles,with an‘elastic equilibrium’condition achieved on the conclusion of four cycles.The propensity for swelling/shrinkage potential reduction(for any given cycle)was found to be in favor of increasing the PAM dosage up to P_(D)=0.2 g/L,beyond which the excess PAM molecules self-associate as aggregates,thereby functioning as a lubricant instead of a flocculant;this critical dosage was termed‘maximum flocculation dosage’(MFD).The MFD assertion was discussed and validated using the consistency limits and sediment volume properties,both exhibiting only marginal variations beyond the identified MFD of P_(D)=0.2 g/L.The accumulated axial strain progressively transitioned from‘expansive’for the unamended soil to an ideal‘neutral’state at the MFD,while higher dosages demonstrated undesirable‘contractive’states.

Constitutive Model of Saturated Soft Clay with Cyclic Loads under Unconsolidated Undrained Condition

An equivalent visco-elastic model of saturated soft clay was studied under unconsolidated undrained (UU) condition, which can be used to evaluate the stability of ocean foundation. Cyclic triaxial compression and extension tests were conducted to study the parameters of the model. Results showed that the relationships of the damping ratio and the octahedral shear modulus with the octahedral cyclic shear strain were nearly unique, when the initial octahedral shear stress ratios of specimens were equal to 0.3, 0.5 and 0.7. The relationships of the damping ratio and the octahedral shear modulus with the octahedral cyclic shear strain determined from the cyclic triaxial compression tests were basically the same as those determined from the cyclic triaxial extension tests. Furthermore, the relationships were not related to the initial stress condition, the test stress state and the octahedral cyclic shear stress ratio. The relationships determined from the cyclic triaxial tests under no deviatoric stress were basically the same as those determined from the cyclic triaxial tests under deviatoric stress. The change of the octahedral cyclic accumulative strain with the number of cycles was unique under different tests stress states. An equivalent visco-elastic constitutive model of saturated soft clay under UU condition was initially established.

Experimental study on permanent deformation characteristics of coarse-grained soil under repeated dynamic loading

Practical assessment of subgrade settlement induced by train operation requires developing suitable models capable of describing permanent deformation characteristics of subgrade filling under repeated dynamic loading.In this paper,repeated load triaxial tests were performed on coarse-grained soil(CGS),and the axial permanent strain of CGS under different confining pressures and dynamic stress amplitudes was analysed.Permanent deformation behaviors of CGS were categorized based on the variation trend of permanent strain rate with accumulated permanent strain and the shakedown theory.A prediction model of permanent deformation considering stress state and number of load cycles was established,and the ranges of parameters for different types of dynamic behaviors were also divided.The results indicated that the variational trend of permanent strain rate with accumulated permanent strain can be used as a basis for classifying dynamic behaviors of CGS.The stress state(confining pressure and dynamic stress amplitude)has significant effects on the permanent strain rate.The accumulative characteristics of permanent deformation of CGS with the number of load cycles can be described by a power function,and the model parameters can reflect the influence of confining pressure and dynamic stress amplitude.The study’s results could help deepen understanding of the permanent deformation characteristics of CGS.

Selection of microalgae for high CO_2 fixation efficiency and lipid accumulation from ten Chlorella strains using municipal wastewater

As significant differences in cellular physiology, metabolic potential and genetics occur among strains with morphological similarity, the screening of appropriate microalgae species for effective CO2 fixation and biodiesel production is extremely critical. In this study, ten strains of Chlorella were cultivated in municipal wastewater influent（MWI） and their tolerance for MWI, CO2 fixation efficiency and lipid productivity were assessed. The results showed that the biomass concentrations of four strains（Chlorella vulgaris, Chlorella64.01, Chlorella regularis var. minima and Chlorella sp.） were significantly higher than other strains. When the cultivation systems were aerated with 10% CO2, Chlorella sp. showed the highest CO2 fixation efficiency（35.51%）, while the highest lipid accumulation（58.48%） was observed with C. vulgaris. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed that the cells of both Chlorella sp. and C. vulgaris kept their normal morphologies after 15 day batch culture.These findings indicated that Chlorella sp. and C. vulgaris have fairly good tolerance for MWI,and moreover, Chlorella sp. was appropriate for CO2 fixation while C. vulgaris represented the highest potential for producing biodiesel.

Effect of Accumulative Strain on Grain Refinement and Strengthening of ZM6 Magnesium Alloy During Continuous Variable Cross-Section Direct Extrusion

In order to study the influence of die combination on continuous variable cross-section direct extrusion （CVCDE） in the extrusion process, the accumulative strain formula is derived, and it can be known that the extrusion ratio of various stages directly determines the size of corresponding stage strain by formula. In this paper, as an example of the two interim dies, three die combinations of different angles and extrusion ratio are designed. Aviation magnesium alloy ZM6 is studied, and the results show that dynamic recrystallization is even more complete when continuous shear deformation occurs, so that the refinement and homogenization of microstructure are obtained. By the use of different die combinations, the accumulative strain increases under the conditions of same total extrusion ratio. Thus, the refined crystalline strengthening effect of extrusion deformation can be further analyzed. Due to the dead-zone defects, the actual accumulative strain decreases significantly and the effect of microstructure and performance improvements also decreases with it. Therefore, the optimal design of die combination is the key to the process and product of CVCDE, which provides a scientific basis for the development of severe plastic deformation.

Dwell and Normal Cyclic Fatigue Behaviours of Ti60 Alloy

An experimental study of dwell and normal cyclic fatigue behaviours was carried out using specimens from a Ti60 forging with a bimodal microstructure. Apparent decrease in the fatigue life was found under dwell fatigue condition as compared to that under normal cyclic condition. Strain produced in each cycle in dwell fatigued specimens was observed larger than that in its normal cyclic-fatigued counterparts. Interior crack initiation was found in most dwell fatigued specimens as compared to the subsurface crack initiation under normal cyclic fatigue condition. Flat and bright facets were found at crack initiation sites in both cases. The facet density is higher in dwell condition, which is consistent with the crystal orientation and Schmid factors analysis of α grains around secondary cracks using electron back-scattered diffraction （EBSD） methods. Dwell loading favours cleavage in α grains with their basal plane normals aligned no more than 15° to the loading axis, which may account for its lower fatigue life according to the present study.

Elastoplastic behavior of frozen sand-concrete interfaces under cyclic shear loading

The resilient modulus,accumulated plastic strain,peak shear stress,and critical shear stress are the elastoplastic behaviors of frozen sand–concrete interfaces under cyclic shear loading.They reflect the bearing capacity of buildings(e.g.highspeed railways)in both seasonal frozen and permafrost regions.This study describes a series of direct shear experiments conducted on frozen sand–concrete interfaces.The results indicated that the elastoplastic behaviors of frozen sand–concrete interfaces,including the resilient modulus,accumulated plastic strain,and shear strength,are influenced by the boundary conditions(constant normal loading and constant normal height),initial normal stress,negative temperature,and cyclic-loading amplitude.The resilient modulus was significantly correlated with the initial normal stress and negative temperature,but not with the cyclic-loading amplitude and loading cycles.The accumulated plastic shear strain increased when the initial normal stress and cyclic-loading amplitude increased and the temperature decreased.Moreover,the accumulated plastic shear strain increment decreased when the loading cycles increased.The accumulated direction also varied with changes in the initial normal stress,negative temperature,and cyclic-loading amplitude.The peak shear stress of the frozen sand–concrete interface was affected by the initial normal stress,negative temperature,cyclic-loading amplitude,and boundary conditions.Nevertheless,a correlation was observed between the critical shear stress and the initial normal stress and boundary conditions.The peak shear stress was higher,and the critical shear stress was lower under the constant normal height boundary condition.Based on the results,it appears that the properties of frozen sand–concrete interfaces,including plastic deformation properties and stress strength properties,are influenced by cyclic shear stress.These results provide valuable information for the investigation of constitutive models of frozen soil–structure interfaces.