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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Biodrying of municipal solid waste with high water content by combined hydrolytic-aerobic technology

The high water content of municipal solid waste(MSW)will reduce the effciency of mechanical sorting,consequently unfavorable for beneficial utilization.In this study,a combined hydrolytic-aerobic biodrying technology was introduced to remove water from MSW.The total water removals were proved to depend on the ventilation frequency and the temporal span in the hydrolytic stage. The ventilation frequency of 6 times/d was preferable in the hydrolytic stage.The hydrolytic span should not be prolonged more than ...

Effects of Material Composition and Water Content on the Mechanical Properties of Landslide Deposits Triggered by the Wenchuan Earthquake

Abundant landslide deposits were triggered by the Wenchuan earthquake, providing a rich source of material for subsequent debris flows or slope failures under rainfall conditions. A good understanding of the physical and mechanical properties of the landslide deposits is very important to the research on slope failure mechanisms and the initiation of debris flow. Laboratory biaxial compression tests are used to study the material compositions and water content impacts on the mechanical properties of landslide deposits, and a discrete element method （a bond-contact model） is used to study the particle stiffness, bond force, friction coefficient and confining stress impact on the mechanical behaviors and the relationships between the numerical and experimental parameters. The experimental results show that the failure stress of landslide deposits is decreased with increasing content of fine particles and also with increased water content, especially at the initial increasing stage. Cohesion of the saturated landslide deposits is increased, but the friction angle is decreased with the increase in the fine particle content. Shear strength parameters （the cohesion and friction angle） are decreased with the increasing water content at the initial increasing stage, and then, they slowly decrease. There is a critical value of the water content at 5%-7% （in weight） for the failure stress and shear strength parameters of the landslide deposits. Quadratic equations are presented to describe the relation between the bond force and cohesion, and the numerical friction coefficient and the experimental friction angle.

Effects of Soil Water Content on Cotton Root Growth and Distribution Under Mulched Drip Irrigation

The relation between soil water content and the growth of cotton root was studied for the scheme of field water and cotton yield under mulched drip irrigation. Based on the field experiments, three treatments of soil water content were conducted with 90%, 75%θf, and 60%θf （θfis field water capacity）. Cotton roots and root-shoot ratio were studied with digging method, and the soil moisture was observed with TDR （time domain reflector）, and cotton yield was measured. The results indicated that the growth of cotton root accorded with Logistic growth curve in the three treatments, the cotton root grew quickly and its weight was very high under 75%θf because of the suitable soil water condition, while grew slowly and its weight was lower under 90%θf due to water moisture beyond the suitable condition, and the root weight was in between under 60%θf For the three water treatments, the cotton root weight decreased with soil depth, and decreased more significantly in deeper soil layer with the soil moisture increasing. And the ratio of cotton root weight in 0-30 cm soil layer to the total root weight was the highest under 75%θf. The cotton root system was distributed mainly in the soil of narrow row and wide row mulched with plastic film, and little in the soil outside plastic film. The weight of cotton root was the highest in the soil of narrow row or wide row mulched with plastic film under 75%θf. Root-shoot ratio decreased with the soil moisture increasing. The soil water content affected cotton yields, and cotton yield was the highest under 75%θf. The higher soil moisture level is unfavorable to the growth of cotton root system and yield of cotton under mulched drip irrigation.

Relationship Between Canopy Temperature at Flowering Stage and Soil Water Content,Yield Components in Rice

The canopy temperature of rice at the flowering stage and the soil water content were investigated under different soil water treatments （the soil water contents were 24%, 55%, 90% and 175% at the flowering stage）. The canopy temperature was lower than air temperature, and the soil water content significantly influenced the canopy temperature. The lower the soil water content, the higher the canopy temperature, the less the accumulative absolute value of canopy-air temperature difference. Moreover, the maximum difference between treatments and CK in the accumulative absolute value of canopy-air temperature difference appeared at 13：00 μm. in a day, thus, it could be considered as a suitable measuring time. Under the lowest water content treatment, the peak flowering occurred in the first three days （about 70% of panicles flowered）, resulting in shortened and lightened panicle of rice. As to the CK and the high water content treatments, the peak flowering appeared in the middle of flowering duration, with longer panicle length and higher panicle weight. Results indicated the lower the soil water content, the less the filled grain number and grain yield.

Spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around individual Tamarix ramosissima in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River, Northwest China

Ecological restoration by Taman＇x plants on semi-arid saline lands affects the accumulation, distribution patterns and related mechanisms of soil water content and salinity. In this study, spatio-temporal variations of soil water content and salinity around natural individual Tamarix ramosissiraa Ledeb. were invetigated in a semi-arid saline region of the upper Yellow River, Northwest China. Specifically, soil water content, electrical conductivity （EC）, sodium adsorption ratio （SARa）, and salt ions （including Na＋, K＋, Ca2＋, Mg2＋ and 8042-） were measured at different soil depths and at different distances from the trunk of T. ramasissima in May, July, and September 2016. The soil water content at the 20-80 cm depth was significantly lower in July and September than in May, indicating that T. ramosissima plants absorb a large amount of water through the roots during the growing period, leading to the decreasing of soil water content in the deep soil layer. At the 0-20 cm depth, there was a salt island effect around individual T. ramosissima, and the ECe differed significantly inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in May and July. Salt bioaccumulation and stemflow were two major contributing factors to this difference. The SAR at the 0-20 cm depth was significantly different inside and outside the canopy of T. ramosissima in the three sampling months. The values of SAR~ at the 60-80 cm depth in May and July were significantly higher than those at the 0-60 cm depth and higher than that at the corresponding depth in September. The distribution of Na＋ in the soil was similar to that of the SAI, while the concentrations of K＋, Ca2＋, and Mg2＋ showed significant differences among the sampling months and soil depths. Both season and soil depth had highly significant effects on soil water content, ECe and SARa, whereas distance from the trunk of T. ramosissima only significantly affected ECe. Based on these results, we recommend co-planting of shallow-rooted salt-tolerant species near the Tamarx plants and avoiding planting herbaceous plants inside the canopy of T. ramodssima for afforestation in this semi-arid saline region. The results of this study may provide a reference for appropriate restoration in the semi-arid saline regions of the upper Yellow River.

Assessment of Soil Water Content in Field with Antecedent Precipitation Index and Groundwater Depth in the Yangtze River Estuary

To better understand soil moisture dynamics in the Yangtze River Estuary （YRE） and predict its variation in a simple way, a field monitoring experiment was carried out along the north branch of the Yangtze River, where seawater intrusion was strong and salt-water variation is one of the limiting factors of local agriculture. In present paper, relation between antecedent precipitation index （API） and soil water content is studied, and effects of groundwater depth on soil water content was analyzed. A relatively accurate prediction result of soil water content was reached using a neural network model. The impact analysis result showed that the variation of the API was consistent with soil water content and it displayed significant correlations with soil water content in both 20 and 50 cm soil layer, and higher correlation was observed in the layer of 20 cm. Groundwater impact analysis suggested that soil moisture was affected by the depth of groundwater, and was affected more greatly by groundwater at depth of 50 cm than that at 20 cm layer. By introducing API, groundwater depth and temperature together, a BP artificial network model was established to predict soil water content and an acceptable agreement was achieved. The model can be used for supplementing monitoring data of soil water content and predicting soil water content in shallow groundwater areas, and can provide favorable support for the research of water and salt transport in estuary area.

COMPARATIVE STUDY ON DROUGHT RESISTANCE OF LARIX OLGENSIS HENRY AND PINUS SYLVESTRIS VAR.MONGOLICA(Ⅰ)──THE INFLUENCE OF SOIL WATER CONTENT ON SEEDLINGS PLANTING IN FLOWERPOT

Water potential (φ w .) and net photosynthetic rate (Pn) of Larix olgensis and Pinns.sylvestris var. mongolica deercased with the deerease of soil water content φw and Pn of L.olgensis changed hardly during the first 9 davs after stopping watering, then deereased sharply at the 10th dav Pn of P sylvestris var mongolica deereased slightly during the lirst 8 days, then deereased sharply at the 9th day Their respiration rate, chlorophyll content and their a/b ratio changed hardly. The tollowing 3 conclusions were obtained and discussed exhaustively . (Ⅰ) φ w can be used to direct watering as a sensitive index of judging whether L. olgensis and P.sylvestris var. mongolica lacking water (2 )The deereasc of Pn of L. olgensis and P. sylvestris var. mongolica when drought had nothing to do with chlorophyll. (3) P. sylvestris var. mongolica had morphological drought resistance . while L,olgensis had physiological drought resistance, and their drought resistance was discnssed comparatively first time.

Effect of Nitrogen on Water Content, Sap Flow, and Tolerance of Rice Plants to Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens

Water content (WC) and sap flow from leaf sheath of rice plants with varying nitrogen levels at different growth stages, and fluctuations in relative water content (RWC) of rice plants being damaged by brown planthoppcr (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens were determined in the laboratory, and the tolerance of rice plants to BPH at different nitrogen regimes was evaluated in the greenhouse at International Rice Research Institute (IRRI), the Philippines. The results indicated that both WC and RWC were increased significantly, as the amount of sap flow from rice plants was reduced statistically, with the increase of nitrogen content in rice plants. RWC in rice plants applied with high nitrogen fertilizer decreased drastically by the injury of BPH nymphs, while the reduced survival duration of rice plants with the increase of nitrogen content was recorded. These may be considered to be one of the important factors in increasing the susceptibility to BPH damage on rice plants applied with nitrogen fertilizer.

High Water Content Material Based on Ba-Bearing Sulphoaluminate Cement

A new type of high water content material which is made up of two pastes is prepared, one is refute from lime and gypsum, and another is based on Ba-bearing sulphoaluminate cement. It has excellent properties such as slow single paste solidifing ,fust double pustes solidifing ,fast coagulating and hardening, high early strength, good suspeasion property at high W/C ratio and low cost. Meanwhile, the properties and hydration mechanism of the material were analyzed by using XRD, DTA- TG and SEM. The hydrated products of new type of high water content material are Ba-bearing ettringite, BaSO4 , aluminum gel and C-S-H gel.

Rapid determination of leaf water content for monitoring waterlogging in winter wheat based on hyperspectral parameters

Waterlogging is becoming an obvious constraint on food production due to the frequent occurrence of extremely high-level rainfall events.Leaf water content(LWC)is an important waterlogging indicator,and hyperspectral remote sensing provides a non-destructive,real-time and reliable method to determine LWC.Thus,based on a pot experiment,winter wheat was subjected to different gradients of waterlogging stress at the jointing stage.Leaf hyperspectral data and LWC were collected every 7 days after waterlogging treatment until the winter wheat was mature.Combined with methods such as vegetation index construction,correlation analysis,regression analysis,BP neural network(BPNN),etc.,we found that the effect of waterlogging stress on LWC had the characteristics of hysteresis and all waterlogging stress led to the decrease of LWC.LWC decreased faster under severe stress than under slight stress,but the effect of long-term slight stress was greater than that of short-term severe stress.The sensitive spectral bands of LWC were located in the visible(VIS,400–780 nm)and short-wave infrared(SWIR,1400–2500 nm)regions.The BPNN Model with the original spectrum at 648 nm,the first derivative spectrum at 500 nm,the red edge position(λr),the new vegetation index RVI(437,466),NDVI(437,466)and NDVI´(747,1956)as independent variables was the best model for inverting the LWC of waterlogging in winter wheat(modeling set:R^(2)=0.889,RMSE=0.138;validation set:R^(2)=0.891,RMSE=0.518).These results have important theoretical significance and practical application value for the precise control of waterlogging stress.

Response of forestland soil water content to heavy rainfall on Beijing Mountain, northern China

Continuous recording of precipitation and soil water content（SWC）, especially during long periods of torrential rainfall, has proven challenging. Over a 16 h period spanning 21-22 July, 2012, Beijing experienced historic rainfall that totaled 164.4 mm. We used large lysimeter technology in four forested plots to record precipitation and variation in SWC at 10-min intervals to quantify the response of forestland SWC to heavy rainfall in a semi-arid area. Mean,maximum and minimum rainfall intensities were 23.4, 46.8and 12.0 mm/h, respectively. Rainfall was concentrated in 2-6 mm bursts that accounted for 67.32 % of the total rainfall event. Soil moisture conditions in this region are strongly dependent on patterns of precipitation. Water infiltration into 20, 40, 60, 80, 100, 120 and 160 cm soil layers required 1, 5,20, 37, 46, 52 and 61 mm of precipitation, respectively, and to fully saturate these soil layers required 80, 120, 140, 150, 180,200 and 220 mm of precipitation, respectively.