A Nonlinear Explicit Model of A Non-Circular Subsea Tunnel-Liner System with An FGM Inverted Arch Under Mechanical Loading and Fire Fields

This paper proposes an explicit scheme to analyze the failure of a subsea polyhedral tunnel-liner system with an inverted arch under mechanical loading and fire fields.The thin-walled liner is made of Functionally Graded Materials(FGMs),which may improve the stability behavior of the tunnel-liner system.Hydrostatic pressure is inevitable in the liner since underground water may penetrate the cracks of the tunnel,and reach the outer surface of the liner.In addition,an elevated temperature loading is taken into account,considering that fire may occur in the tunnel-liner system.Under the combination of mechanical loading and thermal loading,the liner deforms into a single-lobe shape,which is depicted by a trigonometric function.The total potential energy is expressed quantitatively after the energy approach and thin-walled shell theory are used.The minimum potential energy is obtained when the critical buckling occurs.The critical buckling pressure is calculated,which considers the effect of the thermal field.The present analytical prediction is subsequently compared precisely with other closed-form solutions.Finally,the effects of several parameters,such as the geometric shapes,temperature variations,and volume fraction indices,are discussed to further survey the buckling performance of the nonlinear buckling of an FGM polyhedral liner with an inverted arch.One may address a polyhedral liner with fewer polyhedral sides,and a lower volume fraction index is recommended to rehabilitate cracked tunnels in engineering applications.

Failure transition of shear-to-dilation band of rock salt under triaxial stresses

Great potential of underground gas/energy storage in salt caverns seems to be a promising solution to support renewable energy.In the underground storage method,the operating cycle unfortunately may reach up to daily or even hourly,which generates complicated pressures on the salt cavern.Furthermore,the mechanical behavior of rock salt may change and present distinct failure characteristics under different stress states,which affects the performance of salt cavern during the time period of full service.To reproduce a similar loading condition on the cavern surrounding rock mass,the cyclic triaxial loading/unloading tests are performed on the rock salt to explore the mechanical transition behavior and failure characteristics under different confinement.Experimental results show that the rock salt samples pre-sent a diffused shear failure band with significant bulges at certain locations in low confining pressure conditions(e.g.5 MPa,10 MPa and 15 MPa),which is closely related to crystal misorientation and grain boundary sliding.Under the elevated confinement(e.g.20 MPa,30 MPa and 40 MPa),the dilation band dominates the failure mechanism,where the large-size halite crystals are crushed to be smaller size and new pores are developing.The failure transition mechanism revealed in the paper provides additional insight into the mechanical performance of salt caverns influenced by complicated stress states.

Buckling behavior of micro metal wire on polymer membrane under combined effect of electrical loading and mechanical loading

The buckling behavior of a typical structure consisting of a micro constantan wire and a polymer membrane under coupled electrical-mechanical loading was studied. The phenomenon that the constantan wire delaminates from the polymer membrane was observed after unloading. The interfacial toughness of the constantan wire and the polymer membrane was estimated. Moreover, several new instability modes of the constantan wire could be further triggered based on the buckle-driven delamination. After electrical loading and tensile loading, the constantan wire was likely to fracture based on buckling. After electrical loading and compressive loading, the constantan wire was easily folded at the top of the buckling region. On the occasion, the constantan wire buckled towards the inside of the polymer membrane under electrical-compressive loading. The mechanisms of these instability modes were analyzed.

Beyond p-y method:A review of artificial intelligence approaches for predicting lateral capacity of drilled shafts in clayey soils

In 2023,pivotal advancements in artificial intelligence(AI)have significantly experienced.With that in mind,traditional methodologies,notably the p-y approach,have struggled to accurately model the complex,nonlinear soil-structure interactions of laterally loaded large-diameter drilled shafts.This study undertakes a rigorous evaluation of machine learning(ML)and deep learning(DL)techniques,offering a comprehensive review of their application in addressing this geotechnical challenge.A thorough review and comparative analysis have been carried out to investigate various AI models such as artificial neural networks(ANNs),relevance vector machines(RVMs),and least squares support vector machines(LSSVMs).It was found that despite ML approaches outperforming classic methods in predicting the lateral behavior of piles,their‘black box'nature and reliance only on a data-driven approach made their results showcase statistical robustness rather than clear geotechnical insights,a fact underscored by the mathematical equations derived from these studies.Furthermore,the research identified a gap in the availability of drilled shaft datasets,limiting the extendibility of current findings to large-diameter piles.An extensive dataset,compiled from a series of lateral loading tests on free-head drilled shaft with varying properties and geometries,was introduced to bridge this gap.The paper concluded with a direction for future research,proposes the integration of physics-informed neural networks(PINNs),combining data-driven models with fundamental geotechnical principles to improve both the interpretability and predictive accuracy of AI applications in geotechnical engineering,marking a novel contribution to the field.

Dental pulp stem cells express tendon markers under mechanical loading and are a potential cell source for tissue engineering of tendon-like tissue

Postnatal mesenchymal stem cells have the capacity to differentiate into multiple cell lineages. This study explored the possibility of dental pulp stem cells （DPSCs） for potential application in tendon tissue engineering. The expression of tendon- related markers such as scleraxis, tenascin-C, tenomodulin, eye absent homologue 2, collagens I and VI was detected in dental pulp tissue. Interestingly, under mechanical stimulation, these tendon-related markers were significantly enhanced when DPSCs were seeded in aligned polyglycolic acid （PGA） fibre scaffolds. Furthermore, mature tendon-like tissue was formed after transplantation of DPSC-PGA constructs under mechanical loading conditions in a mouse model. This study demonstrates that DPSCs could be a ootential stem cell source for tissue enEineerin~ of tendon-like tissue.

Expression analysis of a-smooth muscle actin and tenascin-C in the periodontal ligament under orthodontic loading or in vitro culture

α-smooth muscle actin （α-SMA） and tenascin-C are stress-induced phenotypic features of myofibroblasts. The expression levels of these two proteins closely correlate with the extracellular mechanical microenvironment. We investigated how the expression of α-SMA and tenascin-C was altered in the periodontal ligament （PDL） under orthodontic loading to indirectly reveal the intrinsic mechanical microenvironment in the PDL. In this study, we demonstrated the synergistic effects of transforming growth factor-β1 （TGF-β1） and mechanical tensile or compressive stress on myofibroblast differentiation from human periodontal ligament cells （hPDLCs）. The hPDLCs under higher tensile or compressive stress significantly increased their levels of α-SMA and tenascin-C compared with those under lower tensile or compressive stress. A similar trend was observed in the tension and compression areas of the PDL under continuous light or heavy orthodontic load in rats. During the time-course analysis of expression, we observed that an increase in α-SMA levels was matched by an increase in tenascin-C levels in the PDL under orthodontic load in vivo. The time-dependent variation of α-SMA and tenascin-C expression in the PDL may indicate the time-dependent variation of intrinsic stress under constant extrinsic loading.

Electric potential and energy band in ZnO nanofiber tuned by local mechanical loading

Recent success in strain engineering has triggered tremendous interest in its study and potential applications in nanodevice design. In this paper, we establish a coupled piezoelectric/semiconducting model for a wurtzite structure ZnO nanofiber under the local mechanical loading. The energy band structure tuned by the local mechanical loading and local length is calculated via an eight-band k·p method, which includes the coupling of valance and conduction bands. Poisson's effect on the distribution of electric potential inversely depends on the local mechanical loading. Numerical results reveal that both the applied local mechanical loading and the local length exhibit obvious tuning effects on the electric potential and energy band. The band gap at band edges varies linearly with the applied loading. Changing the local length shifts the energy band which is far away from the band edges. This study will be useful in the electronic and optical enhancement of semiconductor devices.

Uplift behavior and load transfer mechanism of prestressed high-strength concrete piles

Prestressed high-strength-concrete (PHC) tube-shaped pile is one of the recently used foundations for soft soil. The research on uplift resistance of PHC pile is helpful to the design of pile foundations. A field-scale test program was conducted to study the uplift behavior and load transfer mechanism of PHC piles in soft soil. The pullout load tests were divided into two groups with different diameters, and there were three piles in each group. A detailed discussion of the axial load transfer and pile skin resistance distribution was also included. It is found from the tests that the uplift capacity increases with increasing the diameter of pile. When the diameter of piles increases from 500 to 600 mm, the uplift load is increased by 51.2%. According to the load-displacement (Q-S) curves, all the piles do not reach the ultimate state at the maximum load. The experimental results show that the piles still have uplift bearing capacity.

Experimental Measurements of the Sensitivity of Fiber-optic Bragg Grating Sensors with a Soft Polymeric Coating under Mechanical Loading,Thermal and Magnetic under Cryogenic Conditions

The strain and temperature sensing performance of fiber-optic Bragg gratings （FBGs） with soft polymeric coating, which can be used to sense internal strain in superconducting coils, are evaluated under variable cryogenic field and magnetic field. The response to a temperature and strain change of coated-soft polymeric FBGs is tested by comparing with those of coated-metal FBGs. The results indicate that the coated-soft polymeric FBGs can freely detect temperature and thermal strain, their At variable magnetic field, the tested results indicate accuracy and repeatability are also discussed in detail. that the cross-coupling effects of FBGs with different matrixes are not negligible to measure electromagnetic strain during fast excitation. The present results are expected to be able to provide basis measurements on the strain of pulsed superconducting magnet/cable （cable- around-conduit conductors, cable-in-conduit conductors）, independently or utilized together with other strain measurement methods.

Effect of applied load on transition behavior of wear mechanism in Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy under oil lubrication

Tribological behavior of Cu-15Ni-8Sn(mass fraction, %) alloy against GCr15 ring under various loads was investigated on a ring-on-block tester in oil lubrication. The results showed that the wear rate increased slowly from 1.7×10^(-7) to 9.8× 10^(-7) mm^3/mm under the load lower than 300 N, and then increased dramatically to the climax of 216×10^(-7) mm^3/mm under the load over 300 N, which indicated the transition of wear mechanism with the increase of applied load. The wear mechanism mainly was plastic deformation and abrasive wear under the load less than 300 N. As the applied load was more than 300 N, the wear mechanism of Cu-15Ni-8Sn alloy primarily was delamination wear. Besides, the transition can also be confirmed from the different morphologies of worn surface, subsurface and wear debris. It is distinctly indicated that the appearance of flaky debris at the applied load over 300 N may be a critical point for the change of wear mechanism.

Wireless Network Security Using Load Balanced Mobile Sink Technique

Real-time applications based on Wireless Sensor Network(WSN)tech-nologies are quickly increasing due to intelligent surroundings.Among the most significant resources in the WSN are battery power and security.Clustering stra-tegies improve the power factor and secure the WSN environment.It takes more electricity to forward data in a WSN.Though numerous clustering methods have been developed to provide energy consumption,there is indeed a risk of unequal load balancing,resulting in a decrease in the network’s lifetime due to network inequalities and less security.These possibilities arise due to the cluster head’s limited life span.These cluster heads(CH)are in charge of all activities and con-trol intra-cluster and inter-cluster interactions.The proposed method uses Lifetime centric load balancing mechanisms(LCLBM)and Cluster-based energy optimiza-tion using a mobile sink algorithm(CEOMS).LCLBM emphasizes the selection of CH,system architectures,and optimal distribution of CH.In addition,the LCLBM was added with an assistant cluster head(ACH)for load balancing.Power consumption,communications latency,the frequency of failing nodes,high security,and one-way delay are essential variables to consider while evaluating LCLBM.CEOMS will choose a cluster leader based on the influence of the fol-lowing parameters on the energy balance of WSNs.According to simulatedfind-ings,the suggested LCLBM-CEOMS method increases cluster head selection self-adaptability,improves the network’s lifetime,decreases data latency,and bal-ances network capacity.

Displacement and deformation analysis for uplift piles

On the assumptions that the shear resistance increases linearly with increasing shear displacement between the uplift pile and surrounding soil, that the axis force is distributed as parabola along the pile length, that elastic distortion occurs when the pile is loaded, that the displacement of pile is in accord with that of the soil, and that the uplift pile failure is regarded as the soil failure, a rational calculation method was proposed for calculating the deformation, ultimate displacement and shear resistance of piles. The distributions of frictional resistance and the shear displacement along the pile length were obtained with the method. The comparisons were made between the measurement results and the present results. The present theoretical results agree well with the measurement results, with the average difference being less than 12% before failure. The comparisons show that the proposed method is reasonable for uplift design and engineering construction of piles.

Evaluation of the weakening behavior of gas on the coal strength and its quantitative influence on the coal deformation

The coal strength and deformation properties are key factors affecting safe coal mining and highefficiency coalbed methane(CBM)development.In this paper,reconstituted coal samples are chosen to investigate the weakening behavior of gas on coal strength,meanwhile,its effects on coal deformation are quantitatively evaluated.The results indicate that the weakening degree of gas on coal strength is closely related to the confining stress and gas pressure.Compared with non-gas-saturated coals,the maximum weakening ratios of adsorbed gas to coal strength are 10.58%,18.12%,8.55%and 14.65%under the conditions of confining stress CS=3 MPa and gas pressure GP=1 MPa,CS=3 MPa and GP=2 MPa,CS=4 MPa and GP=1 MPa,and CS=4 MPa and GP=2 MPa,respectively.Furthermore,the maximum weakening ratios of free gas to coal strength are 18.27%,36.54%,14.79%and 29.58%,respectively,under above four conditions.The maximum coal bulk strain decreases as particle sizes of coal powders increase,and it has a maximum value of 0.0227 and a minimum value of 0.0191 in particle size ranges of 0.01–0.041 and 0.5–1 mm.Under the same conditions,the coal bulk strain increases with increasing gas pressure,revealing that coal deformation properties can be enhanced by gas.

Peripheral nerve lengthening as a regenerative strategy

Peripheral nerve injury impairs motor, sensory, and autonomic function, incurring substantial financial costs and diminished quality of life. For large nerve gaps, proximal lesions, or chronic nerve injury, the prognosis for recovery is particularly poor, even with autografts, the current gold standard for treating small to moderate nerve gaps. In vivo elongation of intact proximal stumps towards the injured distal stumps of severed peripheral nerves may offer a promising new strategy to treat nerve injury. This review describes several nerve lengthening strategies, including a novel internal fixator device that enables rapid and distal reconnection of proximal and distal nerve stumps.

Mechanotransduction of stem cells for tendon repair

Tendon is a mechanosensitive tissue that transmits force from muscle to bone.Physiological loading contributes to maintaining the homeostasis and adaptation of tendon,but aberrant loading may lead to injury or failed repair.It is shown that stem cells respond to mechanical loading and play an essential role in both acute and chronic injuries,as well as in tendon repair.In the process of mechanotransduction,mechanical loading is detected by mechanosensors that regulate cell differentiation and proliferation via several signaling pathways.In order to better understand the stem-cell response to mechanical stimulation and the potential mechanism of the tendon repair process,in this review,we summarize the source and role of endogenous and exogenous stem cells active in tendon repair,describe the mechanical response of stem cells,and finally,highlight the mechanotransduction process and underlying signaling pathways.

A multiscale 3D finite element analysis of fluid/solute transport in mechanically loaded bone

The transport of fluid, nutrients, and signaling molecules in the bone lacunar-canalicular system （LCS） is critical for osteocyte survival and function. We have applied the fluorescence recovery after photobleaching （FRAP） approach to quantify load-induced fluid and solute transport in the LCS in situ, but the measurements were limited to cortical regions 30-50 μm underneath the periosteum due to the constrains of laser penetration. With this work, we aimed to expand our understanding of load-induced fluid and solute transport in both trabecular and cortical bone using a multiscaled image-based finite element analysis （FEA） approach. An intact murine tibia was first re-constructed from microCT images into a three-dimensional （3D） linear elastic FEA model, and the matrix deformations at various locations were calculated under axial loading. A segment of the above 3D model was then imported to the biphasic poroelasticity analysis platform （FEBio） to predict load-induced fluid pressure fields, and interstitial solute/fluid flows through LCS in both cortical and trabecular regions. Further, secondary flow effects such as the shear stress and/or drag force acting on osteocytes, the presumed mechano-sensors in bone, were derived using the previously developed ultrastructural model of Brinkman flow in the canaliculi. The material properties assumed in the FEA models were validated against previously obtained strain and FRAP transport data measured on the cortical cortex. Our results demonstrated the feasibility of this computational approach in estimating the fluid flux in the LCS and the cellular stimulation forces （shear and drag forces） for osteocytes in any cortical and trabecular bone locations, allowing further studies of how the activation of osteocytes correlates with in vivo functional bone formation. The study provides a promising platform to reveal potential cellular mechanisms underlying the anabolic power of exercises and physical activities in treating patients with skeletal deficiencies.

Dynamic Fluid Flow Mechanical Stimulation Modulates Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells

Osteoblasts are derived from mesenchymal stem cells （MSCs）, which initiate and regulate bone formation. New strategies for osteoporosis treatments have aimed to control the fate of MSCs. While functional disuse decreases MSC growth and osteogenic potentials, mechanical signals enhance MSC quantity and bias their differentiation toward osteoblastogenesis. Through a non-invasive dynamic hydraulic stimulation （DHS）, we have found that DHS can mitigate trabecular bone loss in a functional disuse model via rat hindlimb suspension （HLS）. To further elucidate the downstream cellular effect of DHS and its potential mechanism underlying the bone quality enhancement, a longitudinal in vivo study was designed to evaluate the MSC populations in response to DHS over 3, 7, 14, and 21 days. Five-month old female Sprague Dawley rats were divided into three groups for each time point： age-matched control, HLS, and HLS＋DHS. DHS was delivered to the right mid-tibiae with a daily ＂10 min on-5 min off-10 min on＂ loading regime for five days/week. At each sacrifice time point, bone marrow MSCs of the stimulated and control tibiae were isolated through specific cell surface markers and quantified by flow cytometry analysis. A strong time-dependent manner of bone marrow MSC induction was observed in response to DHS, which peaked on day 14. After 21 days, this effect of DHS was diminished. This study indicates that the MSC pool is positively influenced by the mechanical signals driven by DHS. Coinciding with our previous findings of mitigation of disuse bone loss, DHS induced changes in MSC number may bias the differentiation of the MSC population towards osteoblastogenesis, thereby promoting bone formation under disuse conditions. This study provides insights into the mechanism of time-sensitive MSC induction in response to mechanical loading, and for the optimal design of osteovorosis treatments.

Mechanical Stimulus Inhibits the Growth of a Bone Tissue Model Cultured In Vitro

Objectives To construct the cancellous bone explant model and a method of culturing these bone tissues in vitro, and to investigate the effect of mechanical load on growth of cancellous bone tissue in vtro. Methods Cancellous bone were extracted from rabbit femoral head and cut into I-ram-thick and 8-ram-diameter slices under sterile conditions. HE staining and scanning electron microscopy were employed to identify the histomorphology of the model after being cultured with a new dynamic load and circulating perfusion bioreactor system for 0, 3, 5, and 7 days, respectively. We built a three-dimensional model using microCT and analyzed the loading effects using finite element analysis. The model was subjected to mechanical load of 1000, 2000, 3000, and 4000 με respectively for 30 minutes per day. After 5 days of continuous stimuli, the activities of alkaline phosphatase （AKP） and tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase （TRAP） were detected. Apoptosis was analyzed by DNA ladder detection and caspase-3/8/9 activity detection. Results After being cultured for 3, 5, and 7 days, the bone explant model grew well. HE staining showed the apparent nucleus in cells at the each indicated time, and electron microscope revealed the living cells in the bone tissue. The activities of AKP and TRAP in the bone explant model under mechanical load of 3000 and 4000 με were significantly lower than those in the unstressed bone tissues （all P〈0.05）. DNA ladders were seen in the bone tissue under 3000 and 4000με mechanical load. Moreover, there was significant enhancement in the activities of caspase-3/8/9 in the mechanical stress group of 3000 and 4000 με （all P〈0.05）. Conclusions The cancellous bone explant model extracted from the rabbit femoral head could be alive at least for 7 days in the dynamic load and circulating perfusion bioreactor system, however, pathological mechanical load could affect the bone tissue growth by apoptosis in vitro. The differentiation of osteobiasts and osteoclasts might be inhibited after the model is stimulated by mechanical load of 3000 and 4000 με.

Analysis profile of the fully grouted rock bolt in jointed rock using analytical and numerical methods

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of bolt profile on load transfer mechanism of fully grouted bolts in jointed rocks using analytical and numerical methods. Based on the analytical method with development of methods, a new model is presented. To validate the analytical model, five different profiles modeled by ANSYS software. The profile of rock bolts T3 and T4with load transfer capacity,respectively 180 and 195 kN in the jointed rocks was selected as the optimum profiles. Finally, the selected profiles were examined in Tabas Coal Mine. FLAC analysis indicates that patterns 6+7 with2 NO flexi bolt 4 m better than other patterns within the faulted zone.

Bearing Behaviors of Stiffened Deep Cement Mixed Pile

A series of investigations were conducted to study the bearing capacity and load transfer mechanism of stiffened deep cement mixed （SDCM） pile. Laboratory tests including six specimens were conducted to investigate the frictional resistance between the concrete core and the cementsoil. Two model piles and twenty-four full-scale piles were tested to examine the bearing behavior of single pile. Laboratory and model tests results indicate that the cohesive strength is large enough to ensure the interaction between core pile and the outer cement-soil. The full-scale test results show that the SDCM piles exhibit similar bearing behavior to bored and cast-in-place concrete piles. In general, with the rational composite structure the SDCM piles can transmit the applied load effectively, and due to the addition of the stiffer core, the SDCM piles possess high bearing capacity. Based on the findings of these experimental investigations and theoretical analysi , a practical design method is developed to predict the vertical bearing capacity of SDCM pile.