Porosity of crushed rock layer and its impact on thermal regime of Qinghai-Tibet Railway embankment

It has been proven that crushed rock layers used in roadbed construction in permafrost regions have a cooling effect. The main reason is the existence of large porosity of the rock layers. However, due to the strong winds, cold and high radiation conditions on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau(QTP), both wind-blown sand and/or weathered rock debris blockage might reduce the porosity of the rock layers, resulting in weakening the cooling effect of the crushed rock layer(CRL) in the crushed rock embankment(CRE) of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway(QTR) in the permafrost regions. Such a process might warm the underlying permafrost, and further lead to potential threat to the QTR's integrity and stability. The different porosities corresponding to the different equivalent rock diameters were measured in the laboratory using water saturation method, and an empirical exponential equation between porosity and equivalent rock diameter was proposed based on the measured experimental data and an important finding is observed in our and other experiments that the larger size crushed rock tends to lead to the larger porosity when arbitrarily packing. Numerical tests were carried out to study impacts of porosity on permafrost degradation and differential thaw depths between the sunny and shady shoulders. The results show that the decrease in porosity due to wind-blown sand or weathered rock debris clogging can worsen the permafrost degradation and lead to the asymmetric thermal regime. In the traditional embankment(without the CRL within it), the largest differential thaw depth can reach up to 3.1 m. The optimized porosity appears in a range from 34% to 42% corresponding to equivalent rock diameter from 10 to 20.5 cm. The CRE with the optimized porosities can make underlying permafrost stable and 0 ℃ isotherms symmetric in the coming 50 years, even under the condition that the climate warming can lead to permafrost degradation under the CRE and the traditional embankment. Some practical implications were proposed to benefit the future design, construction and maintenance of CRE in permafrost regions.

A system for automated monitoring of embankment deformation along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway in permafrost regions

At present, the monitoring of embankment deformation in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is mainly done manually. However, the harsh climate on the plateau affects the results greatly by lowering the observation frequency, so the manual monitoring can barely meet the observational demand. This research develops a system of automated monitoring of embankment deformation, and aims to address the problems caused by the plateau climate and the perma- frost conditions in the region. The equipment consists of a monitoring module, a data collection module, a transmission module, and a data processing module. The field experiments during this program indicate that （1） the combined auto- mated monitoring device overcame the problems associated with the complicated and tough plateau environment by means of wireless transmission and automatic analysis of the embankment settlement data; （2） the calibration of the combined settlement gauge at -20 ℃ was highly accurate, with an error rate always 〈0.5%; （3） the gauge calibration at high-temperature conditions was also highly accurate, with an error rate 〈0.5% even though the surface of the instrument reached more than 50 ℃; and （4） compared with the data manually taken, the data automatically acquired during field monitoring experiments demonstrated that the combined settlement gauge and the automated monitoring system could meet the requirements of the monitoring mission in permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Analysis of the Cooling Mechanism of a Crushed Rock Embankment in Warm and Lower Temperature Permafrost Regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Based on data monitored in situ and theoretical analysis,the characteristics of the temperature field and mechanism of thermal conduction of a crushed rock embankment were studied along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.The results of experi-ments in the field revealed that the cooling effect of a crushed rock embankment is influenced mainly by the natural con-vection in winter and shield effect in summer,the ventilation of crushed rocks,and the ground temperature regime be-neath the embankment.Consequently,these three factors should be taken into account in numerical simulations,but it is as a result of natural convection only.

Impact of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on Population Genetic Structure of the Toad-Headed Lizard,Phrynocephalus vlangalii

Using data from nine microsatellite DNA loci and a population genetic approach,we evaluate the barrier effect of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway on toad-headed lizard,Phrynocephalus vlangalii. The study area is along a 20 km stretch of the railway on northern Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,and this section of the railway was constructed between 1958–1979. Both assignment tests and analysis of molecular variance(AMOVA) were used for data analysis. We found significant genetic differentiation between the populations from the study area and those from a further southeastern area,which are separated by a 20 km gap. This suggests the existence of population substructure at a fine-scale. However,we did not detect any difference between samples from the western and eastern sides of the railway within the study area,and concluded that the railway may not impose a significant barrier effect on these lizard populations at the present time. Available suitable habitat alongside the railway and bridge underpasses may have facilitated the gene exchange between the sides. The relatively short time since the completion of the railway may not allow the differentiation to accumulate to a detectable level. Since the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau maintains a unique and fragile ecosystem,long-term monitoring of such man-made landscape features is imperative for protecting this ecosystem.

Thermal Characteristics of the Embankment with Crushed Rock Side Slope to Mitigate Thaw Settlement Hazards of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Permafrost （perennially frozen ground） appears widely in the Golmud-Lhasa section of the Qinghai-Tibet railway and is characterized by high ground temperature （≥1℃） and massive ground ice. Under the scenarios of global warming and human activity, the permafrost under the railway will gradually thaw and the massive ground ice will slowly melt, resulting in some thaw settlement hazards, which mainly include longitudinal and lateral cracks, and slope failure. The crushed rock layer has a thermal semiconductor effect under the periodic fluctuation of natural air. It can be used to lower the temperature of the underlying permafrost along the Qinghai-Tibet railway, and mitigate the thaw settlement hazards of the subgrade. In the present paper, the daily and annual changes in the thermal characteristics of the embankment with crushed rock side slope （ECRSS） were quantitatively simulated using the numerical method to study the cooling effect of the crushed rock layer and its mitigative ability. The results showed that the ECRSS absorbed some heat in the daytime in summer, but part of it was released at night, which accounted for approximately 20% of that absorbed. Within a year, it removed more heat from the railway subgrade in winter than that absorbed in summer. It can store approximately 20% of the ＂cold＂ energy in subgrade. Therefore, ECRSS is a better measure to mitigate thaw settlement hazards to the railway.

Analyses on the Types,Distributions and Characteristics of Vegetation and Soil along Qinghai-Tibet Railway

[Objeective] The research aimed to study the types, distributions and characteristics of vegetation and soil along Qinghai -Tibet Rail- way. [ Method]Types, distributions and characteristics of vegetation and soil along Qinghai -Tibet Railway were studied by field investigation meth- od. [Result] The vegetation along Qinghai -Tibet Railway was dominated by alpine grassland and meadow, while the soil was dominated by alpine steppe soil and meadow soil corresponding along the railway. They both concentrated distnbutions at the section from Kunlun Mountain to Nyainqen- tanglha Mountain. [ Conclusion] The research could provide the basis for disaster control and resource development of Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Prevention and management of wind-blown sand damage along Qinghai-Tibet Railway in Cuonahu Lake area

This paper analyzes the characteristics of climate, geology and geomorphology, vegetation, and sand dune distribution in the Cuonahu Lake area beside the Qinghai-Tibet Railway. The types and causes of railway blown-sand hazards are discussed, and the effectiveness of various sand-controlling measures is assessed. From the perspective of integrated management, a sand-controlling system that combines several engineering measures, including nylon net sand barriers, concrete sand barriers, movable-board sand barriers, sand interception ditches, gravel/rock cover, film sandbags, and permanent vegetation is most beneficial.

Characteristics of sand damages and dynamic environment along the Tuotuohe section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Sand damages along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway occur frequently and have spread rapidly since it was completely opened to traffic in 2006. The goal of this study was to understand the effects of sand damages on the railway via meteorological data and in situ observation of wind-blown sand. We selected the Tuotuohe section of this railway as a typical research object, and we systematically investigated its characteristics of sand damages, drift potential, sand-driving wind rose, and their time variation. The direction of sand-drifting wind clearly varies with the season. In winter, the predominant wind blows from the west and lasts for three months, while in summer the frequency of northeasterly wind begins to increase and multi-directional winds also occurs in July. The drift potential in this area is 705.81 VU, which makes this a high-energy wind environment according to Fryberger＇s definition. The directional variability （RDP/DP） is 0.84 and the resultant drift potential is 590.42 VU with a resultant direction of 89.1°.

The Qinghai-Tibet Railway:An Engineering Miracle

WHEN railway constructionworkers first came to theQinghai-Tibet Plateau, they were amazed at the majesty ofits snowfield scenery. Cut off from theoutside world, everything on the plateau- its snow-capped mountains, grassland,lamas, prayer banners, the Potala Palace,and the Tibetan people living 4,000 metersor more above sea level, has an aura ofmystery.Beautiful it may be, but Tibet lags behind other areas of China. Inadequate transportation facilities restrict its economic development, as it is only accessible by highway or air transportation.

“Golden Bridge”for Tibetan People——How the Qinghai-Tibet Railway is Being Built

Aplateau railway, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, will run across the "roof of the world" with an average elevation of more than 4,000 meters. The railway, the highest in altitude in the world, will terminate in Lhasa, capital of Tibet Autonomous Region. This steel artery is likened to a "golden bridge" on the great plateau. For the Tibetan people, the "golden bridge" leads to Beijing and to a better life.

Golmud,the Kunlun Mountains and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

QINGHAI Province, on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, is to many people a remote and mysterious place. This reporter recently traveled with the 2002 Qinghai in Focus Photographers Group on their trip from the Qinghai hinterland on the northern part of the plateau to Golmud, the Kunlun Mountains, and the Qinghai-Tibet Railway construction site.Golmud, Born with the HighwayIt took us 2 hours and 10 minutes to fly the 1,150 kilometer distance from Beijing to Xining, capital city of Qinghai Province. From there we boarded a train that went directly west to Golmud.

QINGHAI-TIBET RAILWAY:FROM DREAM TO REALITY

On July 1,2006, the Qinghai-Tibet Railway will go into service on a trial basis, taking people in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu to Lhasa and back.

Automatic testing system design and data analysis of permafrost temperature in Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Aimed at the characteristics of permafrost temperature influencing the safety of Qinghai-Tibet Railway and its on-line testing system, comparing the achievement of permafrost study nationwide with those worldwide, an automatic testing system of permafrost temperature, containing a master computer and some slave computers, was designed. By choosing high-precise thermistors as temperature sensor, designing and positioning the depth and interval of testing sections, testing, keeping and sending permafrost temperature data at time over slave computers, and receiving, processing and analyzing the data of collecting permafrost temperature over master computer, the change of the permafrost temperature can be described and analyzed, which can provide information for permafrost railway engineering design. Moreover, by taking permafrost temperature testing in a certain section of Qinghai-Tibet Railway as an instance, the collected data of permafrost temperature were analyzed, and the effect of permafrost behavior was depicted under the railway, as well as, a BP model was set up to predict the permafrost characteristics. This testing system will provide information timely about the change of the permafrost to support the safety operation in Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Thermal features of Qinghai-Tibet Railway Embankment with Crushed-stone Slope Protection in Permafrost Regions

The Embankment with Crushed-Stone Slope Protection(ECSSP) in permafrost regions is an effective measure to cool subgrade and protect permafrost.It can mitigate the engineering hazards of the Qinghai-Tibet railway in the permafrost regions. Considering the influence of the noctumal cold air during summer months in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau。

Analysis of the Theoretical Foundation and Engineering Effect for Air-duct Embankment on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

Based on the corresponding theories of engineering thermodynamics and hydro-dynamics, a careful study is made of the characteristics of air flow in different duct-embedded ways. According to critical Reynolds number, the atmospheric critical velocity of the duct with different diameters, which makes laminar flow different from turbulent flow, is calculated. Given the condition in which a forced flow occurs and the wind strength is larger than the atmospheric pressure gradient along the air-duct, a rational ratio of the length to the diameter is presented. Based on the above theory and field test data on soil temperature and embankment settlement, the advantages and disadvantages are discussed in details of all duct-embedded ways that might affect the stability of embankment.

Thermal stability of permafrost under U-shaped crushed rock embankment of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway

The U-shaped crushed rock embankment(UCRE),of which widely utilized in the permafrost regions along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway,has the capability to rapidly reduce the ground temperature of the underlying permafrost.However,there remains uncertainty regarding the adaptation of UCRE to climate change and its long-term cooling trend.This study focuses on nine UCRE monitoring sites along the Qinghai-Tibet Railway to analyze the dynamic variations of the ground temperature underlying permafrost from 2006 to 2020.The efficiency of UCRE in stabilizing permafrost temperature in different permafrost zones is evaluated by considering the permafrost table,ground temperature,and MAGT,as well as the temperature difference between the top and bottom of the crushed rock layer and the ground temperature variation index(GTVI).The results show that UCRE is suitable for application in extremely unstable warm permafrost regions where the MAGT is higher than-0.5℃.Moreover,UCRE effectively diminishes the disparity in permafrost thermal stability between the sunny and shaded shoulders of the embankment.The short-term and long-term effect of cooling permafrost is experiencing a change related with permafrost stability.Notably,in stable cold permafrost regions with MAGT lower than-1.5℃,the long-term cooling effect of UCRE on permafrost seems to gradually di-minishes,but UCRE continues to fulfill the role of stabilizing the underlying permafrost thermal state over the long-term.These results show that UCRE can quickly restore and stabilize the thermal state of permafrost in the early stages of construction,and adapt to the influence of future climate change.The findings provide important guidance for understanding the variations of permafrost thermal stability beneath the embankment in permafrost regions,as well as for improving the embankment stability and operational safety of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

Significant lake expansion has accelerated permafrost degradation on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau

In recent years, lakes on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau have become more responsive to climate change. In September 2011, Zonag Lake in Hoh Xil experienced sudden drainage, the water eventually flowed into Yanhu Lake, which caused Yanhu Lake to continue to expand. The potential collapse of Yanhu Lake could directly threaten the operational safety of the adjacent Qinghai-Tibet Highway, Qinghai-Tibet Railway. To explore the implications of expanding lakes on the surrounding permafrost, we selected Hoh Xil Yanhu Lake on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau to study the effect of lake expansion on permafrost degradation. The permafrost degradation in the Yanhu Lake basin from October 2017 to December 2022 was inverted using Sentinel-1 satellite image data and small baseline subset interferometry synthetic aperture radar(SBAS-In SAR) technology. Additionally, permafrost degradation from February 2007 and February 2010 was analyzed using advanced land observing satellite phased array-type L-band synthetic aperture radar(ALOS PALSAR) satellite images and differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar(D-In SAR) technique. The results showed that the permafrost around Yanhu Lake experienced accelerated degradation. Prior to the expansion of Yanhu Lake, the average annual deformation rate along the line of sight(LOS) direction was 6.7 mm/yr. After the expansion, the rate increased to 20.9 mm/yr. The integration of spatial-temporal distribution maps of surface subsidence, Wudaoliang borehole geothermal data, meteorological data, Yanhu Lake surface area changes, and water level changes supports the assertion that the intensified permafrost degradation could be attributed to lake expansion rather than the rising air temperature. Furthermore, permafrost degradation around Yanhu Lake could impact vital infrastructure such as the adjacent Qinghai-Tibet Highway and Qinghai-Tibet Railway.

A discussion about the limitations of the Eurocode’s high-speed load model for railway bridges

High-speed railway bridges are subjected to normative limitations concerning maximum permissible deck accelerations.For the design of these structures,the European norm EN 1991-2 introduces the high-speed load model(HSLM)—a set of point loads intended to include the effects of existing high-speed trains.Yet,the evolution of current trains and the recent development of new load models motivate a discussion regarding the limits of validity of the HSLM.For this study,a large number of randomly generated load models of articulated,conventional,and regular trains are tested and compared with the envelope of HSLM effects.For each type of train,two sets of 100,000 load models are considered:one abiding by the limits of the EN 1991-2 and another considering wider limits.This comparison is achieved using both a bridge-independent metric(train signatures)and dynamic analyses on a case study bridge(the Canelas bridge of the Portuguese Railway Network).For the latter,a methodology to decrease the computational cost of moving loads analysis is introduced.Results show that some theoretical load models constructed within the stipulated limits of the norm can lead to effects not covered by the HSLM.This is especially noted in conventional trains,where there is a relation with larger distances between centres of adjacent vehicle bogies.

Traction power systems for electrified railways:evolution,state of the art,and future trends

Traction power systems(TPSs)play a vital role in the operation of electrified railways.The transformation of conventional railway TPSs to novel structures is not only a trend to promote the development of electrified railways toward high-efficiency and resilience but also an inevitable requirement to achieve carbon neutrality target.On the basis of sorting out the power supply structures of conventional AC and DC modes,this paper first reviews the characteristics of the existing TPSs,such as weak power supply flexibility and low-energy efficiency.Furthermore,the power supply structures of various TPSs for future electrified railways are described in detail,which satisfy longer distance,low-carbon,high-efficiency,high-reliability and high-quality power supply requirements.Meanwhile,the application prospects of different traction modes are discussed from both technical and economic aspects.Eventually,this paper introduces the research progress of mixed-system electrified railways and traction power supply technologies without catenary system,speculates on the future development trends and challenges of TPSs and predicts that TPSs will be based on the continuous power supply mode,employing power electronic equipment and intelligent information technology to construct a railway comprehensive energy system with renewable energy.