A full-section asphalt concrete waterproof sealing structure for the high-speed railway subgrade

Purpose–This study aims to investigate the service performances of a new full-section asphalt concrete waterproof sealing structure(FSACWSS)for the high-speed railway subgrade through on-site tracking,monitoring and post-construction investigation.Design/methodology/approach–Based on the working state of the waterproof sealing structure,the main functional characteristics were analyzed,and a kind of roller-compacted high elastic modulus asphalt concrete(HEMAC)was designed and evaluated by several groups of laboratory tests.It is applied to an engineering test section,and the long-term performance monitoring and subgrade dynamic performance testing system were installed to track and monitor working performances of the test section and the adjacent contrast section with fiber-reinforced concrete.Findings–Results show that both the dynamic performance of the track structure and the subgrade in the test section meet the requirements of the specification limits.The water content in the subgrade of the test section is maintained at 8–18%,which is less affected by the weather.However,the water content in the subgrade bed of the contrast section is 10–35%,which fluctuates significantly with the weather.The heat absorption effect of asphalt concrete in the test section makes the temperature of the subgrade at the shoulder larger than that in the contrastive section.The monitoring value of the subgrade vertical deformation in the test section is slightly larger than that in the contrastive section,but all of them meet the limit requirements.The asphalt concrete in the test section is in good contact with the base,and there are no diseases such as looseness or spalling.Only a number of cracks are found at the joints of the base plates.However,there are more longitudinal and lateral cracks in the contrastive section,which seriously affects the waterproof and sealing effects.Besides,the asphalt concrete is easier to repair,featuring good maintainability.Originality/value–This research can provide a basis for popularization and application of the asphalt concrete waterproof sealing structure in high-speed railways.

Microscopic properties and sealing performance of new gas drainage drilling sealing material

The geological condition of Chinese coal mines are complex and high gassy,which account for ffty percent to seventy percent.Because of the abundant pores and cracks around the drainage drilling hole,the gas concentration attenuates rapidly,and the effective gas drainage period is short.The traditional sealing materials of yellow mud and cement-sand grout will readily shrink after the drilling hole is sealed,the sealing length is short and the sealing quality is not satisfactory.Currently widely used polyurethane material will shrink when it comes into contact with water,and the price is also very high.In this study,taking cement as a base material,a novel composite sealing material mixed by expansion admixture,additive,and fbrin and coupling agent was developed and the sealing performance and expansion property of the material were also studied and analyzed.The FEI Quanta TM 250 environmental scanning electron microscope was used to investigate the microstructure of material.The results revealed that the new composite sealing material had a desirable expansion performance and a defnite fluidity convenient for grouting.The solidifed material,combining closely with the drilling wall,possessed an adequate strength and was not easy to shrink.Compared to the conventional polyurethane,the gas drainage concentration by drilling sealing exceeded 40 percent,and the sealing capacity improves5 times,the sealing effect increases signifcantly.

A review on the sealing structure and materials of fuel-cell stacks

Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells(PEMFCs)have the characteristics of zero emissions,a low operating temperature and high power density,and have great potential in improving energy-utilization efficiency.However,fuel cells are still quite expensive as a result of the cost of key components,including the membranes,catalysts and bipolar plates of PEMFCs.As a result of the cost and importance of these items,most researchers have focused on improving the lifetime and performance of fuel-cell stacks in recent years.In contrast,seals,sealants and adhesives play a more mundane role in the overall performance of a fuel cell,but failure of these materials can lead to reduced system efficiency,system failure and even safety issues.Little attention has been paid to the performance and durability of these products but as other fuel-cell components improve,these seals are becoming an even more critical link in the long-term performance of fuel cells.This article highlights the importance and background of fuel-cell seals.The latest research progress on the mechanical properties and structural optimization of different sealing materials is reviewed.

Characteristics of fault zones and their control on remaining oil distribution at the fault edge: a case study from the northern Xingshugang Anticline in the Daqing Oilfield, China

Most major oil zones in the Daqing Oilfield have reached a later,high water cut stage,but oil recovery is still only approximately 35%,and 50%of reserves remain to be recovered.The remaining oil is primarily distributed at the edge of faults,in poor sand bodies,and in insufficiently injected and produced areas.Therefore,the edge of faults is a major target for remaining oil enrichment and potential tapping.Based on the dynamic change of production from development wells determined by the injection-recovery relationship at the edge of faults,we analyzed the control of structural features of faults on remaining oil enrichment at the edge.Our results show that the macroscopic structural features and their geometric relationship with sand bodies controlled remaining oil enrichment zones like the edges of NNE-striking faults,the footwalls of antithetic faults,the hard linkage segments（two faults had linked together with each other to form a bigger through-going fault）,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkages.Fault edges formed two types of forward microamplitude structures：（1） the tilted uplift of footwalls controlled by inverse fault sections and（2） the hanging-wall horizontal anticlines controlled by synthetic fault points.The remaining oil distribution was controlled by microamplitude structures.Consequently,such zones as the tilted uplift of the footwall of the NNW-striking antithetic faults with a fault throw larger than 40 m,the hard linkage segments,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkage were favorable for tapping the remaining oil potential.Multi-target directional drilling was used for remaining oil development at fault edges.Reasonable fault spacing was determined on the basis of fault combinations and width of the shattered zone.Well core and log data revealed that the width of the shattered zone on the side of the fault core was less than 15 m in general;therefore,the distance from a fault to the development target should be larger than 15 m.Vertically segmented growth faults should take the separation of the lateral overlap of faults into account.Therefore,the safe distance of remaining oil well deployment at the fault edge should be larger than the sum of the width of shattered zone in faults and the separation of growth faults by vertical segmentation.