A Simulated Test of Algal Influence of Formation and Deposition of Phosphates

This paper deals with a simulated test of biogenic mineralization made with a blue-green alga species,Spirulina platensix. The data in the experiment were recorded by a computerized surveying system. The influ-ence of algae on the accumulation of phosphorus by changing their microenvironment to promote the forma-tion and deposition of phosphate was studied. The results show that the pH value of cultural liquor rose up to 10 and the redox potential (Eh) may dropby 100-200 mV during the algal logarithmic growth stage, and the cultrual liquor was changed into a mediumwith a weakly reducing condition. At the end of the logarithmic growth stage white deposits of Na_2Ca(CO_3)_2·5H_2O and Ca_2Mg (PO_4)_2·2H_2O were formed on the floor of cultural containers. The test presented a wduableevidence for the theory of biogenic mineralization.

Air pressure law of a reservoir constructed in karst sinkholes

Karst sinkholes with natural negative landform provide favorable conditions for the pumped storage reservoir construction for less excavation work.However,the construction of the reservoir would plug the natural karst channels for water and air,which would cause remarkable air pressure in karst channels when the groundwater level fluctuates.A large laboratory simulation test was carried out to study the air pressure variation of a reservoir built on the karst sinkhole.The air pressure in the karst channel and inside the model was monitored during the groundwater rising and falling process.Result showed that the variation of air pressure in the karst channel and the surrounding rock exhibited a high degree of similarity.The air pressure increased rapidly at the initial stage of water level rising,followed by a slight decrease,then the air pressure increased sharply when the water level approached the top of the karst cave.The initial peak of air pressure and the final peak of air pressure were defined,and both air pressure peaks were linearly increasing with the water level rising rate.The negative air pressure was also analyzed during the drainage process,which was linearly correlated with the water level falling rate.The causes of air pressure variation in karst channels of a pumped storage reservoir built on the karst sinkhole were discussed.The initial rapid increase,then slight decrease and final sudden increase of air pressure were controlled by the combined effects of air compression in karst channel and air seepage into the surrounding rock.For the drainage process,the instant negative air pressure and gradual recovering of air pressure were controlled by the combined effects of negative air pressure induced by water level falling and air supply from surrounding rock.This work could provide valuable reference for the reservoir construction in karst area.

Analysis of wheel-rail adhesion redundancy considering the thirdbody medium on the rail surface

Purpose–In response to the problem of insufficient traction/braking adhesion force caused by the existence of the third-body medium on the rail surface,this study aims to analyze the utilization of wheel-rail adhesion coefficient under different medium conditions and propose relevant measures for reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion to ensure the traction/braking performance and operation safety of trains.Design/methodology/approach–Based on the PLS-160 wheel-rail adhesion simulation test rig,the study investigates the variation patterns of maximum utilized adhesion characteristics on the rail surface under different conditions of small creepage and large slip.Through statistical analysis of multiple sets of experimental data,the statistical distribution patterns of maximum utilized adhesion on the rail surface are obtained,and a method for analyzing wheel-rail adhesion redundancy based on normal distribution is proposed.The study analyzes the utilization of traction/braking adhesion,as well as adhesion redundancy,for different medium under small creepage and large slip conditions.Based on these findings,relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived.Findings–When the third-body medium exists on the rail surface,the train should adopt the low-level service braking to avoid the braking skidding by extending the braking distance.Compared with the current adhesion control strategy of small creepage,adopting appropriate strategies to control the train’s adhesion coefficient near the second peak point of the adhesion coefficient-slip ratio curve in large slip can effectively improve the traction/braking adhesion redundancy and the upper limit of adhesion utilization,thereby ensuring the traction/braking performance and operation safety of the train.Originality/value–Most existing studies focus on the wheel-rail adhesion coefficient values and variation patterns under different medium conditions,without considering whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train.Therefore,there is a risk of traction overspeeding/braking skidding.This study analyzes whether the rail surface with different medium can provide sufficient traction/braking utilized adhesion coefficient for the train and whether there is redundancy.Based on these findings,relevant measures for the reasonable and optimized utilization of adhesion are derived to further ensure operation safety of the train.

Test Investigation on Liquefied Deformation Structure in Saturated Lime-Mud Composites Triggered by Strong Earthquakes

Three identical model boxes were made from transparent plexiglass and angle iron. Using the method of sinking water and according to the sedimentary rhythm of saturated calcium carbonate （lime-mud） intercalated with cohesive soil, calcites with particle sizes diameters of ≤ 5 μm, 10–15 μm and 23–30 μm as well as cohesive soil were sunk alternatively in water of three boxes to build three test models, each of which has a specific size of calcite. Pore water pressure gauges were buried in lime-mud layers at different depths in each model, and connected with a computer system to collect pore water pressures. By means of soil tests, physical property parameters and plasticity indices （Ip） were obtained for various grain-sized saturated lime-muds. The lime-muds with Ip ranging from 6.3 to 8.5 （lower than 10） are similar to liquid saturated silt in the physical nature, indicating that saturated silt can be liquefied once induced by a strong earthquake. One model cart was pushed quickly along the length direction of the model so that its rigid wheels collided violently with the stone stair, thus generating an artificial earthquake with seismic wave magnitude greater than VI degree. When unidirectional cyclic seismic load of horizontal compression-tension-shear was imposed on the soil layers in the model, enough great pore water pressure has been accumulated within pores of lime-mud, resulting in liquefaction of lime-mud layers. Meanwhile, micro-fractures formed in each soil layer provided channels for liquefaction dewatering, resulting in formation of macroscopic liquefaction deformation, such as liquefied lime-mud volcanoes, liquefied diapir structures, vein-like liquefied structures and liquefied curls, etc. Splendid liquefied lime-mud eruption lasted for two to three hours, which is similar to the sand volcano eruption induced by strong earthquake. However, under the same artificial seismic conditions, development of macroscopic liquefied structures in three experimental models varied in shape, depth and quantity, indicating that excess pore water pressure ratios at initial liquefaction stage and complete liquefaction varied with depth. With size increasing of calcite particle in lime-mud, liquefied depth and deformation extent increase accordingly. The simulation test verifies for the first time that strong earthquakes may cause violent liquefaction of saturated lime-mud composed of micron-size calcite particles, uncovering the puzzled issue whether seafloor lime-mud can be liquefied under strong earthquake. This study not only provides the latest simulation data for explaining the earthquake-induced liquefied deformations of saturated lime-mud and seismic sedimentary events, but also is of great significance for analysis of foundation stability in marine engineering built on the soft calcium carbonate layers in neritic environment.

Earthquake simulator tests and associated study of an 1/6-scale nine-story RC model

Earthquake simulator tests of a 1/6-scale nine-story reinforced concrete frame-wall model are described in the paper. The test results and associated numerical simulation are summarized and discussed. Based on the test data, a relationship between maximum inter-story drift and damage state is established. Equations of variation of structural characteristics （natural frequency and equivalent stiffness） with overall drifts are derived by data fitting, which can be used to estimate structural damage state if structural characteristics can be measured. A comparison of the analytical and experimental results show that both the commonly used equivalent beam and fiber element models can simulate the nonlinear seismic response of structures very well. Finally, conclusions associated with seismic design and damage evaluation of RC structures are presented.

Test particle simulations of resonant interactions between energetic electrons and discrete, multi-frequency artificial whistler waves in the plasmasphere

Modulated high frequency （HF） heating of the ionosphere provides a feasible means of artificially generating ex- tremely low frequency （ELF）/very low frequency （VLF） whistler waves, which can leak into the inner magnetosphere and contribute to resonant interactions with high energy electrons. Combining the ray tracing method and test particle simulations, we evaluate the effects of energetic electron resonant scattering driven by the discrete, multi-frequency arti- ficially generated ELF/VLF waves. The simulation results indicate a stochastic behavior of electrons and a linear profile of pitch angle and kinetic energy variations averaged over all test electrons. These features are similar to those associated with single-frequency waves. The computed local diffusion coefficients show that, although the momentum diffusion of relativistic electrons due to artificial ELF/VLF whistlers with a nominal amplitude of ~ 1 pT is minor, the pitch angle scattering can be notably efficient at low pitch angles near the loss cone, which supports the feasibility of artificial triggering of multi-frequency ELF/VLF whistler waves for the removal of high energy electrons from the magnetosphere. We also investigate the dependences of diffusion coefficients on the frequency interval （△f） of the discrete, multi-frequency waves. We find that there is a threshold value of Af for which the net diffusion coefficient of multi-frequency whistlers is inversely proportional to △f （proportional to the frequency components Nw） when △f is below the threshold value but it remains unchanged with increasing Af when △f is larger than the threshold value. This is explained as being due to the fact that the resonant scattering effect of broadband waves is the sum of the effects of each frequency in the ＇effective frequency band＇. Our results suggest that the modulation frequency of HF heating of the ionosphere can be appropriately selected with reasonable frequency intervals so that better performance of controlled precipitation of high energy electrons in the plasmasphere by artificial ELF/VLF whistler waves can be achieved.

Goodness-of-fit tests for multi-dimensional copulas:Expanding application to historical drought data

The question of how to choose a copula model that best fits a given dataset is a predominant limitation of the copula approach, and the present study aims to investigate the techniques of goodness-of-fit tests for multi-dimensional copulas. A goodness-of-fit test based on Rosenblatt＇s transformation was mathematically expanded from two dimensions to three dimensions and procedures of a bootstrap version of the test were provided. Through stochastic copula simulation, an empirical application of historical drought data at the Lintong Gauge Station shows that the goodness-of-fit tests perform well, revealing that both trivariate Gaussian and Student t copulas are acceptable for modeling the dependence structures of the observed drought duration, severity, and peak. The goodness-of-fit tests for multi-dimensional copulas can provide further support and help a lot in the potential applications of a wider range of copulas to describe the associations of correlated hydrological variables. However, for the application of copulas with the number of dimensions larger than three, more complicated computational efforts as well as exploration and parameterization of corresponding copulas are required.

Study on Liquefying Simulation Test of Retaining Structure Ground of Kobe Port

In order to clarify the deformation and failure mechanism of retaining structure ground under liquefying, a series of shaking table tests was performed. The test results suggest that the strength decrease and local liquefaction of subsoil are the leading factors in the deformation and failure of retaining structures. The movement of the ground mainly manifests the lateral displacement under liquefaction. At the backfill layer, liquefaction will be rapidly reached in far field whereas the excess pore pressure is slowly increased nearby the wall under shaking.

Study on electron stochastic motions in the magnetosonic wave field: Test particle simulations

Using the test particle simulation method, we investigate the stochastic motion of electrons with energy of 300 keV in a monochromatic magnetosonic(MS) wave field. This study is motivated by the violation of the quasi-linear theory assumption, when strong MS waves(amplitude up to ~1 nT) are present in the Earth's magnetosphere. First, electron motion can become stochastic when the wave amplitude exceeds a certain threshold. If an electron initially resonates with the MS wave via bounce resonance, as the bounce resonance order increases, the amplitude threshold of electron stochastic motion increases until it reaches the peak at about the 11 th order in our study, then the amplitude threshold slowly declines. Further, we find that the coexistence of bounce and Landau resonances between electrons and MS waves will significantly reduce the amplitude threshold. In some cases, the electron motion can become stochastic in the field of an MS wave with amplitudes below 1 nT. Regardless, if neither the bounce nor Landau resonance condition is satisfied initially, then the amplitude threshold of stochastic motion shows an increasing trend for lower frequencies and a decreasing trend for higher frequencies, even though the amplitude threshold is always very large(> 5 nT). Our study suggests that electron stochastic motion should also be considered when modeling electron dynamics regulated by intense MS waves in the Earth's magnetosphere.

A Portable Multi-functional Real-time Digital Simulator Dedicated to Protective Relay Testing

The paper intfoduces a PC-DSP based real-time digital simulator which is portable in size and aimed at the closed-loop testing of various types of protective relays for their design and application. The simulator can be widely used in not only concerning utilities but also manufacturers and research / certification institutes because of its many functions. The hardware architecture and software implementation of the simulator are described. The main features and functions of the simulator are also

Experimental research on coal seam similar material proportion and its application

In this paper, the optimization design of the low strength mechanical test and orthogonal test have been analyzed in order to simulate the mechanical properties of thick and extra-thick coal seam accurately in a similar material simulation test. The results show that the specimen can reach a wider range of strength when cement has been used compared to that of gypsum, suggesting that cement is more suitable for making coal seam in similar material simulation tests. The uniaxial compressive strength is more sensitive to cement than coal or sand. The proportion of coal and sand do not play a decisive role in uniaxial compressive strength. The uniaxial compressive strength and specimen density decrease as the mass percent of coal and aggregate–binder ratio rise. There is a positive correlation between uniaxial compressive strength and density. The No. 5 proportion(cement: sand: water: activated carbon: coal = 6:6:7:1.1:79.9)was chosen to be used in the similar material simulation test of steeply dipping and extra-thick coal seam with a density of 0.913 g/cm^3 and an uniaxial compressive strength of 0.076 MPa which are in accordance with the similarity theory. The phenomenon of overburden stratum movement, fracture development and floor pressure relief were obtained during the similar material simulation test by using the proportion.

Simulated Corrosion Test of Q235 Steel in Diatomite Soil

Through the study of the corrosion behavior of Q235 steel in actual Yingtan soil and two simulated acidic soils with different water contents, the calculation of corrosion mass losses, and the analysis of the corrosion mor- phologies and products by means of scanning electron microscope （SEM） and X-ray diffraction （XRD）, the results demonstrated that the diatomite soil could simulate the corrosion in actual soil veritably. In both actual soil and simu- lated soil with 16.4% water content, the corrosion rates of Q235 steel were approximately 0.1 mm/a, the corrosion morphologies were mainly extension and connection of corrosion spots on sample surface, and the corrosion products were composed of a-FeOOH, γ-FeOOH, Fe3 O4 and Fe2O3. When other media conditions remained unchanged, the corrosion area of Q235 steel was larger in simulated soil with 34.5 % water content, and the corrosion rate reached 0.48 mm/a after 360 h of corrosion, which was nearly 5 times as the value in actual soil. Compared with the corro- sion products in actual soil, the proportion of γ-FeOOH in simulated soil with 34.5 % water content was higher, and the wα-FeOOH/wγ-FeOOH ratio was 1. 4, which was only 1/3 of the value in actual soil.

Similar simulation study on the deformation and failure of surrounding rock of a large section chamber group under dynamic loading

Large and super-large section chamber groups in coal mines are frequently affected by dynamic loads resulting from production activities such as roadway driving and blasting.The stability of the surrounding rock is poor,and it is difficult to control.In this paper,a similar simulation test was used to study the deformation and evolution laws of the surrounding rock of a triangle-shaped chamber group under different dynamic loads.The results showed that under dynamic loading,the vertical stress of the surrounding rock of the chamber group increased in an oscillatory form.The maximum stress concentration coefficient reached 4.09.The damage degree of the roof was greater than that of the two sides.The deformation of the roof was approximately 1.2 times that of the two sides.For the chamber closer to the power source,the stress oscillation amplitude of the surrounding rock was larger,and the failure was more serious.The force of the anchorage structure showed a phased increasing characteristic;additionally,the force of the anchorage structure on the adjacent side of the chambers was greater than that on the other side.This study reveals the deformation and failure evolution laws of the surrounding rock of large section chamber groups under dynamic loading.

A Refined Method for Estimating the Annual Extreme Wave Heights at A Project Site

This paper presents a refined method for estimating the annual extreme wave heights at a coastal or offshore project site on the basis of the data acquired at some nearby routine hydrographic stations. This method is based on the orthogonality principle in linear mean square estimation of stochastic processes. The error of the method is analyzed and compared with that of the conventional method. It is found that the method is able to effectively reduce the error so long as some feasible measures are adopted. A simulated test of the method has been conducted in a large scale wind wave flume. The test results are in good agreement with those given by theoretical error analysis. A scheme to implement the method is proposed on the basis of error analysis. The scheme is so designed as to reduce the estimation error as far as possible. This method is also suitable to utilizing satellite wave data for the estimation.

Different discretization method used in coupled water and heat transport mode for soil under freezing conditions

A coupled water and heat transport mode is established based on the Richards equation to study water flow and heat transport in soil during freezing process. Both the finite difference and finite element method are used in the discretization, respectively. Two different computer programs are written and used to simulate an indoor unidirectional frozen test. The freezing depth, freezing rate and temperature variation are compared among lab tests, finite difference calculation simulation and finite element calculation simulation. Result shows that： the finite difference method has a better performance in freezing depth simulation while the finite element method has a better performance in numerical stability in one-dimensional freezing simulation.

Research on seismic performance and design method of combined steel lead energy dissipation structure(Ⅰ)

A new combined steel lead damper (NCSLD) was presented. Construction and working mechanism of NCSLD were introduced,pseudo-static tests of the small size dampers which would be used in the subsequent shaking table tests were carried out for the study of mechanical properties of NCSLD using electro-hydraulic servo press-shear machine. Processing technology of the damper was improved. Shaking table tests under two-dimensional excitation on structural aseismic control of a one-story structure model were carried out using the small size NCSLD; parameters of the structure and shaking table were also introduced. Results indicate that process improvement is beneficial to the implementation of working mechanism of the damper,NCSLD has full hysteresis loop which takes on bilinearity,NCSLD has obvious energy dissipation effect and it can control structural seismic response effectively.