Simulation of Fracture Process of Lightweight Aggregate Concrete Based on Digital Image Processing Technology

The mechanical properties and failure mechanism of lightweight aggregate concrete(LWAC)is a hot topic in the engineering field,and the relationship between its microstructure and macroscopic mechanical properties is also a frontier research topic in the academic field.In this study,the image processing technology is used to establish a micro-structure model of lightweight aggregate concrete.Through the information extraction and processing of the section image of actual light aggregate concrete specimens,the mesostructural model of light aggregate concrete with real aggregate characteristics is established.The numerical simulation of uniaxial tensile test,uniaxial compression test and three-point bending test of lightweight aggregate concrete are carried out using a new finite element method-the base force element method respectively.Firstly,the image processing technology is used to produce beam specimens,uniaxial compression specimens and uniaxial tensile specimens of light aggregate concrete,which can better simulate the aggregate shape and random distribution of real light aggregate concrete.Secondly,the three-point bending test is numerically simulated.Thirdly,the uniaxial compression specimen generated by image processing technology is numerically simulated.Fourth,the uniaxial tensile specimen generated by image processing technology is numerically simulated.The mechanical behavior and damage mode of the specimen during loading were analyzed.The results of numerical simulation are compared and analyzed with those of relevant experiments.The feasibility and correctness of the micromodel established in this study for analyzing the micromechanics of lightweight aggregate concrete materials are verified.Image processing technology has a broad application prospect in the field of concrete mesoscopic damage analysis.

Cloud-Edge Collaborative Federated GAN Based Data Processing for IoT-Empowered Multi-Flow Integrated Energy Aggregation Dispatch

The convergence of Internet of Things(IoT),5G,and cloud collaboration offers tailored solutions to the rigorous demands of multi-flow integrated energy aggregation dispatch data processing.While generative adversarial networks(GANs)are instrumental in resource scheduling,their application in this domain is impeded by challenges such as convergence speed,inferior optimality searching capability,and the inability to learn from failed decision making feedbacks.Therefore,a cloud-edge collaborative federated GAN-based communication and computing resource scheduling algorithm with long-term constraint violation sensitiveness is proposed to address these challenges.The proposed algorithm facilitates real-time,energy-efficient data processing by optimizing transmission power control,data migration,and computing resource allocation.It employs federated learning for global parameter aggregation to enhance GAN parameter updating and dynamically adjusts GAN learning rates and global aggregation weights based on energy consumption constraint violations.Simulation results indicate that the proposed algorithm effectively reduces data processing latency,energy consumption,and convergence time.

ON THE RUIN FUNCTIONS FOR A CORRELATED AGGREGATE CLAIMS MODEL WITH POISSON AND ERLANG RISK PROCESSES

This article considers a risk model as in Yuen et al. （2002）. Under this model the two claim number processes are correlated. Claim occurrence of both classes relate to Poisson and Erlang processes. The formulae is derived for the distribution of the surplus immediately before ruin, for the distribution of the surplus immediately after ruin and the joint distribution of the surplus immediately before and after ruin. The asymptotic property of these ruin functions is also investigated.

Shape characterization of sand particles based on digital image processing technology

To characterize the shape of sand particles for concrete,a new method is proposed based on digital image processing(known as the DIP method).By analyzing sand particles projection,the length,width and thickness of sand were measured to characterize particle form.The area and perimeter were measured to characterize particle angularity.The results of the DIP method and Vernier caliper were compared to examine the accuracy of the DIP method.The sample size test was conducted to show the statistical significance of shape results measured by the DIP method.The practicality of the DIP method was verified by instance analysis.The results show that aspect ratios and roundness measured by the DIP method are equal to ones by the Vernier caliper.Results by DIP are dependent on the sand particle number,and at least 350 particles should be measured to represent the overall shape property of sand.The results show that the DIP method is able to distinguish the differences in the shape of sand particles.It achieves the direct measurement of sand particle thickness,and the characterization results of sand aspect ratios and roundness are accurate,statistically significant and practical.Therefore,the DIP method is suitable for sand particle shape characterization.

How freezing and thawing processes affect black-soil aggregate stability in northeastern China

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the effect of freezing and thawing processes on wet aggregate stability （WAS） of black soil. Wet aggregate stability was determined by different aggregate size groups, different water contents, various freeze-thaw cycles, and various freezing temperatures. The results showed that, when at suitable water content, aggregate stability was enhanced, aggregate sta-bility will be disrupted when moisture content is too high or too low, especially higher water content. Temperature also had a significant ef-fect, but moisture content determined the suitable freezing temperatures for a given soil. Water-stable aggregate （WSA〉0.5）, the total aggre-gate content, and mean weight diameter decreasing with the freeze-thaw cycles increase, reached to 5 percent significance level. The reason for crumbing aggregates is the water and air conflict, thus raising the hypothesis that water content affects the aggregate stability in the process of freezing and thawing.

The Effects of Different Ratios of Feldspathic Sandstone and Sand Compound Soil on Water-stable Aggregates in 4 Years Crop Planting

To study the formation process of feldspathic sandstone and sand compound soil in the Mu Us Desert,1∶ 1,1∶ 2 and 1∶ 5 ratios of feldspathic sandstone and sand were mixed to obtain compound soil to plant crops,and analyze the rules of changes in water-stable aggregates of the compound soil among the 4 years crops growing process. The results showed,before crop planting,the order of mass percent of> 0. 25 mm and 0. 25-2. 00 mm water-stable aggregates in three kinds of compound soil was 1∶ 1 > 1∶ 2 > 1∶ 5,showing that the overall content was low; the mass percent of > 0. 25 mm water-stable aggregates remained at 18. 38%-28. 22%; the mass percent of 0. 25-0. 50 mm,0. 50-2. 00 mm,2. 00-5. 00 mm,and > 5. 00 mm water-stable aggregates was close with each other in each kind of compound soil. After4 years of planting,the mass percent of > 0. 25 mm water-stable aggregates in 1∶ 2 compound soil increased significantly and exceeded other2 kinds of compound soil,reached 32. 34%; the main components of > 0. 25 mm water stable aggregates in 1∶ 1,1∶ 2,and 1∶ 5 compound soil were 0. 25-0. 50 mm( 53. 54%),0. 25-0. 50 mm( 59. 43%),0. 05-2. 00 mm( 52. 16%),aggregates; 0. 25-2. 00 mm aggregates increased significantly in all three kinds of compound soil,with the highest increase in 1∶ 2 compound soil; the organic matters of 1∶ 2 compound soil were significantly correlated with 0. 25-0. 50 mm and 0. 25-2. 00 mm water-stable aggregates. The results showed that the ratio of 0. 25-2. 00 mm aggregates in the three kinds of compound soil was increased after 4 years of crop planting and 1∶ 2 compound soil was most favorable for the formation of aggregates.

AGGREGATE STRUCTURE OF FINE POWDER AND COMPACTION PROCESS

Compacting process of fine powder is greatly affected by the aggregate structure of particles. According to the experiment in which several kinds of silicon nitrides in different partical shape and size were compacted in uniaxialorientation, it is found that the volume compacting rate offorming body differs with the pressure. The aggregatestructure of each sample A, B or C was estimated by applying Cooper's equation to the analysis of the compacting process of each sample

On use of the alpha stable self-similar stochastic process to model aggregated VBR video traffic

The alpha stable self-similar stochastic process has been proved an effective model for high variable data traffic. A deep insight into some special issues and considerations on use of the process to model aggregated VBR video traffic is made. Different methods to estimate stability parameter a and self-similar parameter H are compared. Processes to generate the linear fractional stable noise （LFSN） and the alpha stable random variables are provided. Model construction and the quantitative comparisons with fractional Brown motion （FBM） and real traffic are also examined. Open problems and future directions are also given with thoughtful discussions.

Fragmentation process of soil aggregates under concentrated water flow in red soil hilly region with different land use patterns

The hilly area of red soil in the central subtropical region of China has a long history of severe soil erosion due to its abundance of water,heat,and intense agricultural and forestry activities.The Sandshale red soil area is hot and rainy,the local land utilization rate and replanting index are high,and the soil easily weathers and erodes,resulting in infertile and sandy soils,extensive soil erosion and large erosion,with far-reaching impacts.In this study,the stability of soil aggregates was studied by the wet sieving method and Le Bissonais(LB)method in six land use patterns in the Sandshale red soil area,including natural forest(NF),Pinus massoniana(PM),Eucalyptus urophylla×E.grandis(EU),orchard(OR),wasteland(WL)and arable land(AL).The transport damage characteristics of the soil aggregates under concentrated water flow were analyzed by using the soil aggregates to simulate the soil surface roughness in the field using a steel scouring flume with a variable slope.The results showed that:(1)the total soil porosity of the natural forest was the highest,with 56.51%in A layer,which was 4.99%higher than the B layer,and the organic matter content ranged from 10.69 to 29.94 g.kg-1 and was highest in NF and lowest in AL;(2)the maximum mean weight diameter(MWD)obtained by the wet sieving method was 4.81 mm for natural forest,and the MWD was the lowest in OR and AL at 2.45-2.77mm.The MWD measured by the LB method was also highest in NF and lowest in AL.The contents of Fed and Ald have a strong correlation with the stability parameters of soil aggregates;(3)the Wr/Wi results for the six land use patterns were NF>PM>EU>WL>OR>AL;the NF had the strongest soil aggregate stability,followed by WL,PM and EU,and AL and OR had the weakest;the stability of soil aggregates gradually weakened as the soil depth increased.Comprehensive analysis shows that forest land has high soil stability and obvious advantages in soil erosion resistance.Strengthening the construction of artificial forests can be an important means to reduce soil erosion in red soil hilly region.

Measuring Tail Dependence for Aggregate Collateral Losses Using Bivariate Compound Shot-Noise Cox Process

In this paper, we introduce tail dependene measures for collateral losses from catastrophic events. To calculate these measures, we use bivariate compound process where a Cox process with shot noise intensity is used to count collateral losses. A homogeneous Poisson process is also examined as its counterpart for the case where the catastrophic loss frequency rate is deterministic. Joint Laplace transform of the distribution of the aggregate collateral losses is derived and joint Fast Fourier transform is used to obtain the joint distributions of aggregate collateral losses. For numerical illustrations, a member of Farlie-Gumbel-Morgenstern copula with exponential margins is used. The figures of the joint distributions of collateral losses, their contours and numerical calculations of risk measures are also provided.

Applications of Mogulskii, and Kurtz-Feng Large Deviation Results to Risk Reserve Processes with Aggregate Claims

In this paper we examine the large deviations principle (LDP) for sequences of classic Cramér-Lundberg risk processes under suitable time and scale modifications, and also for a wide class of claim distributions including (the non-super- exponential) exponential claims. We prove two large deviations principles: first, we obtain the LDP for risk processes on D∈[0,1] with the Skorohod topology. In this case, we provide an explicit form for the rate function, in which the safety loading condition appears naturally. The second theorem allows us to obtain the LDP for Aggregate Claims processes on D∈[0,∞) with a different time-scale modification. As an application of the first result we estimate the ruin probability, and for the second result we work explicit calculations for the case of exponential claims.

Mineral Processing of Silica Sand in Hanout Area/South of Jordan

White sandstone samples from Hanout area of Late Cambrian-Early Ordovician sandstone in south of Jordan were studied and assessed as a source of glass sand. Upgrading the sand included removing or reducing the content of the contaminant oxides and the heavy minerals. The aim of this research was to achieve this upgrading by examining the best-suited and cost-effective processing method(s) with sufficient product recovery. Following the initial sample characterisation at “bench scale”, a pilot study was performed. A high-grade Glass Sand product of 500 - 125 μm size fraction was produced by wet screening, attrition scrubbing and the separation of heavy minerals using spirals. The high quality Glass Sand product compared well with Grade-A of the British Standard for glass sand. Due to the relatively low level of impurities in the raw material, a substantial silica sand recovery was produced with a high silica grade. The silica sand product was capable to be used in the high quality glass industry and in many other applications where pure silica is required. The mass flowrate of the feeds and the products in the spiral was calculated for the bulk sample as well as the amount of water required operating the process.

Assessment of Bholari River Sand for Its Geotechnical Characterization as Fine Aggregate

Present study is aimed at assessment of Bholari river sand for its geo­technical characterization and suitability as fine aggregate which is being quarried in Jamshoro district,Sindh,Pakistan.For this purpose,sand samples(n=11)were collected from quarry sites and main river channel.Physical properties reveal that Bholari sand is mainly coarse to fine in size(0.2 mm-5 mm).Average values of fineness modulus,specific gravity,bulk density and void content of collected samples are 2.58,2.56,1659.90 kg/m^(3) and 35.12%respectively which varied within the corresponding permissible ranges of ACI(American Concrete Institute).Carbonate content of about 57.59%is also in agreement with corresponding range for fine aggregate.Petrographic examination revealed that Bholari River sand mainly compris­es of quartz and rock fragments with subordinate limestone fragments.As per classification of Dott(1964),Bholari sand is lithic arenite where quartz(50%)occurs as main mineral followed by rock fragments(30%),feldspars(15%)and other opaque minerals(5%).Texturally,the sediments are angu­lar(77%)to sub-round(33%).All these physical properties lie within the range set by National Highway Authority(NHA)and American Standard of Testing Material(ASTM).It is concluded that Bholari River sand is suita­ble for use in concrete mixed with cement and asphalt.

Methods for Improving Volume Stability of Steel Slag as Fine Aggregate

Suitable methods for enhancing the volume stability of steel slag utilized as fine aggregate were determined. The effects of steam treatment at 100 ℃ and autoclave treatment under 2.0 MPa on the soundness of steel slag sand were investigated by means of powder ratio, linear expansion, compressive and flexural strength. DTA, EDX, XRD and ethylene glycol methods were employed to analyze both the treated slags and susceptible expansion grains. Experimental results indicate that powder ratio, content of free lime and rate of linear expansion can express the improvement in volume stability of different treated methods. Steam treatment process cannot ultimately prevent specimens from cracking and decrease of strength, but mortar made from autoclave treated slag keeps integration subjected to hot water of 80℃ until 28 d and its strength do not show significant decrement. The hydration of over-burn free lime and periclase phase are the main cause for the disintegration or crack of untreated and steam treated steel slag＇s specimens. Autoclave treatment process is more effective than steam treatment process on enhancement of volume stability of steel slag.

Coating process of multi-material composite sand mold 3D printing

Sand mold 3 D printing technology is an advanced manufacturing technology which has great flexible manufacturing ability. A multi-material composite sand mold can control the temperature field of metallic parts during the pouring process, while the current sand mold 3 D printing technology can only fabricate a single material sand mold. The casting temperature field can not be adjusted by using single sand mold material with isotropous heat exchange ability during the pouring process. In this work, a kind of novel coating device was designed. Multi-material composite sand molds could be manufactured using the coating device according to the casting process demands of the final parts. The influences of curing agent content, coating velocity and scraper shape on compactness and surface roughness of the sand layer(silica sand and zircon sand) were studied. The shapes and sizes of transition intervals of two kinds of sand granules were also tested. The results show that, with the increase of the added volume of curing agent, the compactness of sand layer reduces and the surface roughness value rises. With the increase of the velocity of the coating device, the compactness of sand layer reduces and the surface roughness value rises similarly. In addition, the scraper with a dip angle of 72 degrees could increase the compactness value of the sand layer. The criteria of quality parmeters of the coating procedure are obtained. That is, the surface roughness(δ) of sand layer should be equal to or lesser than half of main size of the sand particles(Dm). The parameter H of the coating device which is the distance between the base of hopper and the surface of sand layer impacts the size of transition zone. The width of the transition zone is in direct proportion to the parameter H, qualitatively. Through the optimization of the coating device, high quality of multi-material sand layers can be obtained. This will provide a solution in manufacturing the multi-material composite sand mold.

Multi-Scale Investigation on Concrete Prepared with Recycled Aggregates from Different Parent Concrete

Recycled aggregates(RA)are frequently obtained from various unknown sources,which caused variation in properties among recycled aggregates concrete(RAC).This paper investigated the macro and microscopic properties of RAC prepared with RAs originated from different parent concretes with 90-day strength ranging from 30 MPa to 100 MPa.These parent concretes were prepared in advance and crushed to produce RA of distinct qualities.The attached mortar content can reach up to 69%in the concrete with highest strength grade.The microscopic investigation on different RAC was conducted with the X-ray Micro-Computed Tomography scanning technique and image process.Experimental results showed that the properties of RA derived from various parent concrete varied because of the amount of residual mortar.The development of mechanical properties and chloride-ion penetration of RACs all followed a binomial trend with the strength grades of the parent concrete because of the different quantity and quality of RAs.

Network Aggregation Process in Multilayer Air Transportation Networks

The air transportation network, one of the common multilayer complex systems, is composed of a collection of individual airlines, and each airline corresponds to a different layer. An important question is then how many airlines are really necessary to represent the optimal structure of a multilayer air transportation system. Here we take the Chinese air transportation network （CATN） as an example to explore the nature of multiplex systems through the procedure of network aggregation. Specifically, we propose a series of structural measures to characterize the CATN from the multilayered to the aggregated network level. We show how these measures evolve during the network aggregation process in which layers are gradually merged together and find that there is an evident structural transition that happened in the aggregated network with nine randomly chosen airlines merged, where the network features and construction cost of this network are almost equivalent to those of the present CATN with twenty-two airlines under this condition. These findings could shed some light on network structure optimization and management of the Chinese air transportation system.

Bitumen Removal Determination on Asphalt Pavement Using Digital Imaging Processing and Spectral Analysis

This research aims to define an efficient and fast quantification of bitumen removal on the road surface by Digital Imaging Processing (DIP) and spectral analysis. The retrieval of bitumen removal is an important issue for road management and environmental studies related to asphalt wear and environmental pollution. The calculation of the Exposed Aggregate Index (EAI), based on DIP, allows to quantify in each frame the superficial removal of bitumen and the exposure of aggregates. A procedure, based on non-parametric classification process of digital images, gives a fast response of EAI. A correlation among EAI and spectral data, between 390 nm and 900 nm range, is evaluated. Results show a good correlation between spectral data at different wavelength and EAI. Finally, this work evaluates the possibility to retrieve asphalt bitumen removal through remote sensed imagery.

Influence of core sand properties on flow dynamics of core shooting process based on experiment and multiphase simulation

The influence of core sand properties on flow dynamics was investigated synchronously with various core sands, transparent core-box and high-speed camera. To confirm whether the core shooting process has significant turbulence, the flow pattern of sand particles in the shooting head and core box was reproduced with colored core sands. By incorporating the kinetic theory of granular flow(KTGF), kinetic-frictional constitutive correlation and turbulence model, a two-fluid model(TFM) was established to study the flow dynamics of the core shooting process. Two-fluid model(TFM) simulations were then performed and a areasonable agreement was achieved between the simulation and experimental results. Based on the experimental and simulation results, the effects of turbulence, sand density, sand diameter and binder ratio were analyzed in terms of filling process, sand volume fraction(αs) and sand velocity(Vs).

Effect of Vibrational Modes on Sand Pressure and Pattern Deformation in the EPC Process

During the EPC (expendable pattern casting) process, one of the essential requirements is to prevent pattern distortion duringsand filling and compaction. A new method which vibrates the system in a two-dimensional circular mode has been appliedto the EPC process. The molding properties of unbonded sand obtained by this new vibration mode are investigated andcompared with those in the one-dimensional vertical mode. For adequate compaction of sand. the circular vibration mode ismore effective than the vertical mode. Sand became more fluidized by the circular vibration and the particle pressure coefficientwas close to unity The particle pressure coefficient, which is defined as the ratio of horizontal to vertical sand pressure, isresponsible for the effectiveness of sand filling.