The Effect of Preloading on the Cyclic Liquefaction Strength Measured in the Laboratory

The effect of preloading on the liquefaction cyclic strength was investigated by cyclic shear tests where horizontal shear stress oscillated about a zero mean value on sands with varying fines content and at varying prestress ratios, densities and verticalstresses. Test results showed a marked increase of the cyclic soil strength with the prestress ratio. The effect is more pronounced for the looser specimens. An empirical expression predicting this effect is proposed. This expression is validated from results of a field test.

Estimating shear strength of high-level pillars supported with cemented backfilling using the HoekeBrown strength criterion

Deep metal mines are often mined using the high-level pillars with subsequent cementation backfilling(HLSCB)mining method.At the design stage,it is therefore important to have a reasonable method for determining the shear strength of the high-level pillars(i.e.cohesion and internal friction angle)when they are supported by cemented backfilling.In this study,a formula was derived for the upper limit of the confining pressure σ3max on a high-level pillar supported by cemented backfilling in a deep metal mine.A new method of estimating the shear strength of such pillars was then proposed based on the Hoek eBrown failure criterion.Our analysis indicates that the horizontal stress σhh acting on the cemented backfill pillar can be simplified by expressing it as a constant value.A reasonable and effective value for σ3max can then be determined.The value of s3max predicted using the proposed method is generally less than 3 MPa.Within this range,the shear strength of the high-level pillar is accurately calculated using the equivalent MohreCoulomb theory.The proposed method can effectively avoid the calculation of inaccurate shear strength values for the high-level pillars when the original HoekeBrown criterion is used in the presence of large confining pressures,i.e.the situation in which the cohesion value is too large and the friction angle is too small can effectively be avoided.The proposed method is applied to a deep metal mine in China that is being excavated using the HLSCB method.The shear strength parameters of the high-level pillars obtained using the proposed method were input in the numerical simulations.The numerical results show that the recommended level heights and sizes of the high-level pillars and rooms in the mine are rational.

Theoretical analysis of hydrogen solubility in direct coal liquefaction solvents

The cyclic hydrogenation technology in a direct coal liquefaction process relies on the dissolved hydrogen of the solvent or oil participating in the hydrogenation reaction.Thus,a theoretical basis for process optimization and reactor design can be established by analyzing the solubility of hydrogen in liquefaction solvents.Experimental studies of hydrogen solubility in liquefaction solvents are challenging due to harsh reaction conditions and complex solvent compositions.In this study,the composition and content of liquefied solvents were analyzed.As model compounds,hexadecane,toluene,naphthalene,tetrahydronaphthalene,and phenanthrene were chosen to represent the liquefied solvents in chain alkanes and monocyclic,bicyclic,and tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.The solubility of hydrogen X(mol/mol)in pure solvent components and mixed solvents(alkanes and aromatics mixed in proportion to the chain alkanes+bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,bicyclic saturated aromatic hydrocarbons+bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons,and bicyclic aromatic hydrocarbons+compounds containing het-eroatoms composed of mixed components)are determined using Aspen simulation at temperature and pressure conditions of 373–523 K and 2–10 MPa.The results demonstrated that at high temperatures and pressures,the solubility of hydrogen in the solvent increases with the increase in temperature and pressure,with the pressure having a greater impact.Further-more,the results revealed that hydrogen is more soluble in straight-chain alkanes than in other solvents,and the solubility of eicosanoids reaches a maximum of 0.296.The hydrogen solubility in aromatic ring compounds decreased gradually with an increase in the aromatic ring number.The influence of chain alkanes on the solubility of hydrogen predominates in a mixture of solvents with different mixing ratios of chain alkanes and aromatic hydrocarbons.The solubility of hydrogen in mixed aromatic solvents is less than that in the corresponding single solvents.Hydrogen is less soluble in solvent compounds containing heteroatoms than in compounds without heteroatoms.

Effect of Wave Nonlinearity on the Instantaneous Seabed Liquefaction

The nonlinear variation of wave is commonly seen in nearshore area,and the resulting seabed response and liquefaction are of high concern to coastal engineers.In this study,an analytical formula considering the nonlinear wave skewness and asymmetry is adopted to provide wave pressure on the seabed surface.The liquefaction depth attenuation coefficient and width growth coefficient are defined to quantitatively characterize the nonlinear effect of wave on seabed liquefaction.Based on the 2D full dynamic model of wave-induced seabed response,a detailed parametric study is carried out in order to evaluate the influence of the nonlinear variation of wave loadings on seabed liquefaction.Further,new empirical prediction formulas are proposed to fast predict the maximum liquefaction under nonlinear wave.Results indicate that(1)Due to the influence of wave nonlinearity,the vertical transmission of negative pore water pressure in the seabed is hindered,and therefore,the amplitude decreases significantly.(2)In general,with the increase of wave nonlinearity,the liquefaction depth of seabed decreases gradually.Especially under asymmetric and skewed wave loading,the attenuation of maximum seabed liquefaction depth is the most significant among all the nonlinear wave conditions.However,highly skewed wave can cause the liquefaction depth of seabed greater than that under linear wave.(3)The asymmetry of wave pressure leads to the increase of liquefaction width,whereas the influence of skewedness is not significant.(4)Compared with the nonlinear waveform,seabed liquefaction is more sensitive to the variation of nonlinear degree of wave loading.

Mechanisms to explain soil liquefaction triggering,development,and persistence during an earthquake

Mechanisms have been proposed to explain the triggering,development,and persistence of soil liquefaction.The mechanism explaining the horizontal failure plane(triggering)and its depth below the phreatic surface is governed by the flux properties and effective stress at that plane.At the failure plane,the pore water pressure was higher than the effective stress,and the volume change was the highest.The pore water pressure is a function of the soil profile features(particularly the phreatic zone width)and bedrock motion(horizontal acceleration).The volume change at the failure plane is a function of the intrinsic permeability of the soil and bedrock displacement.The failure plane was predicted to occur during the oscillation with the highest amplitude,disregarding further bedrock motion,which was consistent with low seismic energy densities.Two mechanisms were proposed to explain the persistence of soil liquefaction.The first is the existence of low-permeability layers in the depth range in which the failure planes are predicted to occur.The other allows for the persistence and development of soil liquefaction;it is consistent with homogeneous soils and requires water inflow from bedrock water springs.The latter explains many of the features of soil liquefaction observed during earthquakes,namely,surficial effects,“instant”liquefaction,and the occurrence of short-and long-term changes in the level of the phreatic surfaces.This model(hypothesis),the relationship between the flux characteristics and loss of soil shear strength,provides self-consistent constraints on the depth below the phreatic surfaces where the failure planes are observed(expected to occur).It requires further experimental and observational evidence.Similar reasoning can be used to explain other saturated soil phenomena.

Analysis of mechanical strengths of extreme line casing joint considering geometric, material, and contact nonlinearities

To address the challenges associated with difficult casing running,limited annular space,and poor cementing quality in the completion of ultra-deep wells,the extreme line casing offers an effective solution over conventional casings.However,due to its smaller size,the joint strength of extreme line casing is reduced,which may cause failure when running in the hole.To address this issue,this study focuses on the CST-ZTΦ139.7 mm×7.72 mm extreme line casing and employs the elastic-plastic mechanics to establish a comprehensive analysis of the casing joint,taking into account the influence of geometric and material nonlinearities.A finite element model is developed to analyze the forces and deformations of the extreme line casing joint under axial tension and external collapse load.The model investigates the stress distribution of each thread tooth subjected to various tensile forces and external pressures.Additionally,the tensile strength and crushing strength of the extreme line casing joint are determined through both analytical and experimental approaches.The findings reveal that,under axial tensile load,the bearing surface of each thread tooth experiences uneven stress,with relatively high equivalent stress at the root of each thread tooth.The end thread teeth are valuable spots for failure.It is observed that the critical fracture axial load of thread decreases linearly with the increase of thread tooth sequence.Under external pressure,the circumferential stress is highest at the small end of the external thread,leading to yield deformation.The tensile strength of the joint obtained from the finite element model exhibits a relative error of less than 7%compared to the analytical and experimental values,proving the reliability of the finite element model.The tensile strength of the joint is 3091.9 k N.Moreover,in terms of anti-collapse capability,the joints demonstrate higher resistance to collapse compared to the casing body,which is consistent with the test results where the pipe body experiences collapse and failure while the joints remain intact during the experiment.The failure load of the casing body under external collapse pressure is 87.4 MPa.The present study provides a basic understanding of the mechanical strengths of extreme line casing joint.

Liquefaction and post-liquefaction behaviors of sands affected by immersion-induced degradation of crushed mudstone

A series of undrained triaxial tests was conducted to investigate the effect of crushed mudstone with the immersion-induced degradation on the liquefaction and post-liquefaction properties,and the undrained shearing behavior without precedent cyclic-loading histories of sands containing crushed mudstone.The tested materials with a main particle diameter of 2-0.85 mm were prepared by mixing sands and crushed mudstone to reach the prescribed mudstone content defined by dry mass ranging from 0% to 50%.The mixtures were subjected to immersion under a certain stress level and were subsequently tested.In addition,one-dimensional compression tests were also supplementally performed to visually observe the immersion-induced degradation of crushed mudstone.The test results mainly showed that: (1) the liquefaction resistance,the post-liquefaction undrained strength,and the undrained strength without a precedent cyclic-loading history decreased significantly with increasing mudstone content,M c ,up to 20%;(2) even a small amount of crushed mudstone affected these strengths;(3) the above-mentioned large reductions in the strengths were attributed to the immersion-induced degradation of crushed mudstone;(4) at M_(c) >20%,the liquefaction resistance increased while the significant increase in the undrained static strengths with and without precedent cyclic-loading histories was not observed;and (5) the increase in the liquefaction resistance at M_(c) >20% may have been attributed to both the gradual increase in the plasticity and the formation of the soil aggregates among deteriorated crushed mudstone,while the increase in the specimen density did not play an important role in such behavior.

Effect of B_(2)O_(3) enrichment on microstructural inhomogeneity of high strength steel weldments

The present work attributes the role of boron on the high strength steel submerged arc weld using an undermatching filler wire.Mild steel filler wire was used for welding in constant machine parameters setting to evaluate the joint strength due to the enrichment of boron.To change the chemical composition of the weld metal,boron trioxide powder was blended with virgin flux in various proportions(2.5%−12.5%),which led to an increase in boron weight percentage in the range of 0−0.0065.The results show that weld metals(WM)optical micrographs depict the various types of ferrites,pearlites and secondary phases like martensite-austenite(M-A).Acicular ferrite content was influenced by the boron trioxide addition.Heat affected zone(HAZ)micrographs were not showing appreciable changes with oxide enrichment.Hardness and toughness of weld metals showed the mixed trend with B_(2)O_(3) enrichment whereas,small reduction in ultimate tensile strength(UTS)and yield strength(YS)was observed.

Enhancing the Interaction of Carbon Nanotubes by Metal-Organic Decomposition with Improved Mechanical Strength and Ultra-Broadband EMI Shielding Performance

The remarkable properties of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)have led to promising applications in the field of electromagnetic inter-ference(EMI)shielding.However,for macroscopic CNT assemblies,such as CNT film,achieving high electrical and mechanical properties remains challenging,which heavily depends on the tube-tube interac-tions of CNTs.Herein,we develop a novel strategy based on metal-organic decomposition(MOD)to fabricate a flexible silver-carbon nanotube(Ag-CNT)film.The Ag particles are introduced in situ into the CNT film through annealing of MOD,leading to enhanced tube-tube interactions.As a result,the electrical conductivity of Ag-CNT film is up to 6.82×10^(5) S m^(-1),and the EMI shielding effectiveness of Ag-CNT film with a thickness of~7.8μm exceeds 66 dB in the ultra-broad frequency range(3-40 GHz).The tensile strength and Young’s modulus of Ag-CNT film increase from 30.09±3.14 to 76.06±6.20 MPa(~253%)and from 1.12±0.33 to 8.90±0.97 GPa(~795%),respectively.Moreover,the Ag-CNT film exhibits excellent near-field shield-ing performance,which can effectively block wireless transmission.This innovative approach provides an effective route to further apply macroscopic CNT assemblies to future portable and wearable electronic devices.

Prediction models of burst strength degradation for casing with considerations of both wear and corrosion

Casing wear and casing corrosion are serious problems affecting casing integrity failure in deep and ultra-deep wells.This paper aims to predict the casing burst strength with considerations of both wear and corrosion.Firstly,the crescent wear shape is simplified into three categories according to common mathematical models.Then,based on the mechano-electrochemical(M-E)interaction,the prediction model of corrosion depth is built with worn depth as the initial condition,and the prediction models of burst strength of the worn casing and corroded casing are obtained.Secondly,the accuracy of different prediction models is validated by numerical simulation,and the main influence factors on casing strength are obtained.At last,the theoretical models are applied to an ultra-deep well in Northwest China,and the dangerous well sections caused by wear and corrosion are predicted,and the corrosion rate threshold to ensure the safety of casing is obtained.The results show that the existence of wear defects results in a stress concentration and enhanced M-E interaction on corrosion depth growth.The accuracy of different mathematical models is different:the slot ring model is most accurate for predicting corrosion depth,and the eccentric model is most accurate for predicting the burst strength of corroded casing.The burst strength of the casing will be overestimated by more than one-third if the M-E interaction is neglected,so the coupling effect of wear and corrosion should be sufficiently considered in casing integrity evaluation.

Numerical and experimental study on the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in hydrogen liquefaction process

Liquid hydrogen storage and transportation is an effective method for large-scale transportation and utilization of hydrogen energy. Revealing the flow mechanism of cryogenic working fluid is the key to optimize heat exchanger structure and hydrogen liquefaction process(LH2). The methods of cryogenic visualization experiment, theoretical analysis and numerical simulation are conducted to study the falling film flow characteristics with the effect of co-current gas flow in LH2spiral wound heat exchanger.The results show that the flow rate of mixed refrigerant has a great influence on liquid film spreading process, falling film flow pattern and heat transfer performance. The liquid film of LH2mixed refrigerant with column flow pattern can not uniformly and completely cover the tube wall surface. As liquid flow rate increases, the falling film flow pattern evolves into sheet-column flow and sheet flow, and liquid film completely covers the surface of tube wall. With the increase of shear effect of gas-phase mixed refrigerant in the same direction, the liquid film gradually becomes unstable, and the flow pattern eventually evolves into a mist flow.

Liquefaction susceptibility and deformation characteristics of saturated coral sandy soils subjected to cyclic loadings-a critical review

Coral sandy soils widely exist in coral island reefs and seashores in tropical and subtropical regions.Due to the unique marine depositional environment of coral sandy soils,the engineering characteristics and responses of these soils subjected to monotonic and cyclic loadings have been a subject of intense interest among the geotechnical and earthquake engineering communities.This paper critically reviews the progress of experimental investigations on the undrained behavior of coral sandy soils under monotonic and cyclic loadings over the last three decades.The focus of coverage includes the contractive-dilative behavior,the pattern of excess pore-water pressure(EPWP)generation and the liquefaction mechanism and liquefaction resistance,the small-strain shear modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus and damping,the cyclic softening feature,and the anisotropic characteristics of undrained responses of saturated coral sandy soils.In particular,the advances made in the past decades are reviewed from the following aspects:(1)the characterization of factors that impact the mechanism and patterns of EPWP build-up;(2)the identification of liquefaction triggering in terms of the apparent viscosity and the average flow coefficient;(3)the establishment of the invariable form of strain-based,stress-based,or energy-based EPWP ratio formulas and the unique relationship between the new proxy of liquefaction resistance and the number of cycles required to reach liquefaction;(4)the establishment of the invariable form of the predictive formulas of small strain modulus and strain-dependent shear modulus;and(5)the investigation on the effects of stress-induced anisotropy on liquefaction susceptibility and dynamic deformation characteristics.Insights gained through the critical review of these advances in the past decades offer a perspective for future research to further resolve the fundamental issues concerning the liquefaction mechanism and responses of coral sandy sites subjected to cyclic loadings associated with seismic events in marine environments.

Assessment of compressive strength of jet grouting by machine learning

Jet grouting is one of the most popular soil improvement techniques,but its design usually involves great uncertainties that can lead to economic cost overruns in construction projects.The high dispersion in the properties of the improved material leads to designers assuming a conservative,arbitrary and unjustified strength,which is even sometimes subjected to the results of the test fields.The present paper presents an approach for prediction of the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)of jet grouting columns based on the analysis of several machine learning algorithms on a database of 854 results mainly collected from different research papers.The selected machine learning model(extremely randomized trees)relates the soil type and various parameters of the technique to the value of the compressive strength.Despite the complex mechanism that surrounds the jet grouting process,evidenced by the high dispersion and low correlation of the variables studied,the trained model allows to optimally predict the values of compressive strength with a significant improvement with respect to the existing works.Consequently,this work proposes for the first time a reliable and easily applicable approach for estimation of the compressive strength of jet grouting columns.

Correlation between Combined Urinary Metal Exposure and Grip Strength under Three Statistical Models:A Cross-sectional Study in Rural Guangxi

Objective This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between urinary metals copper(Cu),arsenic(As),strontium(Sr),barium(Ba),iron(Fe),lead(Pb)and manganese(Mn)and grip strength.Methods We used linear regression models,quantile g-computation and Bayesian kernel machine regression(BKMR)to assess the relationship between metals and grip strength.Results In the multimetal linear regression,Cu(β=−2.119),As(β=−1.318),Sr(β=−2.480),Ba(β=0.781),Fe(β=1.130)and Mn(β=−0.404)were significantly correlated with grip strength(P<0.05).The results of the quantile g-computation showed that the risk of occurrence of grip strength reduction was−1.007(95%confidence interval:−1.362,−0.652;P<0.001)when each quartile of the mixture of the seven metals was increased.Bayesian kernel function regression model analysis showed that mixtures of the seven metals had a negative overall effect on grip strength,with Cu,As and Sr being negatively associated with grip strength levels.In the total population,potential interactions were observed between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn(P_(interactions) of 0.003 and 0.018,respectively).Conclusion In summary,this study suggests that combined exposure to metal mixtures is negatively associated with grip strength.Cu,Sr and As were negatively correlated with grip strength levels,and there were potential interactions between As and Mn and between Cu and Mn.

Muscle strength and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease/metabolicassociated fatty liver disease

This editorial comments on an article published in a recent issue of World Journal of Gastroenterology,entitled“Association of low muscle strength with metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease:A nationwide study”.We focused on the association between muscle strength and the incidence of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease(NAFLD)and metabolic-associated fatty liver disease(MAFLD),as well as the mechanisms underlying the correlation and related clinical applications.NAFLD,which is now redefined as MAFLD,is one of the most common chronic liver diseases globally with an increasing prevalence and is characterized by malnutrition,which may contribute to decreased muscle strength.Reduction of muscle strength reportedly has a pathogenesis similar to that of NAFLD/MAFLD,including insulin resistance,inflammation,sedentary behavior,as well as insufficient vitamin D.Multiple studies have focused on the relationship between sarcopenia or muscle strength and NAFLD.However,studies investigating the relationship between muscle strength and MAFLD are limited.Owing to the shortage of specific medications for NAFLD/MAFLD treatment,early detection is essential.Furthermore,the relationship between muscle strength and NAFLD/MAFLD suggests that improvements in muscle strength may have an impact on disease prevention and may provide novel insights into treatments including dietary therapy,as well as tailored physical activity.

Improving creep strength of the fine-grained heat-affected zone of novel 9Cr martensitic heat-resistant steel via modified thermo-mechanical treatment

The infamous type Ⅳ failure within the fine-grained heat-affected zone (FGHAZ) in G115 steel weldments seriously threatens the safe operation of ultra-supercritical (USC) power plants.In this work,the traditional thermo-mechanical treatment was modified via the replacement of hot-rolling with cold rolling,i.e.,normalizing,cold rolling,and tempering (NCT),which was developed to improve the creep strength of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments.The NCT treatment effectively promoted the dissolution of preformed M_(23)C_(6)particles and relieved the boundary segregation of C and Cr during welding thermal cycling,which accelerated the dispersed reprecipitation of M_(23)C_(6) particles within the fresh reaustenitized grains during post-weld heat treatment.In addition,the precipitation of Cu-rich phases and MX particles was promoted evidently due to the deformation-induced dislocations.As a result,the interacting actions between precipitates,dislocations,and boundaries during creep were reinforced considerably.Following this strategy,the creep rupture life of the FGHAZ in G115 steel weldments can be prolonged by 18.6%,which can further push the application of G115 steel in USC power plants.

Numerical parametric study on the influence of location and inclination of large-scale asperities on the shear strength of concreterock interfaces of small buttress dams

When assessing the sliding stability of a concrete dam,the influence of large-scale asperities in the sliding plane is often ignored due to limitations of the analytical rigid body assessment methods provided by current dam assessment guidelines.However,these asperities can potentially improve the load capacity of a concrete dam in terms of sliding stability.Although their influence in a sliding plane has been thoroughly studied for direct shear,their influence under eccentric loading,as in the case of dams,is unknown.This paper presents the results of a parametric study that used finite element analysis(FEA)to investigate the influence of large-scale asperities on the load capacity of small buttress dams.By varying the inclination and location of an asperity located in the concrete-rock interface along with the strength of the rock foundation material,transitions between different failure modes and correlations between the load capacity and the varied parameters were observed.The results indicated that the inclination of the asperity had a significant impact on the failure mode.When the inclinationwas 30and greater,interlocking occurred between the dam and foundation and the governing failure modes were either rupture of the dam body or asperity.When the asperity inclination was significant enough to provide interlocking,the load capacity of the dam was impacted by the strength of the rock in the foundation through influencing the load capacity of the asperity.The location of the asperity along the concrete-rock interface did not affect the failure mode,except for when the asperity was located at the toe of the dam,but had an influence on the load capacity when the failure occurred by rupture of the buttress or by sliding.By accounting for a single large-scale asperity in the concrete-rock interface of the analysed dam,a horizontal load capacity increase of 30%e160%was obtained,depending on the inclination and location of the asperity and the strength of the foundation material.

Method for evaluation of geological strength index of carbonate cliff rocks:Coupled hyperspectral-digital borehole image technique

The deterioration of unstable rock mass raised interest in evaluating rock mass quality.However,the traditional evaluation method for the geological strength index(GSI)primarily emphasizes the rock structure and characteristics of discontinuities.It ignores the influence of mineral composition and shows a deficiency in assessing the integrity coefficient.In this context,hyperspectral imaging and digital panoramic borehole camera technologies are applied to analyze the mineral content and integrity of rock mass.Based on the carbonate mineral content and fissure area ratio,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient are calculated to improve the GSI evaluation method.According to the results of mineral classification and fissure identification,the strength reduction factor and integrity coefficient increase with the depth of rock mass.The rock mass GSI calculated by the improved method is mainly concentrated between 40 and 60,which is close to the calculation results of the traditional method.The GSI error rates obtained by the two methods are mostly less than 10%,indicating the rationality of the hyperspectral-digital borehole image coupled evaluation method.Moreover,the sensitivity of the fissure area ratio(Sr)to GSI is greater than that of the strength reduction factor(a),which means the proposed GSI is suitable for rocks with significant fissure development.The improved method reduces the influence of subjective factors and provides a reliable index for the deterioration evaluation of rock mass.

Tensile strength and failure behavior of rock-mortar interfaces: Direct and indirect measurements

The tensile strength at the rock-concrete interface is one of the crucial factors controlling the failure mechanisms of structures,such as concrete gravity dams.Despite the critical importance of the failure mechanism and tensile strength of rock-concrete interfaces,understanding of these factors remains very limited.This study investigated the tensile strength and fracturing processes at rock-mortar interfaces subjected to direct and indirect tensile loadings.Digital image correlation(DIC)and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used to monitor the failure mechanisms of specimens subjected to direct tension and indirect loading(Brazilian tests).The results indicated that the direct tensile strength of the rock-mortar specimens was lower than their indirect tensile strength,with a direct/indirect tensile strength ratio of 65%.DIC strain field data and moment tensor inversions(MTI)of AE events indicated that a significant number of shear microcracks occurred in the specimens subjected to the Brazilian test.The presence of these shear microcracks,which require more energy to break,resulted in a higher tensile strength during the Brazilian tests.In contrast,microcracks were predominantly tensile in specimens subjected to direct tension,leading to a lower tensile strength.Spatiotemporal monitoring of the cracking processes in the rock-mortar interfaces revealed that they show AE precursors before failure under the Brazilian test,whereas they show a minimal number of AE events before failure under direct tension.Due to different microcracking mechanisms,specimens tested under Brazilian tests showed lower roughness with flatter fracture surfaces than those tested under direct tension with jagged and rough fracture surfaces.The results of this study shed light on better understanding the micromechanics of damage in the rock-concrete interfaces for a safer design of engineering structures.

The Analysis of the Correlation between SPT and CPT Based on CNN-GA and Liquefaction Discrimination Research

The objective of this study is to investigate themethods for soil liquefaction discrimination. Typically, predicting soilliquefaction potential involves conducting the standard penetration test (SPT), which requires field testing and canbe time-consuming and labor-intensive. In contrast, the cone penetration test (CPT) provides a more convenientmethod and offers detailed and continuous information about soil layers. In this study, the feature matrix based onCPT data is proposed to predict the standard penetration test blow count N. The featurematrix comprises the CPTcharacteristic parameters at specific depths, such as tip resistance qc, sleeve resistance f s, and depth H. To fuse thefeatures on the matrix, the convolutional neural network (CNN) is employed for feature extraction. Additionally,Genetic Algorithm (GA) is utilized to obtain the best combination of convolutional kernels and the number ofneurons. The study evaluated the robustness of the proposed model using multiple engineering field data sets.Results demonstrated that the proposed model outperformed conventional methods in predicting N values forvarious soil categories, including sandy silt, silty sand, and clayey silt. Finally, the proposed model was employedfor liquefaction discrimination. The liquefaction discrimination based on the predicted N values was comparedwith the measured N values, and the results showed that the discrimination results were in 75% agreement. Thestudy has important practical application value for foundation liquefaction engineering. Also, the novel methodadopted in this research provides new ideas and methods for research in related fields, which is of great academicsignificance.