An evolutionary adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system for estimating field penetration index of tunnel boring machine in rock mass

Field penetration index(FPI) is one of the representative key parameters to examine the tunnel boring machine(TBM) performance.Lack of accurate FPI prediction can be responsible for numerous disastrous incidents associated with rock mechanics and engineering.This study aims to predict TBM performance(i.e.FPI) by an efficient and improved adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system(ANFIS) model.This was done using an evolutionary algorithm,i.e.artificial bee colony(ABC) algorithm mixed with the ANFIS model.The role of ABC algorithm in this system is to find the optimum membership functions(MFs) of ANFIS model to achieve a higher degree of accuracy.The procedure and modeling were conducted on a tunnelling database comprising of more than 150 data samples where brittleness index(BI),fracture spacing,α angle between the plane of weakness and the TBM driven direction,and field single cutter load were assigned as model inputs to approximate FPI values.According to the results obtained by performance indices,the proposed ANFISABC model was able to receive the highest accuracy level in predicting FPI values compared with ANFIS model.In terms of coefficient of determination(R^(2)),the values of 0.951 and 0.901 were obtained for training and testing stages of the proposed ANFISABC model,respectively,which confirm its power and capability in solving TBM performance problem.The proposed model can be used in the other areas of rock mechanics and underground space technologies with similar conditions.

Fall cone tests considering water content, cone penetration index, and plasticity angle of fine-grained soils

This paper analyzed the consistency of some parameters of soils in the literature and experimental results from fall cone test and its application to soil plasticity classification.Over 500 data from both literatures and experiments using fall cone and Casagrande methods were compiled to assess the relationships among specified water content,cone penetration index ebT,and plasticity angle eaT of finegrained soils.The results indicate that no unique correlation exists among b,liquid limit of the fall cone test(LLc)and a.The water content at 1 mm cone penetration eC0T correlates well with b,plasticity ratio eRpT(i.e.the ratio of plastic limit to liquid limit),and a.Finally,the potential of using the btan a diagram to classify soil plasticity was also discussed.

Drillability prediction in some metamorphic rocks using composite penetration rate index(CPRI)–An approach

Assessment of drillability of rocks is vital in the selection,operation,and performance evaluation of cutting tools used in various excavation machinery deployed in mining and tunneling.The commonly used rock drillability prediction methods,namely,drilling rate index(DRI)and Cerchar hardness index(CHI)have limitations in predicting the penetration rate due to differential wear of the cutting tool in rocks with varied hardness and abrasivity.Since cutting tools get blunt differently in different rocks,the stress beneath the tip of the bit decreases until it reaches a threshold value beyond which the penetration rate becomes constant.In this research,a new composite penetration rate index(CPRI)is suggested based on the investigations on four metamorphic rocks viz.quartzite,gneiss,schist and phyllite with varied hardness-abrasivity values.The penetration-time behavior was classified into active,moderate,passive,and dormant phases based on the reduction in penetration rate at different stages of drilling.A comparison of predicted penetration rate values using DRI and CPRI with actual penetration rate values clearly establishes the supremacy of CPRI.Micro-structure and hardness-based index was also developed and correlated with CPRI.The new indices can help predict cutting tool penetration and its consumption more accurately.

In situ experimental study on TBM excavation with high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking

China’s first high-pressure hydraulically coupled rock-breaking tunnel boring machine(TBM) was designed to overcome the rock breaking problems of TBM in super-hard rock geology, where high-pressure water jet system is configured, including high-flow pump sets, high-pressure rotary joint and high-pressure water jet injection device. In order to investigate the rock breaking performance of high-pressure water-jet-assisted TBM, in situ excavation tests were carried out at the Wan’anxi Water Diversion Project in Longyan, Fujian Province, China, under different water jet pressure and rotational speed. The rock-breaking performance of TBM was analyzed including penetration, cutterhead load, advance rate and field penetration index. The test results show that the adoption of high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking technology can improve the boreability of rock mass, where the TBM penetration increases by 64% under the water jet pressure of 270 MPa. In addition, with the increase of the water jet pressure, the TBM penetration increases and the field penetration index decreases. The auxiliary rock-breaking effect of high-pressure water jet decreases with the increase of cutterhead rotational speed. In the case of the in situ tunneling test parameters of this study, the advance rate is the maximum when the pressure of the high-pressure water jet is 270 MPa and the cutterhead rotational speed is 6 r/min. The technical superiority of high-pressure water-jet-assisted rock breaking technology is highlighted and it provides guidance for the excavation parameter selection of high-pressure hydraulically coupled rock-breaking TBM.

Measurement of optical penetration depth and refractive index of human tissue

Experimental techniques for measurement of optical penetration depth and refractive index of human tissue are presented, respectively. Optical penetration depth can be obtained from the measurement of the relative fluencc-depth distribution inside the target tissue. The depth of normal and carcinomatous human lung tissues irradiated with the wavelengths of 406.7, 632.8 and 674.4 nm in vitro are respectively determined. In addition, a novel simple method based on total internal reflection for measuring the refractive index of biotissue in vivo is developed, and the refractive indices of skin from people of different age, sex and skin color are measured. Their refractive indices are almost same and the average is 1.533.