Feasibility of measuring moisture content of green sand by a low frequency multiprobe detector based on dielectric characteristics

Green sand is a mixture of silica sand,bentonite,water and coal powder,and other additives.Moisture content is an important index to characterize the properties of green sand.Based on the dielectric characteristics of green sand and transmission line theory,a method for rapidly measuring the moisture content of green sand by means of a low frequency multiprobe detector was proposed.A system was constructed,where six detectors with different arrangements and probes were designed.The experimental results showed that the voltage difference of transmission line increases with the increasing frequency before 29 MHz while decreases after 35 MHz.A voltage difference platform occurs in the range of 29-35 MHz,which is suitable for measuring the moisture content due to its insensitivity to frequency.The electric field intensity gradually decreases with the increase of the probe depth,and the intensity of central probe is always greater than that of the edge probe.When the distance of the probe away from the sand sample surface is 80 mm,the electric field intensity of the edge probe is found to be very weak.The optimal excitation frequency for measuring the moisture content of green sand is 29-33 MHz.The optimal detector is the one with one center probe and three edge probes,and their lengths are 80 mm and 60 mm,respectively.The distance between the center and edge probes is 25 mm,and the diameter of probes is 5 mm.Taking the voltage difference of transmission line,bentonite content,coal powder content and compactability as parameters of the input layer,and the moisture content as a parameter of the output layer,a three-layer BP artificial neural network model for predicting the moisture content of green sand was constructed according to the experimental results at 33 MHz.The prediction error of the model is not higher than 3.3% when the moisture content of green sand is within the range of 3wt.%-7wt.%.

Contribution of groundwater to the formation of sand dunes in the Badain Jaran Desert, China

The tallest sand dune worldwide is located in the Badain Jaran Desert(BJD),China,and has been standing for thousands of years.Previous studies have conducted limited physical exploration and excavation on the formation of sand dunes and have proposed three viewpoints,that is,bedrock control,wind dominance,and groundwater maintenance with no unified conclusion.Therefore,this study analyzed the underlying bedding structure of sand dunes in the BJD.Although the bedrock of sand dunes is uplifted and wind controls the shape of dunes,the main cause of dune formation is groundwater that maintains the deposition of calcareous sandstone and accumulation of aeolian sand.According to water transport model and vapor transports in the unsaturated zone of sand dunes,capillary water transport height is limited with film water constituting the main form of water in dunes.Chemical properties and temperature of groundwater showed that aquifers in different basins receive relatively independent recharge from deep sources in the crater.Result of dune formation mechanism is of considerable importance in understanding groundwater circulation and provides a new perspective on water management in arid desert areas.

Identification of sand and dust storm source areas in Iran

Sand and dust storms （SDS） are common phenomena in arid and semi-arid areas. In recent years, SDS frequencies and intensities have increased significantly in Iran. A research on SDS sources is important for understanding the mechanisms of dust generation and assessing its socio-economic and environmental impacts. In this paper, we developed a new approach to identify SDS source areas in Iran using a combination of nine related datasets, namely drought events, temperature, precipitation, location of sandy soils, SDS frequency, hu- man-induced soil degradation （HISD）, human influence index （HII）, rain use efficiency （RUE） and net primary pro- ductivity （NPP） loss. To identify SDS source areas, we firstly normalized these datasets under uniform criteria in- cluding layer reprojection using Lambert conformal conic projection, data conversion from shapefile to raster, Min-Max Normalization with data range from 0 to 1, and data interpolation by Kriging and images resampling （resolution of 1 km）. After that, a score map for the possibility of SDS sources was generated through overlaying multiple datasets under average weight allocation criterion, in which each item obtained weight equally. In the score map, the higher the score, the more possible a specific area could be regarded as SDS source area. Exceptions mostly came from large cities, like Tehran and Isfahan. As a result, final SDS source areas were mapped out, and Al-Howizeh/Al-Azim marshes and Sistan Basin were identified as main SDS source areas in Iran. The SDS source area in Al-Howizeh/Al-Azim marshes still keeps expanding. In addition, Al-Howizeh/Al-Azim marshes are now suf- fering rapid land degradation due to natural and human-induced factors and might totally vanish in the near future. Sistan Basin also demonstrates the impacts of soil degradation and wind erosion. With appropriate intensity, dura- tion, wind speed and altitude of the dust storms, sand particles uplifting from this area might have developed into extreme dust storms, especially during the summer.

Sand-dust storms in China: temporal-spatial distribution and tracks of source lands

Sand-dust storm is a special natural disaster that frequently occurs in deserts and their surrounding areas. With the data published onSurface Meteorological Monthly Bulletin andSurface Chart during 1971–1996, the temporal-spatial distribution and annual variation of sand-dust storms are analyzed on the basis of the case study of atmospheric processes. Furthermore, the tracks and source areas of sand-dust storms are determined with the aid of GIS. The results show that except some parts of Qinghai Province and Inner Mongolia as well as Beijing, sand-dust storms decrease apparently in time and space in recent decades in China. Sand-dust storms occur most frequently in spring, especially in April. According to their source areas, sand-dust storms are classified into two types, i.e., the inner-source and outer-source sand-dust storms. Most of the outer-source sand-dust storms move along the north and west tracks. The north-track outer-source sand-dust storms always intrude into China across the Sino-Mongolian border from Hami, a city in the eastern part ofXinjiang, to Xilin Gol, a league in Inner Mongolia, while the west-track ones intrude into China from both southern and northern Xinjiang. The source lands of inner-source sand-dust storms concentrate in the Taklimakan Desert and its surrounding areas in southern Xinjiang, southern part of the Junggar Basin in north of Xinjiang, the Hexi Corridor in western Gansu Province, the dry deserts of Inner Mongolia and the Qaidam Basin in Qinghai.

Features of Sand-dust Deposits in Harbin City,China

From the sedimentologic view,this paper analyses the grain-size distribution and the chemical composition of the deposits from sand-dust storm,occurring in Harbin on March 20,2002.The result indicates that there exist plentiful coarse matters in the sand-dust deposits in Harbin,and the sand-dust composition presents obvious three peak distribu-tion characteristics,indicating that the sand-dust in Harbin is composed of multi-origin components.The grain-size composition consists of silt(4-8Ф),accounting for 71.18% of the total,sand(>4Ф),21.70%,and clay(<8Ф),only 7.13%.The average grain size(Mz) is 5.14Ф.The chemical elements of the deposits are mainly SiO2 and Al2O3 and Fe2O3,totally occupying 77.8%.The enrichment factors(EF) of Mg,K,Si,Fe,Mn,P,Ti,Co,Ni and V elements are all about 1,which mainly come from lithosphere source,while parts of Cu,Pb,Zn,Cr and Se elements are from pollution sources out of lithosphere source,and As,Cd and Sb elements are mainly from pollution sources.Based on the com-prehensive analysis of grain-size,chemical composition,enrichment factor(EF),discriminant function(DF) and matter source index(PI),this paper points out that the grain-size distribution and element composition of the sand-dust deposits in Harbin are evidently different from the loess and sand-dust in Lanzhou,and that matter source of the sand-dust in Harbin is different from the loess in Northwest China and the sand-dust in Lanzhou.The sand-dust deposits in Harbin are an admixture of coarse grains transmitted in short distance and fine grains transported in long distance.The plentiful coarse grains of the sand-dust deposits in Harbin origin from sand of local spot,and are the near-source deposits transported by low altitude airflow.

The influence of different underlying surface on sand-duststorm in northern China

In this paper, a quantitative research on the relationship between different underlying surface and sand-dust storm has been made by using 40 years meteorological data of five different types of underlying surface in northern China, which include farmland, grassland, sandland, gobi and salt crust. These metrological data comprise sand-dust storm days and strong wind days. By analyzing, we can find that there are certain correlations between the days of sand-dust storm and strong wind for different underlying surface, which has great influence on sand-dust storm. But there are pronounced differences in different types of underlying surface. The sand-dust storm days of grassland, gobi and salt crust, with smaller interannual variation are obviously less than strong wind days. On the other hand, the sand-dust storm days of farmland and sandland increase evidently, even in many years, are much more than strong wind days. The differences are mainly induced by the influencing mechanism of different underlying surface on sand-dust storm. Grassland, gobi and salt crust with stable underlying surface are not prone to sand-dust storm under strong wind condition. Whereas, the underlying surface of farmland and sandland is unstable, that is easy to induce sand-dust storm under strong wind condition.

Chemical characteristics of precipitation and the indicative significance for sand dust events in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain, northwestern China

Precipitation chemistry analysis is essential to evaluate the atmospheric environmental quality and identify the sources of atmospheric pollutants. In this study, we collected a total of 480 precipitation samples at 6 sampling sites in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain from May 2013 to July 2014 to analyze the chemical characteristics of precipitation and to identify the main sources of ions in precipitation. Furthermore, we also explored the indicative significance for sand dust events in the northern and southern slopes of Wushaoling Mountain based on the precipitation chemistry analysis.During the sampling period（from May 2013 to July 2014）, the p H values, EC（electrical conductivity）values and concentrations of cations（Ca^（2＋）, Mg^（2＋）, Na~＋, K~＋ and NH_4~＋） and anions（SO_4^（2–）, NO_3~–, Cl~–, NO_2~– and F~–） in precipitation were different in the northern and southern slopes at daily and seasonal time scales, with most of the values being higher in the northern slope than in the southern slope. The chemical type of precipitation in the southern and northern slopes was the same, i.e.,SO_4^（2–）-Ca^（2＋）-NO_3~–-Na~＋. The concentrations of ions in precipitation were mainly controlled by terrigenous material and anthropogenic activities（with an exception of Cl~–）. The concentration of Cl~– in precipitation was mainly controlled by the sea salt fraction. The concentrations of Na＋ and Cl~– showed an increasing trend after the occurrence of sand dust events both in the northern and southern slopes. In addition, after the occurrence of sand dust events, the concentrations of K~＋, Mg^（2＋）, SO_4^（2–）, NO_3~– and Ca^（2＋） showed an increasing trend in the southern slope and a decreasing trend in the northern slope. It is our hope that the results may be helpful to further understand the atmospheric pollution caused by sand dust events in the Wushaoling Mountain and can also provide a scientific basis for the effective prevention of atmospheric pollution.

Abrasive Wear Map of Polymer Tapes in Sand Dust Environment

To make clear the wear conditions of ATM (Automatic Teller Machine) tribosystem when servicing in Chi- nese sand dust environment, abrasive wear of two kinds of polymer tapes specified for ATM, PI (Polyimide) and PEN (Polyethylene-2, 6-naphthalenedicarboxylate), was investigated in simulated sand dust environment with ATM tape-scraper tribosystem under various conditions of loads and sliding distances. The surface profiles of worn tape were measured with a surface profiler in order to calculating the wear cross-section areas and the wear volumes. The specific wear rates of polymer tapes were calculated under load conditions of 0.6, 1 and 1.5 N, and wear mechanisms were in- vestigated with optical topography photos. As main results, the specific wear rates show stage variations in the wear process and the wear resistance of polymer tape shows good relationship with the mechanical deformation factors. In consideration of the service life, four wear models are generalized according to the magnitude of specific wear rates, which include no wear, mild wear, normal wear and severe wear model and the corresponding wear mechanisms for the four wear models are discussed with typical worn topographies. Based on the wear models and corresponding wear mechanisms, the abrasive wear maps of two polymer tapes servicing in sand dust environments are concluded for its industrial applications.

The atmospheric circulation patterns influencing the frequency of spring sand-dust storms in the Tarim Basin

Using NCEP/NCAR reanalysis data and the sand-storm frequency data fi＇om 37 weather stations in the Tarim Basin for the period 1961-2009, the relationship between the frequency of spring sandstorms in the Tafim Basin and the associated atmospheric circu- lation pattems is analyzed in this study. We found significantly negative correlations between sandstorm frequency and the 500-hPa geopotential height over the Paris Basin and midwestem Mongolia, while there were positive correlations over the Ural River region. The rising of the 500-hPa geopotential height in midwestem Mongolia and its falling over the Ural region corre- spond to a weakening of the large-scale wave patterns in the Eurasian region, which directly causes the frequency of the sand-dust storms in the Tarim Basin to decline. Also, the abrupt decline in the spring sandstorm frequency in the Tarim Basin observed in the last half-century is associated with profound changes in the atmospheric circulation in these key regions. At the interannual scale, the strengthened cyclonic atmospheric circulation patterns in the western part of Mongolia and the anticyclonic patterns over the East European plains at 500-hPa geopotential height, are responsible for frequent sandstorm occurrences in the Tarim Basin.

The effects of soil sand contents on characteristics of humic acids along soil profiles

It is generally accepted that the compositions and properties of soil organic matter(SOM) are in?uenced by many factors. In order to reveal the effects of soil texture on characteristics and dynamics of SOM and its sub-fraction,humic acid(HA), along two soil pro?les, a yellow soil pro?le and a purplish soil pro?le, under the same climate and vegetation conditions were determined. Results indicate that the decomposition and humi?cation degrees of SOM and HA of the purplish soils are higher than those of the corresponding yellow soils indicated by A/O–A ratios of HAs, TOCs and HA yields of bulk soil samples, nevertheless, the development degree of the purplish soil is lower than that of the yellow soil. The variations of E_4/E_6 ratios of HAs along the soil pro?les indicate the overall molecular sizes of HAs decreased downward along the soil pro?les.A/O–A ratios of HAs decreased downward along both the soil pro?les indicate that humi?cation processes decrease downward along both the soil pro?les. Leaching of SOM shows signi?cant effects on the distribution and characteristics of HAs in the yellow soil pro?le but the purplish soil pro?le, which is consistent with the higher hydrophobicity of HAs in purplish soils, shows that the distribution characteristics of SOM along the soil pro?les are a complex result of the combination of soil texture and characteristics of SOM itself. The remarkably different sand contents are concluded tentatively as one of reasons to the different distributions and dynamics of HAs along the soil pro?les,however, to profoundly understand the evolution and transport of SOM along soil pro?les needs more researches.

Particulate matter trends and quantification of the spring sand-dust contribution in Hohhot,Inner Mongolia,from 2013 to 2017

2013年9月国务院颁布了《大气污染防治行动计划》.研究其实施前后呼和浩特市大气污染物浓度变化及及原因;同时,分析了春季沙尘天气对于呼和浩特市大气环境颗粒物浓度的定量影响.结果表明:呼和浩特市大气环境质量持续改善,但大气污染物浓度仍然较高.PM_(2.5)和PM10年均浓度分别超过国家二级标准22.9%和35.7%;2013-2017年春季PM_(2.5)和PM10浓度降幅较大,沙尘天气对呼和浩特市PM_(2.5),PM10,和TSP浓度的绝对贡献范围分别在0.6-5.2μg m^(-3),9.0-16.9μg m^(-3)和14.7-30.0μg m^(-3).

Investigations of physicochemical properties of dusts generated in mechanical reclamation process of spent moulding sands with alkaline resins

Mechanical reclamation processes of spent moulding sands generate large amounts of postreclamation dusts mainly containing rubbed spent binding agents and quartz dusts. The amount of postreclamation dusts, depending in the reclamation system effi ciency and the reclaim dedusting system, can reach 5%-10% in relation to the total reclaimed spent moulding sand. The proper utilization of such material is a big problem facing foundries these days. This study presents the results of investigations of physicochemical properties of post- reclamation dusts. All tested dusts originated from various Polish cast steel plants applying the mechanical reclamation process of moulding sands with alkaline resins, obtained from different producers. Different dusts, delivered from foundries, were tested to determine their chemical composition, granular characterization, physicochemical and energetic properties. Presented results confi rmed assumptions that it is possible to utilize dusts generated during mechanical reclamation of used sands with organic resins as a source of energy.

Research on Performance of U Separator in Sand and Dust Test System

Sand/dust test is one of the key projects to examine the environmental adaptability of ordnance equipment.In order to decrease the abrasion of test facility caused by the sand/dust particles,the particles contained in the airflowneed to be reclaimed effectively.Amathematical model of Useparator is established.The flowfield and the trajectories of particles inside the separator are obtained using a numerical simulation method,and the separation efficiency and pressure drop of separator with different rows of separate components are also obtained at various flowvelocities.The simulation results indicate that the efficiency of U inertia separator is affected by the flowvelocity evidently,and a reasonably designed separator can meet the requirement of the separation efficiency in particular situation.The results can be use as reference for the design and test of sand/dust separate systems.

Detecting sand-dust storms using a wind-profiling radar

Sand-dust storm is a type of disastrous weather, typically occurring in arid and semi-arid climates. This study selected a region in the hinterlands of the Taklimakan Desert, called the Tazhong region, as the experimental area to quantitatively estimate the particle concentrations of sand-dust storms using the boundary layer wind-profiling radar. We thoroughly studied the radar echo signals and reflectivity factor features during the sand-dust storms. The results indicate that（1） under sand-dust storm conditions, boundary layer wind-profiling radar cannot capture the complete information regarding horizontal wind velocity and direction, but it can obtain the backscattering intensity of sand-dust storms; and（2） during sand-dust storms particle size distributions in the surface layer closely resemble log-normal distributions, with sand-dust particles sizes of 90–100 μm accounting for the maximum particle probability. Retrieved particle size distributions at heights of 600, 800, and 1000 m follow log-normal distributions, and the expected value of particle diameter decreases gradually with increasing height. From the perspective of orders of magnitude, the retrieved results for particle number concentrations and mass concentrations are consistent with previous aircraft-detected results, indicating that it is basically feasible to use boundary layer wind-profiling radar to quantitatively detect the particle concentrations of dust storms.

Feeding habit and seasonal variation of stomach contents of sand dabs, Pseudopleuronectes yokohamae, in the South Bohai Sea

Sand dabs, an important commercial flatfish in the Bohai Sea, has recently decreased gradually in biomass, resulting from overfishing and marine pollution. Artificial culture and multiplication of sand dabs are essential and practical in China. The present paper examines the food habitof this fish to provide detailed information for its culture and multiplication.

Comparison between the Causes and Transmission Characteristics of Two Sand and Dust Weather Processes with Heavy Pollution in Ulanqab City

The actual situation of two sand and dust weather processes with heavy pollution in Ulanqab City in 2021 was analyzed from the aspects of air quality,visibility,PM_(2.5)and PM_(10),and the causes of the sand and dust weather with heavy pollution were discussed.The differences between the two processes in transport characteristics of sand and dust were studied,and the roles of high-and low-altitude weather systems and their impact on sand and dust transport were explored.

Impacts of Sand and Dust Storms on Regional Economy Based on Stochastic CGE Model : A Case Study in Inner Mongolia, China

[Objectives]The paper was to study the impacts of sand and dust storms(SDS)on regional economy.[Methods]In this paper,we combined the computable general equilibrium(CGE)model and the Monte Carlo method to examine the impact of SDS on the regional economy,with a focus on GDP,price index,employment rate,industrial structure and output,income and expenditure.We extended the standard CGE model,introduced the stochastic parameters into the production module,which had significant impact on economic output,and inserted the rate of change of the total labor supply and the expenditure share of early warning and protective measures into the income and expenditure module.[Results]SDS had significant impacts on regional GDP,employment rate,and industrial output from a macro perspective,and can reduce the income of residents and enterprises and increase expenditures from a micro perspective.The impact can be reduced by taking early warning and protective measures.[Conclusions]The protective measures taken for different grades of SDS have different effects.

Relationship between sand-dust weather and water dynamics of desert areas in the middle reaches of Heihe River

Sand-dust weather has become an international social-environmental issue of common concern, and constitutes a serious threat to human lives and economic development. In order to explore the responses of natural desert sand and dust to the dynamics of water in desertification, we extracted long-term monitoring data related to precipitation, soil water, groundwater, and sand-dust weather. These data originated from the test stations for desertification control in desert areas of the middle reaches of the Heihe River. We used an algorithm of characteristic parameters, correlations, and multiple regression analysis to establish a regression model for the duration of sand-dust weather. The response char-acteristics of the natural desert sand and dust and changes of the water inter-annual and annual variance were also examined. Our results showed： （1） From 2006 to 2014 the frequency, duration, and volatility trends of sand-dust weather obviously increased, but the change amplitudes of precipitation, soil water, and groundwater level grew smaller. （2） In the vegetative growth seasons from March to November, the annual variance rates of the soil moisture content in each of four studied layers of soil samples were similar, and the changes in the frequency and duration of sand-dust weather were similar. （3） Our new regression equation for the duration of sand-dust weather passed the R test, F test, and t test. By this regression model we could predict the duration of sand-dust weather with an accuracy of 42.9%. This study can thus provide technological support and reference data for water resource management and re-search regarding sand-dust weather mechanisms.

尺度适应性起沙机制在CMA-CUACE/Dust中的应用

沙尘暴是影响我国重要的灾害性天气之一,针对中国气象局亚洲沙尘暴数值预报系统CMA-CUACE/Dust(China Meteorological Administration Unified Atmospheric Environment for Dust)的沙尘质量浓度在中亚高估、蒙古北部低估、在我国消散过快以及极端沙尘暴预报峰值偏低等问题,应用与模式格距匹配的尺度适应性起沙机制并更新风蚀资料库对模式进行改进。对2021年3月13—17日东亚最强沙尘暴个例和2023年3—5月与业务运行环境一致的连续预报试验表明,改进后的模式(CMA-CUACE/Dust V1.5)有效改善了上述不足,极端沙尘暴过程传输至我国后的沙尘质量浓度峰值与观测接近。连续预报试验TS(threat score)评分显示:CMA-CUACE/Dust V1.5预报一致性和连续性较好,1~5 d不同时效预报TS评分明显高于改进前和韩国模式ADAM(the Asian Dust Aerosol Model),漏报率明显降低,对2023年5次沙尘过程的4次预报TS评分高于0.3,部分过程超过0.5。

Effect of Methylene Blue (MB)-value of Manufactured Sand on the Durability of Concretes

The relation between the methylene blue （MB） value of MS and its limestone powder content and clay content was investigated. The effects of MB values ranging from 0.35 to 2.5 on the workability of fresh concrete, the mechanical properties, the resistance to freezing as well as the resistance to chlorine ion permeation of the hardened concrete were all investigated. The experimental results showed that the MB value had no correlation with the limestone powder content of MS, while it was directly related to the clay content. With an increase of MB value, concrete workability decreased, as did the flexural and 7-day compressive strengths, however, the 28-day compressive strength was not affected. Furthermore, influence of MB value on concretes of different strength levels was different. For low-strength concretes, an increase of MB value could improve its impermeability, but this was not the case for high-strength concretes. Instead, their resistance to chloride ion permeability decreased slightly. However, even a slight increase in MB value remarkably accelerated freeze-thaw damage of MS concrete. It was thus concluded that the critical MB value of 1.4 would not cause significant deterioration in the performance of MS concretes.