The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional meth...The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.展开更多
Characterizing soil particle-size distribution is a key measure towards soil property.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multifractal characteristics of soil particle-size distribution among different land-...Characterizing soil particle-size distribution is a key measure towards soil property.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multifractal characteristics of soil particle-size distribution among different land-use from a purple soil catchment and to generalize the spatial variation trend of multifractal parameters across the catchment.A total of 84 soil samples were collected from four kinds of land use patterns(dry land,orchard,paddy,and forest)in an agricultural catchment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region,China.The multifractal analysis method was applied to quantitatively characterize the soil particle size distribution.Six soil particle size distribution(PSD)multifractal parameters(D(0),D(1),D(2),(35)a(q),(35)f[a(q)],α(0))were computed.Additionally,a geostatistical analysis was employed to reveal the spatial differentiation and map the spatial distribution of these parameters.Evident multifractal characteristics were found.The trend of generalized dimension spectrum of four land use patterns was basically consistent with the range of 0.8 to 2.0.However,orchard showed the largest monotonic decline,while the forest demonstrated the smallest decrease.D(0)of the four land use patterns were ranked as:dry land<orchard<forest<paddy,the order of D(1)was:dry land<paddy<orchard<forest,D(2)presented a rand-size relationship as dry land<forest<paddy<orchard.Furthermore,all land-use patterns presented asΔf[α(q)]<0.The rand-size relationship ofα(0)was same as D(0).The best-fitting model for D(0),D(1),D(2)andΔf[α(q)]was spherical model,forΔα(q)was gaussian model,and forα(0)was exponential model with structure variance ratio was 1.03%,49.83%,0.84%,1.48%,22.20%and 10.60%,respectively.The results showed that soil particles of each land use pattern were distributed unevenly.The multifractal parameters under different land use have significant differences,except forΔα(q).Differences in the composition of soil particles lead to differences in the multifractal properties even though they belong to the same soil texture.Farming behavior may refine particles and enhance the heterogeneity of soil particle distribution.Our results provide an effective reference for quantifying the impact of human activities on soil system in the Three Gorges Reservoir region.展开更多
Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studi...Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studies examining soil particle volume fractal dimension in alpine grasslands.To study the volume fractal dimension of soil particles (D) and its relationships with soil salt,soil nutrient and plant species diversity,we conducted an experiment on an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees:non-disturbance (N0),light disturbance (L),moderate disturbance (M) and heavy disturbance (H).The results showed that (1) Ds varied from 2.573 to 2.635 among the different disturbance degrees and increased with increasing degrees of disturbance.(2) Shannon-Wiener diversity index,Pielou's evenness index and Margalef richness index reached their highest values at the M degree,indicating that moderate disturbance is beneficial to the increase of plant species diversity.(3) In the L and M degrees,there was a significant positive correlation between D and clay content and a significant negative correlation between D and soil organic matter (SOM).In the H degree,D was significantly and positively correlated with total salt (TS).The results suggested that to a certain extent,D can be used to characterize the uniformity of soil texture in addition to soil fertility characteristics.(4) For the L degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index; while for the M degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and Pielou's evenness index.展开更多
Internal erosion occurs when fine particles escape from the soil driven by seepage flow,which is considered to be the crucial factor causing the failure of earth structures filled with gravelly soil.The objective of t...Internal erosion occurs when fine particles escape from the soil driven by seepage flow,which is considered to be the crucial factor causing the failure of earth structures filled with gravelly soil.The objective of this paper is to suggest an appropriate method to assess internal erosion potential of gravelly soil.By analyzing the sensitivity of soil material to internal erosion,the variable(Dc15/df85)max and the content of coarse particles(Pc)are selected as the evaluation indexes(Dc15 and df85 are the diameters of 15%mass passing in the coarse component and 85%mass passing in the fine component,respectively).A series of gravelly soils with different particle size distributions are tested for internal erosion by the self-made permeameter.Based on the test results,an evaluation method for the internal erosion of gravelly soil is proposed.Gravelly soil is prone to internal erosion when 60%≤Pc<95%and(Dc15/df85)max≥9.5.The proposed method shows good accuracy in evaluating the internal erosion of 36 soil samples from other studies,which confirms the reliability of the method.The proposed method makes it possible to accurately assess internal erosion of gravelly soil,and an alternative method is provided for engineers to determine whether there is a risk of internal erosion in earth structures consisting of gravelly soil.展开更多
Semi-automatic image analysis system was used for the surface fractal dimension measurement of 15 kinds of rock-fractured particles. The results indicate that the surfaces of the particles that have a size of about 20...Semi-automatic image analysis system was used for the surface fractal dimension measurement of 15 kinds of rock-fractured particles. The results indicate that the surfaces of the particles that have a size of about 200 mesh are fractal, and that the fractal dimension is in the range of 2.07~2.11. Therefore, some definitions of particle size such as surface diameter, equivalent volumetricly surface diameter are equivocal without giving the step length and the drag diameter, free-fall diameter, and stokes’diameter may be modified by the fractal dimension.展开更多
The effect of NaCl on soil strength was investigated in this project based on salinity concentrations of 0 g/L, 5 g/L, 20 g/L, and 50 g/L as well as varying water contents of 15%-20%. Laser particle size analyzer was ...The effect of NaCl on soil strength was investigated in this project based on salinity concentrations of 0 g/L, 5 g/L, 20 g/L, and 50 g/L as well as varying water contents of 15%-20%. Laser particle size analyzer was also performed to explain possible effects. From particle size analysis and strength tests, it is hypothesized that the strength of the soil is increased with the addition of certain salinity concentrations until there are reversed effects, which is between 20 g/L and 50 g/L from our study. The increase of strength is suggested to be the affect of a greater variety of particle sizes. Since NaCI plays a role in the particle size distribution, it also plays a role in the strength of soils. The degree of the effect of the water content also differs from concentrations, and could be due to the variation of hydration film thickness on particles, which is affected by the ions introduced from water.展开更多
Size distribution characteristics of intercity bus hubs in China from 1997 to 2(104 were analyzed regarding highway passenger volume as a size index of intercity bus hubs. Yearly fractal dimensions of intercity bus h...Size distribution characteristics of intercity bus hubs in China from 1997 to 2(104 were analyzed regarding highway passenger volume as a size index of intercity bus hubs. Yearly fractal dimensions of intercity bus hub sizes were exactly calculated by a novel model. Fractal dimensions of the 200 biggest intercity bus hubs from 2000 to 2004 were 1. 486 2 to 1. 511 8, and that is consistent with fractal dimensions of Chinese urban system sizes. It showed that the size distribution of intercity bus hubs had fractal structure. Fractal dimensions from 1997 to 2004 indicated that intercity bus hub size distribution grew from bi-fractal to single fractal. It is concluded that the intercity bus hub system is in evolutionary progress, and the Central Government should support large intercity bus hubs more to optimize system structure.展开更多
Fractal method is a new method to estimate soil structure. It has been shown to be a useful tool in studies related to physical properties of soil as well as erosion and other hydrological processes. Fractal dimension...Fractal method is a new method to estimate soil structure. It has been shown to be a useful tool in studies related to physical properties of soil as well as erosion and other hydrological processes. Fractal dimension was used to study the soil structure in soil at different stages of vegetative succession on the Ziwuling Mountains. The land use and vegetation types included cultivated land, abandoned land, grassland, two types of shrub land, and three types of forests. The grassland, shrub land, and forested areas represented a continuum in vegetative succession that had occurred naturally, as the land was abandoned in 1862. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from ten vegetation types from depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm on the Ziwuling Mountains, at a site with an elevation of about 1 500 m. Particle size distribution was determined by the pipette method and aggregate size distribution was determined by wet sieving. The results were used to calculate the particle and aggregate fractal dimension. The results showed that particle and aggregate fractal dimensions varied between vegetation types. There was a positive correlation between the particle fractal dimension and the weight of particles with diameter 〈 0.001 mm, but no relationship between particle fractal dimension and the other particle size classes. Particle fractal dimension was lower in vegetated soils compared to cropland and there was no consistent relationship between fractal dimension and vegetation type. Aggregate fractal dimension was positively correlated with the weight of 〉 0.25 mm aggregates. Aggregate fractal dimension was lower in vegetated soils compared with cropland. In contrast to particle fractal dimension, aggregate fractal dimension described changes in soil structure associated with vegetative succession. The results of this study indicate that aggregate fractal dimension is more effective in describing soil structure and function compared with particle fractal dimension.展开更多
In this study,X-ray diffraction,N_(2)adsorption(N_(2)A),and mercury intrusion(MI)experiments were used to investigate the influence of acid treatment on pore structure and fractal characterization of tight sandstones....In this study,X-ray diffraction,N_(2)adsorption(N_(2)A),and mercury intrusion(MI)experiments were used to investigate the influence of acid treatment on pore structure and fractal characterization of tight sandstones.The results showed that acid treatment generated a certain number of ink-bottle pores in fine sandstone,aggravated the ink-bottle effect in the sandy mudstone,and transformed some smaller pores into larger ones.After the acid treatment,both the pore volume in the range of 2–11 nm and 0.271–8μm for the fine sandstone and the entire pore size range for the sandy mudstone significantly increased.The dissolution of sandstone cement causes the fine sandstone particles to fall off and fill the pores;the porosity increased at first but then decreased with acid treatment time.The fractal dimension obtained using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill model was positively correlated with acid treatment time.However,the total fractal dimensions obtained by MI tests showed different changes with acid treatment time in fine sandstone and sandy mudstone.These results provide good guiding significance for reservoir acidification stimulation.展开更多
Soil conservation practices can greatly affect the soil erosion process,but limited information is available about its influence on the particle size distribution(PSD)of eroded sediment,especially under natural rainfa...Soil conservation practices can greatly affect the soil erosion process,but limited information is available about its influence on the particle size distribution(PSD)of eroded sediment,especially under natural rainfall.In this study,the runoff,sediment yields,and effective/ultimate PSD were measured under two conventional tillage practices,downhill ridge tillage(DT)and plat tillage(PT)and three soil conservation practices,contour ridge tillage(CT),mulching with downhill ridge tillage(MDT),and mulching with contour ridge tillage(MCT)during 21 natural rainfall events in the lower Jinsha River.The results showed that(1)soil conservation practices had a significant effect on soil erosion.The conventional tillage of DT caused highest runoff depth(0.58 to 29.13 mm)and sediment yield(0.01 to 3.19 t hm^(-2)).Compared with DT,the annual runoff depths and sediment yields of CT,MDT and MCT decreased by 12.24%-49.75%and 40.79%-88.30%,respectively.(2)Soil conservation practices can reduce the decomposition of aggregates in sediments.The ratios of effective and ultimate particle size(E/U)of siltand sand-sized particles of DT and PT plots were close to 1,indicating that they were transported as primary particles,however,values lower/greater than 1 subject to CT,MDT and MCT plots indicated they were transported as aggregates.The ratios of E/U of claysized particles were all less than 1 independently of tillage practices.(3)The sediments of soil conservation practices were more selective than those of conventional tillage practices.For CT,MDT and MCT plots,the average enrichment ratios(ERs)of clay,silt and sand were 1.99,1.93 and 0.42,respectively,with enrichment of clay and silt and depletion of sand in sediments.However,the compositions of the eroded sediments of DT and PT plots were similar to that of the original soil.These findings support the use of both effective and ultimate particle size distributions for studying the size selectivity of eroded sediment,and provide a scientific basis for revealing the erosion mechanism in the purple soil area of China.展开更多
Wind and water erosion are among the most important causes of soil loss, and understanding their interactions is important for estimating soil quality and environmental impacts in regions where both types of erosion o...Wind and water erosion are among the most important causes of soil loss, and understanding their interactions is important for estimating soil quality and environmental impacts in regions where both types of erosion occur. We used a wind tunnel and simulated rainfall to study sediment yield, particle-size distribution and the fractal dimension of the sediment particles under wind and water erosion. The experiment was conducted with wind ero- sion firstly and water erosion thereafter, under three wind speeds (0, 11 and 14 m/s) and three rainfall intensities (60, 80 and 100 ram/h). The results showed that the sediment yield was positively correlated with wind speed and rain- fall intensity (P〈0.01). Wind erosion exacerbated water erosion and increased sediment yield by 7.25%-38.97% relative to the absence of wind erosion. Wind erosion changed the sediment particle distribution by influencing the micro-topography of the sloping land surface. The clay, silt and sand contents of eroded sediment were also posi- tively correlated with wind speed and rainfall intensity (P〈0.01). Wind erosion increased clay and silt contents by 0.35%-19.60% and 5.80%-21.10%, respectively, and decreased sand content by 2.40%-8.33%, relative to the absence of wind erosion. The effect of wind erosion on sediment particles became weaker with increasing rainfall intensities, which was consistent with the variation in sediment yield. However, particle-size distribution was not closely correlated with sediment yield (P〉0.05). The fractal dimension of the sediment particles was significantly different under different intensities of water erosion (P〈0.05), but no significant difference was found under wind and water erosion. The findings reported in this study implicated that both water and wind erosion should be controlled to reduce their intensifying effects, and the controlling of wind erosion could significantly reduce water erosion in this wind-water erosion crisscross region.展开更多
Comminution of coal to ultrafine sizes by high-pressure waterjet provides a novel method for preparation of coal-water fuels for next generation,near-zero emission electric power generation.The particle size distribut...Comminution of coal to ultrafine sizes by high-pressure waterjet provides a novel method for preparation of coal-water fuels for next generation,near-zero emission electric power generation.The particle size distribution(PSD)of ground coal is a key parameter in the preparation of slurries as it determines the settling behavior of the particles and viscosity of the coal-water mixture.There are several methods available for representation and evaluation of particle size analysis data.However,fractal theory provides a means by which the entire PSD of comminuted materials can be quantified by using of a specific and exact value.In this paper,a volume-based fractal model was deduced to characterize the PSD of the coal which is ground in a specially designed comminution cell.During the size reduction process,the inlet pressures up to 276 MPa were used.展开更多
The interaction of soil aggregate dynamics with soil organic carbon is complex with varied spatio-temporal processes in macro-and micro-aggregates. This paper is to determine the aggregation of soil aggregates in purp...The interaction of soil aggregate dynamics with soil organic carbon is complex with varied spatio-temporal processes in macro-and micro-aggregates. This paper is to determine the aggregation of soil aggregates in purple soils (Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy) for four types of land use, cropland [corn (Zea mays L.)], orchard (citrus), forestland (bamboo or cypress), and barren land (wild grass), and to explore their relationship with soil organic carbon in the Sichuan basin of southwestern China. Procedures and methods, including manual dry sieving procedure, Yoder's wet sieving procedure, pyrophosphates solution method, and Kachisky method, are used to acquire dry, wet, and chemically stable aggregates, and microaggregates. Light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon were separated using 2.0 g·mL^-1 HgI2-KI mixed solution. The loosely, stably, and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction were separated by extraction with 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M NaOH-0.1M Na4P2O7 mixed solution (pH 13). The results show that the contents of dry and wet macroaggregates 〉0.25 mm in diameter were 974.1 and 900.0 g·kg^-1 highest in red brown purple soils under forestland, while 889.6 and 350.6 g·kg^-1 lowest in dark purple soil and lowest in grey brown purple soils under cropland, respectively. The chemical stability of macroaggregates was lowest in grey brown purple soil with 8.47% under cropland, and highest in red brown purple soil with 69.34% under barren land. The content of microaggregates in dark purple soils was 587g·kg^-1 higher than brown purple soils, while 655g·kg^-1 in red brown purple soils was similar to grey brown purple soils (651g·kg^-1). Cropland conditions, only 38.4% of organic carbon was of the combined form, and 61.6% of that existed in light fraction. Forestland conditions, 90.7% of organic carbon in red brown purple soil was complexed with minerals as a form of humic substances. The contents and stability of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm, contents and stability of chemically stable aggregates 〉0.25 mm, contents of microaggregates 〉 0.01 mm, contents of aggregated primary particle (d〈0.01 mm) and degree of primary particles (d 〈0.01 mm) aggregation were closely related to the concentrations of total soil organic carbon, and loosely and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction. Soil microaggregation could be associated with organic carbon concentration and its combined forms in heavy fraction. There was a direct relationship between microaggregation and macroaggregation of soil primary particles, because the contents of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm and its water stability of aggregates were highly correlated with the contents of aggregated primary particle (d 〈 0.01 mm) and the degree of primary particles (d 〈 0.01 mm) aggregation.展开更多
Soil labile organic carbon (C) plays an important role in improving soil quality. The relatively stable fractions of soil organic C (SOC) represent the bulk of SOC, and are also the primary determinant of the long...Soil labile organic carbon (C) plays an important role in improving soil quality. The relatively stable fractions of soil organic C (SOC) represent the bulk of SOC, and are also the primary determinant of the long-term C balance of terrestrial ecosystems. Different land use types can influence the distribution patterns of different SOC fractions. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, different fractions of SOC were determined in two land use types: a grazed grassland (established on previously cultivated cropland 25 years ago, GG) and a long-term cultivated millet cropland (MC). The results showed that C concentration and C storage of light fractions (LF) and heavy fractions (HF) presented different patterns along the soil profiles in the two sites. More plant residues in GG resulted in 91.9% higher LF storage at the 0-10 cm soil depth, further contributed to 21.9% higher SOC storage at this soil depth; SOC storage at 20-60 cm soil depth in MC was 98.8% higher than that in GG, which could be mainly attributed to the HF storage 104.5% higher than in GG. This might be caused by the long-term application of organic manure, as well as the protection from plough pan and silt- and clay-sized particles. The study indicated that different soil management practices in this region can greatly influence the variations of different SOC fractions, while the conventional tillage can greatly improve the storage of SOC by in- creasing heavy fractions.展开更多
Soil shear strength is an important indicator of engineering design and an essential parameter of soil precision tillage and agricultural machinery and equipment design. Although numerous studies have investigated the...Soil shear strength is an important indicator of engineering design and an essential parameter of soil precision tillage and agricultural machinery and equipment design. Although numerous studies have investigated the characteristics of different soil shear strengths, only a few of these works have paid attention to soils containing considerable quantities of rock fragments. To date, most studies on the effects of rock fragments on the shear strength have paid attention to the role of rock fragments with sizes 〉2 mm. The effects of rock fragments 〈2 mm in soil are generally ignored. Similar to rock fragments 〉2 ram, the presence of rock fragments 〈2 mm could also change the mechanical properties of soils. Thus, in the present study we evaluated the potential influence of 〈2 mm rock fragments on soil shear strength via an unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial compression test. Our results were as follows: (1) A certain quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments presented in purple soils developed from clay rocks; and an appropriate quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments could improve the shear strength of soils. (2) The different PSDs of soils containin 〈2 mm rock fragment mainly caused variations in the internal friction angle of soils. (3) The shear strengths of the two mudstone-developed red-brown and gray-brown purple soils was more sensitive to water than that of the shale-developed coarse-dark purple soil. As the soil water content increased from 9% to 23%, the changes in the cohesion, internal friction angle, shear strength, and the maximum principal stress difference were smaller in the coarse dark purple soil than in the two other soils. We therefore concluded that 〈2 mm rock fragments in purple soils exerted important effects on soil shear strength. A better understanding of the differences among the shear strength features of purple soils could help improve the design of agricultural machinery and equipment.展开更多
Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is ...Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is reasonably well understood. However there is simple method to identify the dispersivity of the soils and even more difficult to quantify the dispersivity. Visual classification, Atterberg’s limits and particle size analysis do not provide sufficient basis to differentiate between dispersive clays and ordinary erosion resistant clays. Pinhole test and double hydrometer test are the only two tests that are in vogue to identify the dispersive soils. This paper explores the possibility of using other standard tests such as shrinkage limit and unconfined compressive strength tests to quantify the dispersivity of the soils. The rationale of using the methods and correlation between the dispersivity determined by various methods has been explained. It has been concluded that dispersivity ascertained from strength tests is more reliable.展开更多
Nonwovens' pore structures are very important to their mechanical and physical properties. And the pore structures are influenced by the fiber properties and fibers arrangement in web. In this paper, the fractal geom...Nonwovens' pore structures are very important to their mechanical and physical properties. And the pore structures are influenced by the fiber properties and fibers arrangement in web. In this paper, the fractal geometry, in combination with computer image anaysis, is used to express the irregularity of pore size distribution in nonwovens, and the effect of fiber properties on fractal dimension of pore size distribution is discussed by using simulated images which are composed of nonlinear staple fibers. The results show that the fiber properties, such as crimp, diameter, angular distribution, and especially the number of fibers prominently influence the pore structure.展开更多
基金The work described in this paper was partially supported by grants from the Research Grant Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region,China(Project Nos.HKU 17207518 and R5037-18).
文摘The traditional standard wet sieving method uses steel sieves with aperture?0.063 mm and can only determine the particle size distribution(PSD)of gravel and sand in general soil.This paper extends the traditional method and presents an extended wet sieving method.The extended method uses both the steel sieves and the nylon filter cloth sieves.The apertures of the cloth sieves are smaller than 0.063 mm and equal 0.048 mm,0.038 mm,0.014 mm,0.012 mm,0.0063 mm,0.004 mm,0.003 mm,0.002 mm,and 0.001 mm,respectively.The extended method uses five steps to separate the general soil into many material sub-groups of gravel,sand,silt and clay with known particle size ranges.The complete PSD of the general soil is then calculated from the dry masses of the individual material sub-groups.The extended method is demonstrated with a general soil of completely decomposed granite(CDG)in Hong Kong,China.The silt and clay materials with different particle size ranges are further examined,checked and verified using stereomicroscopic observation,physical and chemical property tests.The results further confirm the correctness of the extended wet sieving method.
基金funded by the National Key R&D Program of China(2017YFD0800505)Chongqing Key R&D Project of Technology Innovation and Application(NO.cstc2018jscxmszd X0055)。
文摘Characterizing soil particle-size distribution is a key measure towards soil property.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the multifractal characteristics of soil particle-size distribution among different land-use from a purple soil catchment and to generalize the spatial variation trend of multifractal parameters across the catchment.A total of 84 soil samples were collected from four kinds of land use patterns(dry land,orchard,paddy,and forest)in an agricultural catchment in the Three Gorges Reservoir Region,China.The multifractal analysis method was applied to quantitatively characterize the soil particle size distribution.Six soil particle size distribution(PSD)multifractal parameters(D(0),D(1),D(2),(35)a(q),(35)f[a(q)],α(0))were computed.Additionally,a geostatistical analysis was employed to reveal the spatial differentiation and map the spatial distribution of these parameters.Evident multifractal characteristics were found.The trend of generalized dimension spectrum of four land use patterns was basically consistent with the range of 0.8 to 2.0.However,orchard showed the largest monotonic decline,while the forest demonstrated the smallest decrease.D(0)of the four land use patterns were ranked as:dry land<orchard<forest<paddy,the order of D(1)was:dry land<paddy<orchard<forest,D(2)presented a rand-size relationship as dry land<forest<paddy<orchard.Furthermore,all land-use patterns presented asΔf[α(q)]<0.The rand-size relationship ofα(0)was same as D(0).The best-fitting model for D(0),D(1),D(2)andΔf[α(q)]was spherical model,forΔα(q)was gaussian model,and forα(0)was exponential model with structure variance ratio was 1.03%,49.83%,0.84%,1.48%,22.20%and 10.60%,respectively.The results showed that soil particles of each land use pattern were distributed unevenly.The multifractal parameters under different land use have significant differences,except forΔα(q).Differences in the composition of soil particles lead to differences in the multifractal properties even though they belong to the same soil texture.Farming behavior may refine particles and enhance the heterogeneity of soil particle distribution.Our results provide an effective reference for quantifying the impact of human activities on soil system in the Three Gorges Reservoir region.
基金financially supported by the National Basic Research Program of China(2009CB825103)
文摘Fractal geometry is an important method in soil science,and many studies have used fractal theory to examine soil properties and the relationships with other eco-environmental factors.However,there have been few studies examining soil particle volume fractal dimension in alpine grasslands.To study the volume fractal dimension of soil particles (D) and its relationships with soil salt,soil nutrient and plant species diversity,we conducted an experiment on an alpine grassland under different disturbance degrees:non-disturbance (N0),light disturbance (L),moderate disturbance (M) and heavy disturbance (H).The results showed that (1) Ds varied from 2.573 to 2.635 among the different disturbance degrees and increased with increasing degrees of disturbance.(2) Shannon-Wiener diversity index,Pielou's evenness index and Margalef richness index reached their highest values at the M degree,indicating that moderate disturbance is beneficial to the increase of plant species diversity.(3) In the L and M degrees,there was a significant positive correlation between D and clay content and a significant negative correlation between D and soil organic matter (SOM).In the H degree,D was significantly and positively correlated with total salt (TS).The results suggested that to a certain extent,D can be used to characterize the uniformity of soil texture in addition to soil fertility characteristics.(4) For the L degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and the Shannon-Wiener diversity index; while for the M degree,there was a significant negative correlation between D and Pielou's evenness index.
基金financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant No.41790432)Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences(Grant No.XDA20030301)。
文摘Internal erosion occurs when fine particles escape from the soil driven by seepage flow,which is considered to be the crucial factor causing the failure of earth structures filled with gravelly soil.The objective of this paper is to suggest an appropriate method to assess internal erosion potential of gravelly soil.By analyzing the sensitivity of soil material to internal erosion,the variable(Dc15/df85)max and the content of coarse particles(Pc)are selected as the evaluation indexes(Dc15 and df85 are the diameters of 15%mass passing in the coarse component and 85%mass passing in the fine component,respectively).A series of gravelly soils with different particle size distributions are tested for internal erosion by the self-made permeameter.Based on the test results,an evaluation method for the internal erosion of gravelly soil is proposed.Gravelly soil is prone to internal erosion when 60%≤Pc<95%and(Dc15/df85)max≥9.5.The proposed method shows good accuracy in evaluating the internal erosion of 36 soil samples from other studies,which confirms the reliability of the method.The proposed method makes it possible to accurately assess internal erosion of gravelly soil,and an alternative method is provided for engineers to determine whether there is a risk of internal erosion in earth structures consisting of gravelly soil.
基金This paper was sponsored by China National Nature Science Foundation
文摘Semi-automatic image analysis system was used for the surface fractal dimension measurement of 15 kinds of rock-fractured particles. The results indicate that the surfaces of the particles that have a size of about 200 mesh are fractal, and that the fractal dimension is in the range of 2.07~2.11. Therefore, some definitions of particle size such as surface diameter, equivalent volumetricly surface diameter are equivocal without giving the step length and the drag diameter, free-fall diameter, and stokes’diameter may be modified by the fractal dimension.
基金Acknowledgements: This work was supported by the Scientific Research Foundation for the Returned Overseas Chinese Scholars, SEM, China, and also supported by the United States National Science Foundation. The authors thank Prof. SHEN H. H. and Prof. SHEN H. T. from Clarkson University for their unconditional support to this work.
文摘The effect of NaCl on soil strength was investigated in this project based on salinity concentrations of 0 g/L, 5 g/L, 20 g/L, and 50 g/L as well as varying water contents of 15%-20%. Laser particle size analyzer was also performed to explain possible effects. From particle size analysis and strength tests, it is hypothesized that the strength of the soil is increased with the addition of certain salinity concentrations until there are reversed effects, which is between 20 g/L and 50 g/L from our study. The increase of strength is suggested to be the affect of a greater variety of particle sizes. Since NaCI plays a role in the particle size distribution, it also plays a role in the strength of soils. The degree of the effect of the water content also differs from concentrations, and could be due to the variation of hydration film thickness on particles, which is affected by the ions introduced from water.
基金The Ph.D.Programs Foundation of Ministry of Edu-cation of China(No20050710006)
文摘Size distribution characteristics of intercity bus hubs in China from 1997 to 2(104 were analyzed regarding highway passenger volume as a size index of intercity bus hubs. Yearly fractal dimensions of intercity bus hub sizes were exactly calculated by a novel model. Fractal dimensions of the 200 biggest intercity bus hubs from 2000 to 2004 were 1. 486 2 to 1. 511 8, and that is consistent with fractal dimensions of Chinese urban system sizes. It showed that the size distribution of intercity bus hubs had fractal structure. Fractal dimensions from 1997 to 2004 indicated that intercity bus hub size distribution grew from bi-fractal to single fractal. It is concluded that the intercity bus hub system is in evolutionary progress, and the Central Government should support large intercity bus hubs more to optimize system structure.
基金funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(90302001)CAS Knowledge Innovation(KZCX3-SW-421)the Fund of the State Key Laboratory of Soil Erosion and DrylandFarming on the Loess Plateau(10501-152).
文摘Fractal method is a new method to estimate soil structure. It has been shown to be a useful tool in studies related to physical properties of soil as well as erosion and other hydrological processes. Fractal dimension was used to study the soil structure in soil at different stages of vegetative succession on the Ziwuling Mountains. The land use and vegetation types included cultivated land, abandoned land, grassland, two types of shrub land, and three types of forests. The grassland, shrub land, and forested areas represented a continuum in vegetative succession that had occurred naturally, as the land was abandoned in 1862. Disturbed and undisturbed soil samples were collected from ten vegetation types from depths of 0-10, 10-20, and 20-30 cm on the Ziwuling Mountains, at a site with an elevation of about 1 500 m. Particle size distribution was determined by the pipette method and aggregate size distribution was determined by wet sieving. The results were used to calculate the particle and aggregate fractal dimension. The results showed that particle and aggregate fractal dimensions varied between vegetation types. There was a positive correlation between the particle fractal dimension and the weight of particles with diameter 〈 0.001 mm, but no relationship between particle fractal dimension and the other particle size classes. Particle fractal dimension was lower in vegetated soils compared to cropland and there was no consistent relationship between fractal dimension and vegetation type. Aggregate fractal dimension was positively correlated with the weight of 〉 0.25 mm aggregates. Aggregate fractal dimension was lower in vegetated soils compared with cropland. In contrast to particle fractal dimension, aggregate fractal dimension described changes in soil structure associated with vegetative succession. The results of this study indicate that aggregate fractal dimension is more effective in describing soil structure and function compared with particle fractal dimension.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(51674049,52074044,and 51874053)the Scientific Research Foundation of Hunan Provincial Education Department,China(22B0854)。
文摘In this study,X-ray diffraction,N_(2)adsorption(N_(2)A),and mercury intrusion(MI)experiments were used to investigate the influence of acid treatment on pore structure and fractal characterization of tight sandstones.The results showed that acid treatment generated a certain number of ink-bottle pores in fine sandstone,aggravated the ink-bottle effect in the sandy mudstone,and transformed some smaller pores into larger ones.After the acid treatment,both the pore volume in the range of 2–11 nm and 0.271–8μm for the fine sandstone and the entire pore size range for the sandy mudstone significantly increased.The dissolution of sandstone cement causes the fine sandstone particles to fall off and fill the pores;the porosity increased at first but then decreased with acid treatment time.The fractal dimension obtained using the Frenkel-Halsey-Hill model was positively correlated with acid treatment time.However,the total fractal dimensions obtained by MI tests showed different changes with acid treatment time in fine sandstone and sandy mudstone.These results provide good guiding significance for reservoir acidification stimulation.
基金funded by the Key Project of China National Tobacco Corporation Sichuan Province Company(Grants No.SCYC201802)CAS President’s International Fellowship Initiative(Grants No.2019VEA0032)。
文摘Soil conservation practices can greatly affect the soil erosion process,but limited information is available about its influence on the particle size distribution(PSD)of eroded sediment,especially under natural rainfall.In this study,the runoff,sediment yields,and effective/ultimate PSD were measured under two conventional tillage practices,downhill ridge tillage(DT)and plat tillage(PT)and three soil conservation practices,contour ridge tillage(CT),mulching with downhill ridge tillage(MDT),and mulching with contour ridge tillage(MCT)during 21 natural rainfall events in the lower Jinsha River.The results showed that(1)soil conservation practices had a significant effect on soil erosion.The conventional tillage of DT caused highest runoff depth(0.58 to 29.13 mm)and sediment yield(0.01 to 3.19 t hm^(-2)).Compared with DT,the annual runoff depths and sediment yields of CT,MDT and MCT decreased by 12.24%-49.75%and 40.79%-88.30%,respectively.(2)Soil conservation practices can reduce the decomposition of aggregates in sediments.The ratios of effective and ultimate particle size(E/U)of siltand sand-sized particles of DT and PT plots were close to 1,indicating that they were transported as primary particles,however,values lower/greater than 1 subject to CT,MDT and MCT plots indicated they were transported as aggregates.The ratios of E/U of claysized particles were all less than 1 independently of tillage practices.(3)The sediments of soil conservation practices were more selective than those of conventional tillage practices.For CT,MDT and MCT plots,the average enrichment ratios(ERs)of clay,silt and sand were 1.99,1.93 and 0.42,respectively,with enrichment of clay and silt and depletion of sand in sediments.However,the compositions of the eroded sediments of DT and PT plots were similar to that of the original soil.These findings support the use of both effective and ultimate particle size distributions for studying the size selectivity of eroded sediment,and provide a scientific basis for revealing the erosion mechanism in the purple soil area of China.
基金financially supported by the Special Program for Basic Research of the Ministry of Science and Technology, China (2014FY210100)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41171422, 41271298)the West Light Foundation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences
文摘Wind and water erosion are among the most important causes of soil loss, and understanding their interactions is important for estimating soil quality and environmental impacts in regions where both types of erosion occur. We used a wind tunnel and simulated rainfall to study sediment yield, particle-size distribution and the fractal dimension of the sediment particles under wind and water erosion. The experiment was conducted with wind ero- sion firstly and water erosion thereafter, under three wind speeds (0, 11 and 14 m/s) and three rainfall intensities (60, 80 and 100 ram/h). The results showed that the sediment yield was positively correlated with wind speed and rain- fall intensity (P〈0.01). Wind erosion exacerbated water erosion and increased sediment yield by 7.25%-38.97% relative to the absence of wind erosion. Wind erosion changed the sediment particle distribution by influencing the micro-topography of the sloping land surface. The clay, silt and sand contents of eroded sediment were also posi- tively correlated with wind speed and rainfall intensity (P〈0.01). Wind erosion increased clay and silt contents by 0.35%-19.60% and 5.80%-21.10%, respectively, and decreased sand content by 2.40%-8.33%, relative to the absence of wind erosion. The effect of wind erosion on sediment particles became weaker with increasing rainfall intensities, which was consistent with the variation in sediment yield. However, particle-size distribution was not closely correlated with sediment yield (P〉0.05). The fractal dimension of the sediment particles was significantly different under different intensities of water erosion (P〈0.05), but no significant difference was found under wind and water erosion. The findings reported in this study implicated that both water and wind erosion should be controlled to reduce their intensifying effects, and the controlling of wind erosion could significantly reduce water erosion in this wind-water erosion crisscross region.
基金supported by the Missouri University of Science and Technology/Waterjet Laboratory and funded by the China Postdoctoral Science Foundation(Grant No.2014M552555XB)Doctoral Program in Xi’an University of Science and Technology(Grant No.2013QDJ039).
文摘Comminution of coal to ultrafine sizes by high-pressure waterjet provides a novel method for preparation of coal-water fuels for next generation,near-zero emission electric power generation.The particle size distribution(PSD)of ground coal is a key parameter in the preparation of slurries as it determines the settling behavior of the particles and viscosity of the coal-water mixture.There are several methods available for representation and evaluation of particle size analysis data.However,fractal theory provides a means by which the entire PSD of comminuted materials can be quantified by using of a specific and exact value.In this paper,a volume-based fractal model was deduced to characterize the PSD of the coal which is ground in a specially designed comminution cell.During the size reduction process,the inlet pressures up to 276 MPa were used.
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China(40231016)the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China(2006BAD05B01-02)
文摘The interaction of soil aggregate dynamics with soil organic carbon is complex with varied spatio-temporal processes in macro-and micro-aggregates. This paper is to determine the aggregation of soil aggregates in purple soils (Regosols in FAO Taxonomy or Entisols in USDA Taxonomy) for four types of land use, cropland [corn (Zea mays L.)], orchard (citrus), forestland (bamboo or cypress), and barren land (wild grass), and to explore their relationship with soil organic carbon in the Sichuan basin of southwestern China. Procedures and methods, including manual dry sieving procedure, Yoder's wet sieving procedure, pyrophosphates solution method, and Kachisky method, are used to acquire dry, wet, and chemically stable aggregates, and microaggregates. Light and heavy fractions of soil organic carbon were separated using 2.0 g·mL^-1 HgI2-KI mixed solution. The loosely, stably, and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction were separated by extraction with 0.1 M NaOH and 0.1 M NaOH-0.1M Na4P2O7 mixed solution (pH 13). The results show that the contents of dry and wet macroaggregates 〉0.25 mm in diameter were 974.1 and 900.0 g·kg^-1 highest in red brown purple soils under forestland, while 889.6 and 350.6 g·kg^-1 lowest in dark purple soil and lowest in grey brown purple soils under cropland, respectively. The chemical stability of macroaggregates was lowest in grey brown purple soil with 8.47% under cropland, and highest in red brown purple soil with 69.34% under barren land. The content of microaggregates in dark purple soils was 587g·kg^-1 higher than brown purple soils, while 655g·kg^-1 in red brown purple soils was similar to grey brown purple soils (651g·kg^-1). Cropland conditions, only 38.4% of organic carbon was of the combined form, and 61.6% of that existed in light fraction. Forestland conditions, 90.7% of organic carbon in red brown purple soil was complexed with minerals as a form of humic substances. The contents and stability of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm, contents and stability of chemically stable aggregates 〉0.25 mm, contents of microaggregates 〉 0.01 mm, contents of aggregated primary particle (d〈0.01 mm) and degree of primary particles (d 〈0.01 mm) aggregation were closely related to the concentrations of total soil organic carbon, and loosely and tightly combined organic carbon in heavy fraction. Soil microaggregation could be associated with organic carbon concentration and its combined forms in heavy fraction. There was a direct relationship between microaggregation and macroaggregation of soil primary particles, because the contents of wet aggregates 〉 0.25 mm and its water stability of aggregates were highly correlated with the contents of aggregated primary particle (d 〈 0.01 mm) and the degree of primary particles (d 〈 0.01 mm) aggregation.
基金supported by National Basic Research Program of China (2014CB138703)the Strategic Priority Research Program of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDA05050403)+3 种基金Changjiang Scholars and Innovative Research Team in University (IRT13019)Key Science and Technology Projects of Gansu Province (1203FKDA035)Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (lzujbky-2014-78)the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31070412, 31201837)
文摘Soil labile organic carbon (C) plays an important role in improving soil quality. The relatively stable fractions of soil organic C (SOC) represent the bulk of SOC, and are also the primary determinant of the long-term C balance of terrestrial ecosystems. Different land use types can influence the distribution patterns of different SOC fractions. However, the underlying mechanisms are not well understood. In the present study, different fractions of SOC were determined in two land use types: a grazed grassland (established on previously cultivated cropland 25 years ago, GG) and a long-term cultivated millet cropland (MC). The results showed that C concentration and C storage of light fractions (LF) and heavy fractions (HF) presented different patterns along the soil profiles in the two sites. More plant residues in GG resulted in 91.9% higher LF storage at the 0-10 cm soil depth, further contributed to 21.9% higher SOC storage at this soil depth; SOC storage at 20-60 cm soil depth in MC was 98.8% higher than that in GG, which could be mainly attributed to the HF storage 104.5% higher than in GG. This might be caused by the long-term application of organic manure, as well as the protection from plough pan and silt- and clay-sized particles. The study indicated that different soil management practices in this region can greatly influence the variations of different SOC fractions, while the conventional tillage can greatly improve the storage of SOC by in- creasing heavy fractions.
基金supported by the National Key Technology Research and Development Program of the Ministry of Science and Technology of China (Grant No. 2012BAD05B06)
文摘Soil shear strength is an important indicator of engineering design and an essential parameter of soil precision tillage and agricultural machinery and equipment design. Although numerous studies have investigated the characteristics of different soil shear strengths, only a few of these works have paid attention to soils containing considerable quantities of rock fragments. To date, most studies on the effects of rock fragments on the shear strength have paid attention to the role of rock fragments with sizes 〉2 mm. The effects of rock fragments 〈2 mm in soil are generally ignored. Similar to rock fragments 〉2 ram, the presence of rock fragments 〈2 mm could also change the mechanical properties of soils. Thus, in the present study we evaluated the potential influence of 〈2 mm rock fragments on soil shear strength via an unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial compression test. Our results were as follows: (1) A certain quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments presented in purple soils developed from clay rocks; and an appropriate quantity of 〈2 mm rock fragments could improve the shear strength of soils. (2) The different PSDs of soils containin 〈2 mm rock fragment mainly caused variations in the internal friction angle of soils. (3) The shear strengths of the two mudstone-developed red-brown and gray-brown purple soils was more sensitive to water than that of the shale-developed coarse-dark purple soil. As the soil water content increased from 9% to 23%, the changes in the cohesion, internal friction angle, shear strength, and the maximum principal stress difference were smaller in the coarse dark purple soil than in the two other soils. We therefore concluded that 〈2 mm rock fragments in purple soils exerted important effects on soil shear strength. A better understanding of the differences among the shear strength features of purple soils could help improve the design of agricultural machinery and equipment.
文摘Dispersive soils which occur in many parts of the world are easily erodible and segregate in water pose serious problems of stability of earth and earth retaining structures. The mechanism of dispersivity of soils is reasonably well understood. However there is simple method to identify the dispersivity of the soils and even more difficult to quantify the dispersivity. Visual classification, Atterberg’s limits and particle size analysis do not provide sufficient basis to differentiate between dispersive clays and ordinary erosion resistant clays. Pinhole test and double hydrometer test are the only two tests that are in vogue to identify the dispersive soils. This paper explores the possibility of using other standard tests such as shrinkage limit and unconfined compressive strength tests to quantify the dispersivity of the soils. The rationale of using the methods and correlation between the dispersivity determined by various methods has been explained. It has been concluded that dispersivity ascertained from strength tests is more reliable.
文摘Nonwovens' pore structures are very important to their mechanical and physical properties. And the pore structures are influenced by the fiber properties and fibers arrangement in web. In this paper, the fractal geometry, in combination with computer image anaysis, is used to express the irregularity of pore size distribution in nonwovens, and the effect of fiber properties on fractal dimension of pore size distribution is discussed by using simulated images which are composed of nonlinear staple fibers. The results show that the fiber properties, such as crimp, diameter, angular distribution, and especially the number of fibers prominently influence the pore structure.