Application of decision tree to selection of MTBM for adverse geological conditions

So many potential risks can be identifed for application of trenchless technology especially using microtunneling methods.Unexpected changes in ground conditions,such as encountering boulders,tree roots,ground water and man-made structures such as old foundations are the principal geotechnical risks,which affect the selection of an appropriate microtunnel boring machine.On the other hand,the performance of each microtunneling technique will differ while encountering such conditions.Hence,predicting the potential hazards provides a better safety and risk management plan.In this study,a couple of potentially hazardous situation,which are commonly associated with ground conditions,were identifed and investigated.A decision tree aid methodology was proposed based on geotechnical risk assessment for selection of proper microtunneling technique.Based on the approach the most appropriate microtunneling technique has the minimum risk level either before or after hazards mitigation measures.In order to check the effciency of the approach in practice,selection of microtunnel boring machine for Hamadan sewerage pipeline project was evaluated.Accordingly,an earth pressure balance(EPB)MTBM was selected for the project.

Influence of ground effect on flow field structure and aerodynamic noise of high-speed trains

The simulation of the ground effect has always been a technical difficulty in wind tunnel tests of high-speed trains.In this paper,large eddy simulation and the curl acoustic integral equation were used to simulate the flow-acoustic field results of high-speed trains under four ground simulation systems(GSSs):“moving ground+rotating wheel”,“stationary ground+rotating wheel”,“moving ground+stationary wheel”,and“stationary ground+stationary wheel”.By comparing the fluid-acoustic field results of the four GSSs,the influence laws of different GSSs on the flow field structure,aero-acoustic source,and far-field radiation noise characteristics were investigated,providing guidance for the acoustic wind tunnel testing of high-speed trains.The calculation results of the aerodynamic noise of a 350 km/h high-speed train show that the moving ground and rotating wheel affect mainly the aero-acoustic performance under the train bottom.The influence of the rotating wheel on the equivalent sound source power of the whole vehicle was not more than 5%,but that of the moving ground slip was more than 15%.The average influence of the rotating wheel on the sound pressure level radiated by the whole vehicle was 0.3 dBA,while that of the moving ground was 1.8 dBA.

Laboratory investigation of the anisotropic confinement-dependent brittle-ductile transition of a Utah coal

This paper was developed as part of an effort by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health(NIOSH)to identify risk factors associated with bumps in the prevention of fatalities and accidents in highly stressed,bump-prone ground conditions.Changes of failure mechanism with increasing confinement,from extensional-to shear-dominated failure,are widely observed in the rupture of intact specimens at the laboratory scale and in rock masses.In the previous analysis conducted in 2018,both unconfined and triaxial compressive tests were conducted to investigate the strength characteristics of some specimens of a Utah coal,including the spalling limits,the ratio of apparent unconfined compressive strength(AUCS)to unconfined compressive strength(UCS),the damage characteristics,and the postyield dilatancy.These mechanical characteristics were found to be strongly anisotropic as a function of the orientation of the cleats relative to the loading direction.However,the transition from extensional to shear failure at the given confinements was not clearly identified.In this study,a total of 20 specimens were additionally prepared from the same coal sample used in the previous study and then tested under both unconfined and triaxial compressive conditions.The different confining stresses are used as analogs for different width-to-height(W/H)ratios of pillar strength.Although the W/H ratios of the specimens were not directly considered during testing,the equivalent W/H ratios of a pillar as a function of the confining stresses were estimated using an existing empirical solution.According to this relationship,theW/H atwhich in-situ pillar behavior would be expected to transition from brittle to ductile is identified.