Undrained vane shear strength of sand-foam mixtures subjected to different shear rates

The shear strength of sand-foam mixtures plays a crucial role in ensuring successful earth pressure balance(EPB)shield tunneling.Since the sand-foam mixtures are constantly sheared by the cutterhead and the screw conveyor with varied rotation speeds during tunneling,it is non-trivial to investigate the effect of shear rates on the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures under chamber pressures to extend the understanding on the tunneling process.This study conducted a series of pressurized vane shear tests to investigate the role of shear rates on the peak and residual strengths of sand-foam mixtures at different pore states.Different from the shear-rate characteristics of natural sands or clay,the results showed that the peak strength of sand-foam mixtures under high vertical total stress(σ_(v)≥200 kPa)and low foam injection ratio(FIR30%)decreased with the increase in shear rate.Otherwise,the peak strength was not measurably affected by shear rates.The sand-foam mixtures in the residual state resembled low-viscous fluid with yield stress and the residual strength increased slightly with shear rates.In addition,the peak and residual strengths were approximately linear with vertical effective stress regardless of the total stress and FIR.The peak effective internal friction angle remained almost invariant in a low shear rate(γ′<0.25 s1)but decreased when the shear rate continued increasing.The residual effective internal friction angle was lower than the peak counterpart and insensitive to shear rates.This study unveiled the role of shear rates in the undrained shear strength of sand-foam mixtures with various FIRs and vertical total stresses.The findings can extend the understanding of the rate-dependent shear characteristics of conditioned soils and guide the decision-making of soil conditioning schemes in the EPB shield tunneling practice.

Optimization of clay material mixture ratio and filling process in gypsum mine goaf

Because there is neither waste rock nor mill tailings in the gypsum mine, and the buildings on the goaf of gypsum mine are needed to be protected, the research proposed the scheme of the clay filling technology. Gypsum, cement, lime and water glass were used as adhesive, and the strength of different material ratios were investigated in this study. The influence factors of clay strength were obtained in the order of cement, gypsum, water glass and lime. The results show that the cement content is the determinant influence factor, and gypsum has positive effects, while the water glass can enhance both clay strength and the fluidity of the filing slurry. Furthermore, combining chaotic optimization method with neural network, the optimal ratio of composite cementing agent was obtained. The results show that the optimal ratio of water glass, cement, lime and clay (in quality) is 1.17:6.74:4.17:87.92 in the process of bottom self-flow filling, while the optimal ratio is 1.78:9.58:4.71:83.93 for roof-contacted filling. A novel filling process to fill in gypsum mine goaf with clay is established. The engineering practice shows that the filling cost is low, thus, notable economic benefit is achieved.

Influence of the Gas Mixture Ratio on the Correlations Between the Excimer XeCl Emission and the Sealed Gas Temperature in Dielectric Barrier Discharge Lamps

For dielectric barrier discharge lamps filled with various gas mixture ratios, the correlations between the excimer XeCl* emission and the sealed gas temperature have been founded, and a qualitative explication is presented. For gas mixture with chlorine larger than 3%, the emission intensity increases with the sealed gas temperature, while with chlorine about 2%, the emission intensity decreases with the increase in the gas temperature, and could be improved by cooling water. However, if chlorine is less than 1.5%, the discharge appears to be a mixture mode with filaments distributed in a diffused glow-like discharge, and the UV emission is independent on the gas temperature.

Optimal Mixture Ratios of Biodiesel Ethanol Diesel for Diesel Engines

In this paper, we study the best-mixture ratio of biodiesel-ethanol-diesel for diesel engines. The simulation results show that the integrated indexes including engine power, cost-effectiveness and emission properties are rather better with different optimizing index when the ratio of bio-diesel, ethanol and diesel are 71.58:2.72:25.70 and 50:2.4127:47.5873.

Determination Method for Shear Strength Parameters of Rock-Soil Mixtures Using Close-Range Photogrammetry and 3-D Limit Equilibrium Theory

Using a combination of close-range photogrammetry and three-dimensional(3-D) limit equilibrium theory, a determination method for the shear strength parameters of rock-soil mixture is presented. A close-range photogrammetry method is used for measurement of the 3-D terrain of the experimental target. Auto CAD Lisp and EXCEL VBA are used to perform 3-D limit equilibrium analysis of the stability of sliding mass and perform backanalysis of shear strength parameters. The presented method was used to determine the shear strength parameters of rock-soil mixtures at the Liyuan Hydropower Station. The 3-D terrain of sliding surface could be measured notably well using of closerange photogrammetry. The computed results reveal that the cohesion and friction angle of rock-soil mixtures were 3.15 k Pa and 29.88o for test A, respectively, and 4.43 k Pa and 28.30o for test B, respectively, within the range of shear strength parameters, as determined by field and laboratory tests. The computation of shear strength parameters is influenced by the mesh grid number, especially the cohesion of the rock-soil mixture. The application of close-range photogrammetry can reduce the siteworks and improve the computational efficiency and accuracy.

Predicting the Dielectric Strength of c-C_4F_8 and SF_6 Gas Mixtures by Monte Carlo Method

An improved Monte Carlo method was used to simulate the motion of electrons in c-C_4F_8 and SF_6 gas mixtures for pulsed townsend discharge. The electron swarm parameters such as effective ionization coefficient, [AKα-] and drift velocity over the E/N range from 280～700 Td(1Td=10-21 V·m2) were calculated by employing a set of cross sections available in literature. From the variation cure of [AKα-] with SF_6 partial pressure p, the limiting field (E/N)_lim of gas mixture at different gas content was determined. It is found that the limiting field of c-C_4F_8 and SF_6 gas mixture is higher than that of pure SF_6 at any SF_6 mixture ratio. Simulation results show excellent agreement with experiment data available in previous literature.

Statistical Study on Cement-Soil Mixture Strength

This paper presents an investigation on strength of cement deep mixing （CDM） mixture. Four typical works of offshore or land-based projects are introduced. With samples from these projects and laboratory tests, statistical analysis is made on the increment law of the strength of cement-soil mixture with different amount of cement, and strengths under different working conditions are compared. It is found that the amount of cement in the cement-soil mixture is closely related to the unconfined compressive strength of the mixture. At the age of 90 d,the unconfined compressive strength of the cement-soil mixture increased by 0.054 MPa—0.124 MPa with each cement increasing 10 kg/m3 in the cement-soil mixture, averagely increased by 0.085 MPa, while that at the age of 120 d increased by 1100 in comparison.The quality of the cement-soil mixture should be comprehensively evaluated in accordance with the trimmed average of strength, coefficient of variation and rock quality designation （RQD） indicators of sampling ratio.

Pore evolution and shear characteristics of a soil-rock mixture upon freeze-thaw cycling

The changes in pore structure within soil-rock mixtures under freeze-thaw cycles in cold regions result in strength deterioration,leading to instability and slope failure.However,the existing studies mainly provided qualitative analysis of the changes in pore or strength of soil-rock mixture under freeze-thaw cycles.In contrast,few studies focused on the quantitative evaluation of pore change and the relationship between the freeze-thaw strength deterioration and pore change of soil-rock mixture.This study aims to explore the correlation between the micro-pore evolution characteristics and macro-mechanics of a soil-rock mixture after frequent freeze-thaw cycles during the construction and subsequent operation in a permafrost region.The pore characteristics of remolded soil samples with different rock contents(i.e.,25%,35%,45%,and 55%)subjected to various freeze-thaw cycles(i.e.,0,1,3,6,and 10)were quantitatively analyzed using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).Shear tests of soil-rock samples under different normal pressures were carried out simultaneously to explore the correlation between the soil strength changes and pore characteristics.The results indicate that with an increase in the number of freeze-thaw cycles,the cohesion of the soil-rock mixture generally decreases first,then increases,and finally decreases;however,the internal friction angle shows no apparent change.With the increase in rock content,the peak shear strength of the soil-rock mixture rises first and then decreases and peaks when the rock content is at 45%.When the rock content remains constant,as the number of freeze-thaw cycles rises,the shear strength of the sample reaches its peak after three freeze-thaw cycles.Studies have shown that with an increase in freeze-thaw cycles,the medium and large pores develop rapidly,especially for pores with a size of 0.2–20μm.Freeze-thaw cycling affects the internal pores of the soil-rock mixture by altering its skeleton and,therefore,impacts its macro-mechanical characteristics.

Identification of Mixtures of Two Types of Body Fluids Using the Multiplex Methylation System and Random Forest Models

Objective Body fluid mixtures are complex biological samples that frequently occur in crime scenes,and can provide important clues for criminal case analysis.DNA methylation assay has been applied in the identification of human body fluids,and has exhibited excellent performance in predicting single-source body fluids.The present study aims to develop a methylation SNaPshot multiplex system for body fluid identification,and accurately predict the mixture samples.In addition,the value of DNA methylation in the prediction of body fluid mixtures was further explored.Methods In the present study,420 samples of body fluid mixtures and 250 samples of single body fluids were tested using an optimized multiplex methylation system.Each kind of body fluid sample presented the specific methylation profiles of the 10 markers.Results Significant differences in methylation levels were observed between the mixtures and single body fluids.For all kinds of mixtures,the Spearman’s correlation analysis revealed a significantly strong correlation between the methylation levels and component proportions(1:20,1:10,1:5,1:1,5:1,10:1 and 20:1).Two random forest classification models were trained for the prediction of mixture types and the prediction of the mixture proportion of 2 components,based on the methylation levels of 10 markers.For the mixture prediction,Model-1 presented outstanding prediction accuracy,which reached up to 99.3%in 427 training samples,and had a remarkable accuracy of 100%in 243 independent test samples.For the mixture proportion prediction,Model-2 demonstrated an excellent accuracy of 98.8%in 252 training samples,and 98.2%in 168 independent test samples.The total prediction accuracy reached 99.3%for body fluid mixtures and 98.6%for the mixture proportions.Conclusion These results indicate the excellent capability and powerful value of the multiplex methylation system in the identification of forensic body fluid mixtures.

Modified likelihood ratio test for homogeneity in normal mixtures with two samples

This paper investigates the modified likelihood ratio test（LRT） for homogeneity in normal mixtures of two samples with mixing proportions unknown. It is proved that the limit distribution of the modified likelihood ratio test is X^2（1）.

A Comparative Study of the Novel Ratio Difference Method versus Conventional Spectrophotometric Techniques for the Analysis of Binary Mixture with Overlapped Spectra

The smart novel ratio difference spectrophotometric method was developed and validated for the determination of a binary mixture of Sodium cromoglicate (SCG) and Fluorometholone (FLU) in presence of benzalkonium chloride without prior separation. The results were compared to that of the conventional methods (dual wavelength and first derivative of ratio spectra). The suggested methods were validated in compliance with the ICH guidelines and were successfully applied for determination of SCG and FLU in their laboratory prepared mixtures and commercial ophthalmic solution. The novel method showed significant advantages over the conventional methods regarding simplicity, minimal data manipulation and maximum reproducibility and robustness;which enabled the analysis of binary mixtures with overlapped spectra for routine quality control testing with quite satisfactory.

Mechanical characteristics of tensile strength ratio method compared to other parameters used for moisture susceptibility evaluation of asphalt mixtures

In this study,mechanical characteristics of tensile strength ratio(TSR)were evaluated by comparing it to other methods in evaluating moisture sensitivity of asphalt mixtures.Twenty types of asphalt mixtures with and without anti-stripping additives were prepared and tested in the laboratory.Uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)and indirect tensile(IDT)testing were conducted to determine the mixture’s tensile strength ratio and cohesion ratio(CR).Determining TSR alone was found to be insufficient when evaluating moisture resistance.There is a need to consider both TSR and wet IDT strength to properly evaluate moisture behavior of asphalt mixtures.Moreover,it was found that the cohesion and the IDT strength have a good relation in which the minimum condition of the slope,must be met.However,it was observed thatβvalues change depending on material type and temperature.Hence,there is a need to evaluate theseβvalues for varying material and testing temperature.In addition,it was found that the TSR and CR results are highly correlated with an average difference of 1.5%.Furthermore,other tests such as Marshall stability and dynamic immersion were also conducted.It was found that Marshall stability ratio(MSR)and Marshall stability to flow ratio(MSFR)values are less sensitive to moisture effect when measuring moisture resistance compared to TSR values.Finally,the 48 h testing result of the dynamic immersion test showed better correlation with TSR values.

Shear modulus and damping ratio of sand-granulated rubber mixtures

Recycled waste tires when mixed with soil can play an important role as lightweight materials in retaining walls and embankments, machine foundations and railroad track beds in seismic zones. Having high damping characteristic, rubbers can be used as either soil alternative or mixed with soil to reduce vibration when seismic loads are of great concern. Therefore, the objective of this work was to evaluate the dynamic properties of such mixtures prior to practical applications. To this reason, torsional resonant column and dynamic triaxial experiments were carried out and the effect of the important parameters like rubber content and ratio of mean grain size of rubber solids versus soil solids(D50,r/D50,s) on dynamic response of mixtures in a range of low to high shearing strain amplitude from about 4×10-4% to 2.7% were investigated. Considering engineering applications, specimens were prepared almost at the maximum dry density and optimum moisture content to model a mixture layer above the ground water table and in low precipitation region. The results show that tire inclusion significantly reduces the shear modulus and increases the damping ratio of the mixtures. Also decrease in D50,r/D50,s causes the mixture to exhibit more rubber-like behavior. Finally, normalized shear modulus versus shearing strain amplitude curve was proposed for engineering practice.

Breakdown Electric Field of Hot 30% CF_3I/CO_2 Mixtures at Temperature of 300–3500 K During Arc Extinction Process

We calculated the uniform dielectric breakdown field strength of residual 30% CF3I/CO2 gas mixtures during the arc extinction process over the temperature range 300-3500 K at 0.1 MPa. The limiting reduced field strengths are decided by a balance of electron generation and loss based on chemical reactions estimated by the electron energy distribution function （EEDF）, which employs the Boltzmann equation method with two-term expanding approximation in the steady-state Townsend （SST） condition. During the insulation recovery phase, the hot CF3I/CO2 gas mixtures have maximum dielectric strength at a temperature of about 1500 K. At room temperature 300 K, the electric strength after arc extinction （90.3 Td, 1 Td=10-21 V.m2） is only 38% of the original value before arc （234.9 Td）. The adverse insulation recovery ability of CF3I/CO2 gas mixtures in arc extinction hinders its application in electric circuit breakers and other switchgears as an arc quenching and insulating medium.

Applying Improved Electrical Breakdown Model to Study Insulating Property of c-C_4F_8/N_2 Gas Mixture

Perfluorocyclobutane(c-C4F8) has been recently considered as a potential alternative to SF6,because of its high electro-negativity and extremely low environmental effect.However,due to its high boiling point,c-C4F8 should mixed with buffer gases such as N2 or CO2 in order to avoid the liquefaction at low temperature.This paper investigates insulating properties of c-C4F8/N2 gas mixtures from two aspects including electrical strength,and Global Warming Potential(GWP).Moreover,improved electrical breakdown model of gas mixtures is founded.Breakdown temperature and breakdown electrical field in gas mixtures can be obtained from rigorous Townsend criterion expression according to gas mixtures ratio and cross section data of gas mixtures in this model.Under the condition of different gas pressure(0.1~0.4 MPa),gas mixtures ratio(0～30%),and electrode gap(2~10 mm),breakdown voltages of gas mixtures are calculated by using of this model.Insulation strength of SF6/N2 mixed gas is compared with c-C4F8/N2 mixed gas in the same conditions.Research results show that theoretical computation corresponds with experiment.If the content of c-C4F8 or SF6 in mixtures is less than 30%,insulation strength between c-C4F8/N2 and SF6/N2 is very close.Considering two indexes(breakdown voltage,GWP),it is suitable for c-C4F8 content being 15%～20% in c-C4F8/N2 gas

In situ Raman spectroscopic quantification of CH4–CO2 mixture: application to fluid inclusions hosted in quartz veins from the Longmaxi Formation shales in Sichuan Basin, southwestern China

We re-evaluate the Raman spectroscopic quantification of the molar ratio and pressure for CH4–CO2 mixtures.Firstly,the Raman quantification factors of CH4 and CO2 increase with rising pressure at room temperature,indicating that Raman quantification of CH4/CO2 molar ratio can be applied to those fluid inclusions(FIs)with high internal pressure(i.e.,>15 MPa).Secondly,the v1(CH4)peak position shifts to lower wavenumber with increasing pressure at constant temperature,confirming that the v1(CH4)peak position can be used to calculate the fluid pressure.However,this method should be carefully calibrated before applying to FI analyses because large discrepancies exist among the reported v1(CH4)-P curves,especially in the highpressure range.These calibrations are applied to CH4-rich FIs in quartz veins of the Silurian Longmaxi black shales in southern Sichuan Basin.The vapor phases of these FIs are mainly composed of CH4 and minor CO2,with CO2 molar fractions from4.4%to 7.4%.The pressure of single-phase gas FI ranges from 103.65 to 128.35 MPa at room temperature,which is higher than previously reported.Thermodynamic calculations supported the presence of extremely high-pressure CH4-saturated fluid(218.03–256.82 MPa at 200°C),which may be responsible for the expulsion of CH4 to adjacent reservoirs.

A classification system for tableting behaviors of binary powder mixtures

The ability to predict tableting properties of a powder mixture from individual components is of both fundamental and practical importance to the efficient formulation development of tablet products. A common tableting classification system(TCS) of binary powder mixtures facilitates the systematic development of new knowledge in this direction. Based on the dependence of tablet tensile strength on weight fraction in a binary mixture,three main types of tableting behavior are identified. Each type is further divided to arrive at a total of 15 sub-classes. The proposed classification system lays a framework for a better understanding of powder interactions during compaction. Potential applications and limitations of this classification system are discussed.

Flame Propagation Characteristics of Propane-Air Mixture in Ducts with Obstacles

An experimental study on acceleration mechanism of flame propagation of propane-air mixture in ducts with obstacles was conducted. The acceleration mechanism of flame propagation is mainly due to the positive feedback of the turbulence region induced by obstacles for combustion process. It can be seen from the experimental results that the maximum explosion pressure can increase by 20%, the maximum rate of pressure rise can increase by 10 times and the flame propagation velocity can increase by 20 times when obstacles are present.

A smart simple spectrophotometric method for simultaneous determination of binary mixtures

A new simple spectrophotometric method was developed for the simultaneous determination of drugs with interfering spectra in binary mixtures without previous separation. The new method is based on a simple modification for the ratio subtraction method. This modification enabled wider range of application. The proposed ratio difference method was applied for the determination of brimonidine and timolol in laboratory prepared mixtures with mean percentage recoveries 100.40±2.29 and 101.23± 1.30 respectively, and in their pharmaceutical formulation with mean percentage recoveries 101.08±0.44 and 100.66±0.52 respectively. The suggested ratio difference method was validated according to USP guidelines and can be applied for routine aualitv control testing.

Influence of fuel injection position and equivalent mixture ratio on chemical non-equilibrium effects of single expansion ramp nozzle

Chemical non-equilibrium flow was investigated for the scramjet single expansion ramp nozzle(SERN)with a strut-based liquid-kerosene-fueled combustor.Two-dimensional Reynolds-averaged NavierStokes(RANS)equations were solved with the species conservation equation for continuous phase and the renormalization group(RNG)k-εturbulence model.Lagrangian discrete-phase model was analyzed for liquidkerosene droplets behavior in the supersonic stream.Combustion was simulated by kerosene surrogate fuel's10-species and 13-step reduced reaction kinetics mechanism with use of Arrhenius's laminar finite rate model.Parametric studies were carried out to estimate the influence of different fuel injection positions and equivalent mixture ratios on the SERN chemical non-equilibrium effects.Numerical calculation results show that the strutbased combustor enables convenient modeling of various SERN entry conditions,which is similar with many preceding investigations,by changing the injector strut position and controlling the mass flow rate of each injector.Chemical non-equilibrium effects function in the whole SERN,especially in the initial flow expansion region,leads to obviously higher SERN performance of the non-equilibrium flow than that of the frozen flow.Furthermore,the distributed fuel injection pattern plays a significant role in enhancing the combustion efficiency in combustor,but weakening the chemical non-equilibrium effects funciton in SERN.Additionally,while the equivalent mixture ratio increases,the SERN thrust coefficient and lift coefficient rise gradually,and the increment of non-equilibrium flow in relation to frozen flow becomes higher as well.To be specific,the equivalent mixture ratio is 0.6,the maximum increment of thrust coefficient and lift coefficient are 11.6% and 25% respectively.