Two-dimensional face stability analysis in rock masses governed by the Hoek-Brown strength criterion with a new multi-horn mechanism

The face stability problem is a major concern for tunnels excavated in rock masses governed by the Hoek-Brown strength criterion.To provide an accurate prediction for the theoretical solution of the critical face pressure,this study adopts the piecewise linear method(PLM)to account for the nonlinearity of the strength envelope and proposes a new multi-horn rotational mechanism based on the Hoek-Brown strength criterion and the associative flow rule.The analytical solution of critical support pressure is derived from the energy-work balance equation in the framework of the plastic limit theorem;it is formulated as a multivariable nonlinear optimization problem relying on 2m dependent variables(m is the number of segments).Meanwhile,two classic linearized measures,the generalized tangential technique(GTT)and equivalent Mohr-Coulomb parameters method(EMM),are incorporated into the analysis for comparison.Surprisingly,the parametric study indicates a significant improvement in support pressure by up to 13%compared with the GTT,and as expected,the stability of the tunnel face is greatly influenced by the rock strength parameters.The stress distribution on the rupture surface is calculated to gain an intuitive understanding of the failure at the limit state.Although the limit analysis is incapable of calculating the true stress distribution in rock masses,a rough approximation of the stress vector on the rupture surface is permitted.In the end,sets of normalized face pressure are provided in the form of charts for a quick assessment of face stability in rock masses.

Improved Units of Measure in Rotational Mechanics

The SI system of units in rotational mechanics yields correct numerical results, but it produces physically incorrect units of measure in many cases. SI units also violate the principle of general covariance—the general rule for defining continuous coordinates and units in mathematics and mathematical physics. After 30+ years of wrestling with these problems, the ultimate authority on units of measure has declared that Newton–meter and Joule are not equivalent in rotational mechanics, as they are in the rest of physics. This article proposes a simple modification to SI units called “Nonstandard International units” (“NI units”) until a better name is agreed upon. NI units yield correct numerical results and physically correct units of measure, and they satisfy the principle of general covariance. The main obstacle to the adoption of NI units is the consensus among users that the radius of rotation should have the unit meter because the radius can be measured with a ruler. NI units assigned to radius should have units meter/radian because the radius is a conversion factor between angular size and circumferential length, as in arclength = rθ. To manage the social consensus behind SI units, the author recommends retaining SI units as they are, and informing users who want correct units that NI units solve the technical problems of SI units.

Type Synthesis of Two-Degrees-of-Freedom Rotational Parallel Mechanism with Two Continuous Rotational Axes

The two-rotational-degrees-of-freedom（2R） parallel mechanism（PM） with two continuous rotational axes（CRAs） has a simple kinematic model.It is therefore easy to implement trajectory planning,parameter calibration,and motion control,which allows for a variety of application prospects.However,no systematic analysis on structural constraints of the 2R-PM with two CRAs has been performed,and there are only a few types of 2R-PM with two CRAs.Thus,a theory regarding the type synthesis of the 2R-PM with two CRAs is systematically established.First,combining the theories of reciprocal screw and space geometry,the spatial arrangement relationships of the constraint forces applied to the moving platform by the branches are explored,which give the 2R-PM two CRAs.The different distributions of the constraint forces in each branch are also studied.On the basis of the obtained structural constraints of branches,and considering the geometric relationships of constraint forces in each branch,the appropriate kinematic chains are constructed.Through the reasonable configuration of branch kinematic chains corresponding to every structural constraint,a series of new 2R-PMs with two CRAs are finally obtained.

Expert Diagnosing System for a Rotation Mechanism Based on a Neural Network

By combining the artificial neural network with the rule reasoning expert system, an expert diagnosing system for a rotation mechanism was established. This expert system takes advantage of both a neural network and a rule reasoning expert system; it can also make use of all kinds of knowledge in the repository to diagnose the fault with the positive and negative mixing reasoning mode. The binary system was adopted to denote all kinds of fault in a rotation mechanism. The neural networks were trained with a random parallel algorithm (Alopex). The expert system overcomes the self learning difficulty of the rule reasoning expert system and the shortcoming of poor system control of the neural network. The expert system developed in this paper has powerful diagnosing ability.

Corrosion,mechanical and microstructural properties of aluminum 7075-carbon nanotube nanocomposites for robots in corrosive environments

The introduction of in-pipe robots for sewage cleaning provides researchers with new options for pipe inspection,such as leakage,crack,gas,and corrosion detection,which are standard applications common in the current industrial scenario.The question that is frequently overlooked in all these cases is the inherent resistance of the robots to corrosion.The mechanical,microstructural,and corrosion properties of aluminum 7075 incorporated with various weight percentages(0,0.5wt%,1wt%,and 1.5wt%)of carbon nanotubes(CNTs)are discussed.It is fabricated using a rotational ultrasonication with mechanical stirring(RUMS)-based casting method for improved corrosion resistance without compromising the mechanical properties of the robot.1wt%CNTs-aluminum nanocomposite shows good corrosion and mechanical properties,meeting the requirements imposed by the sewage environment of the robot.

Pseudo-static stability analysis of rock slopes reinforced by passive bolts using the generalized Hoek-Brown criterion

The stability analysis of passive bolt-reinforced rock slopes under seismic loads is investigated within the framework of the kinematic approach of limit analysis theory.A pseudo-static method is adopted to account for the inertial forces induced in the rock mass by seismic events.The strength properties of the rock material are described by a modified Hoek-Brown strength criterion,whereas the passive bolts are modeled as bar-like inclusions that exhibit only resistance to tensile-compressive forces.Taking advantage of the ability to compute closed-form expressions for the support functions associated with the modified Hoek-Brown strength criterion,a rotational failure mechanism is implemented to derive rigorous lower bound estimates for the amount of reinforcement strength to prevent slope failure.The approach is then applied to investigating the effects of relevant geometry,strength and loading parameters in light of a preliminary parametric study.The accuracy of the approach is assessed by comparison of the lower bound estimates with finite element limit analysis solutions,thus emphasizing the ability of the approach to properly predict the stability conditions and to capture the essential features of deformation localization pattern.Finally,the extension of the approach to account for slipping at the interface between reinforcements and surrounding rock mass is outlined.

Handwritten billet number recognition algorithm based on edge extraction

Character recognition has always been a hot topic in the field of computer vision.However,it is often difficult to obtain high-precision results in the actual scene owing to factors such as lighting conditions and imaging angle.Aiming at the problem of handwritten billet identification in the steel industry,this paper proposes the use of the canny edge extraction method to enhance the contour characteristics of characters.This technique is combined with the object detection network to achieve the automatic identification of blank square numbers and solve the problem of automatic tracking of billet logistics in the production process.The proposed algorithm is applied to the site with more than 2019 images containing characters in the test set.Results show that the proposed algorithm has good practical application potential.

Effects of liquid feed rate and impeller rotation speed on heat transfer in a mechanically fluidized reactor

A mechanically fluidized reactor （MFR） is a novel and compact reactor used for biomass pyrolysis. Endothermic biomass pyrolysis requires heat provided from the wall of the MFR. Meanwhile, mixing with a vertical stirrer helps achieve effective heat transfer from the wall to the bed. Here, the heat trans- fer characteristics between the wall of a 1.0-L MFR and its bed of mechanically fluidized sand particles were studied. An induction heating system was used to heat the wall, while a vertical blade stirrer was used for mixing. Heat transfer measurements were carried out using silica sand particles, having three average Sauter mean diameters： 190, 300, and 600 p.m. The overall wall-to-bed heat transfer coeffi- cients were estimated using temperature measurements taken during continuous injection of water onto the fluidized bed. The overall heat transfer coefficient for bed temperatures of 500-700℃ increased as particle size increased or superficial velocity of the vaporized liquid increased. Effect of impeller rotation speed also was investigated. Typically, the overall heat transfer coefficient increased as rotation speed increased. The wall-to-bed heat transfer coefficients obtained in this study are comparable to estimates from traditional bubbling fluidized beds, even at vapor velocities below the minimum fluidization veloccity.