Characteristics of ground cracks caused by the M_(S) 6.4 Yangbi earthquake and the corresponding tectonic significance

An M_(S)6.4 earthquake occurred near Yangbi County, Dali Bai Autonomous Prefecture, Yunnan Province, at 21:48on May 21, 2021. The earthquake location is characterized by complex geological structures, with multiple active faults distributed around the epicenter that is located at the west edge of the Sichuan-Yunnan rhombic block(25.67°N, 99.87°E). A total of 42 ground cracks are found by earthquake field investigations. The cracks are mainly concentrated in the Ⅷ degree area on the west side of the Yangbi River. Among these, 9 coseismic tectonic ground cracks generated by shear fractures are found in three villages(i.e., Akechang, Meijia-Lijia, and Huajiazhuang), which are distributed along the strike of the northwest-trending linear folds, showing the tectonic characteristics of right-lateral tension or left-stepping cracks. The structural attribute of ground cracks sustains the kinematic properties of the Weixi-Qiaohou fault, namely right-lateral strike-slip.

Dynamic Simulation of Cracked Buildings for Damage Detection

A dynamic simulation method for cracked structures is implemented to determine their dynamic response with the purpose of evaluating their structural behavior.The procedure makes possible the si mulation of three-dimensional cracked structures.The excitation force is randomly generated to simulate wind gusts.It is assumed the structure remains in the elastic range,which allows for each mode that contributes to its dynamic response to be decoupled.The results indicate that the presence of damage causes changes in the modals parameters of the structure as accurate as other similar methods proposed for simpler structures.Therefore,it is concluded that the proposed method is a reliable way to evaluate the dynamic behavior of three-dimensi onal cracked building structures.

Portable Structure Surface Crack Detection System Based on Android Platform

Cracks,potholes,and other defects often occur on infrastructure such as bridges,among which cracks are one of the most frequent defects.They have diverse shapes and are difficult to detect.Traditional manual inspection methods are inefficient and have low accuracy,while automated inspection machines are bulky and inconvenient to carry and use.Based on the shortcomings of existing detection technologies,this paper proposes a portable structural surface crack detection system based on the Android platform using a portable hand-held image acquisition device.The system captures cracks on the structure's surface and obtains high-definition crack images.Then,these images are transmitted to portable smartphone terminals through Wi-Fi.Next,the image is pre-processed using weighted averaging,grayscale linear transformation,and adaptive median filtering.Then,the improved Canny edge detection algorithm is applied to identify crack information,and the edge segmentation algorithm is used to determine the crack width.Finally,based on camera calibration,the pixels are converted into the length data required for actual measurement.The results show that the system is easy to operate,and it not only has crack storage and tracking functions,but also can effectively measure the crack width on the surface of components.The measurement accuracy of this system reaches the sub-pixel level,and in actual testing,compared with the crack width gauge,the maximum relative error does notexceed6.25%.

Influence of temperature on acoustic emission source location accuracy in underground structure

An acoustic emission(AE)experiment was carried out to explore the AE location accuracy influenced by temperature.A hollow hemispherical specimen was used to simulate common underground structures.In the process of heating with the flame,the pulse signal of constant frequency was stimulated as an AE source.Then AE signals received by each sensor were collected and used for comparing localization accuracy at different temperatures.Results show that location errors of AE keep the same phenomenon in the early and middle heating stages.In the later stage of heating,location errors of AE increase sharply due to the appearance of cracks.This provides some beneficial suggestions on decreasing location errors of structural cracks caused by temperature and improves the ability of underground structure disaster prevention and control.

APPLICATION OF SINTAP TO THE SAFETY ASSESSMENT OF X65 PIPELINE STEEL

The recently developed European flaw assessment procedure, structural integrity assessment procedure（SiNTAP） is applied to assessment for welded joints of the API 5L X65 pipeline steel with an assumed embedded flaw and surface flaw at the weld toe. As one of the basic input data, fracture toughness crack tip opening displacement （CTOD） tests are conducted at 0℃ and performed according to the requirements of the standard of BS7448. For the heat affected zone （HAZ） specimens, the microstructure observation is performed to insure that the tip of the crack is located in the coarse grain zone. The result explains the dispersity of the test values. In structural integrity assessment procedure-fracture assessment diagram（SINTAP FAD） method, the failure curves of welded joints at level 1 and 3 are derived from the tensile test results. The results of the assessment show that all assessment points are located within the failure lines of analysis level 1 and 3. So the welded joint of the pipeline is safe. This study laid the foundation of application of SINTAP to pipeline structure assessment.

Self-healing of microcapsule-based materials for highway construction:A review

Maintaining the health and reliability of civil facilities is of strategic importance.In highway engineering,pavement cracking impairs the road service and travel comfort level,while structure cracking can cause catastrophic damage.Microcapsule-based self-healing materials offer solutions to auto-recovery micro-cracks and maintain structural health.Such solution has become available by laboratory synthesis and proved effective in addressing the cracking problem during long-term mechanical,thermal,and hydraulic conditions.However,full-scale applications of this technique are not prevalent,showing its potential limitations in highway engineering.Crack healing in highways is a big topic,therefore,this review has two insertion points.(1)We focus on the cracking issues on two specific materials:asphalt and concrete,which account for the vast majority of all the materials used in pavement and structures in highways.(2)Instead of the laboratory studies,we pay more attention to the practical applications,the meaning of healing performance,and the adverse effects of microcapsules to the main structural components(i.e.,tunnel lining,bridge piers and beams)and pavement in highways.The practical significance of self-healing materials in highway projects was discussed from the three aspects:strength,durability,and stress redistribution.The difficulty in applying this new technique is also discussed from economic perspective.For future-proofing,a material evaluation system that fits the load condition is required.The self-healing technique brings composites a chance to interact with the environment,showing high potential for contributing to the development of various types of long-lasting infrastructures.

Potential of South African road technology for application in China

One of the main problems with roads and highways in China is the reflection cracking caused by the cement stabilized subbase layers passing through the overlying asphaltic layers. The cracks permit the ingress of moisture which softens the layers below the subbase resulting in loss of support and accelerated breakdown of the subbase layer and reduction in the tiding quality. The aim of this paper is to present the use of South African pavement design approach of deep structure and thin surfacing to overcome the existing problems. The deep pavement structure provides good long-term support and avoids the influence of moisture ingress, which means that only surfacing damage needs to be repaired. An unbound crushed stone base layer which is an integral component of the pavement structure limits reflection cracking. The paper first deals with the South African pavement design procedure and contrast this with the Chinese pavement design method. The inherent weaknesses of these methods are discussed and flowing from this discussion proposals for adapting the South African approach to China is presented. The resultant proposals have a high likelihood of success and will counteract the influences of extreme climate and rampant overloading that occurs on the Chinese roads.