One-piece coal mine mobile refuge chamber with safety structure and less sealing risk based on FEA

In order to reduce the risk of sealing and improve the structural strength for a coal mine mobile refuge chamber,a new type of one-piece model was designed.Mechanical and mathematical calculation performed an important role.Calculated according to statics and relevant contents,the structure had the same total volume as the traditional segmented structure,but had shorter length,wider width and greater height.Those prevented the structure from stress or deformation failure.Some reinforcing ribs with enough moments of inertia were welded in the external shell.Because of the one-piece structure,this refuge chamber reduced the risk of sealing which was a serious problem of segmented structure.Impact load with 300 ms duration and0.6 MPa over-pressure was settled.Explicit nonlinear dynamic analysis program was used to simulate the response of the refuge chamber.The maximum stress and the maximum displacement were obtained.The refuge chamber including blast airtight doors could meet the rigidity requirement.Weak parts of the chamber were the front and back end shell where bigger displacement values occurred than others.Thus,the calculation indicated that the refuge chamber could meet structural safety requirements.Based on the numerical analysis,suggestions were put forward for further resistance ability improvement.Only large inclined shaft with larger wellhead was suitable for this one-piece coal mine mobile refuge chamber.

Studies on structural safety in stochastically excited Duffing oscillator with double potential wells

The effects of the Gaussian white noise excitation on structural safety due to erosion of safe basin in Duffing oscillator with double potential wells are studied in the present paper. By employing the well-developed stochastic Melnikov condition and Monte-Carlo method, various eroded basins are simulated in deterministic and stochastic cases of the system, and the ratio of safe initial points （RSIP） is presented in some given limited domain defined by the system＇s Hamiltonian for various parameters or first-passage times. It is shown that structural safety control becomes more difficult when the noise excitation is imposed on the system, and the fractal basin boundary may also appear when the system is excited by Gaussian white noise only. From the RSIP results in given limited domain, sudden discontinuous descents in RSIP curves may occur when the system is excited by harmonic or stochastic forces, which are different from the customary continuous ones in view of the firstpassage problems. In addition, it is interesting to find that RSIP values can even increase with increasing driving amplitude of the external harmonic excitation when the Gaussian white noise is also present in the system.

Safety-efficiency trade-offs in the cotton xylem：acclimatization to different soil textures

The acclimatization of plant xylem to altered environmental conditions has attracted considerable attention from researchers over several decades. Plants growing in natural environments must seek a balance between water uptake and the water loss of leaves from evaporation. Thus, the adaptation of xylem to different soil textures is important in maintaining plant water balance. In this study, we investigated the xylem changes of cotton（Gossypium herbaceum L.） xylem in sandy, clay and mixed soils. Results showed that soil texture had a significant effect on xylem vessel diameter and length of stems and roots. Compared with G. herbaceum growing in the clay soil, those plants growing in the sandy soil developed narrower and shorter xylem vessels in their roots, and had a higher percentage of narrow vessels in their stems. These changes resulted in a safer（i.e. less vulnerable to cavitation）, but less-efficient water transport system when soil water availability was low, supporting the hydraulic safety versus efficiency trade-off hypothesis. Furthermore, in sandy and mixed soils, the root： shoot ratio of G. herbaceum increased twofold, which ensures the same efficiency of leaves. In summary, our finding indicates that the morphological plasticity of xylem structure in G. herbaceum has a major role in the acclimatization of this plant species to different soil textures.

Battery Train Fire Risk on a Steel Warehouse Structure

Lithium ion battery fire hazard has been well-documented in a variety of applications.Recently,battery train technology has been introduced as a clean energy concept for railway.In the case of heavy locomotives such as trains,the massive collection of battery stacks required to meet energy demands may pose a significant hazard.The objective of this paper is to review the risk evaluation processes for train fires and investigate the propagation of lithium ion battery fire to a neighboring steel warehouse structure at a rail repair shop through a case study.The methodology of the analyses conducted include a Monte Carlo-based dynamic modeling of fire propagation potentials,an expert-based fire impact analysis,and a finite element(FE)nonlinear fire analysis on the structural frame.The case study is presented as a demonstration of a holistic fire risk analysis for the lithium ion battery fire and results indicate that significant battery fire mitigations strategies should be considered.

3D Simulation of Battery Fire on a Large Steel Frame Structure due to Depleted Battery Piles

Lithium ion batteries(LIB)can rupture and result in thermal runaway and battery fires.In the process of transporting lithium ion batteries using trains,the massive collection of batteries can cause train fire and pose sig­nificant danger to the public.This is especially critical when the fire occurs amid a heavily populated metropolitan environment.This paper reports the 3D analysis of a warehouse with possible train fire due to LIB rupture and the fire propagation at a rail yard.Six critical fire cases with the battery train in close vicinity to the warehouse were considered.The six fire cases are the worst-case scenarios of a Monte Carlo simulation of different fire cases that may occur to an actual steel storage facility at the Capital Rail­yard,Raleigh,North Carolina.A 3D finite element(FE)frame model was constructed for the steel warehouse and the most critical fire cases were simulated.The results indicated that several structural components of the warehouse would experience large stresses and deflections during the sim­ulated battery fires and resulting in instability to the structure.Specifically,members of the roof frame represent the most critical elements and that the members can result in large deformations as early as 4 minutes after the fire starts.Furthermore,effective utilization of fire protection can delay some­what the fire effects and extend time to failure to 45 minutes and in one of the simulated cases,prevent structural instability.Thus,fire from LIB waste transport using train is a very realistic problem due to the thermal runaway,and the analysis performed in current study can be used as a preventive investigation technique for buildings that may be exposed to the train fire risk.

A statistical approach to determine 2D optimal equivalent linear parameters with application to earthquake engineering

The equivalent linearization method approximates the maximum displacement response of nonlinear structures through the corresponding equivalent linear system. By using the particle swarm optimization technique, a new statistical approach is developed to determine the key parameters of such an equivalent linear system over a 2D space of period and damping ratio. The new optimization criterion realizes the consideration of the structural safety margin in the equivalent linearization method when applied to the performance-based seismic design/evaluation of engineering structures. As an application, equations for equivalent system parameters of both bilinear hysteretic and stiffness degrading single-degree-of- freedom systems are deduced with the assumption of a constant ductility ratio. Error analyses are also performed to validate the proposed approach.

Characteristics of fault zones and their control on remaining oil distribution at the fault edge: a case study from the northern Xingshugang Anticline in the Daqing Oilfield, China

Most major oil zones in the Daqing Oilfield have reached a later,high water cut stage,but oil recovery is still only approximately 35%,and 50%of reserves remain to be recovered.The remaining oil is primarily distributed at the edge of faults,in poor sand bodies,and in insufficiently injected and produced areas.Therefore,the edge of faults is a major target for remaining oil enrichment and potential tapping.Based on the dynamic change of production from development wells determined by the injection-recovery relationship at the edge of faults,we analyzed the control of structural features of faults on remaining oil enrichment at the edge.Our results show that the macroscopic structural features and their geometric relationship with sand bodies controlled remaining oil enrichment zones like the edges of NNE-striking faults,the footwalls of antithetic faults,the hard linkage segments（two faults had linked together with each other to form a bigger through-going fault）,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkages.Fault edges formed two types of forward microamplitude structures：（1） the tilted uplift of footwalls controlled by inverse fault sections and（2） the hanging-wall horizontal anticlines controlled by synthetic fault points.The remaining oil distribution was controlled by microamplitude structures.Consequently,such zones as the tilted uplift of the footwall of the NNW-striking antithetic faults with a fault throw larger than 40 m,the hard linkage segments,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkage were favorable for tapping the remaining oil potential.Multi-target directional drilling was used for remaining oil development at fault edges.Reasonable fault spacing was determined on the basis of fault combinations and width of the shattered zone.Well core and log data revealed that the width of the shattered zone on the side of the fault core was less than 15 m in general;therefore,the distance from a fault to the development target should be larger than 15 m.Vertically segmented growth faults should take the separation of the lateral overlap of faults into account.Therefore,the safe distance of remaining oil well deployment at the fault edge should be larger than the sum of the width of shattered zone in faults and the separation of growth faults by vertical segmentation.

Energy-Based Approach to Structural Robustness

The robustness analysis is conducted from the viewpoint of energy. A new method to robustness appraisal is developed, in which a dimensionless form of the amount of energy that the structure absorbs serves as a robustness index. A flexural member is adopted for illustrative purpose. Furthermore, the relationships between the robustness index and the ratio of ultimate strain to yield strain of four typical members are defined. It is shown that the index proposed herein can reflect the influence of member behavior in terms of robustness. Finally, methods of ensuring structural robustness are discussed.

Rock Pressure on Tunnel with Shallow Depth in Geologically Inclined Bedding Strata

The method to calculate rock pressure to which the lining structure of tunnel with shallow depth is subjected in geologically inclined bedding strata is analyzed and put forward. Both the inclination angle of bedding strata as well as the internal friction angle of bedding plane and its cohesion all exert an influence upon the magnitude of the asymmetric rock pressure applied to tunnel. The feature that rock pressure applied to tunnel structure varies with the incUnation angle of bedding strata is discussed, At last, the safety factor, which is utilized to evaluate the working state of tunnel lining structure, is calculated for both symmetric and asymmetric lining structures. The calculation results elucidate that the asymmetric tunnel structure can be more superior to bear rock pressure in comparison with the symmetric one and should be adopted in engineering as far as possible.

Strength analysis of molten salt tanks for concentrating solar power plants

Promoting the development of concentrating solar power(CSP)is critical to achieve carbon peaking and carbon neutrality.Molten salt tanks are important thermal energy storage components in CSP systems.In this study,the cold and hot tanks of a 100 MW CSP plant in China were used as modeling prototypes.The materials and geometric models were determined based on related specifications and engineering experience.Mechanical characteristics of the tanks under steady condition,including the deformation,stress distribution,and stress concentration,were simulated and calculated.Furthermore,the strength of the tank walls was evaluated.The findings can be used as a reference for designing the molten salt storage tank and reducing the risk during the operation.

Bridge Continuous Deformation Measurement Technology Based on Fiber Optic Gyro

Bridge is an important part of modem transportation systems and deformation is a key index for bridge＇s safety evaluation. To achieve the long span bridge curve measurement rapidly and timely and accurately locate the bridge maximum deformation, the continuous deformation measurement system （CDMS） based on inertial platform is presented and validated in this paper. Firstly, based on various bridge deformation measurement methods, the method of deformation measurement based on the fiber optic gyro （FOG） is introduced. Secondly, the basic measurement principle based on FOG is presented and the continuous curve trajectory is derived by the formula. Then the measurement accuracy is analyzed in theory and the relevant factors are presented to ensure the measurement accuracy. Finally, the deformation measurement experiments are conducted on a bridge across the Yangtze River. Experimental results show that the presented deformation measurement method is feasible, practical, and reliable; the system can accurately and quickly locate the maximum deformation and has extensive and broad application prospects.