Influence of confined water on the limit support pressure of tunnel face in weakly water-rich strata

In the process of shield tunneling through soft soil layers,the presence of confined water ahead poses a significant threat to the stability of the tunnel face.Therefore,it is crucial to consider the impact of confined water on the limit support pressure of the tunnel face.This study employed the finite element method(FEM)to analyze the limit support pressure of shield tunnel face instability within a pressurized water-containing layer.Subsequently,a multiple linear regression approach was applied to derive a concise solution formula for the limit support pressure,incorporating various influencing factors.The analysis yields the following conclusions:1)The influence of confined water on the instability mode of the tunnel face in soft soil layers makes the displacement response of the strata not significant when the face is unstable;2)The limit support pressure increases approximately linearly with the pressure head,shield tunnel diameter,and tunnel burial depth.And inversely proportional to the thickness of the impermeable layer,soil cohesion and internal friction angle;3)Through an engineering case study analysis,the results align well with those obtained from traditional theoretical methods,thereby validating the rationality of the equations proposed in this paper.Furthermore,the proposed equations overcome the limitation of traditional theoretical approaches considering the influence of changes in impermeable layer thickness.It can accurately depict the dynamic variation in the required limit support pressure to maintain the stability of the tunnel face during shield tunneling,thus better reflecting engineering reality.

Summary of the 11th Conference on Magnetic Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation

This conference report summarizes recent progress in plasma theory and simulation that was presented in contributed papers and discussions at the 11th Conference on Magnetic Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation(CMCFTS)held in Chengdu,China,27–30 October,2023.Progress in various fields has been achieved.For example,results on zonal flow generation by mode coupling,simulations of the key physics of divertor detachment,energetic particle effects on magnetohydrodynamic(MHD)modes in addition to ion-and electron-scale turbulence,physics of edge coherent modes and edge-localized modes,and the optimization of ion heating schemes as well as confinement scenarios using advanced integrated modeling are presented at the conference.In this conference,the scientific research groups were organized into six categories:(a)edge and divertor physics;(b)impurity,heating,and current drive;(c)energetic particle physics;(d)turbulent transport;(e)MHD instability;and(f)integrated modeling and code development.A summary of the highlighted progress in these working groups is presented.

70 Gbps PAM-4850-nm oxide-confined VCSEL without equalization and pre-emphasis

Directly modulated 850-nm vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers(VCSELs)with the advantages of low cost,high modulation speed,good reliability,and low power consumption,are the key sources in the optical interconnects with multimode fibers for the supercomputers,data centers,and machine learning applications[1−3].Typically,non-return-tozero(NRZ)modulation format is used.

Strong shock propagation for the finite-source circular blast in a confined domain

The circular explosion wave produced by the abrupt discharge of gas from a high-temperature heat source serves as a crucial model for addressing explosion phenomena in compressible flow.The reflection of the primary shock and its propagation within a confined domain are studied both theoretically and numerically in this research.Under the assumption of strong shock,the scaling law governing propagation of the main shock is proposed.The dimensionless frequency of reflected shock propagation is associated with the confined distance.The numerical simulation for the circular explosion problem in a confined domain is performed for validation.Under the influence of confinement,the principal shock wave systematically undergoes reflection within the domain until it weakens,leading to the non-monotonic attenuation of kinetic energy in the explosion fireball and periodic oscillations of the fireball volume with a certain frequency.The simulation results indicate that the frequency of kinetic energy attenuation and the volume oscillation of the explosive fireball align consistently with the scaling law.

Influence of Confined Concrete Models on the Seismic Response of RC Frames

In this study, the influence of confined concrete models on the response of reinforced concrete structures is investigatedat member and global system levels. The commonly encountered concrete models such as Modified Kent-Park, Saatçioğlu-Razvi, and Mander are considered. Two moment-resisting frames designed according to thepre-modern code are taken into consideration to reflect the example of an RC moment-resisting frame in thecurrent building stock. The building is in an earthquake-prone zone located on Z3 Soil Type. The inelasticresponse of the building frame is modelled by considering the plastic hinges formed on each beam and columnelement for different concrete classes and stirrups spacings. The models are subjected to non-linear static analyses.The differences between confined concrete models are comparatively investigated at both reinforced concretemember and system levels. Based on the results of the comparative analysis, it is revealed that the column behaviouris mostly influenced by the choice of model, due to axial loads and confinement effects, while the beams areless affected, and also it is observed that the differences exhibited in the moment-curvature response of columncross-sections do not significantly affect the overall behaviour of the global system. This highlights the critical roleof model selection relative to the concrete strength and stirrup spacing of the member.

Mechanical properties and influence mechanism of confined concrete arches in high-stress tunnels

Deep underground projects(e.g., coal mines), are often faced with complex conditions such as high stress and extremely soft rock. The strength and rigidity of the traditional support system are often insufficient,which makes it difficult to meet the requirements of ground control under complex conditions. As a new support form with high strength and rigidity, the confined concrete arch plays an important role in controlling the rock deformation under complex conditions. The section shape of the tunnel has an important impact on the mechanical properties and design of the support system. However, studies on the mechanical properties and influence mechanism of the new confined concrete arch are rarely reported. To this end, the mechanical properties of traditional U-shaped steel and new confined concrete arches are compared and comparative tests on arches of circular and straight-leg semicircular shapes in deep tunnels are conducted. A large mechanical testing system for underground engineering support structure is developed. The mechanical properties and influence mechanism of confined concrete arches with different section shapes under different loading modes and cross-section parameters are systematically studied. Test results show that the bearing capacity of the confined concrete arch is 2.10 times that of the U-shaped steel arch, and the bearing capacity of the circular confined concrete arch is 2.27 times that of the straight-leg semicircular arch. Among the various influencing factors and their engineering parameters,the lateral stress coefficient has the greatest impact on the bearing capacity of the confined concrete arch,followed by the steel pipe wall thickness, steel strength, and core concrete strength. Subsequently, the economic index of bearing capacity and cost is established, and the optimization design method for the confined concrete arch is proposed. Finally, this design method is applied to a high-stress tunnel under complex conditions, and the deformation of the surrounding rock is effectively controlled.

Summary of the 10th Conference on Magnetically Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation(CMCFTS)

This paper gives a summary of the organization and the presentations delivered at the 10th Conference on Magnetically Confined Fusion Theory and Simulation(CMCFTS)held in Zhuhai,China,from 28th to 31st October 2022.The conference focused on the latest progress in the research of the magnetic confined fusion plasma theory and simulations,as well as the largescale numerical simulation techniques developed in recent years.This conference is held both online and offline,with about 110 domestic participants from 18 institutes participating in the live conference,and the statistical data from the live broadcast platform indicated that the online conference attracted over 20000 views per day.A summary of the conference is given,and the history of the CMCFTS is presented.A brief introduction to the poster section is also included in this paper.

Liquid–liquid phase transition in confined liquid titanium

We report the layering and liquid–liquid phase transition of liquid titanium confined between two parallel panel walls.Abnormal changes in the volume and the potential energy confirm the existence of the liquid–liquid phase transition of the liquid titanium. The typical feature of the liquid–liquid phase transition is layering, which is induced by the slit size,pressure and temperature. We highlight the fact that the slit size and pressure will determine the number of layers. In addition, with the change in the slit size, the density of the confined liquid expresses a fluctuating law. The phase diagram of the layering transition is drawn to clearly understand the layering. This study provides insights into the liquid–liquid phase transition of liquid metal in a confined space.

Characterization of carbon encapsulated Fe-nanoparticles prepared by confined arc plasma

Carbon encapsulated Fe nanoparticles were successfully prepared via confined arc plasma method. The composition, morphology, microstructure, specific surface area and particle size of the product were characterized via X-ray diffraction, transmission electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry and Brunauer-Emmett-Teller N2 adsorption. The experiment results show that the carbon encapsulated Fe nanoparticles have clear core-shell structure. The core of the particles is body centered cubic Fe, and the shell is disorder carbons. The particles are in spherical or ellipsoidal shapes. The particle size of the nanocapsules ranges from 15 to 40 nm, with the average value of about 30 nm. The particle diameter of the core is 18 nm, the thickness of the shells is 6-8 nm, and the specific surface area is 24 m2/g.

New Hexagonal-rhombic Trilayer Ice Structure Confined between Hydrophobic Plates

We perform molecular dynamics simulations for water confined between two smooth hydrophobic walls and observe two crystalline structures with one being first reported. Both of these structures obey the ice rule. The novel ice phase is a flat hexagonal-rhombic trilayer ice, obtained under 1 GPa load at wall separation of 1.0 nm. In this structure, the water molecules in the two layers next to one of the walls （outer layers） and in the middle layer form hexagonal rings and rhombic rings, respectively. For a molecule in the outer layers, three of its four hydrogen bonds are in the same layer, and the other one hydrogen bond connects to the middle layer. For a molecule in the middle layer, only two of its four hydrogen-bonds are located in the same layer, and the other two connect to two different outer layers. Despite their different motifs, the area densities of the three layers are almost equal. The other structure is a flat hexagonal bilayer ice produced at wall separation of 0.8 nm under lateral pressure of 100 MPa, analogous to a system demonstrated by Koga et al [Phys. Rev. Lett. 79, 5262 （1997）]. Both first-order and continuous phase transitions take place in these simulations.

Rock-breaking mechanism and experimental analysis of confined blasting of borehole surrounding rock

The rock-breaking mechanism and effect of confined blasting were analysed by blasting and impact dynamic mechanics, fluid dynamic mechanics, fracture mechanics as well as blasting experiment. The results showed that the fracturing of surrounding rock in confined blasting condition is the result of coaction of rock pre-cracking by shock wave and stress wave and the continuing expanding crackenhancement of confined medium, and the model of crack development of borehole surrounding rock in confined blasting condition was established. This study acquired the damage range of surrounding rock under the action of shock wave and stress wave, as well as the crack development characteristics of surrounding rock after the wedge-in confined medium into the crack space. Deep-hole confined blasting experiment on large rock showed that the high-efficient utilisation of in-hole explosive was achieved and the safety of rock blasting operation was ensured. Safe static rock-breaking under the action of high-efficient explosive blasting was achieved as well as the unification of super dynamic load of explosive blasting and static rock-breaking of water medium.

Synthesis of Nanosized NaY Zeolite by Confined Space Method

Nanosized NaY crystals have been prepared from metakaolin and sodium silicate by confined space synthesis with starch additive. It is found that the product has a narrow crystal size distribution (50-100 nm), high Si/Al ratio (Si/Al=4.6-6.1), high surface area (1090 m2/g) and the average diameter of nanosized NaY (75 nm) synthesized is 30 nm, it is smaller than that of without starch additive.

Enhanced hydrogen evolution reaction over molybdenum carbide nanoparticles confined inside single-walled carbon nanotubes

Carbon nanotubes(CNTs) have shown as unique nanoreactors to tune the catalytic activity of confined nano-catalysts. Here we report that the catalytic performance of molybdenum carbide nanoparticles(MoC_x NPs) for the hydrogen evolution reaction(HER) process can be enhanced by encapsulation within single-walled carbon nanotubes(SWNTs) with a diameter of 1–2 nm. The catalyst with MoC_x NPs located on the interior surface of SWNTs(MoCx@SWNTs) exhibits a lower onset over-potential and a smaller Tafel slope than the one with MoC_x NPs attached on the exterior surface(MoCx/SWNTs). This is likely attributed to the much smaller particle size and the more reduced states of the confined MoC_x NPs, as well as the larger specific surface area of MoCx@SWNTs compared with Mo Cx/SWNTs. In addition, the electronic structure of the confined MoC_x NPs might be modified by the confinement effects of SWNTs, and hence the adsorption free energy of H atoms on the confined MoC_x NPs, which could also contribute to their higher performance. These results suggest that the SWNTs can be further explored for constructing novel catalysts with beneficial catalytic performance.

Manipulation of confined structure in alcohol-permselective pervaporation membranes

Alcohol-permselectivity pervaporation has been arousing increasingly more attention in bioalcohol production due to the advantages of environmental friendliness, low energy consumption and easy coupling with fermentation process. With the intrinsic feature of larger molecules preferentially permeating and the consequent inferiority in selective diffusion, the development of alcohol-permselective membrane is relatively retarded compared with water-permselective membrane. This review presents the prevalent membrane materials utilized for alcohol-permselective pervaporation and emphatically expatiates the representative and important developments in the past five years from the aspect of tuning confined structure in membranes. In particular, the diverse structure tuning methods are described with the classifications of physical structure and chemical structure. The corresponding structure-performance relationships in alcohol-permselective pervaporation membranes are also analyzed to identify the objective of structure optimization. Furthermore, the tentative perspective on the possible future directions of alcohol-permselective pervaporation membrane is briefly presented.

Effects of Al/O on pressure properties of confined explosion from aluminized explosives

Pressure histories were tested in a 500-L chamber to identify the pressure load in confined explosion from aluminized explosives. Different aluminized explosives with Al/O, ranging from 0.25 to 1.23, were used. The recorded pressure curves could express the reflection of initial shock wave and the after burning combustion of aluminum. As there is no objective way to gain quasi-static pressure(P_(QS)),method of multipoint averaging was used in smoothing the original pressure curves to gain the P_(QS). The P_(QS),rising time of pressure(t_(QS)) which stands for the duration of the initial reflected shock wave, and attenuation coefficient(ω) which stands for the supportive effects of the combustion of aluminum to the P_(QS) are used to characterize the pressure load in the confined explosion from aluminized explosives. The research results showed that the Al/O significantly affected the three characteristic quantities. With the increase of Al/O, the P_(QS) increased at first and decreased later, gaining maximum at Al/O=0.99; the t_(QS)sustained growth and the ω decreased at first and increased later, gaining minimum at AI/O=0.99.

Instability mechanism and control technology of soft rock roadway affected by mining and high confined water

Based on deformation and failure characteristics of the second belt conveyor roadway at level II of Zhuxianzhuang coal mine, laboratory experiments, numerical calculation and field test were adopted to analyze the composition and microstructure of mudstone, the law of mudstone hydration and its strength weakening induced by water, the characteristics of surrounding rock deformation and failure under the action of confined water. Results showed that montmorillonite clay minerals accounted for as much as 76% of mudstone, with a large number of pores existing in the microstructure. Besides, as the molecular structure of montmorillonite changed, mudstone microstructure damage occurred with the macroscopic manifestation of its theological instability. Weakening degree of confined water on residual strength of mudstone was almost 50%. The instability mechanism of soft rock roadway caused by high confined water is that surrounding rock circulates the process of ＂fracture-seepage-mud ding-closed＂ twice, which weakens its strength and leads to roadway instability. A combined support technology, namely the, ＂high-toughness sealing layer ＋ hollow grouting cables ＋ full-length anchoring bolts with deep borehole＂ was proposed. Based on field observation, the soft rock roadway was controlled effectively, which also verified the effectiveness of new control technology for surrounding rock.

Ultimate flexural strength of normal section of FRP-confined RC circular columns

Numerical analysis is carried out to study the sectional properties of the fiber-reinforced polymer（FRP）-confined reinforced concrete（RC）circular columns. The axial load ratio, the FRP confinement ratio and the longitudinal reinforcement characteristic value are the three main parameters that can influence the neutral axis depth when concrete compression strain reaches an ultimate value. The formula for computing the central angle θ, corresponding to the compression zone, is established according to the data regression of the numerical analysis results. The numerical analysis results demonstrate that the concrete stress enhancement from transverse confinement and strain hardening of the longitudinal reinforcement can cause a much greater flexural strength than that defined by the design code. Based on the analytical studies and the test results of 36 large scale columns, the formula to calculate the flexural strength when columns fail under seismic loading is proposed, and the calculated results agree well with the test results. Finally, parametric studies are conducted on a typical column with different axial load ratios, longitudinal reinforcement characteristic value and FRP confinement ratios. Analysis of the results shows that the calculated flexural strength can be increased by 50% compared to that of unconfined columns defined by the code.

Calculation of groundwater head distribution with a close barrier during excavation dewatering in confined aquifer

When pumping is conducted in confined aquifer inside excavation pit(waterproof curtain),the direction of the groundwater seepage outside the excavation changes from horizontal to vertical owing to the existence of the curtain barrier.There is no analytical calculation method for the groundwater head distribution induced by dewatering inside excavation.This paper first analyses the mechanism of the blocking effects from a close barrier in confined aquifer.Then,a simple equation based on analytical solution is proposed to calculate groundwater heads inside and outside of the excavation pit with waterproof curtain(hereafter refer to close barrier)in a confined aquifer.The distribution of groundwater head is derived according to two conditions:(i)pumping with a constant water head,and(ii)pumping with a constant flow rate.The proposed calculation equation is verified by both numerical simulation and experimental results.The comparisons demonstrate that the proposed model can be applied in engineering practice of excavation.

Mitigation effects on the reflected overpressure of blast shock with water surrounding an explosive in a confined space

The mitigation of blast shock with water has broad application prospects. Understanding the mitigation effects on the reflected overpressure of the explosion shock with water surrounding an explosive in a confined space is of great significance for military explosives safety applications. To estimate the effects of the parameters on the reflected overpressure of blasted shock wave, a series of experiments were carried out in confined containers with spherical explosives immersed in a certain thickness of water,and numerical simulations were conducted to explore the corresponding mechanisms. The results reveal that the reflected overpressure is abnormally aggravated at a small scaled distance. This aggravation is due to the high impulse of the bulk accelerated water shell converted from the explosion. With increasing scaled distance, the energy will be gradually dissipated. The mitigation effects will appear with the dispersed water phase front impacting at a larger scaled distance, except in the case of a dense water phase state. A critical scaled distance range of 0.7-0.8 m/kg^(1/3) for effective mitigation was found. It is suggested that the scaled distance of space walls should be larger than the critical value for a certain water-to-explosive weight ratio range(5-20).

Construction of molecule-selective mixed matrix membranes with confined mass transfer structure

Extraordinary mass transfer phenomenon is usually found when the small molecules pass through a confined structure, whose effective size is commensurate with the mean free path of the molecules. Small changes in the confined mass transfer structure(including size, morphology and properties) will lead to significant fluctuations of the mass transfer coefficient. The mass transfer of the penetrant molecules in the dense membranes for pervaporation, gas separation and so on, is located in the scope of confined mass transfer. Incorporating nanofillers into polymer matrix to construct mixed matrix membranes(MMMs) is an effective approach to tune the confined mass transfer structure and enhance the performance of the widely used polymeric membranes. This review focuses on the construction and manipulation of the confined structure in the polymeric membranes via incorporating one-dimensional(1D), two-dimensional(2D) and three-dimensional(3D) fillers.The comparison of the MMMs for pervaporation is summarized, and the research prospective of the MMMs is provided.