Impacts of artificial dams on terrestrial water storage changes and the Earth's elastic load response during 1950-2016: A case study of medium and large reservoirs in Chinese mainland

The construction of dams for intercepting and storing water has altered surface water distributions, landsea water exchanges, and the load response of the solid Earth. The lack of accurate estimation of reservoir properties through the land surface and hydrological models can lead to water storage simulation and extraction errors. This impact is particularly evident in many artificial reservoirs in China. The study aims to comprehensively assess the spatiotemporal distribution and trends of water storage in medium and large reservoirs(MLRs) in Chinese mainland during 1950-2016, and to investigate the gravity,displacement, and strain effects induced by the reservoir mass concentration using the load elasticity theory. In addition, the impoundment contributions of MLRs to the relative sea level changes were assessed using a sea-level equation. The results show impoundment increases in the MLRs during1950-2016, particularly in the Yangtze River(Changjiang) and southern basins, causing significant elastic load effects in the surrounding areas of the reservoirs and increasing the relative sea level in China's offshore. However, long-term groundwater estimation trends are overestimated and underestimated in the Yangtze River and southwestern basins, respectively, due to the neglect of the MLRs impacts or the uncertainty of the hydrological model's output(e.g., soil moisture, etc.). The construction of MLRs may reduce the water mass input from land to the ocean, thus slowing global sea level rise. The results of the impact of human activities on the regional water cycle provide important references and data support for improving the integration of hydrological models, evaluating Earth's viscoelastic responses under longterm reservoir storage, enhancing in-situ and satellite geodetic measurements, and identifying the main factors driving sea level changes.

Theoretical Research and Experimental Validation of Elastic Dynamic Load Spectra on Bogie Frame of High-speed Train

When a train runs at high speeds, the external exciting frequencies approach the natural frequencies of bogie critical components, thereby inducing strong elastic vibrations. The present international reliability test evaluation standard and design criteria of bogie frames are all based on the quasi-static deformation hypothesis. Structural fatigue damage generated by structural elastic vibrations has not yet been included. In this paper, theoretical research and experimental validation are done on elastic dynamic load spectra on bogie frame of high-speed train. The construction of the load series that correspond to elastic dynamic deformation modes is studied. The simplified form of the load series is obtained. A theory of simplified dynamic load–time histories is then deduced. Measured data from the Beijing–Shanghai Dedicated Passenger Line are introduced to derive the simplified dynamic load–time histories. The simplified dynamic discrete load spectra of bogie frame are established. Based on the damage consistency criterion and a genetic algorithm, damage consistency calibration of the simplified dynamic load spectra is finally performed. The computed result proves that the simplified load series is reasonable. The calibrated damage that corresponds to the elastic dynamic discrete load spectra can cover the actual damage at the operating conditions. The calibrated damage satisfies the safety requirement of damage consistency criterion for bogie frame. This research is helpful for investigating the standardized load spectra of bogie frame of high-speed train.

Elastic solutions for partially embedded single piles subjected to simultaneous axial and lateral loading

In order to improve the design level of partially embedded single piles under simultaneous axial and lateral loads, the differential solutions were deduced, in which the soil was treated as an ideal, elastic, homogeneous, semi-infinite isotropic medium. A comparison was made between model test results and the obtained solutions to show their validity. The calculation results indicate that the horizontal displacement and bending moment of the pile increase with increases of the axial and lateral loads. The maximum horizontal displacement and bending moment decrease by 37.9% and 13.9%, respectively, when the elastic modulus of soil increases from 4 MPa to 20 MPa. The Poisson ratio of soil plays a marginal role in pile responses. There is a critical pile length under the ground, beyond which the pile behaves as though it was infinitely long. The presented solutions can make allowance for the continuous nature of soil, and if condition permits, they can approach exact ones.

The use of point load test for Dubai weak calcareous sandstones

Intact rock is typically described according to its uniaxial compressive strength （UCS）. The UCS is needed in the design of geotechnical engineering problems including stability of rock slopes and design of shallow and deep foundations resting on and/or in rocks. Accordingly, a correct measure-ment/evaluation of the UCS is essential to a safe and economic design. Typically, the UCS is measured using the unconfined compression tests performed on cylindrical intact specimens with a minimum length to width ratio of 2. In several cases, especially for weak and very weak rocks, it is not possible to extract intact specimens with the needed minimum dimensions. Thus, alternative tests （e.g. point load test, Schmidt hammer） are used to measure rock strength. The UCS is computed based on the results of these tests through empirical correlations. The literature includes a plethora of these correlations that vary widely in estimating rock strength. Thus, it is paramount to validate these correlations to check their suitability for estimating rock strength for a specific location and geology. A review of the available correlations used to estimate the UCS from the point load test results is performed and summarized herein. Results of UCS, point load strength index and Young＇s modulus are gathered for calcareous sandstone specimens extracted from the Dubai area. A correlation for estimating the UCS from the point load strength index is proposed. Furthermore, the Young＇s modulus is correlated to the UCS.

Research on the optimization strategy of customers’electricity consumption based on big data

Current power systems face significant challenges in supporting large-scale access to new energy sources,and the potential of existing flexible resources needs to be fully explored from the power supply,grid,and customer perspectives.This paper proposes a multi-objective electricity consumption optimization strategy considering the correlation between equipment and electricity consumption.It constructs a multi-objective electricity consumption optimization model that considers the correlation between equipment and electricity consumption to maximize economy and comfort.The results show that the proposed method can accurately assess the potential for electricity consumption optimization and obtain an optimal multi-objective electricity consumption strategy based on customers’actual electricity consumption demand.

Observations and modelling of the travel time delay and leading negative phase of the 16 September 2015 Illapel,Chile tsunami

The systematic discrepancies in both tsunami arrival time and leading negative phase(LNP)were identified for the recent transoceanic tsunami on 16 September 2015 in Illapel,Chile by examining the wave characteristics from the tsunami records at 21 Deep-ocean Assessment and Reporting of Tsunami(DART)sites and 29 coastal tide gauge stations.The results revealed systematic travel time delay of as much as 22 min(approximately 1.7%of the total travel time)relative to the simulated long waves from the 2015 Chilean tsunami.The delay discrepancy was found to increase with travel time.It was difficult to identify the LNP from the near-shore observation system due to the strong background noise,but the initial negative phase feature became more obvious as the tsunami propagated away from the source area in the deep ocean.We determined that the LNP for the Chilean tsunami had an average duration of 33 min,which was close to the dominant period of the tsunami source.Most of the amplitude ratios to the first elevation phase were approximately 40%,with the largest equivalent to the first positive phase amplitude.We performed numerical analyses by applying the corrected long wave model,which accounted for the effects of seawater density stratification due to compressibility,self-attraction and loading(SAL)of the earth,and wave dispersion compared with observed tsunami waveforms.We attempted to accurately calculate the arrival time and LNP,and to understand how much of a role the physical mechanism played in the discrepancies for the moderate transoceanic tsunami event.The mainly focus of the study is to quantitatively evaluate the contribution of each secondary physical effect to the systematic discrepancies using the corrected shallow water model.Taking all of these effects into consideration,our results demonstrated good agreement between the observed and simulated waveforms.We can conclude that the corrected shallow water model can reduce the tsunami propagation speed and reproduce the LNP,which is observed for tsunamis that have propagated over long distances frequently.The travel time delay between the observed and corrected simulated waveforms is reduced to<8 min and the amplitude discrepancy between them was also markedly diminished.The incorporated effects amounted to approximately 78%of the travel time delay correction,with seawater density stratification,SAL,and Boussinesq dispersion contributing approximately 39%,21%,and 18%,respectively.The simulated results showed that the elastic loading and Boussinesq dispersion not only affected travel time but also changed the simulated waveforms for this event.In contrast,the seawater stratification only reduced the tsunami speed,whereas the earth’s elasticity loading was responsible for LNP due to the depression of the seafloor surrounding additional tsunami loading at far-field stations.This study revealed that the traditional shallow water model has inherent defects in estimating tsunami arrival,and the leading negative phase of a tsunami is a typical recognizable feature of a moderately strong transoceanic tsunami.These results also support previous theory and can help to explain the observed discrepancies.

Assessment of Elasticity,Plasticity and Resistance to Machining-induced Damage of Porous Pre-sintered Zirconia Using Nanoindentation Techniques

Porous pre-sintered zirconia is subject to white machining during which its elasticity, plasticity and resistance to machining-induced damage determine its machinability and final quality. This study used nanoindentation techniques and the Sakai＇s series elastic and plastic deformation model to extract the resistance to plastic deformation from the plane strain modulus and the contact hardness for presintered zirconia. The modulus and the resistance to plasticity were used to calculate the relative amount of elasticity and plasticity. The fracture energy and the normalized indentation absorbed energy were used to deconvolute the resistance to machining-induced cracking based on the Sakai-Nowak model. All properties were extracted at a 10 mN peak load and loading rates of 0.1-2 mN/s to determine the loading rate effects on these properties. We found that the resistance to plasticity and the resistance to machining-induced cracking were independent of the loading rate （ANOVA, p 〉 0.05）. The elastic and plastic displacements depended on the loading rate through power laws. This loading rate-dependent deformation behaviour was explained by the maximum shear stress generated underneath the indenter and the indentation energy. The plastic deformation components and the indentation absorbed energy at all loading rates were higher than the elastic deformation components and the elastic strain energy, respectively. Finally, we established the linkage among the pore structure, indentation behaviour and machinability of pre-sintered zirconia.

Elasto-Plastic Test of Q235 Steel Bending Beam With Cracking Resistance

More than 30 bending beams with rectangular cross-section and different thicknesses and heights were pre- pared from Q295 steel. The specimen dimensions were about 240 mm （length） × 60 mm （height） ×70 mm （thick ness）. Flaws were cut along its middle line with a wire cutter, with lengths ranging from 6 to 35 mm. Each specimen was tested with three-point bend loading, and a process curve was obtained between load and the displacement of the loading point, in order to analyze the fracture process when opening the crack. A deformation near the prefabricated crack was observed in the testing period, and the variation of the fracture characteristic parameters was analyzed for different sizes. For a comprehensive understanding of carbon steel fracture resistance behavior, its elasticity and plas- ticity were established by determining its Young＇s modulus and Poisson＇s ratio with an optical strain gauge. This gauge was also used for the loading process test. It was found that the fracture toughness varied with the dimensions, and the toughness of the elastic limit loading was almost constant. Using the relationship of crack resistance stress intensity factor and fracture criterion, the bearing capacity of the material structure could be estimated, which shows a good agreement with the experimental test data.