Analysis of rockburst in tunnels subjected to static and dynamic loads

The presence of geological structures such as faults, joints, and dykes has been observed near excavation boundaries in many rockburst case histories. In this paper, the role of discontinuities around tunnels in rockburst occurrence was studied. For this purpose, the Abaqus explicit code was used to simulate dynamic rock failure in deep tunnels. Material heterogeneity was considered using Python scripting in Abaqus. Rockbursts near fault regions in deep tunnels under static and dynamic loads were studied.Several tunnel models with and without faults were built and static and dynamic loads were used to simulate rock failure. The velocity and the released kinetic energy of failed rocks, the failure zone around the tunnel, and the deformed mesh were studied to identify stable and unstable rock failures. Compared with models without discontinuities, the results showed that the velocity and the released kinetic energy of failed rocks were higher, the failure zone around the tunnel was larger, and the mesh was more deformed in the models with discontinuities, indicating that rock failure in the models with discontinuities was more violent. The modeling results confirm that the presence of geological structures in the vicinity of deep excavations could be one of the major influence factors for the occurrence of rockburst. It can explain localized rockburst occurrence in civil tunnels and mining drifts. The presented methodology in this paper for rockburst analysis can be useful for rockburst anticipation and control during mining and tunneling in highly stressed ground.

Calculation and analysis of stress in strata under gob pillars

Aiming at the difficulty in stress analysis for strata under pillars with actual bearing conditions, an approach was proposed to apply multi-sectional linear approximation to the characteristic curves of pillar loads, and stress of strata was calculated under pillars with linear load by calculation method for uniform load. This approach leads to a rapid analyzing method for strata stress under pillars with any form of loads. Through theoretical analysis, strata stress expressions for pillars under linear bearing conditions are obtained. In addition, two concepts, stress increase factor and stress factor, are proposed for the approximate analysis of strata stress by uniform load approximation method. It is also found that the stress increase factor of strata is related to the strata stress factor and the ratio of the minimum load on the pillar' two ends to the maximum one; and the distribution features of stress factors and the sizes of their influencing areas in strata influenced by overlying pillars are obtained. Combining with the gob pillar conditions of Jurassic coal seam in Tongxin Coal Mine, it is demonstrated that the results obtained by stress distribution analysis of the strata stress in non-influencing areas of pillars with linear bearing through uniform load approximation are in basic accordance with the results obtained for pillars under linear bearing condition. Therefore, it is feasible and accurate to calculate stress in non-influencing area in strata under pillars with linear bearing condition by uniform load calculation method.

Assessment of Long-Time Behavior for Bridge Girders Retrofitted with Fiber Reinforced Polymer

Maintaining both the safety and serviceability of deteriorating highway bridge networks necessitates suitable BMS （bridge maintenance system） tools that can maximize cost effectiveness. Numerous experiments have been conducted to detect the long-term mechanical properties of the epoxy resin materials used in FRP （fiber reinforced polymers） strengthening and maintenance technique. Experiments were used to develop a short-term test and construct a model that can reliably predict the long-term behavior of epoxy resin. Furthermore, FEA （finite element analysis） models were developed, using the ANSYS software, to simulate three unstrengthened and FRP strengthened prestressed concrete girder bridges of different configurations. Models simulate the original and aged properties of construction and retrofitting materials under the application of AASHTO （American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials） fatigue truck and a site-specific fatigue truck in different scenarios. These models were used to develop the bridge performance chart for the capacity of the bridge, with and without strengthening interventions, as a BMS tool. The results show an immediate significant improvement in the concrete tensile stress with the intervention of FRP strengthening.

Cost Impact of Increasing Heavy Vehicle Loads on Bridges

This study aimed to investigate the cost impact of meeting the increase in freight demand by doubling the truck weight （AS 1 ）, doubling the traffic volume （AS2）, or legalizing a new-proposed-truck of 97-kip weight instead of the currently legal 80-kip truck （AS3）. The State of Michigan＇s average daily traffic database of year 2001 has been used as a case study. The study was applied only on the very common US Bridge with RC （reinforced concrete） deck over steel girder. Sampling criteria also includes the age of the bridges. The study covered the four-cost-impact categories provided by the NCHRP （National Cooperative Research Program）. The current truck weight and double traffic volume （AS2） show the best scenario to meet the increase in freight demand. However, doubling the truck weight with the current traffic volume （AS 1） was the worst scenario. The use of the proposed 97-kip truck with the current traffic volume （AS3） compromises both, meeting the increase in freight demand and the cost impact.

Analysis of Slope Stability with Dynamic Overloading from Earthquake

The analysis of slope earthquake stability is one of the most important research subjects in geotechnical engineering and earthquake engineering.Two different concepts of slope earthquake stability are put forward：strength reserve stability and dynamic overloading stability.The first concept of slope earthquake stability has been widely accepted,and relative analysis methods are also well de-veloped;the second one,however,is seldom mentioned until now,and the failure criterion and the analysis method based on this concept are yet to be explored.What are researched are just the failure criterion and the analysis method of dynamic overloading earthquake stability.The criterion of critical earthquake peak acceleration for the dynamic overloading stability of a slope and its analysis method,the load increasing method（LIM）,are put forward.The dynamic overloading earthquake stability of a loess slope at Changshougou（长寿沟） in Baoji（宝鸡） City,Shaanxi（陕西） Province,China,is analyzed with LIM.The analysis result reveals that the dynamic overloading earthquake stability of the slope is quite high to the action of the earthquake ground motion,with exceeding probability of 10% in the next 50 years.

The design of propeller and propeller boss cap fins(PBCF) by an integrative method

Generally, after a marine propeller design, the propeller boss cap fins （PBCF） design concerns with an optimal selection of model test results, without a due consideration of the interaction between the PBCF and the propeller. In this paper, the PBCF and the propeller are considered as a whole system with their design as an integrative process, in which the concept of the increased loading in the blade root is incorporated. The load distribution on the blade becomes well-proportioned due to the increased loading in the blade root, and it is advantageous to the reduction of the vibratory force and the blade tip vortex. The blade root area is stronger in withstanding forces, and is not easy to be vibrated, therefore, the increased loading there is beneficial to the noise reduction. The disadvantage of the increased loading in the blade root is the generation of the hub vortex behind the boss cap, but the hub vortex can be broken up by the energy saving hydrodynamic mechanism of the PBCF. The integrative design method introduced in this paper can provide a higher efficiency for propellers under the same design conditions. In this paper, an integrative propeller and PBCF design method including the theoretical design and the numerical optimization design is proposed, based on the potential flow theory, the CFD tools, the improved particle swarm optimization algorithm, and the model tests. A propeller with the PBCF is designed based on the method of integrated increased loading in the blade root for a cargo vessel in this paper. The cavitation tunnel model test results show that the propeller and the PBCF thus designed enjoys a higher efficiency, and the design method is effective, reliable and practical.