Dynamic response of mountain tunnel,bridge,and embankment along the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor to active fault based on model tests

The Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor is prone to numerous active faults and frequent strong earthquakes.While extensive studies have individually explored the effect of active faults and strong earthquakes on different engineering structures,their combined effect remains unclear.This research employed multiple physical model tests to investigate the dynamic response of various engineering structures,including tunnels,bridges,and embankments,under the simultaneous influence of cumulative earthquakes and stick-slip misalignment of an active fault.The prototype selected for this study was the Kanding No.2 tunnel,which crosses the Yunongxi fault zone within the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.The results demonstrated that the tunnel,bridge,and embankment exhibited amplification in response to the input seismic wave,with the amplification effect gradually decreasing as the input peak ground acceleration(PGA)increased.The PGAs of different engineering structures were weakened by the fault rupture zone.Nevertheless,the misalignment of the active fault may decrease the overall stiffness of the engineering structure,leading to more severe damage,with a small contribution from seismic vibration.Additionally,the seismic vibration effect might be enlarged with the height of the engineering structure,and the tunnel is supposed to have a smaller PGA and lower dynamic earth pressure compared to bridges and embankments in strong earthquake zones crossing active faults.The findings contribute valuable insights for evaluating the dynamic response of various engineering structures crossing an active fault and provide an experimental reference for secure engineering design in the challenging conditions of the Sichuan-Tibet transportation corridor.

A thermal stress loading technique for large-sized hot dry rock mechanical tests

Testing of large-sized specimens is becoming increasingly important in deep underground rock mechanics and engineering.In traditional mechanical loading,stresses on large-sized specimens are achieved by large host frames and hydraulic pumps,which could lead to great investment.Low-cost testing machines clearly always have great appeal.In this study,a new approach is proposed using thermal expansion stress to load rock specimens,which may be particularly suitable for tests of deep hot dry rock with high temperatures.This is a different technical route from traditional mechanical loading through hydraulic pressure.For the rock mechanics test system of hot dry rock that already has an investment in heating systems,this technology may reduce the cost of the loading subsystem by fully utilizing the temperature changes.This paper presents the basic principle and a typical design of this technical solution.Preliminary feasibility analysis is then conducted based on numerical simulations.Although some technical details still need to be resolved,the feasibility of this loading approach has been preliminarily confirmed.

A modified generalized scaling law for the similitude of dynamic strain in centrifuge modeling

Soil strain is the key parameter to control the elasto-plastic deformation and even the failure processes.To overcome the defect that the strain of the model soil is always smaller than that of the prototype in Iai′s generalized scaling law(GSL),a modified scaling law was proposed based on Iai′s GSL to secure the same dynamic shear strain between the centrifuge model and the prototype by modulating the amplitude and frequency of the input motion at the base.A suite of dynamic centrifuge model tests of dry sand level ground was conducted with the same overall scaling factor(λ=200)under different centrifugal accelerations by using the technique of“modeling of models”to validate the modified GSL.The test results show that the modified GSL could achieve the same dynamic strain in model as that of the prototype,leading to better modeling for geotechnical problems where dynamic strain dominates the response or failure of soils.Finally,the applicability of the proposed scaling law and possible constraints on geometry scaling due to the capability limits of existing centrifuge shaking tables are discussed.

Physical modeling of long-term dynamic characteristics of the subgrade for medium-low-speed maglevs

To investigate the dynamic characteristics and long-term dynamic stability of the new subgrade structure of medium-low-speed(MLS)maglevs,cyclic vibration tests were performed under natural and rainfall conditions,and the dynamic response of the subgrade structure was monitored.The dynamic response attenuation characteristics along the depth direction of the subgrade were compared,and the distribution characteristics of the dynamic stress on the surface of the subgrade along the longitudinal direction of the line were analyzed.The critical dynamic stress and cumulative deformation were used as indicators to evaluate the long-term dynamic stability of the subgrade.Results show that water has a certain effect on the dynamic characteristics of the subgrade,and the dynamic stress and acceleration increase with the water content.With the dowel steel structure set between the rail-bearing beams,stress concentration at the end of the loaded beam can be prevented,and the diffusion distance of the dynamic stress along the longitudinal direction increases.The dynamic stress measured in the subgrade bed range is less than 1/5 of the critical dynamic stress.The postconstruction settlement of the subgrade after similarity ratio conversion is 3.94 mm and 7.72 mm under natural and rainfall conditions,respectively,and both values are less than the 30 mm limit,indicating that the MLS maglev subgrade structure has good long-term dynamic stability.

Hydrodynamic Performance of a Newly-Designed Pelagic and Demersal Trawls Using Physical Modeling and Analytical Methods for Cameroonian Industrial Fisheries

This study proposed the newly-designed Pelagic and demersal trawls for the fishing vessels operating in Cameroonian waters in pelagic and demersal fishing grounds. The engineering performances of both trawls were investigated using physical modelling method and analytical method based on the predicted equations. In a flume tank, a series of physical model tests based on Tauti’s law were performed to investigate the hydrodynamic and geometrical performances of both trawls and to assess the applicability of the analytical methods based on predicted equations. The results showed that in model scale, the working towing speed and door spread for the pelagic trawl were 3.5 knots and 1.85 m, respectively, and for the bottom trawl net they were 4.0 knots and 1.8 m. At that speed and door spread, the drag force, net opening height, and wing-end spread of the pelagic model trawl were 36.73 N, 0.89 m, and 0.86 m, respectively, and the swept area was 0.76 m2. Bottom trawl speed and door spread were 30.43 N, 0.38 m, and 0.45 m, respectively, and the swept area was 0.25 m2. The maximum difference between the experimental and analytical results of hydrodynamic performances was less than 56.22% and 41.45%, respectively, for pelagic and bottom trawls, the results of the geometrical performances obtained using predicted equations were close to the experimental results in the flume tank with a maximum relative error less than 12.85%. The newly developed pelagic and bottom trawls had advanced engineering performance for high catch efficiency and selectivity and could be used in commercial fishing operations in Cameroonian waters.

Lateral earth pressure of granular backfills on retaining walls with expanded polystyrene geofoam inclusions under limited surcharge loading

Existing studies have focused on the behavior of the retaining wall equipped with expanded polystyrene(EPS)geofoam inclusions under semi-infinite surcharge loading rather than limited surcharge loading.In this paper,the failure mode and the earth pressure acting on the rigid retaining wall with EPS geofoam inclusions and granular backfills(henceforth referred to as EPS-wall),under limited surcharge loading are investigated through two-and three-dimensional model tests.The testing results show that different from the sliding of almost all the backfill in the EPS-wall under semi-infinite surcharge loading,only an approximately triangular backfill slides in the wall under limited surcharge loading.The distribution of the lateral earth pressure on the EPS-wall under limited surcharge loading is non-linear,and the distribution changes from the increase of the wall depth to the decrease with the increase of the limited surcharge loading.An approach based on the force equilibrium of a differential element is developed to predict the lateral earth pressure behind the EPS-wall subjected to limited surcharge loading,and its performance was fully validated by the three-dimensional model tests.

Theoretical investigation on axial cyclic performance of monopile in sands using interface constitutive models

Cyclic loads generated by environmental factors,such as winds,waves,and trains,will likely lead to performance degradation in pile foundations,resulting in issues like permanent displacement accumulation and bearing capacity attenuation.This paper presents a semi-analytical solution for predicting the axial cyclic behavior of piles in sands.The solution relies on two enhanced nonlinear load-transfer models considering stress-strain hysteresis and cyclic degradation in the pile-soil interaction.Model parameters are calibrated through cyclic shear tests of the sand-steel interface and laboratory geotechnical testing of sands.A novel aspect involves the meticulous formulation of the shaft loadtransfer function using an interface constitutive model,which inherently inherits the interface model’s advantages,such as capturing hysteresis,hardening,degradation,and particle breakage.The semi-analytical solution is computed numerically using the matrix displacement method,and the calculated values are validated through model tests performed on non-displacement and displacement piles in sands.The results demonstrate that the predicted values show excellent agreement with the measured values for both the static and cyclic responses of piles in sands.The displacement pile response,including factors such as bearing capacity,mobilized shaft resistance,and convergence rate of permanent settlement,exhibit improvements compared to non-displacement piles attributed to the soil squeezing effect.This methodology presents an innovative analytical framework,allowing for integrating cyclic interface models into the theoretical investigation of pile responses.

Explosion resistance performance of reinforced concrete box girder coated with polyurea:Model test and numerical simulation

To study the anti-explosion protection effect of polyurea coating on reinforced concrete box girder,two segmental girder specimens were made at a scale of 1:3,numbered as G(without polyurea coating)and PCG(with polyurea coating).The failure characteristics and dynamic responses of the specimens were compared through conducting explosion tests.The reliability of the numerical simulation using LS-DYNA software was verified by the test results.The effects of different scaled distances,reinforcement ratios,concrete strengths,coating thicknesses and ranges of polyurea were studied.The results show that the polyurea coating can effectively enhance the anti-explosion performance of the girder.The top plate of middle chamber in specimen G forms an elliptical penetrating hole,while that in specimen PCG only shows a very slight local dent.The peak vertical displacement and residual displacement of PCG decrease by 74.8% and 73.7%,respectively,compared with those of specimen G.For the TNT explosion with small equivalent,the polyurea coating has a more significant protective effect on reducing the size of fracture.With the increase of TNT equivalent,the protective effect of polyurea on reducing girder displacement becomes more significant.The optimal reinforcement ratio,concrete strength,thickness and range of polyurea coating were also drawn.

Large-scale model testing of high-pressure grouting reinforcement for bedding slope with rapid-setting polyurethane

Bedding slope is a typical heterogeneous slope consisting of different soil/rock layers and is likely to slide along the weakest interface.Conventional slope protection methods for bedding slopes,such as retaining walls,stabilizing piles,and anchors,are time-consuming and labor-and energy-intensive.This study proposes an innovative polymer grout method to improve the bearing capacity and reduce the displacement of bedding slopes.A series of large-scale model tests were carried out to verify the effectiveness of polymer grout in protecting bedding slopes.Specifically,load-displacement relationships and failure patterns were analyzed for different testing slopes with various dosages of polymer.Results show the great potential of polymer grout in improving bearing capacity,reducing settlement,and protecting slopes from being crushed under shearing.The polymer-treated slopes remained structurally intact,while the untreated slope exhibited considerable damage when subjected to loads surpassing the bearing capacity.It is also found that polymer-cemented soils concentrate around the injection pipe,forming a fan-shaped sheet-like structure.This study proves the improvement of polymer grouting for bedding slope treatment and will contribute to the development of a fast method to protect bedding slopes from landslides.

Impact pressure of waves generated by landslides on bank slopes

Impulse waves that are generated by landslides in narrow reservoir areas threaten the stability of buildings and bank slopes.To discuss the action process and evolution law of the wave pressure on bank slopes,a three-dimensional physical model test that considers impulse waves generated by landslides was performed,and factors including landslide width,thickness,slope angles of the sliding surface,and bank slope angle were considered.Based on wave forms on the bank slopes,wave pressure curve characteristics,and peak value,the action process of wave pressure could be divided into the following stages:maximum pulsating pressure stage,wave impact stage(when waves break),and stationary pulsation stage.It was found that wave breaking is dependent on the value of the surf similarity parameterξ.The distribution pattern of impact pressure decays linearly on both sides of the maximum impact pressure point,and the attenuation degree decreases when it attains 40%of the maximum value.Thus,it is proposed that the prediction formula for the maximum effective impact pressure of the bank slope be related to the reciprocal of wave steepness,relative water depth,and slope rate.The prediction formula provides strong theoretical support for early safety warning and for predicting the bank slope under impulse waves generated by landslides.

Protective effect of retaining wall on rock avalanche:A case study of Nayong rock avalanche in China

Rock avalanches are generally difficult to prevent and control due to their high velocities and the extensive destruction they cause.However,barrier structures constructed along the path of a rock avalanche can partially mitigate the magnitudes and consequences of such catastrophic events.We selected a rock avalanche in Nayong County,Guizhou Province,China as a case to study the effect of the location and height of a retaining wall on the dynamic characteristics of rock avalanche by using both actual terrain-based laboratory-model tests and coupled PFC3D-FLAC3D numerical simulations.Our findings demonstrate that a retaining wall can largely block a rock avalanche and its protective efficacy is significantly influenced by the integrity of the retaining wall.Coupled numerical simulation can serve as a powerful tool for analyzing the interaction between a rock avalanche and a retaining wall,facilitating precise observations of its deformation and destruction.The impact-curve characteristics of the retaining wall depend upon whether or not the rock avalanche-induced destruction is taken into account.The location of the retaining wall exerts a greater influence on the outcome compared to the height and materials of the retaining wall,while implementing a stepped retaining-wall pattern in accordance with the terrain demonstrates optimal efficacy in controlling rock avalanche.

Crack mechanism of ground fissures in loess layer of Fenwei Basin, China

The Fenwei Basin, covered by loess, experiences severe ground fissure disasters. These disasters disrupt the continuity of the loess and pose significant threats to engineering construction safety along transportation routes. Nevertheless, the crack characteristics and the influence zone of ground fissures in the loess layer remain inadequately investigated. To effectively prevent and control ground fissure disasters, physical model tests and the PFC(particle flow code) numerical simulation method are used to investigate the crack mechanism of buried ground fissures in the loess layer. The results show that there are two main cracks in the layer profile, which have a Y-shape morphology. As the dip angle of the preset cracks increased from 60° to 90°, the main deformation zone at the surface gradually shifted towards the footwall. The process of crack propagation from depth to surface is divided into five stages. Additionally, the results confirm the accuracy of the width of the rupture zone d2in the footwall calculated by the cantilever beam theory. These findings can offer theoretical guidance for determining the avoidance distance of ground fissures in loess regions, as well as for implementing disaster prevention and corresponding control measures for various stages of buried ground fissure propagation.

Experimental Study on Towing Characteristics of Composite Bucket Wellhead Platform

With the rapid development of large-scale development of marginal oilfields in China,simple wellhead platforms that are simple in structure and easy to install have become an inevitable choice in the process of oilfield development.However,traditional simple wellhead platforms are often discarded after a single use.In pursuit of a more costeffective approach to developing marginal oilfields,this paper proposes a new offshore oil field development facility—an integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform.To verify the safety of its towing behavior and obtain the dynamic response characteristics of the structure,this paper takes a bucket integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform with a diameter of 40 m as the research object.By combining physical model tests and numerical simulations,it analyzes the static stability and dynamic response characteristics of the structure during towing,complete with the effects of the draft,wave height,wave period,and towing point height,which produce the dynamic responses of the structure under different influence factors,such as roll angle,pitch angle,heave acceleration and towing force as well as the sensibility to transport variables.The results show that the integrated bucket foundation for wellhead platform is capable of self-floating towing,and its movement is affected by the local environment,which will provide a reference for actual projects.

The role of polyurethane foam compressible layer in the mechanical behaviour of multi-layer yielding supports for deep soft rock tunnels

The polyurethane foam(PU)compressible layer is a viable solution to the problem of damage to the secondary lining in squeezing tunnels.Nevertheless,the mechanical behaviour of the multi-layer yielding supports has not been thoroughly investigated.To fill this gap,large-scale model tests were conducted in this study.The synergistic load-bearing mechanics were analyzed using the convergenceconfinement method.Two types of multi-layer yielding supports with different thicknesses(2.5 cm,3.75 cm and 5 cm)of PU compressible layers were investigated respectively.Digital image correlation(DIC)analysis and acoustic emission(AE)techniques were used for detecting the deformation fields and damage evolution of the multi-layer yielding supports in real-time.Results indicated that the loaddisplacement relationship of the multi-layer yielding supports could be divided into the crack initiation,crack propagation,strain-hardening,and failure stages.Compared with those of the stiff support,the toughness,deformability and ultimate load of the yielding supports were increased by an average of 225%,61%and 32%,respectively.Additionally,the PU compressible layer is positioned between two primary linings to allow the yielding support to have greater mechanical properties.The analysis of the synergistic bearing effect suggested that the thickness of PU compressible layer and its location significantly affect the mechanical properties of the yielding supports.The use of yielding supports with a compressible layer positioned between the primary and secondary linings is recommended to mitigate the effects of high geo-stress in squeezing tunnels.

Unstable evolution of railway slope under the rainfall-vibration joint action

Understanding the unstable evolution of railway slopes is the premise for preventing slope failure and ensuring the safe operation of trains.However,as two major factors affecting the stability of railway slopes,few scholars have explored the unstable evolution of railway slopes under the joint action of rainfall-vibration.Based on the model test of sandy soil slope,the unstable evolution process of slope under locomotive vibration,rainfall,and rainfall-vibration joint action conditions was simulated in this paper.By comparing and analyzing the variation trends of soil pressure and water content of slope under these conditions,the change laws of pore pressure under the influence of vibration and rainfall were explored.The main control factors affecting the stability of slope structure under the joint action conditions were further defined.Combined with the slope failure phenomena under these three conditions,the causes of slope instability resulting from each leading factor were clarified.Finally,according to the above conclusions,the unstable evolution of the slope under the rainfall-vibration joint action was determined.The test results show that the unstable evolution process of sandy soil slope,under the rainfall-vibration joint action,can be divided into:rainfall erosion cracking,vibration promotion penetrating,and slope instability sliding three stages.In the process of slope unstable evolution,rainfall and vibration play the roles of inducing and promoting slide respectively.In addition,the deep cracks,which are the premise for the formation of the sliding surface,and the violent irregular fluctuation of soil pressure,which reflects the near penetration of the sliding surface,constitute the instability characteristics of the railway slope together.This paper reveals the unstable evolution of sandy soil slopes under the joint action of rainfall-vibration,hoping to provide the theoretical basis for the early warning and prevention technology of railway slopes.

Physical model test and application of 3D printing rock-like specimens to laminated rock tunnels

Weak structural plane deformation is responsible for the non-uniform large deformation disasters in layered rock tunnels,resulting in steel arch distortion and secondary lining cracking.In this study,a servo biaxial testing system was employed to conduct physical modeling tests on layered rock tunnels with bedding planes of varying dip angles.The influence of structural anisotropy in layered rocks on the micro displacement and strain field of surrounding rocks was analyzed using digital image correlation(DIC)technology.The spatiotemporal evolution of non-uniform deformation of surrounding rocks was investigated,and numerical simulation was performed to verify the experimental results.The findings indicate that the displacement and strain field of the surrounding layered rocks are all maximized at the horizontal bedding planes and decrease linearly with the increasing dip angle.The failure of the layered surrounding rock with different dip angles occurs and extends along the bedding planes.Compressive strain failure occurs after excavation under high horizontal stress.This study provides significant theoretical support for the analysis,prediction,and control of non-uniform deformation of tunnel surrounding rocks.

Time-Lapse Full-Waveform Inversion Using Cross-Correlation-Based Dynamic Time Warping

Offshore carbon capture, utilization, and storage(OCCUS) is regarded as a crucial technology for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions.Quantitative monitoring maps of sealed carbon dioxide are necessary in a comprehensive OCCUS project. A potential high-resolution method for the aforementioned purpose lies in the full-waveform inversion(FWI) of time-lapse seismic data. However, practical applications of FWI are severely restricted by the well-known cycle-skipping problem. A new time-lapse FWI method using cross-correlation-based dynamic time warping(CDTW) is proposed to detect changes in the subsurface property due to carbon dioxide(CO_(2)) injection and address the aforementioned issue. The proposed method, namely CDTW, which combines the advantages of cross-correlation and dynamic time warping, is employed in the automatic estimation of the discrepancy between the seismic signals simulated using the baseline/initial model and those acquired. The proposed FWI method can then back-project the estimated discrepancy to the subsurface space domain, thereby facilitating retrieval of the induced subsurface property change by taking the difference between the inverted baseline and monitor models. Numerical results on pairs of signals prove that CDTW can obtain reliable shifts under amplitude modulation and noise contamination conditions. The performance of CDTW substantially outperforms that of the conventional dynamic time warping method. The proposed time-lapse fullwaveform inversion(FWI) method is applied to the Frio-2 CO_(2) storage model. The baseline and monitor models are inverted from the corresponding time-lapse seismic data. The changes in velocity due to CO_(2) injection are reconstructed by the difference between the baseline and the monitor models.

Rainfall-triggered waste dump instability analysis based on surface 3D deformation in physical model test

Landslide is the second largest natural disaster after earthquake. It is of significance to study the evolution laws and failure mechanism of landslides based on its surface 3D deformation information. Based on the rainfall-triggered waste dump instability model test, we studied the failure mechanisms of the waste dump by integrating surface deformation and internal slope stress and proposed novel parameters for identifying landslide stability. We developed a noncontact measurement device, which can obtain millimeter-level 3D deformation data for surface scene in physical model test;Then we developed the similar materials and established a test model for a waste dump. Based on the failure characteristics of slope surface, internal stress of slope body and displacement contours during the whole process, we divided the slope instability process in model test into four stages: rainfall infiltration and surface erosion, shallow sliding, deep sliding, and overall instability. Based on the obtained surface deformation data, we calculated the volume change during slope instability process and compared it with the point displacement on slope surface. The results showed that the volume change can not only reflect the slow-ultra acceleration process of slope failure, but also fully reflect the above four stages and reduce the fluctuations caused by random factors. Finally, this paper proposed two stability identification parameters: the volume change rate above the slip surface and the relative velocity of volume change rate. According to the calculation of these two parameters in model test, they can be used for study the deformation and failure mechanism of slope stability.

Experimental study on the movement of oil spill under freeze-thaw action

Oil leakages cause environmental pollution,economic losses,and even engineering safety accidents.In cold regions,researchers urgently investigate the movement of oil spill in soils exposed to freeze-thaw cycles.In this study,a series of laboratory model experiments were carried out on the migration of oil leakage under freeze-thaw action,and the distributions of the soil temperature,unfrozen water content,and displacement were analyzed.The results showed that under freeze-thaw action,liquid water in soils migrated to the freezing front and accumulated.After the pipe cracked,oil pollutants first gathered at one side of the leak hole,and then moved around.The pipe wall temperature affected the soil temperature field,and the thermal influence range below and transverse the pipe wall(35–40 cm)was larger than that above the pipe wall(8 cm)owing to the soil surface temperature.The leaked oil's temperature would make the temperature of the surrounding soil rise.Oil would inhibit the cooling of the soils.Besides,oil migration was significantly affected by the gravity and water flow patterns.The freeze-thaw action would affect the migration of the oil,which was mainly manifested as inhibiting the diffusion and movement of oil when soils were frozen.Unfrozen water transport caused by freeze-thaw cycles would also inhibit oil migration.The research results would provide a scientific reference for understanding the relationship between the movement of oil pollutants,water,and soil temperature,and for establishing a waterheat-mass transport model in frozen soils.

Numerical Calculations and Cold Tests for Flow Fields of a 220t/h Retrofitted Oil-Boiler

In this paper, cold simulation experiments and numerical calculations are conducted to predict 3 D flow field aerodynamics for an oil furnace after being retrofitted due to its fuel variation. K ε model and SIMPLE program under body fit coordination (BFC) system, in which TTM non orthogonal method is used to control the irregular geometric boundary, are adopted to solve the control equations. Model tests are conducted to check the calculation results, showing that they are in agreement with each other. Three different alternatives with different side window locations are also calculated to optimize the designs. The field retrofitting results show that the combination of cold tests with numerical calculations has prosperous application in retrofitting or renewing medium and small boilers.