Numerical analysis of high‑speed railway slab tracks using calibrated and validated 3D time‑domain modelling

Concrete slabs are widely used in modern railways to increase the inherent resilient quality of the tracks,provide safe and smooth rides,and reduce the maintenance frequency.In this paper,the elastic performance of a novel slab trackform for high-speed railways is investigated using three-dimensional finite element modelling in Abaqus.It is then compared to the performance of a ballasted track.First,slab and ballasted track models are developed to replicate the full-scale testing of track sections.Once the models are calibrated with the experimental results,the novel slab model is developed and compared against the calibrated slab track results.The slab and ballasted track models are then extended to create linear dynamic models,considering the track geodynamics,and simulating train passages at various speeds,for which the Ledsgard documented case was used to validate the models.Trains travelling at low and high speeds are analysed to investigate the track deflections and the wave propagation in the soil,considering the issues associated with critical speeds.Various train loading methods are discussed,and the most practical approach is retained and described.Moreover,correlations are made between the geotechnical parameters of modern high-speed rail and conventional standards.It is found that considering the same ground condition,the slab track deflections are considerably smaller than those of the ballasted track at high speeds,while they show similar behaviour at low speeds.

Stiffness and Shear Stress Distribution of Glulam Beams in Elastic-Plastic Stage:Theory,Experiments and Numerical Modelling

Traditional methods focus on the ultimate bending moment of glulam beams and the fracture failure of materials with defects,which usually depends on empirical parameters.There is no systematic theoretical method to predict the stiffness and shear distribution of glulam beams in elastic-plastic stage,and consequently,the failure of such glulam beams cannot be predicted effectively.To address these issues,an analytical method considering material nonlinearity was proposed for glulam beams,and the calculating equations of deflection and shear stress distribution for different failure modes were established.The proposed method was verified by experiments and numerical models under the corresponding conditions.Results showed that the theoretical calculations were in good agreement with experimental and numerical results,indicating that the equations proposed in this paper were reliable and accurate for such glulam beams with wood material in the elastic-plastic stage ignoring the influence of mechanic properties in radial and tangential directions of wood.Furthermore,the experimental results reported by the previous studies indicated that the method was applicable and could be used as a theoretical reference for predicting the failure of glulam beams.

Field and numerical modelling on the stability of underground strata in longwall workings

The longwall method is one of the feasible and efficient underground mining methods for greater depth of workings.Recently,Singareni Collieries Company Limited(SCCL),the largest coal-producing government company in the Southern part of India,has deployed a high capacity(2×1152T capacity)power support system in its Adriyala Longwall Project(ALP)at a depth of 375 m.There was a concern about the stability of the longwall workings and the protective pillars.Thus,research work was carried out with the geotechnical instruments and numerical modelling tools to analyze the stability while retreating the longwall panels.The outcomes revealed that the convergence in the gate roads increased with the longwall face advancement and the area of exposure.The pressure of the powered support legs on the dip side was less than the rise side legs,which implies a stable roof condition over the longwall face.An abutment zone was identified ahead of the line of extraction up to 10e25 m and presumed from the Factor of Safety(FoS)criterion that within this zone,the longwall pillar possibly will be of better stability at every stage of extraction.The results obtained from this study would be helpful for the mining engineers to understand the behaviour of underground strata in longwall workings.

Numerical analysis of geosynthetic-reinforced embankment performance under moving loads

The performance of geosynthetic-reinforced embankments under traffic moving loads is always a hotspot in the geotechnical engineering field.A three-dimensional(3D)model of a geosynthetic-reinforced embankment without drainage consolidation was established using the finite element software ABAQUS.In this model,the traffic loads were simulated by two moving loads of rectangular pattern,and their amplitude,range,and moving speed were realized by a Fortran subroutine.The embankment fill was simulated by an equivalent linear viscoelastic model,which can reflect its viscoelasticity.The geogrid was simulated by the truss element,and the geocell was simulated by the membrane element.Infinite elements were utilized to weaken the boundary effect caused by the model geometry at the boundaries.Validation of the established numerical model was conducted by comparing the predicted deformations in the cross-section of the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment with those from the existing literature.On this basis,the dynamic stress and strain distribution in the pavement structure layer of the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment under a moving load was also analyzed.Finally,a parametric study was conducted to examine the influences of the different types of reinforcement,overload,and the moving load velocity on the geosynthetic-reinforced embankment.

Experimental and numerical investigation on alternatives to sandy gravel

The NATO agreement STANAG 4569 defines the protection levels for the occupants of logistic and light armored vehicle.The Allied Engineering Publication,AEP-55,Volume 2 document outlines the test conditions for underbelly improvised explosive device(IEDs),which must be buried in water-saturated sandy gravel.The use of sandy gravel has some drawbacks,for instance reproducibility,time consumption,and cost.This paper focuses on the investigation of four alternatives to sandy gravel,which could produce similar specific and cumulative impulses:a concrete pot filled with water,a concrete pot filled with quartz sand,a steel pot without filling and a concrete pot filled with glass spheres(diameter 200μm—300μm)and different water contents.The impulses are measured with a ring technology developed at the Fraunhofer EMI.A numerical soil model based on the work of Marrs,2014 and Fi serov a,2006 and considering the soil moisture was used to simulate the experiments with glass spheres at different water contents,showing much better agreement with the experiments than the classical Laine&Sandvik model,even for high saturation levels.These results can be used to create new test conditions at original scale that are more cost-effective,more reproducible and simpler to manage in comparison to the current tests carried out with STANAG sandy gravel.

Numerical simulation of microwave-induced cracking and melting of granite based on mineral microscopic models

This study introduces a coupled electromagnetic–thermal–mechanical model to reveal the mechanisms of microcracking and mineral melting of polymineralic rocks under microwave radiation.Experimental tests validate the rationality of the proposed model.Embedding microscopic mineral sections into the granite model for simulation shows that uneven temperature gradients create distinct molten,porous,and nonmolten zones on the fracture surface.Moreover,the varying thermal expansion coefficients and Young's moduli among the minerals induce significant thermal stress at the mineral boundaries.Quartz and biotite with higher thermal expansion coefficients are subjected to compression,whereas plagioclase with smaller coefficients experiences tensile stress.In the molten zone,quartz undergoes transgranular cracking due to theα–βphase transition.The local high temperatures also induce melting phase transitions in biotite and feldspar.This numerical study provides new insights into the distribution of thermal stress and mineral phase changes in rocks under microwave irradiation.

Progressive fragmentation of granular assemblies within rockslides: Insights from discrete-continuous numerical modeling

Rock fragmentation plays a critical role in rock avalanches,yet conventional approaches such as classical granular flow models or the bonded particle model have limitations in accurately characterizing the progressive disintegration and kinematics of multi-deformable rock blocks during rockslides.The present study proposes a discrete-continuous numerical model,based on a cohesive zone model,to explicitly incorporate the progressive fragmentation and intricate interparticle interactions inherent in rockslides.Breakable rock granular assemblies are released along an inclined plane and flow onto a horizontal plane.The numerical scenarios are established to incorporate variations in slope angle,initial height,friction coefficient,and particle number.The evolutions of fragmentation,kinematic,runout and depositional characteristics are quantitatively analyzed and compared with experimental and field data.A positive linear relationship between the equivalent friction coefficient and the apparent friction coefficient is identified.In general,the granular mass predominantly exhibits characteristics of a dense granular flow,with the Savage number exhibiting a decreasing trend as the volume of mass increases.The process of particle breakage gradually occurs in a bottom-up manner,leading to a significant increase in the angular velocities of the rock blocks with increasing depth.The simulation results reproduce the field observations of inverse grading and source stratigraphy preservation in the deposit.We propose a disintegration index that incorporates factors such as drop height,rock mass volume,and rock strength.Our findings demonstrate a consistent linear relationship between this index and the fragmentation degree in all tested scenarios.

A methodology for damage evaluation of underground tunnels subjected to static loading using numerical modeling

We have proposed a methodology to assess the robustness of underground tunnels against potential failure.This involves developing vulnerability functions for various qualities of rock mass and static loading intensities.To account for these variations,we utilized a Monte Carlo Simulation(MCS)technique coupled with the finite difference code FLAC^(3D),to conduct two thousand seven hundred numerical simulations of a horseshoe tunnel located within a rock mass with different geological strength index system(GSIs)and subjected to different states of static loading.To quantify the severity of damage within the rock mass,we selected one stress-based(brittle shear ratio(BSR))and one strain-based failure criterion(plastic damage index(PDI)).Based on these criteria,we then developed fragility curves.Additionally,we used mathematical approximation techniques to produce vulnerability functions that relate the probabilities of various damage states to loading intensities for different quality classes of blocky rock mass.The results indicated that the fragility curves we obtained could accurately depict the evolution of the inner and outer shell damage around the tunnel.Therefore,we have provided engineers with a tool that can predict levels of damages associated with different failure mechanisms based on variations in rock mass quality and in situ stress state.Our method is a numerically developed,multi-variate approach that can aid engineers in making informed decisions about the robustness of underground tunnels.

Understanding the spatial interaction of ultrasounds based on three-dimensional dual-frequency ultrasonic field numerical simulation

A transient 3D model was established to investigate the effect of spatial interaction of ultrasounds on the dual-frequency ultrasonic field in magnesium alloy melt.The effects of insertion depth and tip shape of the ultrasonic rods,input pressures and their ratio on the acoustic field distribution were discussed in detail.Additionally,the spacing,angle,and insertion depth of two ultrasonic rods significantly affect the interaction between distinct ultrasounds.As a result,various acoustic pressure distributions and cavitation regions are obtained.The spherical rods mitigate the longitudinal and transversal attenuation of acoustic pressure and expand the cavitation volume by 53.7%and 31.7%,respectively,compared to the plate and conical rods.Increasing the input pressure will enlarge the cavitation region but has no effect on the acoustic pressure distribution pattern.The acoustic pressure ratio significantly affects the pressure distribution and the cavitation region,and the best cavitation effect is obtained at the ratio of 2:1(P15:P20).

A typhoon-induced storm surge numerical model with GPU acceleration based on an unstructured spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellation grid

Storm surge is often the marine disaster that poses the greatest threat to life and property in coastal areas.Accurate and timely issuance of storm surge warnings to take appropriate countermeasures is an important means to reduce storm surge-related losses.Storm surge numerical models are important for storm surge forecasting.To further improve the performance of the storm surge forecast models,we developed a numerical storm surge forecast model based on an unstructured spherical centroidal Voronoi tessellation(SCVT)grid.The model is based on shallow water equations in vector-invariant form,and is discretized by Arakawa C grid.The SCVT grid can not only better describe the coastline information but also avoid rigid transitions,and it has a better global consistency by generating high-resolution grids in the key areas through transition refinement.In addition,the simulation speed of the model is accelerated by using the openACC-based GPU acceleration technology to meet the timeliness requirements of operational ensemble forecast.It only takes 37 s to simulate a day in the coastal waters of China.The newly developed storm surge model was applied to simulate typhoon-induced storm surges in the coastal waters of China.The hindcast experiments on the selected representative typhoon-induced storm surge processes indicate that the model can reasonably simulate the distribution characteristics of storm surges.The simulated maximum storm surges and their occurrence times are consistent with the observed data at the representative tide gauge stations,and the mean absolute errors are 3.5 cm and 0.6 h respectively,showing high accuracy and application prospects.

Numerical investigation of hydro-morphodynamic characteristics of a cascading failure of landslide dams

A cascading failure of landslide dams caused by strong earthquakes or torrential rains in mountainous river valleys can pose great threats to people’s lives,properties,and infrastructures.In this study,based on the three-dimensional Reynoldsaveraged Navier-Stokes equations(RANS),the renormalization group(RNG)k-εturbulence model,suspended and bed load transport equations,and the instability discriminant formula of dam breach side slope,and the explicit finite volume method(FVM),a detailed numerical simulation model for calculating the hydro-morphodynamic characteristics of cascading dam breach process has been developed.The developed numerical model can simulate the breach hydrograph and the dam breach morphology evolution during the cascading failure process of landslide dams.A model test of the breaches of two cascading landslide dams has been used as the validation case.The comparison of the calculated and measured results indicates that the breach hydrograph and the breach morphology evolution process of the upstream and downstream dams are generally consistent with each other,and the relative errors of the key breaching parameters,i.e.,the peak breach flow and the time to peak of each dam,are less than±5%.Further,the comparison of the breach hydrographs of the upstream and downstream dams shows that there is an amplification effect of the breach flood on the cascading landslide dam failures.Three key parameters,i.e.,the distance between the upstream and the downstream dams,the river channel slope,and the downstream dam height,have been used to study the flood amplification effect.The parameter sensitivity analyses show that the peak breach flow at the downstream dam decreases with increasing distance between the upstream and the downstream dams,and the downstream dam height.Further,the peak breach flow at the downstream dam first increases and then decreases with steepening of the river channel slope.When the flood caused by the upstream dam failure flows to the downstream dam,it can produce a surge wave that overtops and erodes the dam crest,resulting in a lowering of the dam crest elevation.This has an impact on the failure occurrence time and the peak breach flow of the downstream dam.The influence of the surge wave on the downstream dam failure process is related to the volume of water that overtops the dam crest and the erosion characteristics of dam material.Moreover,the cascading failure case of the Xiaogangjian and Lower Xiaogangjian landslide dams has also been used as the representative case for validating the model.In comparisons of the calculated and measured breach hydrographs and final breach morphologies,the relative errors of the key dam breaching parameters are all within±10%,which verify the rationality of the model is applicable to real-world cases.Overall,the numerical model developed in this study can provide important technical support for the risk assessment and emergency treatment of failures of cascading landslide dams.

Numerical simulation of formation mechanism of unloading joints in granitic pluton

The Beishan pluton in Gansu of China was selected as the simulated model.The simulation results indicate that the formation of unloading joints in granite is mainly influenced by the unloading rate of confin-ing pressure.Among the rates tested,the slowest unloading rate 0.025 MPa/s is found to be most conducive to the development of unloading joints.Therefore,a slower unloading rate is favourable for the occurrence of unloading joints.A series of simulations with varying initial depths of uplift ranging from 900 m to 200 m were conducted.The results confirm that when the specimen rises to a depth of 550-500 m,the unloading joints begin to form.The uplift from a depth of 700-500 m,with variations in both vertical and lateral un-loading rates,was simulated.The generation of unloading joints exhibits a negative correlation with vertical unloading and no correlation with lateral unloading,indicating that the unloading joints are mainly controlled by the unloading of vertical pressure.Throughout the simulation process,the vertical joints exhibit irregular and unrealistic regularity,suggesting a more complex formation mechanism than that of the unloading joints.

Numerical Models and Methods of Atmospheric Parameters Originating in the Formation of the Earth’s Climatic Cycle

Atmospheric models are physical equations based on the ideal gas law. Applied to the atmosphere, this law yields equations for water, vapor (gas), ice, air, humidity, dryness, fire, and heat, thus defining the model of key atmospheric parameters. The distribution of these parameters across the entire planet Earth is the origin of the formation of the climatic cycle, which is a normal climatic variation. To do this, the Earth is divided into eight (8) parts according to the number of key parameters to be defined in a physical representation of the model. Following this distribution, numerical models calculate the constants for the formation of water, vapor, ice, dryness, thermal energy (fire), heat, air, and humidity. These models vary in complexity depending on the indirect trigonometric direction and simplicity in the sum of neighboring models. Note that the constants obtained from the equations yield 275.156˚K (2.006˚C) for water, 273.1596˚K (0.00963˚C) for vapor, 273.1633˚K (0.0133˚C) for ice, 0.00365 in/s for atmospheric dryness, 1.996 in2/s for humidity, 2.993 in2/s for air, 1 J for thermal energy of fire, and 0.9963 J for heat. In summary, this study aims to define the main parameters and natural phenomena contributing to the modification of planetary climate. .

Numerical modelling of structural controls on fluid flow and mineralization

This paper presents the results of a set of numerical models focussing on structural controls on hydrothermal mineralization. We first give an overview of natural phenomena of structurally-controlled ore formation and the background theory and mechanisms for such controls. We then provide the results of a group of simple 2D numerical models validated through comparison with Cu-vein structure observed near the Shilu Copper deposit （Yangchun, Guangdong Province, China） and finally a case study of 3D numerical modelling applied to the Hodgkinson Province in North Queensland （Australia）. Two modelling approaches, discrete deformation modelling and continuum coupled deformation and fluid flow modelling, are involved. The 2D model-derived patterns are remarkably consistent with the Cu-vein structure from the Shilu Copper deposit, and show that both modelling approaches can realistically simulate the mechanical behaviours of shear and dilatant fractures. The continuum coupled deformation and fluid flow model indicates that pattern of the Cu- veins near the Shilu deposit is the result of shear strain localization, development of dilation and fluid focussing into the dilatant fracture segments. The 3D case-study models （with deformation and fluid flow coupling） on the Hodgkinson Province generated a number of potential gold mineralization

Overhanging rock slope by design:An integrated approach using rock mass strength characterisation,large-scale numerical modelling and limit equilibrium methods

Overhanging rock slopes(steeper than 90°) are typically avoided in rock engineering design, particularly where the scale of the slope exceeds the scale of fracturing present in the rock mass. This paper highlights an integrated approach of designing overhanging rock slopes where the relative dimensions of the slope exceed the scale of fracturing and the rock mass failure needs to be considered rather than kinematic release of individual blocks. The key to the method is a simplified limit equilibrium(LE) tool that was used for the support design and analysis of a multi-faceted overhanging rock slope. The overhanging slopes required complex geometries with constantly changing orientations. The overhanging rock varied in height from 30 m to 66 m. Geomechanical modelling combined with discrete fracture network(DFN)representation of the rock mass was used to validate the rock mass strength assumptions and the failure mechanism assumed in the LE model. The advantage of the simplified LE method is that buttress and support design iterations(along with sensitivity analysis of design parameters) can be completed for various cross-sections along the proposed overhanging rock sections in an efficient manner, compared to the more time-intensive, sophisticated methods that were used for the initial validation. The method described presents the development of this design tool and assumptions made for a specific overhanging rock slope design. Other locations will have different geological conditions that can control the potential behaviour of rock slopes, however, the approach presented can be applied as a general guiding design principle for overhanging rock cut slope.

Numerical modelling of non-ideal detonation in ANFO explosives applying Wood-Kirkwood theory coupled with EXPLO5 thermochemical code

Ammonium nitrate and fuel oil(ANFO)based explosive is a classic example of non-ideal high explosives.Its detonation is characterized by a strong dependence of detonation parameters on explosive charge diameter,presence and characteristics of confinement,as well as incomplete consumption of explosive at the sonic point.In this work we propose a detonation model based on the Wood-Kirkwood(WK)theory coupled with the thermochemical code EXPLO5 and supplemented with reaction rate models.Our objective is to analyze the validity of the model for highly non-ideal ANFO explosives,with emphasis on effect of reaction rate models.It was found that both single-step and two-step pressure-based models can be calibrated to reproduce experimental detonation velocity-charge radius data of ANFO at radii significantly above the failure radius(i.e.for D/D_(id)>~0.6).Single-step pressure-based model,with the pressure exponent equal to 1.4,proved to be the most accurate,even in the vicinity of the failure radius.The impact of the rate models is most evident on temporal(and spatial)distribution of flow parameters in detonation driving zone,especially when it comes to the conversion and width of detonation driving zone.

Characteristics of Oil Contamination and Numerical Modelling of Its Transport in Fracture-Karst Water in Zibo City,China

In this paper, the hydraulic characteristics of the fracture-karst aquifer and the distribution patterns of petrochemical contaminants are studied. Then, a numerical model using the mixed Eulerian-Lagrangian approach is constructed to predict the distribution and transport of petrochemical compounds in groundwater. The results of numerical modelling and sensitivity analysis show that it may be a workable way for aquifer remediation to combine contamination sources control and capture zone establishment.

A Numerical Modelling Method of Fractured Reservoirs with Embedded Meshes and Topological Fracture Projection Configurations

Projection-based embedded discrete fracture model(pEDFM)is an effective numerical model to handle the flow in fractured reservoirs,with high efficiency and strong generalization of flow models.However,this paper points out that pEDFM fails to handle flow barriers in most cases,and identifies the physical projection configuration of fractures is a key step in pEDFM.This paper presents and proves the equivalence theorem,which explains the geometric nature of physical projection configurations of fractures,that is,the projection configuration of a fracture being physical is equivalent to it being topologically homeomorphic to the fracture,by analyzing the essence of pEDFM.Physical projection configurations of fractures may be rigorously established based on this theorem,allowing pEDFM to obtain physical numerical results for many flow models,particularly those with flow barriers.Furthermore,a natural idea emerges of employing flow barriers to flexibly‘cut’the formation to quickly handle the flow problems in the formation with complex geological conditions,and several numerical examples are implemented to test this idea and application of the improved pEDFM.

Debris flow simulation 2D(DFS 2D):Numerical modelling of debris flows and calibration of friction parameters

Debris flows are rapid mass movements with a mixture of rock,soil and water.High-intensity rainfall events have triggered multiple debris flows around the globe,making it an important concern from the disaster management perspective.This study presents a numerical model called debris flow simulation 2D(DFS 2D)and applicability of the proposed model is investigated through the values of the model parameters used for the reproduction of an occurred debris flow at Yindongzi gully in China on 13 August 2010.The model can be used to simulate debris flows using three different rheologies and has a userfriendly interface for providing the inputs.Using DFS 2D,flow parameters can be estimated with respect to space and time.The values of the flow resistance parameters of model,dry-Coulomb and turbulent friction,were calibrated through the back analysis and the values obtained are 0.1 and 1000 m/s^(2),respectively.Two new methods of calibration are proposed in this study,considering the crosssectional area of flow and topographical changes induced by the debris flow.The proposed methods of calibration provide an effective solution to the cumulative errors induced by coarse-resolution digital elevation models(DEMs)in numerical modelling of debris flows.The statistical indices such as Willmott's index of agreement,mean-absolute-error,and normalized-root-mean-square-error of the calibrated model are 0.5,1.02 and 1.44,respectively.The comparison between simulated and observed values of topographic changes indicates that DFS 2D provides satisfactory results and can be used for dynamic modelling of debris flows.

Numerical Modellings of Properties of the Summer Quasi-Stationary Circulation Systems and Their Monthly Variations

An ocean-atmosphere and land-air coupled numerical model system is used to study the basic properties and the monthly time variations of the summer quasi-stationary circulation systems. It is found that either at the upper or at the lower levels of the atmosphere, the circulation patterns have a two-wave structure in the zonal direction at the mid and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere. Such a structure of circulation is totally matchable to that of the land-sea distribution there. It is proved, hence, that the land-sea distributive pattern is the fundamental cause for the summer quasi-stationary circulation pattern. The topography in the globe is the secondary factor for circulation systems. The circulation centres of the quasi-stationary systems are always located in certain areas due to the thermodynamic contrast between land and sea.From the time evolutions of the circulation systems it is seen that the change is larger at the beginning period of the time integration, it is because of using the zonally averaged mean fields as the initial values of the model. As long as the basic simulated pattern of circulations reaches the state similar to that of the real climatic fields resulting from the coeffects of the land-sea distribution and the topography, the circulation systems modelled will change slowly and tend to a quasi-stationary state. Therefore, the time integration does not need to last for a very long time, if the purpose of numerical modellings is to test sensitivities of some factors influencing the climate, 20 model days may be enough for sensitive experiments.