The difference analysis of physical-mechanical properties of sediments in the central South Yellow Sea and Zhe-Min coastal area in China

The difference analysis of physical-mechanical properties of muddy sediments is made in the central South Yellow Sea and the Zhe-Min（Zhejiang Province to Fujian Province of China） coastal area. The results show that sediments in the two regions are both dominated by mud. There are perfect negative power function correlations between the water content and the density, the compression coefficient and the compression modulus; a good positive power function correlation between the liquid limit and the plastic limit, a perfect positive linear correlation between the water content and the void ratio, and a perfect polynomial function correlation between the miniature vane shear strength and the pocket penetration resistance. In general, compared with sediments in the Zhe-Min coastal area, sediments in the central South Yellow Sea possess high water content, high void ratio,low density, high plasticity, high compressibility, low shear strength. The causes of the differences between physical-mechanical properties of sediments are analyzed from the topographic features, material sources,hydrodynamic conditions, deposition rate, and material composition. Compared with the Zhe-Min coastal area,the central South Yellow Sea is far from the Mainland and low-lying; has poor hydrodynamic condition; the materials diffused to the area are less and dominated by fine clay, have the high content of smectite and organic matters. These factors lead to sediments of the central South Yellow Sea has the higher water content, the higher plasticity, the lower density, and the lower strength than sediments in the Zhe-Min coastal area.

Effect of magma intrusion on the occurrence of coal gas in the Wolonghu coalfield

Chemical analysis, methane isothermal adsorption studies, and mercury porosimetry were performed on ten samples taken from the magma intrusion boundary in the Wolonghu coalfield. The physico-chemical properties of coals from the magma intrusion region are compared to those from the normal regions. The results show that the volatile content (Vad), the limiting adsorption constant (a), and the initial methane diffusion rate of samples from the magma intrusion region are generally smaller than those values from samples from the normal region. The number three coal sample from the magma intrusion region has a large vitrinite reflectance, well developed macropores, a small surface area, and weak methane adsorp- tion capacity. The number ten coal sample from the normal region has a small vitrinite reflectance, well developed micropores, a large surface area, and a strong methane adsorption capacity. The maceral of the coal samples from the magma intrusion region and the normal region are similar. The coal in the area near the magma intrusion boundary is rich in methane and is an area where coal and gas outbursts often occur.

Changes in SOC and Nutrients under Intensive Tillage in Two Types of Slope Landscapes

The net effect of tillage erosion on soil properties would be associated with the spatial variation in soil constituents,and therefore plays an important role in ecological agriculture.We conducted a consecutive tillage by hoeing 15 times during a period with no rainfall in the two slope landscapes(a linear slope and complex slope) of the Yangtze Three Gorges reservoir areas,to examine the relationship between soil erosion rates and the variations in soil chemical properties and compare the effects of soil redistribution on SOC and nutrients between the linear and complex slopes.After the simulated tillage,notable changes in 137 Cs inventories of the soil occurred in the summit and toeslope positions on the linear slope,while there were significant changes in 137 Cs inventories at convex and concave positions on the complex slope.Soil profile disappeared at the summit slope boundary,with the exposure area of 16.0% and 7.6% of the experimental plot,respectively,for the linear and complex slopes due to no soil replacement.Soil organic C and nutrients were completely depleted with the disappearance of soil profiles at soil eroding zones,whereas a remarkable increase in SOC,total N and available nutrient concentrations of the post-tillage surface soil and a decrease in total nutrient concentrations(P and K) were found at depositional zones on the linear slope.For the complex slope,however,changes in SOC and nutrient concentrations of the post-tillage surface soil exhibited a patterndifferent from that on the linear slope,which showed a remarkable decrease in SOC and total nutrient concentrations but a slight increase in available nutrient concentrations after tillage in the toeslope position.Due to the gradual increase in soil depth from top to bottom of the slope,SOC and nutrient inventories in the soil profiles were significantly correlated with soil redistribution rates on both the linear and complex slopes.Tillage causes remarkable changes of soil chemical properties in the surface soil layer and soil profile,and increases SOC and nutrient inventories for the soil profile downslope in steeply sloping landscapes.

General Stiffness Matrix for a Thin-Walled, Open-Section Beam Structure

This paper is to review the theory of thin-walled beam structures of the open cross-section. There is scant information on the performance of structures made from thin-walled beam elements, particularly those of open sections, where the behavior is considerably complicated by the coupling of tensile, bending and torsional loading modes. In the combined loading theory of thin-walled structures, it is useful to mention that for a thin-walled beam, the value of direct stress at a point on the cross-section depends on its position, the geometrical properties of the cross-section and the applied loading. This applies whether the thin-walled section is closed or open but this study will be directed primarily at the latter. Theoretical analyses of structures are fairly well established, considered in multi-various applications by many scientists. However, due to the present interest in lightweight structures, it is necessary to specify where the present theory lies. It does not, for example, deal with compression and the consequent failure modes under global and local buckling. Indeed, with the inclusion of strut buckling failure and any other unforeseen collapse modes, the need was perceived for further research into the subject. Presently, a survey of the published works has shown in the following: 1) The assumptions used in deriving the underlying theory of thin-walled beams are not clearly stated or easily understood;2) The transformations of a load system from arbitrary axis to those at the relevant centre of rotation are incomplete. Thus, an incorrect stress distribution may result in;3) Several methods are found in the recent literature for analyzing the behaviour of thin-walled open section beams under combined loading. These reveal the need appears for further study upon their torsion/flexural behaviour when referred to any arbitrary axis, a common case found in practice. This review covers the following areas: 1) Refinement to existing theory to clarify those observations made in 1 - 3 above;2) Derivation of a general elastic stiffness matrix for combined loading;3) Calculation of the stress distribution on the cross-section of a thin-walled beam. A general transformation matrix that accounts for a load system applied at an arbitrary point on the cross-section will be published in a future paper.

Transformation Matrix for Combined Loads Applied to Thin-Walled Structures

This paper transforms combined loads, applied at an arbitrary point of a thin-walled open section beam, to the shear centre of the cross-section of the beam. Therein, a generalized transformation matrix for loads with respect to the shear centre is derived, this accounting for the bimoments that develop due to the way the combined loads are applied. This and the authors’ earlier paper (World Journal of Mechanics 2021, 11, 205-236) provide a full solution to the theory of thin-walled, open-section structures bearing combined loading. The earlier work identified arbitrary loading with the section’s area properties that are necessary to axial and shear stress calculations within the structure’s thin walls. In the previous paper attention is paid to the relevant axes of loading and to the transformations of loading required between axes for stress calculations arising from tension/compression, bending, torsion and shear. The derivation of the general transformation matrix applies to all types of loadings including, axial tensile and compression forces, transverse shear, longitudinal bending. One application, representing all these load cases, is given of a simple channel cantilever with an eccentrically located end load.

Numerical Simulation of Free Surface by an Area-Preserving Level Set Method

We apply in this study an area preserving level set method to simulate gas/water interface flow.For the sake of accuracy,the spatial derivative terms in the equations of motion for an incompressible fluid flow are approximated by the fifthorder accurate upwinding combined compact difference(UCCD)scheme.This scheme development employs two coupled equations to calculate the first-and second-order derivative terms in the momentum equations.For accurately predicting the level set value,the interface tracking scheme is also developed to minimize phase error of the first-order derivative term shown in the pure advection equation.For the purpose of retaining the long-term accurate Hamiltonian in the advection equation for the level set function,the time derivative term is discretized by the sixth-order accurate symplectic Runge-Kutta scheme.Also,to keep as a distance function for ensuring the front having a finite thickness for all time,the re-initialization equation is used.For the verification of the optimized UCCD scheme for the pure advection equation,two benchmark problems have been chosen to investigate in this study.The level set method with excellent area conservation property proposed for capturing the interface in incompressible fluid flows is also verified by solving the dam-break,Rayleigh-Taylor instability,two-bubble rising in water,and droplet falling problems.

An empirical method for estimating surface area of aggregates in hot mix asphalt

Bitumen requirement in hot mix asphalt （HMA） is directly dependent on the surface area of the aggregates in the mix, which in turn has effect on the asphalt film thickness and the flow characteristics. The surface area of aggregate blend in HMA is calculated using the specific surface area factors assigned to percentage passing through some specific standard sieve sizes and the imaging techniques. The first process is less capital intensive, but purely manual and labour intensive and prone to human errors. Imaging techniques though eliminating the human errors, still have limited use due to capital intensiveness and requirement of well-established ]aboratories with qualified technicians. Most of the developing countries like India are shortage of well-equipped laboratories and qualified technicians. To overcome these difficulties, the present mathematical model has been developed to estimate the surface area of aggregate blend of HMA from physical properties of aggregates evaluated using simple laboratory equipment. This model has been validated compared with the existing established methods of calculations and can be used as one of the tools in different developing and under developed countries for proper design of HMA.