Short-term warning and integrity monitoring algorithm for coal mine shaft safety

A new short-term warning and integrity monitoring algorithm was proposed for coal mine shaft safety. The Kalman filter (KF) model was used to extract real global positioning system (GPS) kinematic deformation information. The short-term warning model was built by using the two-side cumulative sum (CUSUM) test, which further improves the warning system reliability. Availability (the minimum warning deformation, MWD), false alarm rate (the average run length, ARL), missed rate (the warning delay, WD) and the relationships among them were analyzed and the method choosing warning parameters is given. A test of a deformation simulation platform shows that the warning algorithm can be effectively used for steep deformation warning. A field experiment of the Malan mine shaft in Shanxi coal area illustrates that the proposed algorithm can detect small dynamic changes and the corresponding occurring time. At given warning thresholds (MWD is 15 mm and ARL is 1000),the detected deformations of two consecutive days’ deformation sequences with the algorithm occur at the 705th epoch (705 s) and the 517th epoch (517 s), respectively.

Building the Capacity of Health Professionals in Monitoring and Evaluation in a Public Health Institution: Experience of the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) of Côte d’Ivoire

Background: In the context of the fight against HIV, a lack of skills in monitoring and evaluating the personnel in charge of activities has been identified at the national level. It was the subject of a priority axis of the national plan for monitoring and evaluating the fight against HIV (2006-2010) that was aimed at strengthening the capacities of actors in this area. To increase the critical mass of competent human resources in the short term, the National Institute of Public Health (NIPH) of Côte d’Ivoire organized monitoring and evaluation training sessions for healthcare professionals from 2011 to 2016. Methods: A single case study with multiple levels of analysis was carried out, combining a qualitative survey and a literature review. An evaluation was carried out six months after each training session. In addition, the results of the pre- and post-tests and of the daily and final evaluations that accompanied the various training sessions were used to provide further information. The qualitative data collected were analyzed using INVIVO 15 software. Results: Some 89 health professionals (69% men and 31% women) working at the national level (51% at the central level, including 58% in health programs) and in development partner agencies (37%) participated in this capacity building program. Most participants were senior health managers (56%), data managers (23%), and statisticians and computer scientists (10%). Almost all the trainings were financed by 16 technical and financial partners (85%), mainly the MEASURE Evaluation project (27%). Conclusion: M&E training, despite all its imperfections, has made it possible to identify M&E training needs at the national level and to increase the critical mass of national skills and to have some culture in M&E.

Remote condition monitoring of rail tracks using distributed acoustic sensing(DAS):A deep CNN-LSTM-SW based model

Railroad condition monitoring is paramount due to frequent passage through densely populated regions.This significance arises from the potential consequences of accidents such as train derailments,hazardous materials leaks,or collisions which may have far-reaching impacts on communities and the surrounding areas.As a solution to this issue,the use of distributed acoustic sensing(DAS)-fiber optic cables along railroads provides a feasible tool for monitoring the health of these extended infrastructures.Nevertheless,analyzing DAS data to assess railroad health or detect potential damage is a challenging task.Due to the large amount of data generated by DAS,as well as the unstructured patterns and substantial noise present,traditional analysis methods are ineffective in interpreting this data.This paper introduces a novel approach that harnesses the power of deep learning through a combination of CNNs and LSTMs,augmented by sliding window techniques(CNN-LSTM-SW),to advance the state-of-the-art in the railroad condition monitoring system.As well as it presents the potential for DAS and fiber optic sensing technologies to revolutionize the proposed CNN-LSTM-SW model to detect conditions along the rail track networks.Extracting insights from the data of High tonnage load(HTL)-a 4.16 km fiber optic and DAS setup,we were able to distinguish train position,normal condition,and abnormal conditions along the railroad.Notably,our investigation demonstrated that the proposed approaches could serve as efficient techniques for processing DAS signals and detecting the condition of railroad infrastructures at any remote distance with DAS-Fiber optic cable setup.Moreover,in terms of pinpointing the train's position,the CNN-LSTM architecture showcased an impressive 97%detection rate.Applying a sliding window,the CNN-LSTM labeled data,the remaining 3%of misclassified labels have been improved dramatically by predicting the exact locations of each type of condition.Altogether,these proposed models exhibit promising potential for accurately identifying various railroad conditions,including anomalies and discrepancies that warrant thorough exploration.

Supporting structure failure caused by the squeezing tunnel creep and its reinforcement measure

Tunnels deeply buried have high crustal stress and are prone to large deformation disasters when encountering soft rock.The large deformation phenomenon during the construction process of the Maoxian Tunnel on the Chengdu-Lanzhou Railway is particularly evident.This article focuses on the large deformation problem of the No.1 inclined shaft of the Maoxian Tunnel,and uses on-site monitoring methods to explore the reasons for tunnel structure failure,and analyzes the mechanical behavior of the tunnel structure.By using numerical simulation methods,the effectiveness of the second-layer support in resisting creep loads in tunnels was studied,and the influence of the construction time of the secondlayer support on the mechanical properties of the tunnel was discussed.The results indicate that the first-layer support in the tunnel is a structural failure caused by asymmetric deformation caused by creep,while the second-layer support has a good effect on resisting creep loads.The research results can provide a technical reference for deformation control of squeezing tunnels.

Soil erosion and its causes in high-filling body:A case study of a valley area on the Loess Plateau,China

Large-scale land consolidation projects(LCPs)have been carried out on the Loess Plateau to increase the area of agriculture land.The newly created land is prone to soil erosion under the effects of water and gravity.Taking a typical high-filling body(HFB)formed by LCPs in Yan’an,China as the subject,this study comprehensively investigated the types and causes of soil erosion with multiple methods of field investigation,on-site monitoring and laboratory tests.Results showed that the HFB presented a composite pattern of soil erosion with multiple types mainly including underground erosion,mixed water-gravity erosion,seepage erosion,and scouring erosion.The type of erosion varied spatially in different parts of the HFB depending on the dominant factors,mainly including the groundwater state,rainfall,runoff,gravity action,topography,and soil erodibility.The underground erosion mainly occurred at the positions with higher groundwater level and larger hydraulic gradient,while scouring erosion mainly occurred at the positions with extensive interactions of surface runoff,channel slope gradient and soil properties.And near the leading edge of the top of the slope,a band of mixed watergravity erosion occurred owing to the effects of water and gravity.In addition,nearly saturated soils at the toe of HFB displayed groundwater exfiltration and slope-face slumping.Based on our findings on the causes and variation of soil erosion for the HFB,we proposed the following erosion prevention and control measures to protect the LCPs on the Loess Plateau:to construct drainage ditches and blind ditches to form a complete drainage system,plant alfalfa on the top platform to increase rainfall interception and reduce surface runoff,set seepage ditches and plant deep-rooted plants at the toe of the slope to improve slope toe stability,monitor groundwater level and slope deformation to learn the erosion dynamics and slope stability,and optimize the geometry of HFB such as the slope gradient and slope steps to reduce soil erosion.

Monitoring biofouling based on aerobic respiration in reverse osmosis system

A monitoring method of biofouling in reverse osmosis(RO) system was proposed based on the fluorescent signal of resorufin, which is reduced by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide released from viable cells during aerobic respiration. The fluorescent signal of resorufin reduced by planktonic cells and microorganisms of biofilm showed linearity, indicating its feasibility to monitor biofouling in a RO system. For the application of the method to the lab-scale RO system, the injection concentration of resazurin and the injection flow rate were optimized. Biofilm on RO membranes continuously operated in a lab-scale RO system was estimated by resorufin fluorescence under optimized detection condition. As a result,resorufin fluorescence on RO membrane showed a significant increase in which the permeability of RO system decreased by 30.48%. Moreover, it represented the development of biofilm as much as conventional biofilm parameters such as adenosine triphosphate,extracellular polymeric substances, and biofilm thickness. The proposed method could be used as a sensitive and low-cost technology to monitor biofouling without autopsy of membranes.

Performance of the suspension method in large cross-section shallow-buried tunnels

Large cross-section tunnel construction induces ground surface settlements, potentially endangering both subterranean projects and nearby above-ground structures. A novel tunnel construction method, known as the suspension method,is introduced in this paper to mitigate surface settlement. The suspension method employs vertical tie rods to establish a structural connection between the initial tunnel support system and the surface steel beam, thereby exerting effective control settlements. To analyze the performance of the proposed method, systematic numerical simulations were conducted based on the practical engineering of Harbin Subway Line 3. The surface settlement and vault settlement characteristics during construction are investigated. The results show a gradual increment in both surface and vault settlement throughout the construction process, culminating in a stabilized state upon the completion of construction.In addition, compared to the double-side drift method and the Cross Diaphragm Method(CRD) method, the suspension method can obviously reduce the surface settlement and vault settlement. Moreover, the surface settlements and the axial force of tie rods were continuously monitored during the construction process at the trial tunnel block.These specific monitoring measurements are illustrated in comparison to numerical analysis results. The monitored results show great agreement with the numerical predictions, confirming the success of the project. This research can serve as a valuable practical reference for similar projects, offering insights and guidance for addressing ground surface settlements and enhancing construction safety in the domain of large cross-section tunneling.

Study on wear characteristics and authorized limits of switch rails of high-speed turnout

Purpose-It is quite universal for high-speed turnouts to be exposed to the wear of the stock rail of the switch rail during the service process.The wear will cause the change of railhead profile and the relative positions of the switch rail and the stock rail,which will directly affect the wheel-rail contact state and wheel load transition when a train passes the turnout and will further impose serious impacts on the safety and stability of train operation.The purpose of this paper is to provide suggestions for wear management of high-speed turnout.Design/methodology/approach-The actual wear characteristics of switch rails of high-speed turnouts in different guiding directions were studied based on the monitoring results on site;the authorized wear limits for the switch rails of high-speed turnout were studied through derailment risk analysis and switch rail strength analysis.Findings-The results show that:the major factor for the service life of a curved switch rail is the lateral wear.The wear characteristics of the curved switch rail of a facing turnout are significantly different from those of a trailing turnout.To be specific,the lateral wear of the curved switch rail mainly occurs in the narrower section at its front end for a trailing turnout,but in the wider section at its rear end when for a facing turnout.The maximum lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a trailing turnout is found on the 15-mm wide section and is 3.9 mm,which does not reach the specified limit of 6 mm.For comparison,the lateral wear of a dismounted switch rail from a facing turnout is found from the 35-mm wide section to the full-width section and is greater than 7.5 mm,which exceeds the specified limit.Based on this,in addition to meeting the requirements of maintenance rules,the allowed wear of switch rails of high-speed turnout shall be so that the dangerous area with a tangent angle of wheel profile smaller than 43.68 will not contact the switch rail when the wheel is lifted by 2 mm.Accordingly,the lateral wear limit at the 5-mm wide section of the curved switch rail shall be reduced from 6 mm(as specified)to 3.5 mm.Originality/value-The work in this paper is of reference significance to the research on the development law of rail wear in high-speed turnout area and the formulation of relevant standards.

Dynamic evolution in mechanical characteristics of complex supporting structures during large section tunnel construction

The shallow tunnelling method(STM)often uses temporary supports to divide large section tunnels into several closed or semiclosed sections so as to share the upper load.The complex support system composed of primary and temporary supports can ensure safety during tunnel construction.Based on the large section tunnel of Beijing Subway Line 12,the mechanical characteristics of support system by the double-side-drift method(DSDM)during excavation and demolition were analyzed through numerical simulation and monitoring.The study showed that the middle cave excavation was the most critical stage of the DSDM,during which the load on the supporting structure increased significantly.The temporary vertical support bore most of the new load during middle cave excavation.During the demolition stage,the load was redistributed,which caused arch settlement and section convergence.The removal of the temporary vertical support exerted the greatest impact in this process.The lateral temporary inverted arch changed from axial compression to axial tension after the middle and lower caves were excavated.Based on the mechanical characteristics of the support system,some engineering suggestions were proposed for large section tunnel construction.These research results can provide reference for the design and construction of similar large section tunnels.

Longs short-term based semi-supervised memory encoder-decoder for early prediction of failures in self-lubricating bearings

The existing knowledge regarding the interfacial forces,lubrication,and wear of bearings in real-world operation has significantly improved their designs over time,allowing for prolonged service life.As a result,self-lubricating bearings have become a viable alternative to traditional bearing designs in industrial machines.However,wear mechanisms are still inevitable and occur progressively in self-lubricating bearings,as characterized by the loss of the lubrication film and seizure.Therefore,monitoring the stages of the wear states in these components will help to impart the necessary countermeasures to reduce the machine maintenance downtime.This article proposes a methodology for using a long short-term memory(LSTM)-based encoder-decoder architecture on interfacial force signatures to detect abnormal regimes,aiming to provide early predictions of failure in self-lubricating sliding contacts even before they occur.Reciprocating sliding experiments were performed using a self-lubricating bronze bushing and steel shaft journal in a custom-built transversally oscillating tribometer setup.The force signatures corresponding to each cycle of the reciprocating sliding motion in the normal regime were used as inputs to train the encoder-decoder architecture,so as to reconstruct any new signal of the normal regime with the minimum error.With this semi-supervised training exercise,the force signatures corresponding to the abnormal regime could be differentiated from the normal regime,as their reconstruction errors would be very high.During the validation procedure for the proposed LSTM-based encoder-decoder model,the model predicted the force signals corresponding to the normal and abnormal regimes with an accuracy of 97%.In addition,a visualization of the reconstruction error across the entire force signature showed noticeable patterns in the reconstruction error when temporally decoded before the actual critical failure point,making it possible to be used for early predictions of failure.

Construction of shallow buried large-span metro stations using the small pipe roof-beam method

In relation to the Shifu Road Station project on Line 4 of the Shenyang Metro in China,a small-pipe roof-beam method for constructing subway stations is presented.First,a numerical simulation was performed to optimize the supporting parameters of the proposed method and determine the design scheme.Subsequently,the deformation of the pipe roof and surface settlement during the construction process were investigated.Finally,the surface settlement attributed to the excavation was studied through field monitoring,and the proposed method was compared with other methods.The results show that an increase in the pipe-roof spacing has little effect on the surface settlement and piperoof deformation.The bearing capacity of the pipe roof can be efficiently utilized once the flexural stiffness reaches 2EI,and the flexural stiffness is not the dominant factor controlling the deformation.The essential stages in controlling surface settlement are the excavations of the transverse pilot tunnels and the soil between them.The final settlement value of the ground was 24.1 mm,resulting in a reduction in the construction period by at least five months while satisfying the control requirements.

Integrated approach of predicting rock stability in high mountain valley underground caverns

High mountain valleys are characterized by the development of intricate ground stress fields due to geological processes such as tectonic stress,river erosion,and rock weathering.These processes introduce considerable stability concerns in the surrounding rock formations for underground engineering projects in these regions,highlighting the imperative need for rigorous stability assessments during the design phase to ensure construction safety.This paper introduces an innovative approach for the pre-evaluation of the stability of surrounding rocks in underground caverns situated within high mountain valleys.The methodology comprises several pivotal steps.Initially,we conduct inverse calculations of the ground stress field in complex geological terrains,combining field monitoring and numerical simulations.Subsequently,we ascertain stress-strength ratios of the surrounding rocks using various rock strength criteria.To assess the stability characteristics of the surrounding rocks in the 1^(#)spillway cave within our project area,we employ numerical simulations to compute stress-strength ratios based on different rock strength criteria.Furthermore,we undertake a comparative analysis,utilizing data from the 5^(#)Underground Laboratory(Lab 5)of Jinping II Hydropower Station,aligning the chosen rock strength criterion with the damage characteristics of Lab 50s surrounding rocks.This analysis serves as the cornerstone for evaluating other mechanical responses of the surrounding rocks,thereby validating the pre-evaluation methodology.Our pre-evaluation method takes into account the intricate geological evolution processes specific to high mountain valleys.It also considers the influence of the initial geostress field within the geological range of underground caverns.This comprehensive approach provides a robust foundation for the analysis and assessment of the stability of surrounding rocks,especially in high mountain valley areas,during the design phase of underground engineering projects.The insights derived from this analysis hold substantial practical significance for the effective guidance of such projects.