Design and Engineering of Urban Interchange Ramp Bridge Structure

This paper analyzes the structural design of an urban interchange ramp bridge from four aspects,which are the superstructure,pier structure,foundation structure,and deck structure design to summarize the structural design ideas of this urban interchange ramp bridge,which can be used as a reference for future construction of the same bridge.

Seismic Response of Adjacent Structure to Inter-Story Isolated Structure

Currently, land resources are becoming more and more constrained and structures are getting closer to each other. To investigate the seismic response of inter-story isolated structure to adjacent structure, models considering no soil-structure interaction (SSI), considering soil-structure interaction (SSI), and considering structure-soil-structure interaction (SSSI) were established. Nonlinear seismic response comparative analysis was conducted by varying the spacing between adjacent structure and inter-story isolated structure, as well as the weight of adjacent structure, under different earthquake inputs, in order to obtain the structural response characteristics. The results indicate that the inter-story drift and inter-story shear of the inter-story isolated structure without considering SSI are smaller than those considering SSI and SSSI. The inter-story drift and inter-story shear of the inter-story isolated structure considering SSSI are further affected compared to that of the inter-story isolated structure considering only SSI. As the spacing between adjacent structure and inter-story isolated structure increases, the influence of adjacent structure on inter-story isolated structure decreases. The variation in the spacing between the two structures has a negligible effect on the isolation layer of the inter-story isolated structure. With the increase in the weight of adjacent structure, the influence of adjacent structure on inter-story isolated structure becomes more significant. The increasing weight of adjacent structure has an increasing effect on the Isolation layer of the inter-story isolated structure.

Structural properties of residual carbon in coal gasification fine slag and their influence on flotation separation and resource utilization:A review

Coal gasification fine slag(FS)is a typical solid waste generated in coal gasification.Its current disposal methods of stockpil-ing and landfilling have caused serious soil and ecological hazards.Separation recovery and the high-value utilization of residual carbon(RC)in FS are the keys to realizing the win-win situation of the coal chemical industry in terms of economic and environmental benefits.The structural properties,such as pore,surface functional group,and microcrystalline structures,of RC in FS(FS-RC)not only affect the flotation recovery efficiency of FS-RC but also form the basis for the high-value utilization of FS-RC.In this paper,the characteristics of FS-RC in terms of pore structure,surface functional groups,and microcrystalline structure are sorted out in accordance with gasification type and FS particle size.The reasons for the formation of the special structural properties of FS-RC are analyzed,and their influence on the flotation separation and high-value utilization of FS-RC is summarized.Separation methods based on the pore structural characterist-ics of FS-RC,such as ultrasonic pretreatment-pore-blocking flotation and pore breaking-flocculation flotation,are proposed to be the key development technologies for improving FS-RC recovery in the future.The design of low-cost,low-dose collectors containing polar bonds based on the surface and microcrystalline structures of FS-RC is proposed to be an important breakthrough point for strengthening the flotation efficiency of FS-RC in the future.The high-value utilization of FS should be based on the physicochemical structural proper-ties of FS-RC and should focus on the environmental impact of hazardous elements and the recyclability of chemical waste liquid to es-tablish an environmentally friendly utilization method.This review is of great theoretical importance for the comprehensive understand-ing of the unique structural properties of FS-RC,the breakthrough of the technological bottleneck in the efficient flotation separation of FS,and the expansion of the field of the high value-added utilization of FS-RC.

Carbon Emission Effects Driven by Evolution of Chinese Dietary Structure from 1987 to 2020

Exploring carbon emission effects based on the evolution of residents’ dietary structure to achieve the carbon neutrality goal and mitigate climate change is an important task.This study took China as the research object(data excluding Hong Kong,Macao and Taiwan) and used the carbon emission coefficient method to quantitatively measure the food carbon emissions from 1987–2020,then analyzed the carbon emission effects under the evolution of dietary structure.The results showed that during the study period,the Chinese dietary structure gradually changed to a high-carbon consumption pattern.The dietary structure of urban residents developed to a balanced one,while that of rural residents developed to a high-quality one.During the study period,the per capita food carbon emissions and total food consumption of Chinese showed an increasing trend.The per capita food carbon emissions of residents in urban and rural showed an overall upward trend.The total food carbon emissions in urban increased significantly,while that in rural increased first and then decreased.The influence of beef and mutton on carbon emissions is the highest in dietary structure.Compared with the balanced dietary pattern,the food carbon emissions of Chinese residents had not yet reached the peak,but were evolving to a high-carbon consumption pattern.

An origami shield with supporting frame structures optimized by a feature-driven topology optimization method

In this paper,the design,manufacture and testing of an origami protective shield with a supporting frame structure are presented.It consists of an origami shield surface and a deployable supporting frame structure that needs to be portable and sufficiently stiff.First,for the design of the shield surface,a threestage origami crease pattern is developed to reduce the shield size in the folded state.The shield surface consists of several stiff modular panels and layered with flexible fabric.The modular panels are made of a multi-layer composite where a ceramic layer is made of small pieces to improve durability as those small pieces enable restriction of crack propagation.Then,the supporting frame structure is designed as a chain-of-bars structure in order to fold into a highly compact state as a bundle of bars and deploy in sequence.Thus,a feature-driven topology structural optimization method preserving component sequence is developed where the inter-dependence of sub-structures is taken into account.A bar with semi-circular ends is used as a basic design feature.The positions of the bar’s end points are treated as design variables and the width of the bars is kept constant.Then,a constraint on the total length of the chain of bars is introduced.Finally,the modular panels made of multi-layer composite and the full-scale prototype of the origami shield are fabricated and tested to verify the bullet-proof performance.

Drivers of spatial structure in thinned forests

Background:As is widely known,an increasing number of forest areas were managed to preserve and enhance the health of forest ecosystems.However,previous research on forest management has often overlooked the importance of structure-based.Aims:Our objectives were to define the direction of structure-based forest management.Subsequently,we investigated the relationships between forest structure and the regeneration,growth,and mortality of trees under different thinning treatments.Ultimately,the drivers of forest structural change were explored.Methods:On the basis of 92 sites selected from northeastern China,with different recovery time (from 1 to 15years) and different thinning intensities (0–59.9%) since the last thinning.Principal component analysis (PCA)identified relationships among factors determining forest spatial structure.The structural equation model (SEM)was used to analyze the driving factors behind the changes in forest spatial structure after thinning.Results:Light thinning (0–20%trees removed) promoted forest regeneration,and heavy thinning (over 35% of trees removed) facilitated forest growth.However,only moderate thinning (20%–35%trees removed) created a reasonable spatial structure.While dead trees were clustered,and they were hardly affected by thinning intensity.Additionally,thinning intensity,recovery time,and altitude indirectly improve the spatial structure of the forest by influencing diameter at breast height (DBH) and canopy area.Conclusion:Creating larger DBH and canopy area through thinning will promote the formation of complex forest structures,which cultivates healthy and stable forests.

Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

Design,preparation,application of advanced array structured materials and their action mechanism analyses for high performance lithium-sulfur batteries

Lithium-sulfur battery(LSB)has brought much attention and concern because of high theoretical specific capacity and energy density as one of main competitors for next-generation energy storage systems.The widely commercial application and development of LSB is mainly hindered by serious“shuttle effect”of lithium polysulfides(Li PSs),slow reaction kinetics,notorious lithium dendrites,etc.In various structures of LSB materials,array structured materials,possessing the composition of ordered micro units with the same or similar characteristics of each unit,present excellent application potential for various secondary cells due to some merits such as immobilization of active substances,high specific surface area,appropriate pore sizes,easy modification of functional material surface,accommodated huge volume change,enough facilitated transportation for electrons/lithium ions,and special functional groups strongly adsorbing Li PSs.Thus many novel array structured materials are applied to battery for tackling thorny problems mentioned above.In this review,recent progresses and developments on array structured materials applied in LSBs including preparation ways,collaborative structural designs based on array structures,and action mechanism analyses in improving electrochemical performance and safety are summarized.Meanwhile,we also have detailed discussion for array structured materials in LSBs and constructed the structure-function relationships between array structured materials and battery performances.Lastly,some directions and prospects about preparation ways,functional modifications,and practical applications of array structured materials in LSBs are generalized.We hope the review can attract more researchers'attention and bring more studying on array structured materials for other secondary batteries including LSB.

Valley transport in Kekulé structures of graphene

Valleytronics is an emergent discipline in condensed matter physics and offers a new way to encode and manipulate information based on the valley degree of freedom in materials. Among the various materials being studied, Kekulé distorted graphene has emerged as a promising material for valleytronics applications. Graphene can be artificially distorted to form the Kekulé structures rendering the valley-related interaction. In this work, we review the recent progress of research on Kekulé structures of graphene and focus on the modified electronic bands due to different Kekulé distortions as well as their effects on the transport properties of electrons. We systematically discuss how the valley-related interaction in the Kekulé structures was used to control and affect the valley transport including the valley generation, manipulation, and detection. This article summarizes the current challenges and prospects for further research on Kekulé distorted graphene and its potential applications in valleytronics.

Application of CFD and FEA Coupling to Predict Structural Dynamic Responses of A Trimaran in Uni-and Bi-Directional Waves

To predict the wave loads of a flexible trimaran in different wave fields,a one-way interaction numerical simulation method is proposed by integrating the fluid solver(Star-CCM+)and structural solver(Abaqus).Differing from the existing coupled CFD-FEA method for monohull ships in head waves,the presented method equates the mass and stiffness of the whole ship to the hull shell so that any transverse and longitudinal section stress of the hull in oblique waves can be obtained.Firstly,verification study and sensitivity analysis are carried out by comparing the trimaran motions using different mesh sizes and time step schemes.Discussion on the wave elevation of uni-and bi-directional waves is also carried out.Then a comprehensive analysis on the structural responses of the trimaran in different uni-directional regular wave and bi-directional cross sea conditions is carried out,respectively.Finally,the differences in structural response characteristics of trimaran in different wave fields are studied.The results show that the present method can reduce the computational burden of the two-way fluid-structure interaction simulations.

Microstructure and forming mechanism of metals subjected to ultrasonic vibration plastic forming: A mini review

Compared with traditional plastic forming,ultrasonic vibration plastic forming has the advantages of reducing the forming force and improving the surface quality of the workpiece.This technology has a very broad application prospect in industrial manufactur-ing.Researchers have conducted extensive research on the ultrasonic vibration plastic forming of metals and laid a deep foundation for the development of this field.In this review,metals were classified according to their crystal structures.The effects of ultrasonic vibration on the microstructure of face-centered cubic,body-centered cubic,and hexagonal close-packed metals during plastic forming and the mech-anism underlying ultrasonic vibration forming were reviewed.The main challenges and future research direction of the ultrasonic vibra-tion plastic forming of metals were also discussed.

Emerging Trends in Damage Tolerance Assessment:A Review of Smart Materials and Self-Repairable Structures

The discipline of damage tolerance assessment has experienced significant advancements due to the emergence of smart materials and self-repairable structures.This review offers a comprehensive look into both traditional and innovative methodologies employed in damage tolerance assessment.After a detailed exploration of damage tolerance concepts and their historical progression,the review juxtaposes the proven techniques of damage assessment with the cutting-edge innovations brought about by smart materials and self-repairable structures.The subsequent sections delve into the synergistic integration of smart materials with self-repairable structures,marking a pivotal stride in damage tolerance by establishing an autonomous system for immediate damage identification and self-repair.This holistic approach broadens the applicability of these technologies across diverse sectors yet brings forth unique challenges demanding further innovation and research.Additionally,the review examines future prospects that combine advanced manufacturing processes with data-centric methodologies,amplifying the capabilities of these‘intelligent’structures.The review culminates by highlighting the transformative potential of this union between smart materials and self-repairable structures,promoting a sustainable and efficient engineering paradigm.

Effect of Plastic Deformation on Microstructure and Properties of Cu-(1 wt%-6 wt%) Ag Alloy

In the present study,the Cu-(1 wt%-6 wt%)Ag alloys were prepared by melting,forging and wire drawing.The effects of plastic deformation on microstructure evolution and properties of the alloys were investigated.The results show that non-equilibrium eutectic colonies exist in the Cu-(3 wt%-6 wt%)Ag alloy and no eutectic colonies in the 1 wt%-2 wt%Ag containing alloys.These eutectic colonies are aligned along the drawing direction and refined with the increase of draw ratio.Attributed to the refinement of eutectic colonies,the Cu-Ag alloy exhibits higher strength with the increase of draw ratio.The Cu-6Ag alloy exhibits excellent comprehensive properties with a strength of 930 MPa and a conductivity of 82%IACS when the draw ratio reaches 5.7.

Ultrafast dynamics of femtosecond laser-induced high spatial frequency periodic structures on silicon surfaces

Femtosecond laser-induced periodic surface structures(LIPSS)have been extensively studied over the past few decades.In particular,the period and groove width of high-spatial-frequency LIPSS(HSFL)is much smaller than the diffraction limit,making it a useful method for efficient nanomanufacturing.However,compared with the low-spatial-frequency LIPSS(LSFL),the structure size of the HSFL is smaller,and it is more easily submerged.Therefore,the formation mechanism of HSFL is complex and has always been a research hotspot in this field.In this study,regular LSFL with a period of 760 nm was fabricated in advance on a silicon surface with two-beam interference using an 800 nm,50 fs femtosecond laser.The ultrafast dynamics of HSFL formation on the silicon surface of prefabricated LSFL under single femtosecond laser pulse irradiation were observed and analyzed for the first time using collinear pump-probe imaging method.In general,the evolution of the surface structure undergoes five sequential stages:the LSFL begins to split,becomes uniform HSFL,degenerates into an irregular LSFL,undergoes secondary splitting into a weakly uniform HSFL,and evolves into an irregular LSFL or is submerged.The results indicate that the local enhancement of the submerged nanocavity,or the nanoplasma,in the prefabricated LSFL ridge led to the splitting of the LSFL,and the thermodynamic effect drove the homogenization of the splitting LSFL,which evolved into HSFL.

Seismic Response Analysis of Steel Structure Isolation System Under Long-Period Seismic Motion

To analyze the seismic response of steel structure isolation systems under long-period seismic motion,a 9-story steel frame building was selected as the subject.Five steel structure finite element models were established using SAP2000.Response spectrum analysis was conducted on the seismic motion to determine if it adhered to the characteristics of long-period seismic motion.Modal analysis of each structural model revealed that the isolation structure significantly prolonged the structural natural vibration period and enhanced seismic performance.Base reactions and floor displacements of various structures notably increased under long-period seismic motion compared to regular seismic activity.Placing isolation bearings in the lower part of the structure proved more effective under long-period seismic motion.In seismic design engineering,it is essential to consider the impact of long-period seismic motion on structures and the potential failure of isolation bearings.

Tuning electronic structure of RuO_(2)by single atom Zn and oxygen vacancies to boost oxygen evolution reaction in acidic medium

The poor stability of RuO_(2)electrocatalysts has been the primary obstacles for their practical application in polymer electrolyte membrane electrolyzers.To dramatically enhance the durability of RuO_(2)to construct activity-stability trade-off model is full of significance but challenging.Herein,a single atom Zn stabilized RuO_(2)with enriched oxygen vacancies(SA Zn-RuO_(2))is developed as a promising alternative to iridium oxide for acidic oxygen evolution reaction(OER).Compared with commercial RuO_(2),the enhanced Ru–O bond strength of SA Zn-RuO_(2)by forming Zn-O-Ru local structure motif is favorable to stabilize surface Ru,while the electrons transferred from Zn single atoms to adjacent Ru atoms protects the Ru active sites from overoxidation.Simultaneously,the optimized surrounding electronic structure of Ru sites in SA ZnRuO_(2)decreases the adsorption energies of OER intermediates to reduce the reaction barrier.As a result,the representative SA Zn-RuO_(2)exhibits a low overpotential of 210 mV to achieve 10 mA cm^(-2)and a greatly enhanced durability than commercial RuO_(2).This work provides a promising dual-engineering strategy by coupling single atom doping and vacancy for the tradeoff of high activity and catalytic stability toward acidic OER.

Layered Structural PBAT Composite Foams for Efficient Electromagnetic Interference Shielding

The utilization of eco-friendly,lightweight,high-efficiency and high-absorbing electromagnetic interference(EMI)shielding composites is imperative in light of the worldwide promotion of sustainable manufacturing.In this work,magnetic poly(butyleneadipate-coterephthalate)(PBAT)microspheres were firstly synthesized via phase separation method,then PBAT composite foams with layered structure was constructed through the supercritical carbon dioxide foaming and scraping techniques.The merits of integrating ferroferric oxideloaded multi-walled carbon nanotubes(Fe3O4@MWCNTs)nanoparticles,a microcellular framework,and a highly conductive silver layer have been judiciously orchestrated within this distinctive layered configuration.Microwaves are consumed throughout the process of“absorption-reflection-reabsorption”as much as possible,which greatly declines the secondary radiation pollution.The biodegradable PBAT composite foams achieved an EMI shielding effectiveness of up to 68 dB and an absorptivity of 77%,and authenticated favorable stabilization after the tape adhesion experiment.

Multi-Material Topology Optimization for Spatial-Varying Porous Structures

This paper aims to propose a topology optimization method on generating porous structures comprising multiple materials.The mathematical optimization formulation is established under the constraints of individual volume fraction of constituent phase or total mass,as well as the local volume fraction of all phases.The original optimization problem with numerous constraints is converted into a box-constrained optimization problem by incorporating all constraints to the augmented Lagrangian function,avoiding the parameter dependence in the conventional aggregation process.Furthermore,the local volume percentage can be precisely satisfied.The effects including the globalmass bound,the influence radius and local volume percentage on final designs are exploited through numerical examples.The numerical results also reveal that porous structures keep a balance between the bulk design and periodic design in terms of the resulting compliance.All results,including those for irregular structures andmultiple volume fraction constraints,demonstrate that the proposedmethod can provide an efficient solution for multiple material infill structures.

A comparison study on structure-function relationship of polysaccharides obtained from sea buckthorn berries using different methods:antioxidant and bile acid-binding capacity

In this study,the structural characters,antioxidant activities and bile acid-binding ability of sea buckthorn polysaccharides(HRPs)obtained by the commonly used hot water(HRP-W),pressurized hot water(HRP-H),ultrasonic(HRP-U),acid(HRP-C)and alkali(HRP-A)assisted extraction methods were investigated.The results demonstrated that extraction methods had significant effects on extraction yield,monosaccharide composition,molecular weight,particle size,triple-helical structure,and surface morphology of HRPs except for the major linkage bands.Thermogravimetric analysis showed that HRP-U with filamentous reticular microstructure exhibited better thermal stability.The HRP-A with the lowest molecular weight and highest arabinose content possessed the best antioxidant activities.Moreover,the rheological analysis indicated that HRPs with higher galacturonic acid content and molecular weight showed higher viscosity and stronger crosslinking network(HRP-C,HRP-W and HRP-U),which exhibited stronger bile acid binding capacity.The present findings provide scientific evidence in the preparation technology of sea buckthorn polysaccharides with good antioxidant and bile acid binding capacity which are related to the structure affected by the extraction methods.

Structure and immunomodulatory activity of Lentinus edodes polysaccharides modified by probiotic fermentation

Plant-based fermentations provide an untapped source for novel biotechnological applications.In this study,a probiotic named Lactobacillus fermentum 21828 was introduced to ferment Lentinus edodes.Polysaccharides were extracted from fermented and non-fermented L.edodes and purified via DEAE-52 and Sephadex G-100.The components designated F-LEP-2a and NF-LEP-2a were analyzed by FT-IR,HPGPC,HPAEC,SEM,GC-MS and NMR.The results revealed that probiotic fermentation increased the molecular weight from 1.16×10^(4) Da to 1.87×10^(4) Da and altered the proportions of glucose,galactose and mannose,in which glucose increased from 45.94%to 48.16%.Methylation analysis and NMR spectra indicated that F-LEP-2a and NF-LEP-2a had similar linkage patterns.Furthermore,their immunomodulatory activities were evaluated with immunosuppressive mice.NF-LEP and F-LEP improved immune organ indices,immunoglobulin(Ig G and Ig M)and cytokines concentrations;restored the antioxidation capacity of liver;and maintained the balance of gut microbiota.F-LEP displayed better moderating effects on the spleen index,immunoglobulin,cytokines and the diversity of gut microbiota than NF-LEP(200,400 mg/kg).Our study provides an efficient and environment-friendly way for the structural modification of polysaccharides,which helps to enhance their biological activity and promote their wide application in food,medicine and other fields.