Photo-responsive droplet manipulation slippery lubricant-infused porous surface with ultra-high durability

Photo-responsive slippery lubricant-infused porous surface(SLIPS) for droplet manipulation is flexible, noncontact and non-destructive in droplet manipulation, which has promising applications in flexible robotics, microfluidics,biomedicine, and chemical analysis. However, the repeated manipulations for droplets of SLIPSs are quite limited in the works reported so far, the poor durability of droplet manipulation severely limits the practical application of the surfaces. In this paper, an Fe3O4-doped polydimethylsiloxane(PDMS)-based SLIPS is proposed and implemented to achieve ultra-high repeated droplet manipulation numbers under near-infrared ray(NIR) laser irradiation. Firstly, a micron columnar array structure with micro-pits on the top side, as well as, a wall structure out of the array is designed on SLIPS to reserve the lubricant. Secondly, the prototype of the SLIPS is fabricated by a 3-step ultraviolet(UV) lithography, and subsequently immersed in silicone oil for more than 96 h to obtain the ultra-high durability slippery lubricant-infused porous surface(UD-SLIPS). With a power of 25 m W–85 m W NIR laser, the repeated manipulation of microdroplets(≤ 5 μL) in the scale of 1 cm can exceed more than 3000 times which is far beyond that in previous reports. Finally, the droplet manipulation performance of this photo-responsive UD-SLIPS and the influence of infusion time on durability are investigated. The mechanism of the PDMS swelling effect is found to be the key factor in improving the droplet manipulation durability of SLIPS. The findings of this work would be of great significance for the development of highly durable photo-responsive functional surfaces for droplet manipulation.

Reliability analysis of slopes considering spatial variability of soil properties based on efficiently identified representative slip surfaces

Slope reliability analysis considering inherent spatial variability(ISV)of soil properties is timeconsuming when response surface method(RSM)is used,because of the"curse of dimensionality".This paper proposes an effective method for identification of representative slip surfaces(RSSs)of slopes with spatially varied soils within the framework of limit equilibrium method(LEM),which utilizes an adaptive K-means clustering approach.Then,an improved slope reliability analysis based on the RSSs and RSM considering soil spatial variability,in perspective of computation efficiency,is established.The detailed implementation procedure of the proposed method is well documented,and the ability of the method in identifying RSSs and estimating reliability is investigated via three slope examples.Results show that the proposed method can automatically identify the RSSs of slope with only one evaluation of the conventional deterministic slope stability model.The RSSs are invariant with the statistics of soil properties,which allows parametric studies that are often required in slope reliability analysis to be efficiently achieved with ease.It is also found that the proposed method provides comparable values of factor of safety(FS)and probability of failure(Pf)of slopes with those obtained from direct analysis and lite rature.

A Simple Monte Carlo Method for Locating the Three-dimensional Critical Slip Surface of a Slope

Based on the assumption of the plain-strain problem, various optimization or random search methods have been developed for locating the critical slip surfaces in slope-stability analysis, but none of such methods is applicable to the 3D case. In this paper, a simple Monte Carlo random simulation method is proposed to identify the 3D critical slip surface. Assuming the initial slip to be the lower part of a slip ellipsoid, the 3D critical slip surface is located by means of a minimized 3D safety factor. A column-based 3D slope stability analysis model is used to calculate this factor. In this study, some practical cases of known minimum safety factors and critical slip surfaces in 2D analysis are extended to 3D slope problems to locate the critical slip surfaces. Compared with the 2D result, the resulting 3D critical slip surface has no apparent difference in terms of only cross section, but the associated 3D safety factor is definitely higher.

Imperialistic Competitive Algorithm:A metaheuristic algorithm for locating the critical slip surface in 2-Dimensional soil slopes

In this study, Imperialistic Competitive Algorithm（ICA） is utilized for locating the critical failure surface and computing the factor of safety（FOS） in a slope stability analysis based on the limit equilibrium approach. The factor of safety relating to each trial slip surface is calculated using a simplified algorithm of the Morgenstern-Price method, which satisfies both the force and the moment equilibriums. General slip surface is considered non-circular in this study that is constituted by linking random straight lines.To explore the performance of the proposed algorithm, four benchmark test problems are analyzed. The results demonstrate that the present techniques can provide reliable, accurate and efficient solutions for locating the critical failure surface and relating FOS. Moreover, in contrast with previous studies the present algorithm could reach the lower value of FOS and reached more exact solutions.

Surface-charge-governed electrolyte transport in carbon nanotubes

The transport behavior of pressure-driven aqueous electrolyte solution through charged carbon nanotubes(CNTs) is studied by using molecular dynamics simulations. The results reveal that the presence of charges around the nanotube can remarkably reduce the flow velocity as well as the slip length of the aqueous solution, and the decreasing of magnitude depends on the number of surface charges and distribution. With 1-M KCl solution inside the carbon nanotube, the slip length decreases from 110 nm to only 14 nm when the number of surface charges increases from 0 to 12 e. This phenomenon is attributed to the increase of the solid–liquid friction force due to the electrostatic interaction between the charges and the electrolyte particles, which can impede the transports of water molecules and electrolyte ions. With the simulation results,we estimate the energy conversion efficiency of nanofluidic battery based on CNTs, and find that the highest efficiency is only around 30% but not 60% as expected in previous work.

Effect of Inclined Tension Crack on Rock Slope Stability by SSR Technique

The tension cracks and joints in rock or soil slopes affect their failure stability.Prediction of rock or soil slope failure is one of the most challenging tasks in the earth sciences.The actual slopes consist of inhomogeneous materials,complex morphology,and erratic joints.Most studies concerning the failure of rock slopes primarily focused on determining Factor of Safety(FoS)and Critical Slip Surface(CSS).In this article,the effect of inclined tension crack on a rock slope failure is studied numerically with Shear Strength Reduction Factor(SRF)method.An inclined Tension Crack(TC)influences the magnitude and location of the rock slope’s Critical Shear Strength Reduction Factor(CSRF).Certainly,inclined cracks are more prone to cause the failure of the slope than the vertical TC.Yet,all tension cracks do not lead to failure of the slope mass.The effect of the crest distance of the tension crack is also investigated.The numerical results do not show any significant change in the magnitude of CSRF unless the tip of the TC is very near to the crest of the slope.ATC is also replaced with a joint,and the results differ from the corresponding TC.These results are discussed regarding shear stress and Critical Slip Surface(CSS).

Characterization of Early Fatigue Microstructure in AISI 321 Steel Using Eddy Current Non-destructive Methodology

Accumulative damage during early stage of fatigue in AISI 321 steel was investigated by eddy current test, atomic force microscopy, X-ray diffraction and transmission electron microscopy. Surface slip, dislocation, and strain-induced martensite were determined as the main damage types. Moreover, damage during the fatigue was found to be increased with the increasing fatigue cycles and load amplitude. The contribution of strain-induced martensite to the total eddy current amplitude （V） was enhanced with the increase in its volume fraction. Finally, a linear relationship between V I~, and the height of surface slip was established.

Study on embedded length of piles for slope reinforced with one row of piles

The embedded length of anti-slide piles for slope is analyzed by three-dimensional elastoplastic shear strength reduction method. The effect of embedded pile length on the factor of safety and pile behavior is analyzed. Furthermore, the effects of pile spacing, pile head conditions, pile bending stiffness and soil properties on length and behavior of pile are also analyzed. The results show that the pile spacing and the pile head conditions have significant influences on the critical embedded length of pile. It is found that the critical embedded length of pile, beyond which the factor of safety does not increase, increases with the decrease in pile spacing. The smaller the pile spacing is, the larger the integrity of the reinforced slope will be. A theoretical analysis of the slip surface is also conducted, and the slip surface determined by the pressure on piles, considering the influences of both soil and piles for slope, is in agreement with the ones in previous studies.

Shaking table test and numerical simulation on the effect of reinforcement on the seismic safety of dam slopes

The seismic safety of the reinforcement dam slope is studied through shaking table test and numerical simulation.The dynamic characteristics of dam slopes,failure mechanism,seismic stability,as well as the effect of reinforcement during earthquakes are discussed.An elasto-plastic analysis method (FLAC) is used to simulate the dynamic failure process of the reinforcement dam slope.The change law of permanent displacement of dam slope is studied.The effect of the length and the space of reinforcement on the depth of slip surface and the slope stability are investigated.Good agreement is obtained between the numerical results and those from shaking table tests.The results show that the dynamic failure is a gradual process not at a particular time.With the increase of the reinforcement length or the decreasing reinforcement spacing,the slip surface becomes deeper and thus the slope stability is improved.The reinforcement can obviously enhance the overall stability of slope dam.It can also effectively control the shallow sliding of slope.These researches provide basic data for reinforcement measures design of earth-rockfill dam.

Critical Slope and Plasticity

Limit analysis based on upper bound theorem into slope stability is presented. A rotational failure mechanism (log spiral) passing through the toe in an inclined slope is assumed for getting the critical height. The proposed limit analysis, although on the kinematical admissible velocity field, always satisfies the equilibrium of forces acting on sliced rigid blocks. And the most critical slip surface can be searched by random technique. A new solution scheme is also developed for rapid searching critical slip surface. It is also applicable to a variety of slope models. The method is shown having a high accuracy compared with limit solution for simple slope.

Time history of seismic earth pressure response from gravity retaining wall based on energy dissipation

The seismic design of gravity retaining walls is based mostly on the pseudo static method.The seismic earth pressure is assumed to be a constant without considering the wave traveling effect when the seismic wave propagates through the slope.However,under continuous ground motion,the actual earth pressure on the retaining wall varies with time.The present seismic earth pressure calculation method yields results that differ significantly from the actual scenario.Considering this,a slip surface curve was assumed in this study.It is more suitable for engineering practice.In addition,a theoretical calculation model based on energy dissipation was established.The time history of seismic earth pressure response under continuous ground motion was calculated using the equilibrium equation between the external power and the internal energy dissipation power of the sliding soil wedge.It can more effectively reflect the stress scenario of a retaining wall under seismic conditions.To verify the applicability of the proposed approach,a large-scale shaking table test was conducted,and the time history of the seismic earth pressure response obtained from the experiment was compared with the calculation results.The results show that the proposed approach is applicable to the calculation of the time history of seismic earth pressure response of gravity retaining walls.This lays the foundation for the seismic design of retaining structures by using dynamic time history.

Comparative Study of Slope Soils Analysis by Using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element Methods

The slope soil analysis remains a corporate concern in construction activities. Because of its significance, the evaluation of slope soil stability has called widespread attention to several researchers all over the world. Many methods have been technologically advanced to evaluate the stability of slopes soils founded on distinct expectations and circumstances. Every method has specific benefits and limits. This work makes a comparison among safety factors and slip surfaces of slopes soils based on using Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element methods. Therefore, SLIDE 6.0 and PLAXIS 8.0 software were used for Limit Equilibrium and Finite Element methods, respectively. The computations of safety factors were performed for diverse shapes of slopes including different types of soils. Failure surfaces and values of safety factors obtained were compared for both methods used. It was noticed that the safety factors obtained from Limit Equilibrium methods were larger than of which is obtained by the finite element code. Moreover, an important change is noticed between the slip surfaces obtained by using both approaches.

Comparative study of material point method and upper bound limit analysis in slope stability analysis

The upper bound limit analysis(UBLA)is one of the key research directions in geotechnical engineering and is widely used in engineering practice.UBLA assumes that the slip surface with the minimum factor of safety(FSmin)is the critical slip surface,and then applies it to slope stability analysis.However,the hypothesis of UBLA has not been systematically verified,which may be due to the fact that the traditional numerical method is difficult to simulate the large deformation.In this study,in order to systematically verify the assumption of UBLA,material point method(MPM),which is suitable to simulate the large deformation of continuous media,is used to simulate the whole process of the slope failure,including the large-scale transportation and deposition of soil mass after slope failure.And a series of comparative studies are conducted on the stability of cohesive slopes using UBLA and MPM.The proposed study indicated that the slope angle,internal friction angle and cohesion have a remarkable effect on the slip surface of the cohesive slope.Also,for stable slopes,the calculation results of the two are relatively close.However,for unstable slopes,the slider volume determined by the UBLA is much smaller than the slider volume determined by the MPM.In other words,for unstable slopes,the critical slip surface of UBLA is very different from the slip surface when the slope failure occurs,and when the UBLA is applied to the stability analysis of unstable slope,it will lead to extremely unfavorable results.

Stability analysis of a high combination system of soil loess slope reinforced by the nails and stabilization piles

While the soil nails and the corresponding compound technology are widely used as the support techniques for deep foundation pit and normal slopes, few related engineering cases are found for high loess slopes. By utilizing the finite element software of PLAXIS 8.5, the behavior of a high loess slope reinforced by the combination of soil nails and stabilization piles （hereinafter for CSNSP） is studied in this paper. It can be found that the potential slide surface of the slope moves to deeper locations during the process of the multi-staged excavations. The measure of reducing the weight of the top of the slope is a positive factor to the stability of the loess slope, while the rainfhll is a negative factor. The slope can＇t be stable if it＇s reinforced only by stabilization piles or soil nails during the process of the multi-staged excavations. The soil nail contributes greater to the overall system stability when the excavation depth is relatively shallow, while the stabilization pile takes it over when the excavation depth reaches a large value. Compared to the results from the Sweden circular slip surface, the data derived from the method of phi/c reduction is relatively large when the slope is unreinforced or reinforced only by stabilization pile, and the data turns to be small when the slope is strengthened by soil nails or the combination system of soil nails and stabilization piles.