Dynamic Response of RPC-Filled Steel Tubular Columns with High Load Carrying Capacity Under Axial Impact Loading

Experimental investigation into impact-resistant behavior of reactive powder concrete (RPC)-filled steel tubular columns was conducted,and dynamic response of the columns under axial impact loading was studied by means of numerical simulation method.Increase coefficient of load carrying capacity and ratio of load carrying capacity between steel tube and RPC core of col-umns were obtained.

Resilience-based retrofitting of existing urban RC-frame buildings using seismic isolation

The improvement of the seismic resilience of existing reinforced-concrete(RC) frame buildings, which is essential for the seismic resilience of a city, has become a critical issue. Although seismic isolation is an effective method for improving the resilient performance of such buildings, target-oriented quantitative improvements of the resilient performance of these buildings have been reported rarely. To address this gap, the seismic resilience of two existing RC frame buildings located in a high seismic intensity region of China were assessed based on the Chinese Standard for Seismic Resilience Assessment of Buildings. The critical engineering demand parameters(EDPs) affecting the seismic resilience of such buildings were identified. Subsequently, the seismic resilience of buildings retrofitted with different isolation schemes(i.e., yield ratios) were evaluated and compared, with emphasis on the relationships among yield ratios, EDPs, and levels of seismic resilience. Accordingly, to achieve the highest level of seismic resilience with respect to the Chinese standard, a yield ratio of 3% was recommended and successfully applied to the target-oriented design for the seismic-resilience improvement of an existing RC frame building. The research outcome can provide an important reference for the resilience-based retrofitting of existing RC frame buildings using seismic isolation in urban cities.

Working principle and application of HEMS with lack of a cold source

With the increase of mining depth, the temperature of the original rock in deep mines increases. High temperature heat hazards at working surfaces and driving faces are becoming increasingly more serious. Given the problem of mine cooling technologies at China and abroad and the actual conditions of a coal mine, we developed HEMS (High Temperature Exchange Machinery System) with inrushing mine water as the source of cold energy. Combined with the characteristics of a shortage of inrushing water in the coal mine, we proposed the Sanhejian model of HEMS with its lack of a cold source. The cooling engineering construction, given the present conditions in the Sanhejian Coal Mine, consisted of two phases. In phase I horizontal water circulation was used as cold energy, while phase II was the geothermal utilization project. For the key equipment of HEMS-PT or HEMS-T, we provided the operational principle from theory and an actual application. Finally, we analyzed the operational effect of HEMS. After cooling, the temperature at the working face was below 30 °C, which meets the national regulations. This system opens up new technology to solve the problem of deep mine heat hazards, which makes good sense in energy conservation and pollution reduction, improves the environment and realizes sustainable economic development.

Experimental seismic behavior of squat shear walls with precast concrete hollow moulds

This study proposes an innovative precast shear wall system, called an EVE precast hollow shear wall structure (EVE-PHSW). Precast panels in EVE-PHSW are simultaneously precast with vertical and horizontal holes. Noncontact lap splices of rebars are used in vertical joints connecting adjacent precast panels for automated prefabrication and easy in situ erection. The seismic behavior of EVE walls was examined through a series of tests on six wall specimens with aspect ratios of 1.0~1.3. Test results showed that EVE wall specimens with inside cast-in situ concrete achieved the desired “strong bending and weak shear” and failed in shear mode. Common main diagonal cracks and brittle shear failure in squat cast-in situ walls were prevented. Inside cast-in situ concrete could signifi cantly improve the shear strength and stiff ness of EVE walls. The details of boundary elements (cast-in situ or prefabricated) and vertical joints (contiguous or spaced) had little eff ect on the global behavior of EVE walls. Noncontact lap splices in vertical joints could enable EVE walls to exhibit stable load-carrying capacity through extensive deformations. Evaluation on design codes revealed that both JGJ 3-2010 and ACI 318-14 provide conservative estimation of shear strength of EVE walls, and EVE walls achieved shear strength reserves comparative to cast-in situ walls. The recommended eff ective stiff ness for cast-in situ walls in ASCE 41-17 appeared to be appropriate for EVE walls.

Simple Model for Gas Holdup and Liquid Velocity of Annular Photocatalytic External-Loop Airlift Reactor Under both Bubble and Developing Slug Flow

Based on the momentum conservation approach, a theoretical model was developed to predict the superficial liquid velocity, and a correlation equation was established to calculate the gas holdup of an annular external-loop airlift reactor(AELAR)in the bubble flow and developing slug flow pattern. Experiments were performed by using tap-water and silicone oil with the viscosity of 2.0 mm^2/s(2cs-SiO)and 5.0 mm^2/s(5cs-SiO)as liquid phases. The effects of liquid viscosity and flow pattern on the AELAR performance were investigated. The predictions of the proposed model were in good agreement with the experimental results of the AELAR. In addition, the comparison of the experimental results shows that the proposed model has good accuracy and could be used to predict the gas holdup and liquid velocity of an AELAR operating in bubble and developing flow pattern.

Pseudo-dynamic tests on masonry residential buildings seismically retrofitted by precast steel reinforced concrete walls

A retrofitting technology using precast steel reinforced concrete（PSRC） panels is developed to improve the seismic performance of old masonry buildings. The PSRC panels are built up as an external PSRC wall system surrounding the existing masonry building. The PSRC walls are well connected to the existing masonry building, which provides enough confinement to effectively improve the ductility, strength, and stiffenss of old masonry structures. The PSRC panels are prefabricated in a factory, significantly reducing the situ work and associated construction time. To demonstrate the feasibility and mechanical effectivenss of the proposed retrofitting system, a full-scale five-story specimen was constructed. The retrofitting process was completed within five weeks with very limited indoor operation. The specimen was then tested in the lateral direction, which could potentially suffer sigifnicant damage in a large earthquake. The technical feasibility, construction workability, and seismic performance were thoroughly demonstrated by a full-scale specimen construction and pseudo-dynamic tests.

Transient Heat Transfer Study of Direct Contact Condensation of Steam in Spray Cooling Water

We conducted a transient experimental investigation of steam–water direct contact condensation in the absence of noncondensible gas in a laboratory-scale column with the inner diameter of 325 mm and the height of 1045 mm. We applied a new analysis method for the steam state equation to analyze the molar quantity change in steam over the course of the experiment and determined the transient steam variation. We also investigated the influence of flow rates and temperatures ofcooling water on the efficiency ofsteam condensation. Our experimental results show that appropriate increasing of the cooling water flow rate can significantly accelerate the steam condensation. We achieved a rapid increase in the total volumetric heat transfer coefficient by increasing the flow rate of cooling water, which indicated a higher thermal convection between the steam and the cooling water with higher flow rates. We found that the temperature ofcooling water did not play an important role on steam condensation. This method was confirmed to be effective for rapid recovering ofsteam.

Spectral Transmittance of Di-methyl Silicon Oil as a Heat Transfer Material for Concentrator Solar Cells

The accelerated life test was carried out to investigate the change of spectral transmittance of di-methyl silicon oil and the effects on the electrical performance of silicon solar cell. The di-methyl silicon oil samples before and after accelerated life test were analyzed by FT-IR, GC-MS and LC-MS. The ring compounds and linear compounds with larger molecular weight were detected. The spectral transmittance of di-methyl silicon oil decreased because the chromophore and auxochrome of the products made a sunlight receive decrease on the surface of the solar cell, and resulted in the reduction of cell performance. According to the decrease of spectral transmittance of di-methyl silicon oil, two recovery methods were proposed. The results showed that extraction was superior to vacuum distillation in recovering the aged di-methyl silicon oil.

Bond Properties and Experimental Methods of Textile Reinforced Concrete

Textile reinforced concrete（TRC, for short） allows the low size production and offers a high effectiveness of the reinforcement by using continuous roving instead of short-chopped fibers. However, whether textiles can cooperate with concrete very well depends on the bond between them. In this paper, the bonding mechanism that the stress was transferred from fine concrete to textile was analyzed, and the influences of the initial bond length of textile, the surface treatment of textile, the strength and workability of concrete as well as the level of prestressing force on bond behavior were investigated on the basis of pull-out tests. The results reveal that with initial bond length increasing, the maximum pull force increases, and increasing concrete strength and improving workability of concrete matrix, epoxy resin impregnating and sand covering of textile as well as prestressing textile can obviously increase the bond strength between the textile and concrete.

Non-mechanical behaviors of soft clay in two-dimensional electro-osmotic consolidation

To investigate the soil behaviors in a direct current field on both spatial and temporal scales, a 1: 5 scale model test was conducted in laboratory to simulate the two-dimensional (2D) electro-osmotic consolidation of soft clay foundation. Volume of drainage, intensity, voltage, water content and pH value of water collected in the cathodes were monitored. The pH values of soil and the mass of anodes were measured before and after the test. The test results indicate that the unsaturated state, resultant from fissures induced by the differences in water contents, is favorable to dynamic compaction of soil during electro-osmotic drainage. The results also demonstrate that water content, degree of saturation and electric potential distributions can be used to deduce the electro-osmotic drainage process. Water content of soil decreases first near electrodes, while keeps nearly constant in the center of the model. The area with constant water content is larger than half of the sample surface. Moving anodes towards cathodes by about one third of the electrode spacing is effective to improve the treatment effect after electro-osmosis stops due to the large resistance. Moreover, it is observed that during electro-osmosis, the corrosion rate of anodes becomes smaller, while the variation in pH values of soil near anodes becomes larger.

Bending Resistance of Steel Plate-Reinforced Concrete Beam

The formulas for calculating bending-resistant capacity of a steel plate-reinforced concrete composite beam are derived. To validate the formulas, experiments of the composite beam under three-point bending are carried out. Calculated results based on the formulas are in good agreement with experimental results.

Seismic collapse simulation of existing masonry buildings with different retrofitting techniques

Masonry buildings are primarily constructed out of bricks and mortar which become discrete pieces and cannot sustain horizontal forces created by a strong earthquake.The collapse of masonry walls may cause significant human casualties and economic losses.To maintain their integrity,several methods have been developed to retrofit existing masonry buildings,such as the constructional RC frame which has been extensively used in China.In this study,a new method using precast steel reinforced concrete(PSRC)panels is developed.To demonstrate its effectiveness,numerical studies are conducted to investigate and compare the collapse behavior of a structure without retrofitting,retrofitted with a constructional RC frame,and retrofitted with external PSRC walls(PSRCW).Sophisticated finite element models(FEM)were developed and nonlinear time history analyses were carried out.The results show that the existing masonry building is severely damaged under occasional earthquakes,and totally collapsed under rare earthquakes.Both retrofitting techniques improve the seismic performance of existing masonry buildings.However,it is found that several occasional earthquakes caused collapse or partial collapse of the building retrofitted with the constructional RC frame,while the one retrofitted by the proposed PSRC wall system survives even under rare earthquakes.The effectiveness of the proposed retrofitting method on existing masonry buildings is thus fully demonstrated.

Analysis of one-dimensional consolidation of soft soils with non-Darcian flow caused by non-Newtonian liquid

Based on non-Darcian flow caused by non-Newtonian liquid, the theory of one-dimensional (1D) consolidation was modified to consider variation in the total vertical stress with depth and time. The finite difference method (FDM) was adopted to obtain numerical solutions for excess pore water pressure and average degree of consolidation. When non-Darcian flow is degenerated into Darcian flow, a comparison between numerical solutions and analytical solutions was made to verify reliability of finite difference solutions. Finally, taking into account the ramp time-dependent loading, consolidation behaviors with non-Darcian flow under various parameters were analyzed. Thus, a comprehensive analysis of 1D consolidation combined with non-Darcian flow caused by non-Newtonian liquid was conducted in this paper.

Study on Treatment of the Pesticide Wastewater by the Composite Process of Biological Active Carbon Filter-Fluid Bed

[ Objectlve] The research aimed to study treatment effect of the pesticide wastewater by the composite process of biological active car- bon filter-fluid bed. [Method] The composite process of biological active carbon filter- fluid bed was applied to treat the mixed pesticide wastewater. The removal efficiencies of CODcr, BODs, NH3-N, SS and the influence factors were investigated. [ Result] The composite process had good treatment efficiency for pesticide wastewater. After running stably, the average removal rates of CODc,, BODs, NH3-N and SS were re- spectively 91.6%, 96.2%, 90.2% and 87.5%. All indices reached the third level cdteda specified in Comprehensive Standard of the Sewage Dis- charge （DB12/356-2008）. [ Conclusionl The whole system operates reliably and simply, and provides a stable, convenient and economical solu- tion for deep treatment of the mixed pesticide wastewater.

Research on Performance of Ground-Source Heat Pump Double U Underground Pipe Heat Exchange

This paper uses FLUENT software building the three-dimensional unsteady state model of ground source heat pump single U and double U underground pipe to study on heat exchange of underground pipe system in the condition of unsteady state long-term continuous running, analyzes the change of soil temperature filed around underground pipe and performance of underground pipe heat exchange between single U and double U pipe system. The results show that double U pipe system is better than single U system, which can improve unit depth heat exchange efficiency, reduce the number of wells and reduce the initial investment.

Multi-Dimensional Pedestrian System on the New Campus of University of Macao

The Multi-dimensional Pedestrian System( MPS) is an integral part of the new campus of University of Macao. It observes the principle of "pedestrian first " and features a pedestrian-vehicle dividing system.Based on a comprehensive analysis of the location,climate,ecology and other factors of the project site,the conception of the idea of MPS and the related researches are illustrated. The transportation features of the MPS,as summarized,include multi-dimensions,short-distance and weather-resistance. Its features for the sake of livability include integration of nature, respect for the environment and sharing of landscape. Upon the completion of the project, the effects on its users were tested. Finally, some constructive rules for the construction of similar campus pedestrian systems were proposed.

Static behavior of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joints with bolted partial-depth flush end plate:experimental study

A new type of semi-rigid thin-walled steel-concrete composite beam-to-column joint has been proposed in this paper.Five semi-rigid composite beam-to-column joint specimens subjected to hogging moments under monotonic loading were tested to study the static behavior of this new type of joint.The main variable parameters for the five joint specimens were the longitudinal reinforcement ratio and the joint type.The experimental results designated that the magnitude of extension of the longitudinal reinforcement is the most important factor that influenced the moment-rotation characteristic of the new type of joint.The concrete slabs could resist 3.8%-19.1% of the total shear load applied to the cross-sections near the beam-to-column connection.The edge stiffened elements,such as the flange of the lipped I-section thin-walled steel beam,were capable of having considerable inelastic deformation capacity although they had comparatively large width-to-thickness ratios.The shear failure of the concrete cantilever edge strip must be taken into account in practical design because it has significant influence on the anchorage of the longitudinal reinforcement in the new type of external joints.

PEELING-OFF PHENOMENON IN FRP STRENGTHENED CONCRETE BEAMS DUE TO THERMAL RESIDUAL STRESS

Peeling-off phenomena in FRP strengthened concrete beams are investigated in this paper. Based on the beam theory and the fracture mechanics, a new theoretical model is proposed to analyze the peeling-off behavior near FRP-concrete interfaces, which is governed by residual thermal stresses. Numerical examples are presented to provide a clear insight into the failure mechanism. Some suggestions are provided for the optimal design of FRP strengthened structures.

Green Ecological Landscape Campus Planning of Lu'an No.1 High School in Anhui Province of China

Based on the natural environment of Lu'an No.1 High School, its plane layout has been defined as one jade belt, three functional zones and one ecological landscape circle. Two entrances have been introduced to form an axial layout in the shape of "T", constituting main functional footpaths. An ecological landscape belt in the shape of "L" has formed along the river system on the southeast side, functioning as a waterfront walking patch. Buildings on the campus are arranged in groups and green landscape place has been designed based on natural environment. Geothermal system, roof greening and solar energy have been adopted to construct Lu'an No.1 High School into a campus landscape integrating into environment, with good ecology, comfortable, pleasant and harmonious, so as to provide a reference for the planning and design of ecological campus.

Solidified Branding Function: How the Urban Brand Affects a Small Town’s Development? Case Study of Wangqingtuo, Tianjin, China

Chinese small towns are usually developed with single core industry,and the urban brand is the identity of a town that formed with the development of its industry.However,when the core industry representing its urban brand is facing a changing situation or market,will the brand be a motivation or an obstruction of the development of a town?The paper combined top-down and bottom-up research method to study the function of the urban brand in Wangqingtuo town in Tianjin,China.We studied over 400 samples(including government staff and town citizens)to make questionnaire investigation about the town’s branding.And we found that the solidified urban brand is a complicated emotional symbol for both government and citizens.The town has demand of exploring and developing new dominant industry,and it has the expectation to keep branding and upgrade its current core industry.