Probabilistic model and analysis of coupled train-ballasted track-subgrade system with uncertain structural parameters

Random dynamic responses caused by the uncertainty of structural parameters of the coupled train-ballasted track-subgrade system under train loading can pose safety concerns to the train operation.This paper introduced a computational model for analyzing probabilistic dynamic responses of three-dimensional(3D)coupled train-ballasted track-subgrade system(TBTSS),where the coupling effects of uncertain rail irregularities,stiffness and damping properties of ballast and subgrade layers were simultaneously considered.The number theoretical method(NTM)was employed to design discrete points for the multi-dimensional stochastic parameters.The time-histories of stochastic dynamic vibrations of the TBSS with systematically uncertain structural parameters were calculated accurately and efficiently by employing the probability density evolution method(PDEM).The model-predicted results were consistent with those by the Monte Carlo simulation method.A sensitivity study was performed to assess the relative importance of those uncertain structural parameters,based on which a case study was presented to explore the stochastic probability evolution mechanism of such train-ballasted track-subgrade system.

Investigation on seismic response of a three-stage soil slope supported by anchor frame structure

Based on a typical prototype of a soil slope in engineering practice, a numerical model of a three-stage soil slope supported by the anchor frame structure was established by means of FLAC3D code. The dynamic responses of three-stage soil slope and frame structure were studied by performing a series of bidirectional Wenchuan motions in terms of the failure mode of three-stage structure, the acceleration of soil slope, the displacement of frame structure, and the anchor stress of frame structure. The response accelerations in both horizontal and vertical directions are the most largely amplified at the slope top of each stage subjected to different shaking cases. The platforms among the stages reduce the amplification effect of response acceleration. The residual displacement of frame structure increases significantly as the intensity of shaking case increases. The frame structure at each stage presents a combined displacement mode consisting of a translation and a rotation around the vertex. The anchor stress of frame structure is mainly increased by the first intense pulse of Wenchuan seismic wave, and it is sensitive to the intensity of shaking case. The anchor stress of frame structure at the first stage is the most considerably enlarged by earthquake loading.

Time-dependent squeezing deformation mechanism of tunnels in layered soft-rock stratum under high geo-stress

Large squeezing deformation of layered soft rock tunnel under high geo-stress has a significant time-dependent deformation behavior.In this paper,we studied the deformation mechanism during the construction period of deep-buried softrock tunnel by means of a combination of field observations and a numerical method.First,a new classification criterion for large deformations based on the power exponent variation law between the deformation and the strength-stress ratio is proposed.Then,the initial damage tensor reflecting the bedding plane(joint)distribution and an equivalent damage evolution equation derived from the viscoplastic strain are introduced based on the geometric research method,i.e.,a new rheological damage model(RDL model)of layered soft rock is established consisting of elastic,viscous,viscoelastic,viscoplastic and plastic elements.A field test was conducted on the Maoxian tunnel in Sichuan province,southwestern China,which is in broken phyllite(layered soft rock)under high geo-stress.The tunnel has experienced large deformation due to serious squeezing pressure,thus we adopted double primary support method to overcome the supporting structure failure problems.The rheological parameters of phyllite in the Maoxian tunnel were recognized by using SA-PSO optimization,and the RDL model does a good job in describing the time-dependent deformation behavior of a layered soft-rock tunnel under high geo-stress.Thus,the RDL model was used to investigate the supporting effect and bearing mechanism of the double primary support method.Compared with the single primary support method,the surrounding rock pressure,secondary lining force,surrounding rock deformation,and the depth of the damage to the rock mass was reduced by 40%-60%after the double primary support method was used.

Effect of stress paths on failure mechanism and progressive damage of hard-brittle rock

During deep buried hard-brittle rock tunnel excavation,the surrounding rock experiences a complicated stress path and stress adjustment process.Once the adjusted stress exceeds the ultimate bearing capacity of rockmass,a rock failure mode defined as stress-cracking type will occur.In order to investigate the effect of stress paths on failure mechanism and progressive damage of deep-buried rockmass,the cyclic loading-unloading,loading-unloading,uniaxial,conventional and unloading triaxial compression tests on samples of hard-brittle sandstone were conducted.According to the experimental results,increase in the confining pressure was beneficial to improve the mechanical parameters of rock,but it will reduce the brittle failure features.Compared with conventional triaxial compression,the sandstone under unloading state had more remarkable stress drop and unstable failure characteristics.Meanwhile,it was found that the energy dissipation and energy release in the whole process of rock deformation were the internal power of driven rock progressive damage.With the increase of confining pressure,the energy hardening and energy accumulation features of rock were weakened,while the progressive damage evolution characteristics could be enhanced.In unloading state,more energy could be converted into elastic energy in the energy softening phase(σeb-σP),so that the prepeak damage rate of rock was lower than that of conventional triaxial compression state.Thus,the energy dissipation rate of rock after peak strength decreased linearly with the increase of confining pressure under conventional triaxial compression state,while in unloading state it showed the opposite law.

Mechanical properties of bimrocks with high rock block proportion

For the investigation of mechanical properties of the bimrocks with high rock block proportion,a series of laboratory experiments,including resonance frequency and uniaxial compressive tests,are conducted on the 64 fabricated bimrocks specimens.The results demonstrate that dynamic elastic modulus is strongly correlated with the uniaxial compressive strength,elastic modulus and block proportions of the bimrocks.In addition,the density of the bimrocks has a good correlation with the mechanical properties of cases with varying block proportions.Thus,three crucial indices(including matrix strength)are used as basic input parameters for the prediction of the mechanical properties of the bimrocks.Other than adopting the traditional simple regression and multi-regression analyses,a new prediction model based on the optimized general regression neural network(GRNN)algorithm is proposed.Note that,the performance of the multi-regression prediction model is better than that of the simple regression model,owing to the consideration of various influencing factors.However,the comparison between model predictions indicates that the optimized GRNN model performs better than the multi-regression model does.Model validation and verification based on fabricated data and experimental data from the literature are performed to verify the predictability and applicability of the proposed optimized GRNN model.

Effect of a filter cake on shear behavior of sand-concrete pile interface

A filter cake is often formed between soil and concrete during casting concrete in the ground,such as constructions of diaphragm walls and bored piles.The present study aims to investigate the effect of the filter cake on the shear behavior of the sand-concrete pile interface.A series of sand-concrete interface direct shear tests were performed with a large-direct shear apparatus while considering different roughness(I=0,10,20 and 30 mm)and filter cake thickness(Δh=0,5 and 10 mm).For a smooth interface without a filter cake,the shear stress-horizontal displacement curves showed a“softening”response.The peak shear strength and friction angle decreased exponentially with increasing theΔh.Whereas,for a rough interface withΔh=5 or 10 mm,the shear stress-horizontal displacement curves presented a“hardening”response.The peak strength,as well as friction angle,decreased linearly with increasing theΔh.Moreover,a critical roughness I_(cr)of 10 mm was observed in the tests without a filter cake.The interface shear strength initially increased with increasing I but gradually decreased when the I exceeded I_(cr).In addition,the filter cake could reduce the roughness sensitivity on shear strength.

四洞交叠盾构隧道近距离下穿既有桥梁桩基施工控制技术研究

在密集的城市建筑环境中,在城市地下交通的大规模兴建过程中不可避免地会出现各类近接施工工程。依托一实际工程,针对四洞交叠盾构隧道近距离下穿既有桥梁桩基施工控制技术开展实践研究,总结提出了“两阶段法理论预测+主动控制与被动保护”的近接施工微扰动控制技术体系。该技术体系的核心内容包括:1)通过引入附加地层损失率,建立多线隧道近接施工时桩基变形的理论计算方法,实现近接施工对邻近建(构)筑物影响的工前预测。2)建立隧道-地层-桩基多元耦合模型,分析四线交叠盾构隧道施工全过程力学行为。3)结合工程实践经验,分别从主动控制和被动保护两方面提出依托工程的控制措施。在依托工程开挖完成过程中,邻近桥梁桩基变形得到有效控制,表明所提出的近接施工微扰动控制技术是合理可行的。

Vertical temperature gradients of concrete box girder caused by solar radiation in Sichuan-Tibet railway

Spatial and temporal temperature variations are critical for concrete box girders,and non-uniform temperature distributions induced by solar radiation depend on the structural shapes and shadows cast on them.There have been many studies of temperature distributions and temperature gradients of concrete box girders,but few have considered a high altitude plateau climatic environment.In this study,the nonlinear temperature distributions of concrete box girders in the Sichuan-Tibet railway caused by solar radiation were investigated based on experimental analysis,real-time shadow-selection algorithm,and finite element method.Furthermore,a vertical temperature gradient model of the concrete box girders was obtained.The vertical temperature gradient values first rise,then decrease,and finally rise again from Chengdu to Lhasa,with samples forming a normal distribution.The recommended vertical temperature gradient value was 25℃with a confidence interval of 95%.This provides a reference for the design and maintenance of concrete box girders on the Sichuan-Tibet railway.

An enhanced image binarization method incorporating with Monte-Carlo simulation

We proposed an enhanced image binarization method.The proposed solution incorporates Monte-Carlo simulation into the local thresholding method to address the essential issues with respect to complex background,spatially-changed illumination,and uncertainties of block size in traditional method.The proposed method first partitions the image into square blocks that reflect local characteristics of the image.After image partitioning,each block is binarized using Otsu’s thresholding method.To minimize the influence of the block size and the boundary effect,we incorporate Monte-Carlo simulation into the binarization algorithm.Iterative calculation with varying block sizes during Monte-Carlo simulation generates a probability map,which illustrates the probability of each pixel classified as foreground.By setting a probability threshold,and separating foreground and background of the source image,the final binary image can be obtained.The described method has been tested by benchmark tests.Results demonstrate that the proposed method performs well in dealing with the complex background and illumination condition.

Model test to investigate reasonable reactive artificial boundary in shaking table test with a rigid container

When conducting dynamic tests of underground structure by a rigid container, reasonable boundary conditions are one of the essential factors related to the accuracy of test results, especially the artificial boundary perpendicular to the excitation direction. On the basis of numerous studies, shaking table tests with four different typical boundaries are performed in this study. The tests consider the seismic intensity and seismic wave types. Then, the simulation effects of the four boundary conditions are evaluated from four aspects as follows: the differential rate of peak acceleration, acceleration curve, similarity of Fourier frequency spectra, and uneven soil settlement in rigid containers. Results show that the simulation effects of the boundary conditions are not only affected by the nature of the boundary material but also related to the seismic intensity, types of seismic waves, and filter characteristic of the filling medium in containers. In comparison with the other three types of boundary condition, foamed polyethylene shows the best simulation effect and its effect decreases gradually with the increase in earthquake intensity. Finally, on the basis of existing studies, the evaluation criteria of boundary effect, the principle for the selection of boundary material type and the thickness of boundary material are discussed and summarized, and the corresponding design methods and suggestions are then provided.

Stability analysis on tunnels with karst caves using the distinct lattice spring model

The effects of karst caves on tunnel stability were numerically investigated using the distinct lattice spring model(DLSM).The DLSM was validated by investigating the mechanical behavior of Brazilian discs with various sizes of central circular holes.Then,the effects of karst cave on U-shaped tunnel were investigated under various karst caves positions(top,bottom,and right side of the tunnel),tunnelcave distances(0.5-4 times the radius of the tunnel arc),and cave shapes(circular,rectangular flat,and rectangular vertical caves).The failure processes of the tunnel under those various conditions were analyzed and both the failure process and the final failure patterns of the tunnel were discussed.Numerical simulation demonstrated that karst caves around the tunnel could weaken the stability of the tunnel,indicating tunnel-cave distance effects.The closer the cave to the tunnel,the weaker the tunnel under loading.This effect was not significant when the tunnel-cave distance(d)was larger than three times the tunnel arc radius(R).In addition,the final failure pattern of the tunnel and its surrounding rock mass were dependent on both the position and the size of the cave.The larger the cave,the weaker the tunnel and its surrounding rock mass.Furthermore,compared with those cases with top and bottom caves,the tunnel with a right side cave had more impacts on tunnel stability.The main research finding could help engineers carry out stability analysis on tunnels in karst areas and take effective measures to enhance tunnel stability.