Study of the behavior of mechanically stabilized earth (MSE) walls subjected to differential settlements

The limit equilibrium (LE) analysis has been used to design MSE walls. Presumably, the deflection of MSE walls can be limited to an acceptable range by ensuring sufficient factors of safety (FOSs) for both external and internal stabilities. However, unexpected ground movements, such as movements induced by excavations, volume changes of expansive soils, collapse of sinkholes, and consolidations of underlying soils, can induce excessive differential settlements that may influence both the stability and the serviceability of MSE walls. In this study, a numerical model, which was calibrated by triaxial tests and further by a specially-designed MSE wall tests, investigated the behavior of an MSE wall as well as the influence of various factors on the performance of the MSE wall when the wall facing settled relatively to the reinforced zone. The numerical results showed that the differential settlement would cause substantial vertical and horizontal movements for the MSE wall, as well as an increase in lateral earth pressure and geosynthetic reinforcement strain. The maximum horizontal movement and increase of the lateral earth pressure occurred at about 1.0 m above the toe. The differential settlement resulted in a critical plane that coincided with the plane of 45°+?/2. The maximum increase of the strain for each geogrid layer occurred in that plane, and the bottom layer had the greatest strain increase among all layers of reinforcement. The study further indicated that the surcharge, backfill friction angle, tensile stiffness of geogrid, reinforcement length and MSE wall height had noticeable influences on horizontal and vertical movements, and strain in geosynthetics. According to the results, the MSE wall that had a higher factor of safety would have less movements and geosynthetic strain increase. In contrast, only the friction angle, tensile stiffness and MSE wall height showed some degree of influence on the lateral earth pressure due to differential settlements.     

Heart rate strain indices in Greek steelworkers

Abstract

The heart rate strain of 14 Greek steelworkers was assessed during the winter and summer months of 1989 and 1990. Activity sampling was used to establish the pattern of work performed and heart rates were measured throughout work shifts. In addition, maximum aerobic capacity was estimated. The mean heart rate during work was 97 bt. min^?1(±13), while the mean relative heart rate increase was 21% (±15% ). The results indicated that the work performed could be classified as light to moderate.     

Post-yield response of cold-cambered wide flange steel beams

The post-yield response of steel beams is important in steel fabrication particularly for setting cambers. A commonly used cambering process known as “cold cambering” consists of bending the girder about its strong axis using single or dual symmetrically applied concentrated loads. This paper recasts available solutions for wide flange steel beams relating loads to permanent deformation in parametric form to determine the effect of cross-sectional geometry and load position on its post-yield response. Sensitivity analyses were then conducted to identify appropriate values of these key parameters and their impact on alternative cambering set-ups. This allows optimization of the cold cambering operation for single- and dual-load systems. The analysis shows that dual-load systems offer significant benefits over single-load systems as they develop the required camber profile at smaller loads without overstraining the steel section. The best results are obtained if the spacing between the two loads is kept within one-third to one-quarter of the span.     

循环荷载作用下岩石疲劳变形及特性试验研究

通过开展恒定加卸载速率,不同偏应力条件下的循环加卸载试验,研究了轴向应变、径向应变以及体积应该随循环次数的演化过程,得到了在不同偏应力条件下岩石的平均变形模量随循环次数与偏应力的变化关系,进而分析了循环荷载作用下岩石疲劳变形及特性。研究结果表明：（1）偏应力在50MPa之前,轴向应变、径向应变、体积应变以及变形模量随着循环次数的变化基本稳定,反之,表现出发散的趋势;（2）偏应力在80MPa作用下的平均变形模量较1IOMPa作用下的大,这是岩石内部裂隙增加和扩张的结果;（3）在不同偏应力条件下,平均变形模量随着偏应力的增大逐渐增大且趋于收敛。     

A comparative study of the effect of Pd-doping on the structural,optical, and photocatalytic properties of sol–gel derived anatase TiO2 nanoparticles

Pd-doped anatase TiO₂ nanoparticles were synthesized by a modified sol–gel deposition technique. The synthetic strategy is applicable to other transition and post-transition metals to obtain phase-pure anatase titania nanoparticles. This is important in the sense that anatase titania forms the most hydroxyl radicals (compared to other polymorphs like rutile, brookite, etc.) for better photocatalytic performance. XRD and Raman data confirm the phase-pure anatase formation. Doping of Pd²⁺ into Ti⁴⁺ sites (for substitutional doping) or interstitial sites (for interstitial doping) creates strain within the nanoparticles and is reflected in the XRD peak broadening and Raman peak shifts. This is because of the ionic radii difference between Ti⁴⁺(∼68 pm) and Pd²⁺(∼86 pm). XPS data confirm the formation of high surface titanol groups at the nanoparticle surface and a large number of loosely bound Ti³⁺–O bonds, both of which considerably enhance the photocatalytic activity of the doped nanoparticles. A comparative study with other metal doping (Ga) shows that TiO₂: Pd nanoparticles have more Ti³⁺–O bonds, which enhance the charge transfer rate and hence improve the photocatalytic activity compared to other transition and post-transition metal-doped titania nanostructures.     

Effect of CNTs on Activation Volume and Mobile Dislocation Exhaustion Rate of CNTs/Al under Compression Loading

In this study, stress relaxation compression tests were performed to investigate the strain rate sensitivity, activation volume and mobile dislocations in carbon nanotubes/aluminum (CNTs/Al) composites. The results reveal that, with the addition of CNTs, the strain rate sensitivity of CNTs/Al increased. Meanwhile, a smaller V^* of CNTs/Al compared with pure Al was attributed mainly to the CNT-Al interfaces and partly to the increased forest dislocations cutting activities in grain interior, which was related to the tendency of short ranges order formation during plastic deformation. The incorporation of CNTs also improved the dislocation storage capability and reduced the dislocation velocity, leading to a lower mobile dislocation exhaustion rate.     

应变路径变化对纯镍组织和织构的影响

采用背散射电子衍射（EBSD）和X射线衍射（XRD）技术对比分析了两种应变方式（单向轧制和交叉轧制）对大变形量（厚度方向压下量90%）纯镍形变组织和织构以及随后热处理过程中组织和织构演变的影响。结果表明：单向与交叉轧制纯镍的形变微观组织均以层片状组织为主,但前者储存能高于后者;单向轧制纯镍的宏观织构是典型的铜型冷轧织构,而交叉轧制纯镍的主要织构组分是黄铜和旋转型黄铜织构,且前者的织构强度明显高于后者。对两种方式形变样品在不同温度下进行退火处理,发现单向轧制样品中形成了以立方织构为主的再结晶织构,且随着退火温度的升高,立方织构的强度逐渐增强;而交叉轧制样品则形成了弱的再结晶纤维织构,其强度远小于单向轧制样品的再结晶织构强度。另外,单向轧制样品在高温800°C保温处理后,出现了少量异常长大晶粒,这是由于取向相近的立方取向晶粒聚集形成团簇,使得微观取向分布不均匀造成的;而交叉轧制方式可以抑制热处理过程中的晶粒异常长大。     

矿岩料层动态粉碎应力－应变曲线的应变率效应分析

用自行研制的矿岩料层动态粉碎性能测试装置，对四种典型矿岩在五种不同应变率下进行实验研究，分析了应变率对应力－应变全过程曲线的影响。结果表明，应变率和应力－应变曲线相敏感，而且应变率效应随岩石物理力学性质和应力－应变曲线的不同发展阶段而改变。不同应变率下的岩石料层动态塑性特性可用Ｃｒｉｓｔｅｓｃｕ提出的拟线性塑性本构方程来描述。     

Novel temperature measurement method & thermodynamic investigations of amorphous polymers during high rate deformation

Polymers are frequently used in applications in which they may be exposed to high rate or impact loading, and there is growing industrial importance in understanding their mechanical behavior at different strain rates. An important aspect of this is the temperature rise due to adiabatic conditions in high rate loading. This paper describes research that has been performed to measure the temperature rise that occurs in specimens undergoing rapid deformation. A novel thermocouple design is presented and applied to PMMA and 20 wt% DINP-plasticized PVC, deformed at moderate and high strain rates. The measurements are accompanied by investigations of strain energy.     

Evolution of structure and electrical properties with lanthanum content in [(Bi1/2Na1/2)0.95Ba0.05]1−xLaxTiO3 ceramics

Lead-free perovskite [(Bi_1/2Na_1/2)_0.95Ba_0.05]_1−xLa_xTiO₃ (x = 0.00–0.10) ceramics were fabricated via the solid state reaction method and their crystal structures and electrical properties were systematically studied. Transmission electron microscopy examination reveals a transition from a rhombohedral R3c phase with micron-sized complex domains to a mixture of rhombohedral R3c and tetragonal P4bm phases with nanodomains as La content was increased. X-ray diffraction analysis on bulk samples, however, indicates a pseudocubic structure in La-doped compositions. Electrical poling seems to transform the pseudocubic structure to a rhombohedral phase in compositions with 0.00 < x < 0.03. With La addition, the depolarization temperature (T_d) is observed to decrease and the dielectric constant (ɛ_r) within 100–350 °C becomes more temperature independent, promising for applications in high-temperature capacitors. Electric field-induced polarizations and strains display complex changes with respect to La concentration, with the highest strain of 0.35% achieved in the composition x = 0.04 under 70 kV/cm at room temperature. The piezoelectric coefficient d₃₃ initially increases with La content, reaching a maximum value of 151 pC/N in the composition x = 0.02, and then diminishes.