Interface Characteristics and Laboratory Constructability Tests of Novel Fiber-Reinforced Polymer/Concrete Piles

Conventional pile materials such as steel, concrete, and timber are prone to deterioration for many reasons. Fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) concrete composites represent an alternative construction material for deep foundations that can eliminate many of the performance disadvantages of traditional piling materials. However, FRP composites present several difficulties related to constructability, and the lack of design tools for their implementation as a foundation element. This paper describes the results of an experimental study on frictional FRP/dense sand interface characteristics and the constructability of FRP–concrete composite piles. An innovative toe driving technique is developed to install the empty FRP shells in the soil and self-consolidating concrete is subsequently cast in them. The experimental program involves interface shear tests on small FRP samples and uplift load tests on large-scale model piles. Two different FRP pile materials with different roughness and a reference steel pile are examined. Static uplift load tests are conducted on different piles installed in soil samples subjected to different confining pressures in the pressure chamber. The results showed that the interface friction for FRP materials compared favorably with conventional steel material. It was shown that toe driving is suitable for installation of FRP piles in dense soils.     

江陵凹陷南斜坡新沟嘴组下段砂体预测和油气勘探目标

江陵凹陷北部已发现5个油田,但凹陷南斜坡是勘探薄弱地区。本文针对制约本区油气勘探的主要因素,通过地震相研究、地震层速度分析和砂体预测,结合江汉油区油田勘探实践,总结了江陵凹陷油气成藏规律,进行了油气勘探潜力评价,提出了油气勘探目标。     

Stress Dilatancy and Fabric Dependencies on Sand Behavior

A stress dilatancy model with embedded microstructural information, originally developed by the writers, is used to illustrate the pivotal importance of dilatancy and fabric on the behavior of sand. Fabric, as a second-order tensor, enters into the stress dilatancy equation obtained from a microscopic analysis of an ensemble of rigid particles. Model simulations of sand behavior are carried out in triaxial stress conditions along strain paths with varying degrees of controlled dilation (or compaction) including isochoric deformations as a particular case. Under particular strain paths and fabric conditions, it is shown that a relatively dense sand can succumb to instability or liquefaction under other than isochoric (undrained) conditions. This phenomenon is in accord with laboratory experiments in which dilation or compaction is controlled by modulating the amount of water flowing in or out of a sand specimen during shearing. Mixed drained–undrained loading paths are also simulated with particular reference to fabric dependence at a fixed void ratio. Model simulations capture most of the observed characteristics of sand response, such as instability and asymptotic behavior under various conditions.     

Experimental Study on the Aging of Sands

Aging effects in sand, such as increases in cone penetration resistance with time after deposition and/or densification, are known to occur in the field, but the causes of these effects are not fully understood. A laboratory testing program was designed to study mechanisms responsible for aging effects under controlled conditions. The testing program included measurements of the small strain shear modulus, electrical conductivity, pore fluid chemistry, and minicone penetration resistance after different periods of aging. Two different sands were tested, and aging effects were evaluated for different combinations of relative density, temperature, and pore fluid composition. Increases in the small strain shear modulus were observed throughout most of the tests, and chemical analyses suggest that precipitation of carbonate and silica occurred in two tests. Despite these changes, there was no corresponding increase in the minicone penetration resistance with time in any of the tests. It is unlikely that precipitation of carbonate or silica is responsible for aging effects in sands; other possible mechanisms include arching due to dissipation of blast gases and redistribution of stresses through the soil skeleton. An additional possibility is that the boundary conditions imposed by the laboratory tests obscure changes in penetration resistance that would be measured had the volume of sand tested been much larger. The implications of these findings in terms of other published field and laboratory studies are discussed.     

Modeling of compressive strength of cemented sandy soil

This paper attempted to show the application of particle swarm optimization in the prediction of the compressive strength of cement sandy soil from the curing period, porosity of sample and percentage of cement. The results of the study show that the unconfined compressive strength of the cement stabilized sandy soil increases with an increasing cement content curing time period. Moreover the compressive strength decreases with an increasing porosity. The compressive strength improvement due to cement treatment has a larger increase in samples with less porosity. In addition, particle swarm optimization algorithm is and accurate technique in estimation of compressive strength of cement stabilized sandy soil. In order to compare of existing correlations, a total number of 100 unconfined compressive tests and 15 scanning electron microscope tests have been conducted on cemented Babolsar sand. It can be concluded that compared to existing correlations models, particle swarm optimization algorithm models give more reliable prediction about compressive strength of cement satblized sandy soil. Moreover, the sensitivity analysis of the polynomial model shows that cement content and porosity have significant impact on predicting unconfined compressive strength.     

Identification and characterization of solids in sand-water two-phase flows via vibration multi-sensor approaches

The monitoring of tiny particles in multiphase pipe flow is widely encountered in industry. In this paper, the identification and characterization of solid particles suspended in sand-water flow were developed based on vibration multi-sensor approaches. Verification experiments were conducted, and good agreement was found between the concentrations (0–0.1 wt% with an interval of 0.02 wt%) of varisized sands (from 86 to 180 μm) and the monitored vibration signal characteristics by multi-sensor approaches. A quadratic relationship between the particle concentration and vibration energy was obtained. In sand-carrying flow measurement experiments, the sand’s characteristic frequency bands were found at 22–23.6 kHz and 24.8–26.6 kHz. Additionally, the sand particle identification effect was evaluated from two positions at bends, that is, the outer wall of the 45-degree bend on the elbow and the exit of the 90-degree bend. Compared with these two monitor positions, the sand vibration energy from the outlet of the elbow had a higher signal-to-noise ratio with obvious energy variations. In addition, the accuracies of the detected sand vibration features were mutual confirmation. Consequently, the above methods are applicable for little solid detection in sand-water flow, which lays the foundation for particles monitoring in the complexed multiphase flow.     

Model test of immersed tube tunnel foundation treated by sand-flow method

In order to explore the immersed tunnel foundation treated by sand-flow method, modeling principles for the full-scale model test of sand flow were put forward. In addition, a sand-flow test model was built, which consisted of model system, equipment system and measurement system. The situation of sand-deposit expanding and the water pressure in the foundation trench were evaluated through the model test. The results show that a semi-closed space was formed between the model board and the expanding sand deposit, which made the water pressure in it rising with little range of volatility. The sand deposit gradually became non-circular truncated cone which shaped with its expanding radius, and the difference of the water pressure increased at each direction. The water pressure in crater had a linear increase with the sand-deposit radius, with a maximal value of 0.015 2 MPa. The volatility of the water pressure under the tunnel board and the water pressure value in the crater could be used as bases of construction control.     

Granulometry,cluster analysis and spatial distribution of manganese contaminated soils,Kgwakgwe, southeastern Botswana

The particle size distribution (PSD) of 400 Mn contaminated soil samples was established, and generated data were statistically analysed and spatially presented. The PSD for the 53 µm – 4 µm size fraction soil samples ranged from 11.05 to 100 wt %, whereas that for < 4 µm was from 0.3 to 30 wt %. Texturally, samples were dominantly silt loam, although silt and sandy loam were also present, as well as loam, loamy sand and clay classes. Six clusters were identified with cluster one being the most dominant occurring in sandy loam, silt loam and loamy sand. The < 53 µm fraction had three dominant areas, and the < 4 µm fraction had several unevenly presented populations as reflected in the maps. Because of its spatial distribution, the < 4 µm fraction may pose hazards to human health. Furthermore, predominance of Mn limits land use to subsistence agriculture with possibly low crop yield.