Finite-element modelling of soil-geogrid interaction dealing with the pullout behaviour of geogrids

A two dimensional plane-stress finite-element type of analysis is presented to predict the behaviour of geogrids embedded in sand under pullout loading conditions. In the analysis the interactions between soil and geogrid are simulated by non-linear springs. The stiffnesses of the springs can be determined from simple tests in a specially designed pullout box. The proposed finite element (FE) analysis is applied to interpret test results from a large scale pullout test rig. The predicted behaviour of the geogrid under pullout load agrees well with the observed data including the load-displacement properties, the displacement distribution along the longitudinal direction and the mobilisation of the frictional and bearing resistance.     

Sand Erosion in Axial Flow Conditions

A mathematical model of sand erosion in axial flow conditions is presented. The basic mass balance equations and sand erosion constitutive equation were given in Vardoulakis et al. (1996). As opposed to reference Vardoulakis et al. (1996), we consider here the extreme case where convection is null and hydrodynamic dispersion dominates. In addition, Brinkman's extension of Darcy's law is adopted to account for a smooth transition between channel flow and Darcian flow. The set of governing PDE's is presented in dimensionless form and is solved numerically. In concordance with the basic constitutive equation for erosion kinetics, the analysis shows that erosion progresses in time as a front of high transport concentration. This result is justified by the highly non-linear character of the erosion source term which dominates in the diffusion-like governing equation.     

Research Note: Mobility of Herbicide Microcapsules in Saturated Granular Media

The mobility of the microcapsules in saturated granular media was estimated on the basis of conventional breakthrough experiments in vertical columns packed with sands for various physical and chemical conditions. Four types of microcapsules have been tested, all of them were found to have reasonable mobility in clean quartz sand, but not in sandy soil. The immobility in the sandy soil was attributed to some production deficiencies in terms of shape, size and quality of the coating surface. The size of the microcapsules should be considerably smaller than those produced with an order of magnitude of a few micrometers. They should also be more spherical and with a smoother surface. The addition of a proper dispersant had stabilized the microcapsules suspension, and facilitated their transport in the sand. A major flow factor affecting microcapsules mobility is the water flux. The microcapsules should be applied at a high irrigation rate, which also implies a high water content in the soil profile. Considering solely the mobility aspect, it seems that the prospect for successful application of the new method for weed control is limited to granular soils with a high hydraulic conductivity at/or near saturation. However, for the time being the most limiting problem is the production of quality microcapsules with good physical and chemical properties.     

大风区铁路沿线挡风墙积沙机理及优化措施的风洞实验研究

位于兰州至新疆的兰新二线是世界上首条穿越大风区的高速铁路,途径著名的烟墩风区、百里风区、三十里风区及达坂城风区,风区段铁路里程长达 462.4 km,占新疆段线路总长的 65.1${\%}$,大风对铁路的运营、养护和运输造成很大危害. 为了降低大风对通行列车的危害,兰新铁路沿线设置了大量挡风墙. 挡风墙发挥作用的同时,也带来了铁路沿线的积沙问题. 为了解决这一工程实践的现实问题,本文提出了在现有挡风墙背风侧的不同位置处,设立第二道挡墙以减弱铁路积沙的治理思路,并开展了对应条件下对现有单道挡风墙、以及在现有单道挡风墙背风侧坡顶处和坡脚处设置第二道挡墙,共计3种情景的风洞模拟实验,发现设置第二道挡墙后距轨道线路高0.1 m处的沙粒水平速度、数密度、输沙通量及沉积率较无第二道挡墙时明显减少,介于8%$\sim$12${\%}$,51%$\sim$69${\%}$,20%$\sim$73${\%}$以及26%$\sim $38${\%}$,而且在现有单道挡风墙背风侧坡顶部增设第二道挡风墙的效果更好. 因此,本文的研究成果有助于优化大风区已有铁路沿线、城镇等防沙治沙工程措施.      

Autoradiographische Untersuchungen zur Vermisechung von Baustoffkomponenten

Die Feinverteilung des Kalkes im Kalk-Quarzsand-Gemisch ist eine notwendige Bedingung fur hohe erreichbare Festigkeit der Silikatbaustoffe. Vergleiehende Untersuchungen über die Kalkverteilung an neutronenaktivierten feinkörnigen Baustoffproben mit Hilfe von Szintillationsmessungen des ⁴⁷Ca-Gehaltes und mittels autoradiographischer Darstellung der Kalkverteilung in kleinen Prüfkörpern unter Ausnützung der relativ weichen β-Strahlung des ⁴⁵Ca ergaben, daβ die autoradiographischen Aussagen über die Homogenität der Proben am besten mit den Festigkeitsiwerten der Prüfkörper korrespondieren.     

中子法测量沥青含量

讨论了沥青混合料中沥青含量的中子测量方法，比较了几种测量结构，给出了最佳测量结构及其测量结果与离心分离法的比较．     

Modeling of Wormhole Growth in Cold Production

Cold production is a non-thermal process in which sand is intentionally produced with the oil in order to enhance oil recovery. Two experiments were performed to investigate the effect of producing large quantities of sand on the overall permeability of a formation. A large high porosity channel (wormhole) was observed in both experiments. A model of wormhole growth was successfully tested in two sand production experiments simulating the growth of a wormhole from a perforation in a vertical well. The produced volumes of oil, sand and gas, the pressure distribution along the pack and the final length of the wormholes were well predicted. The two sand packs had significantly different cohesive strengths. The strength of the sand did not have a significant effect on the growth of the wormholes. The formation of tensile failure bands at the wormhole surface, as observed in the experiments, may weaken the sand and allow it to be fluidized more easily. This weakening effect would explain the lower pressure gradients calculated at the surface of the wormhole while it developed compared to the critical pressure gradient for sand production predicted by Bratli and Risnes (1981).     

组合单元法在砂井地基有限元分析中的应用

针对砂井地基的平面应变有限元分析，本文首次将组合单元法引入到砂井地基的分析中，提出砂墙组合单元。该单元对常规等参元进行改进，在单元内部同时考虑砂井的涂抹作用和井阻作用，从而克服了常规有限元法在计算砂井地基时单元数和节点数过多的缺点。将砂墙组合单元加入USAP有限元计算软件，工程算例分析结果表明：与已有的各砂井地基的平面应变解答和荷兰的基础工程有限元分析软件PLAXIS相比，解答合理并有效地考虑砂井的涂抹作用和井阻作用；与常规有限元法相比，在保证计算精度的前提下，减少了可观的单元数和节点数，降低了计算的工作量。     

On the Validity of Darcy's Law for Stable High-Concentration Displacements in Granular Porous Media

Recently, it has been suggested that Darcy's Law might not be applicable for modelling miscible, density-dependent flow in porous media. To investigate this, three sets of careful laboratory column experiments were performed on coarse and medium sands, consisting of upward displacement of water by sodium chloride solutions with concentrations ranging from 5 to 200g/l. Data on salt concentrations and water pressures were collected in horizontal transects along the flow direction. Salt concentration data were also collected in the influent and exit lines. The experimental data were analysed using a simplified approach based on Darcy's Law alone, applied with the assumption of a sharp interface. Darcy's Law was used to estimate porous medium permeability by fitting predictions to experimental data. Consistent estimates of permeability were obtained for each set of experiments. The results indicate that Darcy's Law adequately describes high concentration displacements through saturated coarse- and medium-grained porous media.     

Influence of M w of LDPE and vinyl acetate content of EVA on the rheology of polymer modified asphalt

Asphalt binder was modified by low-density polyethylene (LDPE) and ethyl vinyl acetate (EVA) polymers to investigate the structure–property relationships of polymer-modified asphalt (PMA). The PMA was prepared in a high-shear blender at 160 °C. The optimum blending time (OBT) for each polymer was determined following a separate investigation. OBT was influenced by M_w, MWD, and polymer structure. The influence of M_w of LDPE and vinyl acetate (VA) content of EVA on PMAs was studied by rheological tools. Polymer modification improved the rheological properties of base asphalt. EVA–PMAs were found to be less temperature sensitive than LDPE-modified asphalts. LDPE modification increased flow activation energy (E_a) but EVA modification decreased E_a. Both VA content and M_w of LDPE have influenced the storage stability of PMAs. The low-temperature properties of PMAs and short ageing tests were not influenced by polymer type. On the other hand, the high-temperature properties of PMAs were strongly influenced by M_w of LDPE and VA content of EVA. Overall, EVA with low VA content showed the best temperature resistance to high- temperature deformations, the highest upper service temperature as well as the best storage stability.