Earthmoving in minature

This paper has described a similitude approach to earthmoving, using small-scale models based on a dimensional analysis with certain simplifying assumptions. An earthmoving mechanics laboratory has been developed, with facilities for testing two sizes of models.

Despite the variability of real soils, and the complexity of the soil action during earthmoving processes, the somewhat idealized model tests are useful and exceedingly realistic. Models yield design information that is not available by any other means. Full-scale testing is still needed for final evaluation of an actual machine.     

Experimental evaluation of cutting dynamic models in soil bin facility

Computer Aided Engineering methods in earthmoving machines design and their automation require the development of soil-cutting models. These models both in two or three dimensions, static or dynamic, fitted for frictional or cohesive soils, must be mutually compatible and must function with soil transportation models and with machine locomotion characteristic models. In this work two different methods of soil cutting have been evaluated, both of them based on the classical wedge method, in order to verify their applicability to test conditions in the new soil bin facility of CEMOTER. From experimental results the possibility of using dynamic models of soil cutting in the frequency domain is discussed, to improve earthmoving machinery performance by automation and implementation of open and closed-loop control. After a preliminary analysis of a plane blade under different test conditions in sandy soil, soil cutting theoretical models of a simple implement are compared with respective scale models by tests performed in a soil bin facility at various operating speeds and depths, in order to investigate their applicability and the dynamic behaviour of the soil cutting force.     

Ability of clay fill to support construction plant

Good ground conditions are required for the operation of modern earthmoving plants due to the higher contact pressures imposed by them on the supporting surface. The maximum allowable contact pressure has been arrived at by a simplified theory based on the bearing capacity of clay soils. From these considerations it appears that standards earthmoving tyres with inflation pressures of greater than 50 lb/in² should be used only on stiff or strong clays, but for firm clays it is necessary to reduce the inflation pressures to between 25 and 50 lb/in², depending on the shear strength of the soil. It would also seem desirable to replace the standard wheels on a particular plant with larger wheels capable of carrying the load under lower inflation pressures.     

Identification,design and kinematic analysis of an earthmoving mechanism

Earthmoving mechanisms in motor graders are critical components for earthwork, compaction and re-handling, and yet they have not received much attention by mechanical engineering research in recent times. In this paper, a comprehensive analysis, from mechanism identification and innovative design to kinematic analysis, is presented. First, the mechanism analysis and synthesis method based on multibody system dynamics is carried out through the analysis of the system topology and connectivity. We conclude that the earthmoving multibody system is a spatial hybrid mechanism, which consists of a spatial parallel mechanism and a spatial serial mechanism. Second, a number of new spatial parallel mechanisms, which are advantageous with respect to the original one under certain conditions, are generated. The kinematic characteristics of the parallel mechanism family are investigated in terms of constraint equations formulated in natural coordinates. Third and last, kinematic simulations and optimization processes are carried out to evaluate the advantages of the presented spatial parallel mechanisms. Simulation results show that these mechanisms can provide better kinematic performance.     

The universal earthmoving equation applied to chisel plough wings

This paper compares the results of tests which examined the effect of chisel plough wing geometry on tillage forces with those predicted by the Universal Earthmoving Equation as presented in E. McKyes' book Soil Cutting and Tillage, published by Elsevier (1985). The tests were conducted in the SAIT Tillage Test Track (an outside continous soil bin which contains a sandy loam soil) and in two field soild, one sandy loam and the other a red brown earth. The tests were conducted using a range of speeds from 5 to 15 km/h and at depths of 50 and 70 mm. The tests compared the effects of varying share wing width and rake angle. The comparison of the measured and predicted draft and vertical force responses showed a good correlation between the Universal Earthmoving Equation predictions and the measured width responses, but it did not always predict the correct rake angle responses.     

Evaluation of Model Concepts to Describe Water Transport in Shallow Subsurface Soil and Across the Soil–Air Interface

Soil water evaporation plays a critical role in mass and energy exchanges across the land–atmosphere interface. Although much is known about this process, there is no agreement on the best modeling approaches to determine soil water evaporation due to the complexity of the numerical modeling scenarios and lack of experimental data available to validate such models. Existing studies show numerical and experimental discrepancies in the evaporation behavior and soil water distribution in soils at various scales, driving us to revisit the key process representation in subsurface soil. Therefore, the goal of this work is to test different mathematical formulations used to estimate evaporation from bare soils to critically evaluate the model formulations, assumptions and surface boundary conditions. This comparison required the development of three numerical models at the REV scale that vary in their complexity in characterizing water flow and evaporation, using the same modeling platform. The performance of the models was evaluated by comparing with experimental data generated from a soil tank/boundary layer wind tunnel experimental apparatus equipped with a sensor network to continuously monitor water–temperature–humidity variables. A series of experiments were performed in which the soil tank was packed with different soil types. Results demonstrate that the approaches vary in their ability to capture different stages of evaporation and no one approach can be deemed most appropriate for every scenario. When a proper top boundary condition and space discretization are defined, the Richards equation-based models (Richards model and Richards vapor model) can generally capture the evaporation behaviors across the entire range of soil saturations, comparing well with the experimental data. The simulation results of the non-equilibrium two-component two-phase model which considers vapor transport as an independent process generally agree well with the observations in terms of evaporation behavior and soil water dynamics. Certain differences in simulation results can be observed between equilibrium and non-equilibrium approaches. Comparisons of the models and the boundary layer formulations highlight the need to revisit key assumptions that influence evaporation behavior, highlighting the need to further understand water and vapor transport processes in soil to improve model accuracy.

     

Influence of soil conditioning on ground deformation during longitudinal tunneling

Soil conditioning is often adopted to facilitate EPB shield tunneling. However, the resulting improvement of soil fluidity and the reduction of friction forces will also raise the ground deformation problem. This paper aims to investigate the influence of soil conditioning on the ground deformation during longitudinal tunneling. DEM is employed for this study due to its advantages in analyzing large deformations and discontinuous processes. Soil conditioning is modeled by reducing the interparticle friction of soils in a specific zone around the cutterhead of the tunnel. The tunnel advance with different soil-conditioning treatments is thus modeled. Comparisons are carried out on the ground deformation, i.e. ground surface settlement, vertical and horizontal displacements. The influence of soil conditioning on the ground deformation is clarified, and is associated with the fluidity from poor to favorite, and the mechanical properties from dilative to contractive are associated with the increase of soil conditioning. The results are helpful to determine the conditioned soils and control ground deformation for real constructions.     

Numerical simulation of explosion processes in fronzen soil

At present, there are numerous experimental and theoretical papers concerned with the behavior of soft soils under explosive loading; e.g., see [1–5]. The case of frozen soils is quite different. There are known only a few papers presenting the results of experimental [6–8] and numerical [9, 10] studies. The numerical results were obtained by solving one-dimensional problems on the explosion of a spherical charge. In the present paper, we give the results of numerical studies of wave processes caused by the explosion of a spherical charge in a homogeneous or layered frozen soil with allowance for the free surface and the finite depth of the freezing boundary. Frozen and soft soils are modeled by Grigoryan’s medium with irreversible bulk and shear strains. We analyze how the free boundary and the interface affect the wave parameters. The results of numerical calculations are compared with known experimental data.     

A framework for earthmoving blade/soil model development

This paper presents a framework for earthmoving blade/soil model development that combines the advantages of both the analytical and numerical methods. This framework greatly expands the limitations of traditional analytically formulated models and can be effectively used to tackle the technical issues that are faced with complex dozing. This model has a lot of new capabilities compared to other models that can be found in the open literatures. Some of the new capabilities are (1) it is a three-dimensional model and is able to account for the tilted and angled blade operations on different terrain conditions: level, uphill, and downhill; (2) uneven cutting can be effectively handled by the proposed model; (3) the transient soil piling, spillage process, and earthmoving productivity can be predicted and animated; (4) the forces and moments can be predicted as well as their centroids; (5) the cutting soil volumetric expansion and transient surcharge effect on resultant forces and moments acting on blade are well established; (6) many systematic relationships involving the dynamic dozing are well established through this framework. Numerical examples and qualitative validations are provided to demonstrate and verify the capabilities of this newly developed framework.     

攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土的工程特性研究

攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土生成于二冰期晚期中更新统冰期,通过室内和现场物理力学试验和分析,揭示攀枝花地区冰期膨胀土的物理力学性质具有很大的离散性,其性质受土体的矿物成分、含水率、裂隙面、埋藏深度、级配、试验条件等因素、条件的影响。试验研究表明:膨胀土中的裂隙面按光滑程度不相同,可分为两种类型,即光滑裂隙面和光滑擦痕裂隙面; 粗粒矿物对胀缩性影响不大,而细粒矿物对胀缩性影响较大; 裸露或近地表,土层风化剧烈,裂隙较发育,膨胀力度就稍大; 同一地区的膨胀土,蒙脱石含量愈高,自由膨胀率愈大,其膨胀等级就愈高; 不同场地内的膨胀土其物理力学性质指标存在一些差异,但差异性较小; 攀枝花冰期膨胀土层的黏粒含量并不大; 不同场地内的膨胀土抗剪强度值变化较大,同一场地内的膨胀土抗剪强度值有起伏; 攀枝花冰期膨胀土多数呈硬塑-坚硬状,自然状态下其抗压变形能力较好,在浸水饱和状态下,膨胀土的承载力几乎成倍数下降。     

Deformable spherical devices to measure stresses within field soils

The design, calibration and use of two deformable spherical stress transducers are described. They are suitable for detecting principal stresses in deforming media such as soil and have major advantages over many rigid transducers previously used in such situations. One of the transducers is a water-filled rubber ball (WFRB) sensitive to hydrostatic and deviator stresses, the other is a mastic ball which deforms plastically and is sensitive to only deviator stresses. When the two devices are used at similar depths under a surface load, e.g. a wheel, the combined measurements of internal pressure of the WFRB and axial deformation of the mastic ball can be used to derive values for first and third principal stresses (assuming second and third principal stresses are equal). Calibration of the transducers at different temperatures is described.

Field measurements made with the transducer under loaded wheels are compared with predicted values of first principal stresses using equations developed by Söhne. Close correspondence between predicted and measured values was observed, when the existing soil strength conditions were taken into account.

The transducers promise to be useful in the measurement of stresses in field soils.     

Design considerations and calibration of stress transducers for soil

Strain gage pressure transducers are most frequently used for soil stress state determinations. Their construction, rugged and mechanically resistant, enables them to measure stresses within a wide range (up to 500 kPa) in harsh conditions. Output signals are easily readable and stable. The accuracy of the measurements, however, depends upon proper design and calibration before use in soil. This paper contains information on design considerations and results from calibration tests of transducers of two membrane diameters: 20 and 30 mm. The calibration test stand, as well as calibration procedures, are described in detail. For calibration tests, natural soils were used, as well as steel balls, to simulate the effect of the aggregated structures of arable soils and grain materials. The calibration method considered different soil types as well as soil water content. Soil and its water content were found to have an effect on output scale factor.     

Fractional plasticity for over-consolidated soft soil

The stress–strain response of over-consolidated soft soil, e.g., clay, is dependent on its pre-consolidation history and material state. In this study, a state-dependent constitutive model for over-consolidated soft soils is proposed by extending the fractional plasticity originally developed for granular soil. The state-dependent stress-dilatancy and peak failure behaviour of over-consolidated soft soil are analytically captured through stress-fractional gradient of the current yielding surface. In addition, a reference yielding surface describing the pre-consolidation history of soft soil is proposed. A combined hardening rule expressed as a function of both the incremental plastic volumetric and shear strains is suggested. To validate the proposed model, a series of drained and undrained test results of different soft soils with a wide range of over-consolidation ratios are simulated and compared. It is found that without using additional plastic potentials and state parameters, the developed fractional model can capture the state-dependent hardening and softening responses of soft soils subjected to different over-consolidation states.

     

关于软土状态确定标准的讨论

软土状态是软土勘探、设计和施工中常用评价内容或依据。由于状态确定依据差异, 使结果颇多出入。     

Modeling Biogeochemical Processes in Leachate-Contaminated Soils: A Review

During subsurface transport, reactive solutes are subject to a variety of hydrological, physical and biochemical processes. The major hydrological and physical processes include advection, diffusion and hydrodynamic dispersion, and key biochemical processes are aqueous complexation, precipitation/dissolution, adsorption/desorption, microbial reactions, and redox transformations. The addition of strongly reduced landfill leachate to an aquifer may lead to the development of different redox environments depending on factors such as the redox capacities and reactivities of the reduced and oxidised compounds in the leachate and the aquifer. The prevailing redox environment is key to understanding the fate of pollutants in the aquifer. The local hydrogeologic conditions such as hydraulic conductivity, ion exchange capacity, and buffering capacity of the soil are also important in assessing the potential for groundwater pollution. Attenuating processes such as bacterial growth and metal precipitation, which alter soil characteristics, must be considered to correctly assess environmental impact. A multicomponent reactive solute transport model coupled to kinetic biodegradation and precipitation/dissolution model, and geochemical equilibrium model can be used to assess the impact of contaminants leaking from landfills on groundwater quality. The fluid flow model can also be coupled to the transport model to simulate the clogging of soils using a relationship between permeability and change in soil porosity. This paper discusses the different biogeochemical processes occurring in leachate-contaminated soils and the modeling of the transport and fate of organic and inorganic contaminants under such conditions.     

武汉地区地震效应影响研究

虽然武汉市地震影响及地震危险性的水平较低 ,强震也不是武汉市工程地质环境的主要问题 ,但在城市生命线工程和高层超高层建筑方面必须考虑单体抗震设防。而且 ,随着武汉市城市建设的不断发展 ,地震效应影响逐渐成为武汉市工程地质环境评价的一个重要因子。文章在分析了武汉地区地震动衰减规律 ,进行了地震危险性评价 ,深入研究了各土层动力参数性质的基础上 ,指出武汉地区地震地面破坏主要存在砂土液化和软土震陷两种型式及各自可能的空间分布.     

Analysis of soil flow and traction mechanics for lunar rovers over different types of soils using particle image velocimetry

Grouser wheels have been used in planetary rovers to improve mobility performance on sandy terrains. The biggest difference between a wheel with and without grousers is the soil behavior beneath the wheel as the grousers shovel the soil. By analyzing the soil flow, we gain insight into the mechanics dominating the interaction between the wheel and the soil, directly impacting performance. As the soil flow varies depending on the soil properties, the effects of soil type on soil behavior and wheel-traveling performance should be studied. This paper reveals the difference in soil flow and wheel performance on cohesive and non-cohesive soils. We conducted a series of single wheel tests over different types of soils under several wheel-traveling conditions. Soil flow was visualized by using particle image velocimetry (PIV). The experimental results indicate that soil flow characteristics highly depend on the shear strength of the soil. The cohesive soil exhibited lower fluidity due to its higher shear strength. At the same time, the wheel displayed a higher traveling performance over the cohesive soil, that is, a lower slip ratio.     

Soil parameters for estimating the rolling resistance of earthmoving plant on a compacted silty cohesive soil

The performance of earthmoving plant is currently estimated through experience, often with no more than a limited inspection of the site investigation report. On site, the absolute speed of the plant is seldom considered to be critical as long as the veheciles keep moving.The different factors which affect the speed of the plant on the haul roads are discussed. The various soils test which were carried out, as well as how they relate to the apparent rolling resistance of the driver-vehicle-haul-road system, are discussed. Also, the reasons why certain tests are inadequate for the estimation of the performance of earthmoving plant are discussed. It is shown that the speed of the plant can be estimated from the data contained within the site invesitigation report, and that it can be continually monitored throughout the life of the contract, by using the consistency index.     

Comparison of the implementation of three common types of coupled CFD-DEM model for simulating soil surface erosion

Soil erosion is a common process studied by soil science, environmental engineering, geotechnical engineering, coastal engineering, and many other fields. In the areas of hydraulic engineering, the geotechnics of soil erosion remains a high priority topic as the bridge scour is a common cause of bridge failures. Accurate predictions of scour depth and soil erosion rate remain challenging, due to the limitations of existing scaled experimental approach in fulfilling the hydrological and hydrodynamic similarity requirements. Computational model offers a promising alternative to further the microscale understanding of soil erosion which can help to develop engineering tools in practice. Computational model that couples Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) and Discrete Element Method (DEM) to simulate the behaviors of fluid-solid systems is promising to advance the current tools for soil erosion analyses. Different mathematical forms for laminar fluid flows exist for the coupled CFD-DEM model as documented in published literatures and implemented in commercial and open-source software; each of them is based on certain physics assumptions and corresponding mathematical treatments. There are, however, no direct comparison of the results of CFD-DEM models based on these seemingly different mathematical formulations, which would help researchers to select the proper simulation tool. This study implemented coupled CFD-DEM models based on three most common types of mathematical formats used in the previous modeling work. The results of different CFD-DEM models are firstly validated by comparing the results of simulating the free settling of a particle in fluid. A case study is then designed to compare the models in simulating the surface erosion of cohesionless soil inside a pipe flow using laminar flow equations. Comparison indicates that for a relatively sparse particle-fluid system, the difference of the three models is negligible. For a dense particle-fluid system, simulation with the three different mathematical formats can predict different results (as large as 10% in the fluid velocity and 20% in the particle drag force for the simulation case study analyzed). The results of this case study indicate that the three CFD-DEM models achieved comparable results for simulating soil erosion from an engineering perspective, however, the differences between these models, which originate from their underlying physics assumptions, must be kept in mind in selecting an appropriate simulation model as well as in comparing the results from different models.     

三峡库区典型塌岸模式研究

三峡库区塌岸地质条件调查结果表明,不同的岸坡结构,蓄水后库岸的变形破坏形式—塌岸模式,往往差别较大。本文根据现场调查成果,结合室内分析,总结归纳出三峡库区几种典型的塌岸模式,即冲蚀磨蚀型、坍塌型、崩塌(落)型、、滑移型和流土型。在此基础上,对不同塌岸模式的发展演进过程、发育分布特征,以及塌岸与岸坡岩土结构、地形地貌等的关系进行了深入系统地研究,提出了三峡库区典型塌岸发育的一般地质条件。