Search Results (1,938)

Expansive soil is prone to rapid strength degradation caused by repeated volume swelling and shrinkage under alternating dry–wet conditions. Basalt fiber (BF) and cement are utilized to stabilize expansive soil, aiming to curb its swelling and shrinkage, enhance its strength, and ensure its durability in dry–wet cycles. This study examines the impact of varying content (0–1%) of BF on the physical and mechanical characteristics of expansive soil stabilized with a 6% cement content. We investigated these effects through a series of experiments including compaction, swelling and shrinkage, unconfined compressive strength (UCS), undrained and consolidation shear, dry–wet cycles, and scanning electron microscope (SEM) analyses. The experiments yielded the following conclusions: Combining cement and BF to stabilize expansive soil leverages cement’s chemical curing ability and BF’s reinforcing effect. Incorporating 0.4% BFs significantly improves the swelling and shrinkage characteristics of cement-stabilized expansive soils, reducing expansion by 36.17% and contraction by 28.4%. Furthermore, it enhances both the initial strength and durability of these soils under dry–wet cycles. Without dry–wet cycles, the addition of 0.4% BFs increased UCS by 24.8% and shear strength by 24.6% to 40%. After 16 dry–wet cycles, the UCS improved by 38.87% compared to cement-stabilized expansive soil alone. Both the content of BF and the number of dry–wet cycles significantly influenced the UCS of cement-stabilized expansive soils. Multivariate nonlinear equations were used to model the UCS, offering a predictive framework for assessing the strength of these soils under varying BF contents and dry–wet cycles. The cement hydrate adheres to the fiber surface, increasing adhesion and friction between the fibers and soil particles. Additionally, the fibers form a network structure within the soil. These factors collectively enhance the strength, deformation resistance, and durability of cement-stabilized expansive soils. These findings offer valuable insights into combining traditional cementitious materials with basalt fiber to manage expansive soil hazards, reduce resource consumption, and mitigate environmental impacts, thereby contributing to sustainable development. Full article

Microbial-induced calcium carbonate precipitation (MICP) has attracted much attention as a promising technology for soil improvement in the infrastructures of marine engineering. This paper introduces a novel numerical sample preparation technique for MICP-treated sand, with particular attention paid to the distribution patterns of calcium carbonate, including contact cementing, bridging, and grain coating. The effect of calcium carbonate content (CCC) on the deformation and failure mechanism is studied at macroscopic and granular scales. The findings show that a small amount of calcium carbonate can quickly increase the strength of sand. The strength improvement and deformation control of MICP technology are better than those of traditional compaction treatment. As the calcium carbonate content increases, the mechanical coordination number of the sand also increases, indicating a more stable microstructure of the sand phase. In the contact bonding mode, initial failure occurs as shear failure between sand and calcium carbonate. In the bridge mode, initial failure manifests as shear failure between calcium carbonate particles. In the coating mode, initial failure occurs as tensile failure between sand and calcium carbonate. Calcium carbonate contributes to a reduction in both sliding and rolling movements among sand particles. Full article

A large number of mines have been closed due to resource depletion, failure to meet safety production requirements, and other reasons. To effectively ensure the safety of the ecological environment above these closed mines along with the safety of engineering construction, it is necessary to monitor the secondary deformation of closed mines. Based on TerraSAR-X, Sentinel-1A data, and InSAR technology, this study obtained high-density secondary surface deformation data on the Jiahe Coal Mine and Pangzhuang Coal Mine in the western Xuzhou area. Combining mining geological data, we analyzed the spatiotemporal variation patterns and mechanisms of secondary deformation in multi-seam mining of closed mines. It was found that when mining multiple seams involves large interlayer spacing, the secondary deformation pattern shows a “W” shape. In this situation, the deformation can be divided into five stages: subsidence, uplift, re-subsidence, re-uplift, and relative stability. This study provides technical support for the evaluation and prevention of secondary deformation hazards in closed mines. Full article

The National Airport Pavement Test Facility (NAPTF) in USA obtained the strain and deformation data of the asphalt airport pavement numbered as Track 3 under the wheel load traveling in the north area of Construction Cycle 7 (CC7). But, the classic theories and methods still could not find out the definite and essential working characteristics, such as the starting point of the asphalt pavement’s failure process and the ending point of the normal working process. This study reveals the essential working characteristics of the asphalt airport pavement by modeling the tested strain and deformation data based on structural state-of-stress theory. Firstly, the tested data are modeled as state variables to build the state-of-stress mode and the parameter characterizing the mode. Then, the slope increment criterion detects the mutation points in the evolution curve of the characteristic parameter with a wheel load traveling number increase. Correspondingly, the mutation features are verified by investigating the evolution curves of the state-of-stress modes. The mutation points define the failure starting point and the elastoplastic branch (EPB) point in the working process of the asphalt airport pavements. The strain state-of-stress mode (Δε_t) and characteristic parameters ($E_j$ and ${\Phi }_j$) presented an obvious mutation feature around the EPB point; in addition, the deformation state-of-stress mode (ΔD_t) showed that the total deformation of the pavement changed evidently before and after the failure starting point, and the characteristic parameters ($E_j$ and ${\Phi }_j$) also presented an obvious mutation feature around the failure starting point, so both characteristic points could address the classic issues in the load-bearing capacity of asphalt airport pavements. Furthermore, the EPB point could be directly taken as the design point, and the failure starting point could be taken as the limit-bearing traffic capacity. Hence, this study could open a new way to address the classic issues in the load-bearing capacity of asphalt airport pavements and provide a new reference for their safe estimation and rational design. Full article

The aim of the work presented in this paper was development of a thermodynamically consistent constitutive model for orthotopic metals and determination of its parameters based on standard characterisation methods used in the aerospace industry. The model was derived with additive decomposition of the strain tensor and consisted of an elastic part, derived from Helmholtz free energy, Hill’s thermodynamic potential, which controls evolution of plastic deformation, and damage orthotopic potential, which controls evolution of damage in material. Damage effects were incorporated using the continuum damage mechanics approach, with the effective stress and energy equivalence principle. Material characterisation and derivation of model parameters was conducted with standard specimens with a uniform cross-section, although a number of tests with non-uniform cross-sections were also conducted here. The tests were designed to assess the extent of damage in material over a range of plastic deformation values, where displacement was measured locally using digital image correlation. The new model was implemented as a user material subroutine in Abaqus and verified and validated against the experimental results for aerospace-grade aluminium alloy 2024-T3. Verification was conducted in a series of single element tests, designed to separately validate elasticity, plasticity and damage-related parts of the model. Validation at this stage of the development was based on comparison of the numerical results with experimental data obtained in the quasistatic characterisation tests, which illustrated the ability of the modelling approach to predict experimentally observed behaviour. A validated user material subroutine allows for efficient simulation-led design improvements of aluminium components, such as stiffened panels and the other thin-wall structures used in the aerospace industry. Full article

The yielding transition, structural relaxation, and mechanical properties of metallic glasses subjected to repeated loading are examined using molecular dynamics simulations. We consider a poorly annealed Cu-Zr amorphous alloy periodically deformed in a wide range of strain amplitudes at room temperature. It is found that low-amplitude cyclic loading leads to a logarithmic decay of the potential energy, and lower energy states are attained when the strain amplitude approaches a critical point from below. Moreover, the potential energy after several thousand loading cycles is a linear function of the peak value of the stress overshoot during startup continuous shear deformation of the annealed sample. We show that the process of structural relaxation involves collective, irreversible rearrangements of groups of atoms whose spatial extent is most pronounced at the initial stage of loading and at higher strain amplitudes. At the critical amplitude, the glass becomes mechanically annealed for a number of transient cycles and then yields via the formation of a shear band. The yielding transition is clearly marked by abrupt changes in the potential energy, storage modulus, and fraction of atoms with large nonaffine displacements. Full article

Background/Objective: Atherosclerosis is becoming increasingly common in modern society. Owing to the increasing number of complex angioplasty procedures, there is an increasing need for training in cases where the risk of periprocedural complications is high. Methods: A procedure was developed to obtain three-dimensional (3D) models and printing of blood vessels. The mechanical and optical properties of the printed materials were also examined. Angioplasty and stent implantation were tested, and the phantom was compared with the clinical data of patients who underwent interventional treatment. Both laser techniques and cone-beam computed tomography of the phantoms were used for comparison. Results: The printed material exhibited mechanical parameters similar to those of blood vessel walls. The refractive index of 1.473 ± 0.002 and high transparency allowed for non-invasive laser examination of the interior of the print. The printed models behaved similarly to human arteries in vivo, allowing training in treatment procedures and considering vessel deformation during the procedure. Models with stents can be analyzed using laser and cone-beam computed tomography to compare stents from different manufacturers. Conclusions: The developed methodology allows for simple and time-efficient production of personalized vessel phantoms. Full article

In this paper, the instability of two layers of insulating and conducting immiscible liquids separated by a deformable interface and subjected to unipolar injection is examined. Taking into account the slight deformation of the interface between the two liquids, a system of equations and boundary conditions is derived at marginal state. Non zero numerical solutions for both layers exist only for eigenvalues of the instability parameter T, which depends on the following parameters: injection level C, Bond number Bo, a new non-dimensional parameter P proportional to interfacial tension and the ratio of the layers’ thickness and of liquids viscosity. The variations in the instability criterion T_c, corresponding to the smallest eigenvalue, are examined in detail as a function of the main characteristic parameters C, P and the Bond number. We find that for some values of P, two instability mechanisms convective and interfacial ones can take place. When the strength of interfacial tension or the liquid thickness ratio is very low, the critical number tends to a value corresponding to interfacial instability. The influence of injection-induced convection in the insulating layer and the effect of interfacial deformation on interfacial instability are also discussed. Full article

The aim is to reduce the elastic deformation of the web and side walls of low-stiffness thin-walled beams when the floating fixture method is used. This paper takes the number and position of fixture points as the optimization variables, establishes a calculation model of elastic deformation, and constructs the objective function of maximum total elastic deformation. An optimized solution utilizing the augmented multiplier method is employed, which forms the basis for the fixture layout optimization method to reduce the elastic deformation of low-stiffness thin-walled beams. A theoretical calculation, simulation analysis, and the fixture layout optimization of total maximum elastic deformation were completed using an aluminum alloy low-stiffness thin-walled beam as an example. The results show that based on the optimized layout, the average relative error between the calculated value and the simulated value of total maximum elastic deformation is 17.43%, and the simulated value of maximum elastic deformation is reduced by 48.49% after optimizing the fixture layout. The measured value is reduced by 0.02 mm on average, and deformation is reduced by 74.07%, which verifies the effectiveness of the floating fixture layout optimization control of machining elastic deformation proposed in this paper. Full article

The yield strength and Young’s modulus of lattice structures are essential mechanical parameters that influence the utilization of materials in the aerospace and medical fields. Currently, accurately determining the Young’s modulus and yield strength of lattice structures often requires conduction of a large number of experiments for prediction and validation purposes. To save time and effort to accurately predict the material yield strength and Young’s modulus, based on the existing experimental data, finite element analysis is employed to expand the dataset. An artificial neural network algorithm is then used to establish a relationship model between the topology of the lattice structure and Young’s modulus (the yield strength), which is analyzed and verified. The Gibson–Ashby model analysis indicates that different lattice structures can be classified into two main deformation forms. To obtain an artificial neural network model that can accurately predict different lattice structures and be deployed in the prediction of BCC-FCC lattice structures, the artificial network model is further optimized and validated. Concurrently, the topology of disparate lattice structures gives rise to a certain discrete form of their dominant deformation, which consequently affects the neural network prediction. In conclusion, the prediction of Young’s modulus and yield strength of lattice structures using artificial neural networks is a feasible approach that can contribute to the development of lattice structures in the aerospace and medical fields. Full article

To investigate the seismic behavior of composite columns with high-strength concrete-filled steel tube flanges and honeycomb steel webs (STHHC) after being subjected to freeze-thaw cycles, 36 full-scale STHHCs were designed with the following main parameters: the shear span ratio (λ_s), the axial compression ratio (n₀), the number of freeze-thaw cycles (N_c), the concrete cubic compression strength (f_cu), and the steel ratio of the section (α_s). Compared with existing experimental data, the validity of the finite element modeling method was verified. Parameter analysis was conducted on 36 full-scale STHHCs to obtain the hysteresis curve of the composite columns and to clarify the impact of the different parameters on the skeleton curve, the energy dissipation capacity, the stiffness degradation, and the ductility of the composite columns. The results showed that the hysteresis curves of all specimens after freeze-thaw cycles exhibited an ideal shuttle shape, reflecting that this kind of composite column has good energy dissipation ability and freeze-thaw resistance. The specimens’ maximum bulging deformation and maximum stress both occurred at the column base. Finally, the restoring force model of this kind of composite column is therefore established, and design recommendations based on these results are proposed. Full article

This study evaluates the crack performance of stone mastic asphalt (SMA) mixtures according to the performance of a modified asphalt binder, evaluated based on the asphalt performance grade (PG) and the elastic recovery of multiple stress creep and recovery (MSCR) according to AASHTO M 320 and T 350. The cracking performance of the mixture was evaluated using the asphalt mixture performance tester (AMPT) according to AASHTO T 378 and T 400 through dynamic modulus and direct tension cyclic fatigue tests. Furthermore, the recently developed viscoelastic continuum damage (VECD) theory was utilized to evaluate the cyclic fatigue index parameter (apparent damage capacity, Sapp) and the permissible heavy vehicle class. For performance evaluation, six modified asphalt mixtures were prepared and tested using SMA aggregate gradation with a nominal maximum aggregate size (NMAS) of 10 mm. The MSCR test results revealed that, of the six asphalt mixtures, the rubber-based PG76-28 exhibited the least initial strain and the highest elastic recovery. The dynamic modulus test results demonstrated that using a rubber-based modifier increased the elastic modulus at high temperatures and decreased it at low temperatures, thereby enhancing resistance to plastic deformation in the summer and reducing low-temperature cracking in the winter. Finally, the correlation between the Sapp performance index and the elastic recovery of modified asphalt and the number of direct tension cyclic loads until failure of the mixture was evaluated as 0.87 and 0.76, respectively. Full article

Lattice structures, characterized by their lightweight nature, high specific mechanical properties, and high design flexibility, have found widespread applications in fields such as aerospace and automotive engineering. However, the lightweight design of lattice structures often presents a trade-off between strength and stiffness. To tackle this issue, a bio-inspired curved-elliptical (BCE) lattice is proposed to enhance the mechanical performance and deformation stability of three-dimensional lattice structures. BCE lattice specimens with different parameters were fabricated using selective laser melting (SLM) technology, followed by quasi-static compression tests. Finite element (FE) numerical simulations were also carried out for validation. The results demonstrate that the proposed BCE lattice structures exhibit stronger mechanical performance and more stable deformation modes that can be adjusted through parameter tuning. Specifically, by adjusting the design parameters, the BCE lattice structure can exhibit a bending-dominated delocalized deformation mode, avoiding catastrophic collapse during deformation. The specific energy absorption (SEA) can reach 24.6 J/g at a relative density of only 8%, with enhancements of 48.5% and 297.6% compared with the traditional energy-absorbing lattices Octet and body-center cubic (BCC), respectively. Moreover, the crushing force efficiency (CFE) of the BCE lattice structure surpasses those of Octet and BCC by 34.9% and 15.8%, respectively. Through a parametric study of the influence of the number of peaks N and the curve amplitude A on the compression performance of the BCE lattice structure, the compression deformation mechanism is further analyzed. The results indicate that the curve amplitude A and the number of peaks N have significant impacts on the deformation mode of the BCE lattice. By adjusting the parameters N and A, a structure with a combination of high energy absorption, high stiffness, and strong fracture resistance can be obtained, integrating the advantages of tensile-dominated and bending-dominated lattice structures. Full article

Objectives: Distal junctional failure (DJF) is less commonly described than proximal junctional failure following posterior spinal fusion, and particularly adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. We describe a case series of patients with DJF, taking into account sagittal spinopelvic alignment, and suggest potential risk factors in light of the current literature. Methods: We performed a single-center, retrospective review of posterior spinal fusion patients with DJF who underwent subsequent revision surgery between June 2009 and January 2019. Demographics and surgical details were collected. Radiographical measurements included the following: preoperative and postoperative sagittal and coronal alignment for each index or revision surgery. The upper-instrumented vertebra (UIV), lower instrumented vertebra (LIV), and fusion length were recorded. Results: Nineteen cases (64.7 ± 13.5 years, 12 women, seven men) were included. The mean follow-up was 4.7 ± 2.4 years. The number of instrumented levels was 6.79 ± 2.97. Among the patients, 84.2% (n = 16) presented at least one known DJF risk factor. LIV was frequently L5 (n = 10) or S1 (n = 2). Six patients had an initial circumferential fusion at the distal end. Initial DJFs were vertebral fracture distal to the fusion (n = 5), screw pull-out (n = 9), spinal stenosis (n = 4), instability (n = 4), and one early DJK. The distal mechanical complications after a first revision included screw pull-out (n = 4), screw fracture (n = 3), non-union (n = 2), and an iatrogenic spondylolisthesis. Conclusions: In this case series, insufficient sagittal balance restoration, female gender, osteoporosis, L5 or S1 LIV in long constructs were associated with DJF. Restoring spinal balance and circumferentially fusing the base of constructs represent key steps to maintain correction and prevent revisions. Full article

In order to investigate the effect of pre-tension on the anchoring and crack-arresting effect of rockbolts, a theoretical model of stress intensity factor at the crack tip in anchored surrounding rock was established using fracture mechanics theory. An expression for the difference in stress intensity factor due to axial force on the rockbolt was derived, exploring the influence of pre-tension on the stress intensity factor of cracks. A numerical model of anchored crack specimens was developed using UDEC (V6.0) software to simulate and analyze the mechanical performance and damage characteristics of specimens anchored with different pre-tension. The results indicate that the difference in stress intensity factor of cracks is positively correlated with pre-tension. High-pre-tensioned rockbolts can effectively reduce the stress intensity factor of cracks. Prestressed rockbolts can alter the failure mode of rock masses from shear failure along pre-existing cracks to tensile splitting failure. The application of high pre-tension significantly enhances the strength of the rock mass, reducing both the damage degree and the number of internal cracks. After anchoring with high-pre-tensioned rockbolts, the peak strength and elastic modulus of the crack specimens increased by 22.5% and 31.9%, respectively, while damage degree decreased by 17.4%, the number of shear cracks decreased by 22.6%, and the number of tensile cracks decreased by 42.9%. The pre-tensioned rockbolt method proposed in this study was applied to the support of roadway widening. Field monitoring data indicated that the axial force of the rockbolts in the test section generally exceeded 60 kN, effectively controlling the deformation of the roadway surrounding the rock. The convergence of the two sides decreased by 22%, and borehole inspections showed a significant reduction in internal cracks. The research results provide a theoretical basis for controlling the discontinuous deformation of deep broken surrounding rock roadways. Full article