This study modeled the moving-vehicle-induced forcing excitation on a single-span prismatic bridge as a multiple frequency-multiplication harmonic load on the modal coordinates of a linear elastic simple Euler–Bernoulli beam, and investigated the forced modal oscillation and resonance behavior of this type of dynamic system. The forced modal responses consist of multiple frequency-multiplication steady-state harmonics and one damped mono-frequency complementary harmonic. The analysis revealed that a moving load induces high-harmonic forced resonance amplification when the moving speed is low. To verify the occurrence of high-harmonic forced resonance, numerical tests were conducted on single-span simple beams based on structural modeling using the finite element method (FEM) and a moving sprung-mass oscillator vehicle model. The forced resonance amplification characteristics of the fundamental mode for beam response estimation are presented with consideration to different end restraint conditions. The results reveal that the high-harmonic forced resonance may be significant for the investigated beams subjected to vehicle loads moving at specific low speeds. For the investigated single-span simple beams, the moving vehicle carriage heaving oscillation modulates the beam modal frequency, but does not induce notable variation of the modal oscillation harmonic structure for the cases that vehicle of small mass moves in low speed.
The moving trajectory of the pipe-jacking machine (PJM), which primarily determines the end quality of jacked tunnels, must be controlled strictly during the entire jacking process. Developing prediction models to support drivers in performing rectifications in advance can effectively avoid considerable trajectory deviations from the designed jacking axis. Hence, a gated recurrent unit (GRU)-based deep learning framework is proposed herein to dynamically predict the moving trajectory of the PJM. In this framework, operational data are first extracted from a data acquisition system; subsequently, they are preprocessed and used to establish GRU-based multivariate multistep-ahead direct prediction models. To verify the performance of the proposed framework, a case study of a large pipe-jacking project in Shanghai and comparisons with other conventional models (i.e., long short-term memory (LSTM) network and recurrent neural network (RNN)) are conducted. In addition, the effects of the activation function and input time-step length on the prediction performance of the proposed framework are investigated and discussed. The results show that the proposed framework can dynamically and precisely predict the PJM moving trajectory during the pipe-jacking process, with a minimum mean absolute error and root mean squared error (RMSE) of 0.1904 and 0.5011 mm, respectively. The RMSE of the GRU-based models is lower than those of the LSTM- and RNN-based models by 21.46% and 46.40% at the maximum, respectively. The proposed framework is expected to provide an effective decision support for moving trajectory control and serve as a foundation for the application of deep learning in the automatic control of pipe jacking.
Tunnels constructed in gas-bearing strata are affected by the potential leakage of harmful gases, such as methane gas. Based on the basic principles of computational fluid dynamics, a numerical analysis was performed to simulate the ventilation and diffusion of harmful gases in a shield tunnel, and the effect of ventilation airflow speed on the diffusion of harmful gases was evaluated. As the airflow speed increased from 1.8 to 5.4 m/s, the methane emission was diluted, and the methane accumulation was only observed in the area near the methane leakage channels. The influence of increased ventilation airflow velocity was dominant for the ventilation modes with two and four fans. In addition, laboratory tests on methane leakage through segment joints were performed. The results show that the leakage process can be divided into “rapid leakage” and “slight leakage”, depending on the leakage pressure and the state of joint deformation. Based on the numerical and experimental analysis results, a relationship between the safety level and the joint deformation is established, which can be used as guidelines for maintaining utility tunnels.
In recent years, concrete and reinforced concrete piles have been widely used to stabilize soft ground under embankments. Previous research has shown that bending failure, particularly during rapid filling on soft ground, is the critical failure mode for pile-supported embankments. Here, we propose an efficient two-stage method that combines a test-verified soil deformation mechanism and Poulos’ solution for pile–soil interaction to investigate the bending behavior of piles supporting embankments on soft ground. The results reveal that there are three possible bending failure scenarios for such piles: at the interface between the soft and firm ground layers, at mid-depths of the fan zone, and at the boundary of the soil deformation mechanism. The location of the bending failure depends on the position and relative stiffness of the given pile. Furthermore, the effect of embedding a pile into a firm ground layer on the bending behavior was investigated. When the embedded length of a pile exceeded a critical value, the bending moment at the interface between the soft and firm ground layers reached a limiting value. In addition, floating piles that are not embedded exhibit an overturning pattern of movement in the soft ground layer, and a potential failure is located in the upper part of these piles.
This study focuses on the bending failure performance of a shield tunnel segment. A full-scale test was conducted to investigate deformation and failure characteristics. During the loading, the bending failure process can be divided into four stages: the elastic stage, working stage with cracks, failure stage, and ultimate stage. The characteristic loads between contiguous stages are the cracking, failure, and ultimate loads. A numerical model corresponding to the test was established using the elastoplastic damage constitutive model of concrete. After a comparative analysis of the simulation and test results, parametric studies were performed to discuss the influence of the reinforcement ratio and proportion of tensile longitudinal reinforcement on the bearing capacity. The results indicated that the change in the reinforcement ratio and the proportion of tensile longitudinal reinforcement had little effect on the cracking load but significantly influenced the failure and ultimate loads of the segment. It is suggested that in the reinforcement design of the subway segment, the reinforcement ratio and the proportion of tensile longitudinal reinforcement can be chosen in the range of 0.7%–1.2% and 49%–55%, respectively, allowing the segment to effectively use the reinforcement and exert the design strength, thereby improving the bearing capacity of the segment.
Ventilation embankments, including those with forced ventilation, natural ventilation, and combination of these, were adopted for the construction of the Gonghe−Yushu Expressway in warm permafrost areas. To evaluate the actual thermal performance of ventilation embankment in the Qinghai−Tibet Plateau, four types of ventilation embankments were selected as objects, and their long-term thermal characteristics were analyzed based on monitoring data. It was found that: 1) under the strong scale effect of a wide embankment, the crushed-rock embankment (CRE) was warming up and the permafrost table was declining year by year. Meanwhile, the combined ventilated slab and CRE and ventilated ducts embankment can effectively decrease the ground temperature and raise permafrost table in the year with a colder winter; 2) transverse temperature difference caused by the shady–sunny slope effect existed in all the four embankments. However, it was weakened by the combined ventilated slab and CRE and the ventilated ducts embankment due to their stronger cooling effect; and 3) the pre-existing embankment had a remarkable thermal disturbance to the adjacent newly-built embankment, so a reasonable embankment spacing should be considered in practical engineering. These findings would provide a reference for construction of expressway embankments in permafrost regions.
Parallel wire strands (PWSs), which are widely used in prestressed steel structures, are typically in high-stress states. Under fire conditions, significant creep effects occur, reducing the prestress and influencing the mechanical behavior of PWSs. As there is no existing approach to analyze their creep behavior, this study experimentally investigated the elevated temperature creep model of PWSs. A charge-coupled camera system was incorporated to accurately obtain the deformation of the specimen during the elevated temperature creep test. It was concluded that the temperature level had a more significant effect on the creep strain than the stress level, and 450 °C was the key segment point where the creep rate varied significantly. By comparing the elevated temperature creep test results for PWSs and steel strands, it was found that the creep strain of PWSs was lower than that of steel strands at the same temperature and stress levels. The parameters in the general empirical formula, the Bailey–Norton model, and the composite time-hardening model were fitted based on the experimental results. By evaluating the accuracy and form of the models, the composite time-hardening model, which can simultaneously consider temperature, stress, and time, is recommended for use in the fire-resistance design of pre-tensioned structures with PWSs.
The main objective of this study is to further extend the mixed integration smoothed quadrilateral element with 20 unknowns of displacement (MISQ20) to investigate the nonlinear dynamic responses of functionally graded carbon nanotube-reinforced composite (FG-CNTRC) plates with four types of carbon nanotube distributions. The smooth finite element method is used to enhance the accuracy of the Q4 element and avoid shear locking without using any shear correction factors. This method yields accurate results even if the element exhibits a concave quadrilateral shape and reduces the error when the element meshing is rough. Additionally, the element stiffness matrix is established by integrating the boundary of the smoothing domains. The motion equation of the FG-CNTRC plates is solved by adapting the Newmark method combined with the Newton–Raphson algorithm. Subsequently, the calculation program is coded in the MATLAB software and verified by comparing it with other published solutions. Finally, the effects of the input parameters on the nonlinear vibration of the plates are investigated.
An efficient reliability-based design optimization method for the support structures of monopile offshore wind turbines is proposed herein. First, parametric finite element analysis (FEA) models of the support structure are established by considering stochastic variables. Subsequently, a surrogate model is constructed using a radial basis function (RBF) neural network to replace the time-consuming FEA. The uncertainties of loads, material properties, key sizes of structural components, and soil properties are considered. The uncertainty of soil properties is characterized by the variabilities of the unit weight, friction angle, and elastic modulus of soil. Structure reliability is determined via Monte Carlo simulation, and five limit states are considered, i.e., structural stresses, tower top displacements, mudline rotation, buckling, and natural frequency. Based on the RBF surrogate model and particle swarm optimization algorithm, an optimal design is established to minimize the volume. Results show that the proposed method can yield an optimal design that satisfies the target reliability and that the constructed RBF surrogate model significantly improves the optimization efficiency. Furthermore, the uncertainty of soil parameters significantly affects the optimization results, and increasing the monopile diameter is a cost-effective approach to cope with the uncertainty of soil parameters.
The performance of a new fiber-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) system developed using custom-designed mortar and fabrics is investigated in this study. The behavior of this system is evaluated in terms of both the flexural and shear strengthening of reinforced concrete beams. Eight beams are designed to assess the effectiveness of the FRCM system in terms of flexural strengthening, and four specimens are designed to investigate their shear behavior. The parameters investigated for flexural strengthening are the number of layers, span/depth ratio, and the strengthening method. Unlike previous studies, custom fabrics with similar axial stiffness are used in all strengthening methods in this study. In the shear-strengthened specimens, the effects of the span/depth ratio and strengthening system type (fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) or FRCM) are investigated. The proposed FRCM system exhibits desirable flexural and shear strengthening for enhancing the load capacity, provides sufficient bonding with the substrate, and prevents premature failure modes. Considering the similar axial stiffness of fabrics used in both FRCM and FRP systems and the higher load capacity of specimens strengthened by the former, cement-based mortar performs better than epoxy.
Sheathed post-and-beam wooden structures are distinct from light-wood structures. They allow for using sheathing panels that are smaller (0.91 m × 1.82 m) than standard-sized panels (1.22 m × 2.44 m or 2.44 m × 2.44 m). Evidence indicates that nail spacing and panel thickness determine the lateral capacity of the wood frame shear walls. To verify the lateral shear performance of wood frame shear walls with smaller panels, we subjected 13 shear walls, measuring 0.91 m in width and 2.925 m in height, to a low-cycle cyclic loading test with three kinds of nail spacing and three panel thicknesses. A nonlinear numerical simulation analysis of the wall was conducted using ABAQUS finite element (FE) software, where a custom nonlinear spring element was used to simulate the sheathing-frame connection. The results indicate that the hysteretic performance of the walls was mainly determined by the hysteretic performance of the sheathing-frame connection. When same nail specifications were adopted, the stiffness and bearing capacity of the walls were inversely related to the nail spacing and directly related to the panel thickness. The shear wall remained in the elastic stage when the drift was 1/250 rad and ductility coefficients were all greater than 2.5, which satisfied the deformation requirements of residential structures. Based on the test and FE analysis results, the shear strength of the post-and-beam wooden structures with sheathed walls was determined.
