A systematic approach was presented to develop the empirical model for predicting the ultimate tensile strength of AA5083-H111 aluminum alloy which is widely used in ship building industry by incorporating friction stir welding (FSW) process parameters such as tool rotational speed, welding speed, and axial force. FSW was carried out considering three-factor five-level central composite rotatable design with full replications technique. Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied to developing linear regression model for establishing the relationship between the FSW process parameters and ultimate tensile strength. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) technique was used to check the adequacy of the developed model. The FSW process parameters were also optimized using response surface methodology (RSM) to maximize the ultimate tensile strength. The joint welded at a tool rotational speed of 1 000 r/min, a welding speed of 69 mm/min and an axial force of 1.33 t exhibits higher tensile strength compared with other joints.

Mg-6%Al-5%Pb (mass fraction) anodes with different contents of zinc were prepared by melting and casting. The electrochemical discharge behavior of these anodes in 3.5% NaCl solutions was investigated by galvanostatic test and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The microstructures and the corroded surfaces of these anodes were studied by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and emission spectrum analysis (ESA). The phase structures and the corrosion products of the anodes were analyzed by X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results show that zinc promotes the grain refinement of Mg-6%Al-5%Pb anode and makes the average discharge potential of Mg-6%Al-5%Pb anode more negative during galvanostatic test. Mg-6%Al-5%Pb anode with the addition of 1% (mass fraction) zinc has the best electrochemical performance. The activation mechanism of zinc to Mg-6%Al-5%Pb anode is as follows: The hydrolyzation of dissolved Zn²⁺ ions reduces the pH value of the solution near the surface of the anode and accelerates the dissolution of Mg(OH)₂ film; The precipitated Zn(OH)₂ with similar structure as Mg(OH)₂ combines with Mg(OH)₂ film easily and makes it break down.

Nanoporous copper with nano-scale pore size was synthesized by dealloying Mn-Cu precursor alloy using a free corrosion method. The effects of heat treatment of Mn-Cu precursors on alloy phase, morphology and composition of the resultant nanoporous copper were investigated. It is revealed that the compositions distribute homogeneously in the bulk Mn-Cu precursors, which consequently results in a more fully dealloying for forming nanoporous copper. The alloy phase changes from Cu_0.49Mn_0.51 and Cu_0.21Mn_0.79 of non-thermally treated precursor to Cu_0.33Mn_0.67 of heat treated alloy. The residual Mn content in nanoporous copper is decreased from 12.97% to 2.04% (molar fraction) made from the precursor without and with 95 h heat treatment. The typical pore shape of nanoporous copper prepared by dealloying the precursor without the heat treatment is divided into two different zones: the uniform bi-continuous structure zone and the blurry or no pore structure zone. Nanoporous copper is of a uniform sponge-like morphology made from the heat-treated precursor, and the average ligament diameter is 40 nm, far smaller than that from the non-thermally treated precursor, in which the average ligament diameter is estimated to be about 70 nm.

To improve the conductivity of Y₂O₃-stabilized ZrO₂ (YSZ) based oxygen-ion conductor, Zr_0.85Y_0.15O_1.925-La_9.33Si₆O₂₆ (YSZ-LSO) composite ceramics with the mass fraction of La_9.33Si₆O₂₆ (LSO) of 15% were prepared by using a modified coprecipitation method. The phases, microstructures and conductivities of the YSZ, LSO and YSZ-LSO were investigated by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy and complex impedance, respectively. The results show that the as-calcined powder of YSZ-LSO composite has the grain size less than 10 nm, and the as-sintered composite ceramics are composed of YSZ and LSO phases. The conductivity can be enhanced obviously by composite method. At 700 °C, the conductivity of the composite ceramic is 0.125 S/cm, which is one order in magnitude higher than that of the YSZ ceramic and two orders in magnitude higher than that of LSO ceramic. By analyzing the impedance spectra and modulus spectra, the interfacial effect on the conductivity improvement was proposed.

The silica fiber reinforced silica and boron nitride-based composites (SiO_2f/SiO₂-BN) were prepared firstly via the sol-gel method and then the urea route, and the effects of oxidation treatment on the component, structure, mechanical and dielectric properties of the composites were investigated. The results show that the oxidation treatment at 450 °C will not impair the structure of boron nitride, and carbon is the main impurity with the excessive urea. The density of SiO_2f/SiO₂-BN composites is 1.81 g/cm³, and the flexural strength and elastic modulus are 113.9 MPa and 36.5 GPa, respectively. After oxidation treatment, the density varies to 1.80 g/cm³, and the flexural strength and elastic modulus are decreased to 58.9 MPa and 9.4 GPa, respectively. The mechanical properties of the composites are severely damaged, but they still exhibit a good toughness. The composites show excellent dielectric properties with the dielectric constant and loss tangent being 3.22 and 0.003 9, respectively, which indicates that the oxidation treatment is ineffective to improve the dielectric properties of SiO_2f/SiO₂-BN composites.

Nanoindentation tests were conducted to investigate the near-surface mechanical properties of the individual components (fiber and matrix) for three-dimensional reinforced carbon/carbon composites (3D C/C). Optical microscope and polarizing light microscope were used to characterize the microstructure of 3D C/C. The microscopy results show that large number of pores and cracks exist at both bundle/matrix interface and pitch carbon matrix. These defects have important effect on the mechanical behavior of 3D C/C. The in situ properties for components of 3D C/C were acquired by nanoindentation technique. Relative to the matrix sample, the fiber samples have more larger values for modulus, stiffness and hardness. However, there is no significant difference of modulus and stiffness among fiber samples with different directions.

A high-performance porous carbon material for supercapacitor electrodes was prepared by using a polymer blend method. Phenol-formaldehyde resin and gelatin were used as carbon precursor polymer and pore former polymer, respectively. The blends were carbonized at 800 °C in nitrogen. SEM, BET measurement and BJH method reveal that the obtained carbon possesses a mesoporous characteristic, with the average pore size between 3.0 nm and 5.0 nm. The electrochemical properties of supercapacitor using these carbons as electrode material were investigated by cyclic voltammetry and constant current charge-discharge. The results indicate that the composition of blended polymers has a strong effect on the specific capacitance. When the mass ratio of PF to gelatin is kept at 1:1, the largest surface area of 222 m²/g is obtained, and the specific capacitance reaches 161 F/g.

A novel kind of waterborne epoxy coating pigmented by nano-sized aluminium powders on high strength steel was formulated. Several coatings with different pigment volume content (PVC) were prepared. The coating morphology was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the electrochemical properties were investigated by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Immersion test and neutral salt spray test were also conducted to investigate the corrosion resistance of the coating. It is demonstrated that the critical pigment volume content (CPVC) value is between 30% and 40%. The coating with PVC of 30% exhibits good corrosion resistance in 3.5% (mass fraction) NaCl solution.

To investigate the effects of pressure on the hot isostatic pressing (HIP) process of a stainless steel powder, density distribution and deformation of the powder at four different applied pressure levels were predicted and compared by using finite element method (FEM). Constitutive relations of porous compacts during HIP process were derived based on the yield criterion of porous metal materials. Thermo-mechanical coupling calculations were carried out by the MSC.Marc. Densification mechanisms were studied through evolutions of relative density, equivalent plastic strain and equivalent viscoplastic strain rate for compacts. The simulation results were also compared with experimental data. The results show that the densification rate and final density of compacts increase dramatically with the increase in the applied pressure level when it is below 100 MPa during HIP process, and the creep for compacts evolves into steady stage with the improvement of density.

UV-curable hyperbranched polyurethane acrylate-polyurethane diacrylate/SiO₂ dispersion (HBPUA-PUDA/SiO₂) was prepared with isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI), hyperbranched polyester Boltorn H20 (H20), hydroxy-ethyl acrylate (HEA), polyethyleneglycol (PEG-200) and nano-SiO₂. The UV curing kinetics of the films was investigated by FTIR. The results show that the curing speed of the films increases with the adding of nano-SiO₂ and decreases with the adding of PUDA due to the slower chain movement. The thermal stability of the HBPUA-PUDA/SiO₂ films was studied by using thermogravimetric analysis coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (TGA/FTIR). The results show that all films exhibit two degradation stages located at about 320 and 440 °C corresponding to the degradation for hard segments of urethane-acrylate and the degradation for soft segment and polyester core. In addition, the results from the analysis of TGA/FTIR also indicate that the decomposition temperature of HBPUA-PUDA/SiO₂ film is 15 °C higher than that obtained for pure polymer. The degradation mechanism was proposed according to TGA/FTIR results.

The treatment of the Gacun complex Cu concentrate with high contents of Pb, Zn, Ag, etc by oxygen pressure acid leaching was studied. It is unusual that tetrahedrite, whose treatment was rarely studied, is the primary copper mineral of the concentrates. Most of silver also occurs in the mineral. The optimum operating parameters of oxygen pressure acid leaching were established by conditional tests. Pilot scale test was carried out under the parameters, and the leaching rates of copper and zinc are as high as 97.10% and 89.83% while lead and silver are transformed into sulfate and sulfide respectively and stay in leaching residue. The copper and zinc in lixivium were reclaimed by extraction-electrowinning and purification-electrowinning, respectively, and the lead and silver in the residue were reclaimed separately by chloride leaching and thiourea leaching. The extraction rate of copper achieves 96%, and the leaching rates of lead and silver reach 90% and 95%, respectively.

The leaching kinetics of low-grade copper ore with high-alkality gangues was studied in ammonia-ammonium sulphate solution. The main parameters, such as ammonia and ammonium sulphate concentrations, particle size, solid-to-liquid ratio and reaction temperature, were chosen in the experiments. The results show that the increase of temperature, concentrations of ammonia and ammonium sulphate is propitious to the leaching rate of copper ore. The leaching rate increases with the decrease of particle size and solid-to-liquid ratio. The leaching rate is controlled by the diffusion through the ash layer and the activation energy is determined to be 25.54 kJ/mol. A semi-empirical equation was proposed to describe the leaching kinetics.

In a stainless steel autoclave, the synthesis kinetics of dimethyl carbonate (DMC) from urea and methanol was separately investigated without catalyst and with Zn-containing catalyst. Without catalyst, for the first reaction of DMC synthesis (the reaction of urea with methanol to methyl carbamate (MC)), the reaction kinetics can be described as the first order with respect to the concentrations of both methanol and urea. For the second reaction of DMC synthesis (the reaction of MC with methanol to DMC), the results exhibit characteristics of zero-order reaction. For Zn-containing catalyst, the first reaction is neglected in the kinetics model since its rate is much faster than the second reaction. The macro-kinetic parameters of the second reaction are obtained by fitting the experimental data to a pseudo-homogenous model, in which a side reaction in forming process of DMC is incorporated since it decreases the yield of DMC drastically at high temperature. The activation energy of the reaction from MC to DMC is 104 kJ/mol while that of the side reaction of DMC is 135 kJ/mol. The highest yield of DMC is 23%.

A novel quantitative structure-property relationship (QSPR) model for estimating the solution surface tension of 92 organic compounds at 20 °C was developed based on newly introduced atom-type topological indices. The data set contained non-polar and polar liquids, and saturated and unsaturated compounds. The regression analysis shows that excellent result is obtained with multiple linear regression. The predictive power of the proposed model was discussed using the leave-one-out (LOO) cross-validated (CV) method. The correlation coefficient (R) and the leave-one-out cross-validation correlation coefficient (R_CV) of multiple linear regression model are 0.991 4 and 0.991 3, respectively. The new model gives the average absolute relative deviation of 1.81% for 92 substances. The result demonstrates that novel topological indices based on the equilibrium electro-negativity of atom and the relative bond length are useful model parameters for QSPR analysis of compounds.

In order to present a new method for analyzing the reliability of a two-link flexible robot manipulator, Lagrange dynamics differential equations of the two-link flexible robot manipulator were established by using the integrated modal method and the multi-body system dynamics method. By using the Monte Carlo method, the random sample values of the dynamic parameters were obtained and Lagrange dynamics differential equations were solved for each random sample value which revealed their displacement, speed and acceleration. On this basis, dynamic stresses and deformations were obtained. By taking the maximum values of the stresses and the deformations as output responses and the random sample values of dynamic parameters as input quantities, extremum response surface functions were established. A number of random samples were then obtained by using the Monte Carlo method and then the reliability was analyzed by using the extremum response surface method. The results show that the extremum response surface method is an efficient and fast reliability analysis method with high-accuracy for the two-link flexible robot manipulator.

k]A design and optimization approach of dynamic and control performance for a two-DOF planar manipulator was proposed. After the kinematic and dynamic analysis, several advantages of the mechanism were illustrated, which made it possible to obtain good dynamic and control performances just through mechanism optimization. Based on the idea of design for control (DFC), a novel kind of multi-objective optimization model was proposed. There were three optimization objectives: the index of inertia, the index describing the dynamic coupling effects and the global condition number. Other indexes to characterize the designing requirements such as the velocity of end-effector, the workspace size, and the first mode natural frequency were regarded as the constraints. The cross-section area and length of the linkages were chosen as the design variables. NSGA-II algorithm was introduced to solve this complex multi-objective optimization problem. Additional criteria from engineering experience were incorporated into the selecting of final parameters among the obtained Pareto solution sets. Finally, experiments were performed to validate the linear dynamic structure and control performances of the optimized mechanisms. A new expression for measuring the dynamic coupling degree with clear physical meaning was proposed. The results show that the optimized mechanism has an approximate decoupled dynamics structure, and each active joint can be regarded as a linear SISO system. The control performances of the linear and nonlinear controllers were also compared. It can be concluded that the optimized mechanism can achieve good control performance only using a linear controller.

The quality of the micro-mechanical machining outcome depends significantly on the tracking performance of the miniaturized linear motor drive precision stage. The tracking behavior of a direct drive design is prone to uncertainties such as model parameter variations and disturbances. Robust optimal tracking controller design for this kind of precision stages with mass and damping ratio uncertainties was researched. The mass and damping ratio uncertainties were modeled as the structured parametric uncertainty model. An identification method for obtaining the parametric uncertainties was developed by using unbiased least square technique. The instantaneous frequency bandwidth of the external disturbance signals was analyzed by using short time Fourier transform technique. A two loop tracking control strategy that combines the µ-synthesis and the disturbance observer (DOB) techniques was proposed. The µ-synthesis technique was used to design robust optimal controllers based on structured uncertainty models. By complementing the µ controller, the DOB was applied to further improving the disturbance rejection performance. To evaluate the positioning performance of the proposed control strategy, the comparative experiments were conducted on a prototype micro milling machine among four control schemes: the proposed two-loop tracking control, the single loop µ control, the PID control and the PID with DOB control. The disturbance rejection performances, the root mean square (RMS) tracking errors and the performance robustness of different control schemes were studied. The results reveal that the proposed control scheme has the best positioning performance. It reduces the maximal errors caused by disturbance forces such as friction force by 60% and the RMS errors by 63.4% compared with the PID control. Compared to PID with DOB control, it reduces the RMS errors by 29.6%.

In order to predict accurately the characteristics of supersonic flow in new type externally pressurized spherical air bearings under large bearing clearance and high air supply pressure, which could decrease their load carrying capacity and stability, a CFD-based analysis was introduced to solve the three-dimensional turbulent complete compressible air flow governing equations. The realizable κ-ɛ model was used as a turbulent closure. The supersonic flow field near air inlets was analyzed. The flow structures illustrate that the interaction exists between shock waves and boundary layer, and the flow separation is formed at the lower corner and the lower wall around the point of a maximum velocity. The numerical results show that the conversion from supersonic flow to subsonic flow in spherical air bearing occurs through a shock region (pseudo-shock), and the viscous boundary layer results in the flow separation and reverse flow near the shock. The calculation results basically agree with the corresponding experimental data.

The selected modifications to the construction of grinding wheels were described which facilitate an increase in the material removal rate (grinding wheels with conic chamfer and grinding wheels with microdiscontinuities on the active surface). Using these background details, a suggested thesis was put forward regarding the need to develop a device which will allow for the shaping of the macrogeometry of the grinding wheel (cylindrical and conical surfaces) and the microdiscontinuities within the dressing operation simultaneously. The device was presented and prepared in two functional variants (horizontal and vertical mounting of the motor), then a prototype was described. An example of the grinding wheel active surface, shaped by using this device, was also presented. The theoretical analysis and experimental verification performed determine that the error of shaping the conic chamfer angle within the range of 0–1.5°, using the developed device, is approximately ±3%.

As a solution to the breaking of pipeline under high axial force, carbon fiber composite pipe with low density and high intensity is applied to deep-sea mining transporting system. Based on the fact that the transporting pipe is under the forces of gravity, inner liquid, buoyancy as well as hydrodynamic force, geometric nonlinear finite element theory has been applied to analyzing the transporting system. Conclusions can be drawn as follows. Under the interaction of waves and currents, node forces F_X and F_Z acted by the transporting pipe on the mining vehicle are less than 2 kN, which indicates that waves and currents have little influence on the spatial shape of the transporting pipe and the mining vehicle movement. On the other hand, the horizontal force acting on the mining ship could be as large as 106 830 N, which has great influence on the mining system.

To increase the machine accuracy by improving the stiffness of bearings, a preload was applied to bearings. A variable preload technology was necessary to perform machining processes in both low and high speed regions. An automatic variable preload device was fabricated using an eccentric mass. By installing the fabricated device on a spindle, the effect of the automatic variable preload device on the performance of the spindle was analyzed. In the results of the vibration measurement of the spindle, the vibration is increased by 20%–37% according to measurement points at the maximum rotation speed of 5 000 r/min. And, in the results of the noise measurement of the spindle, the spindle rotation speed is increased by about 1.9% and 1.5% at the front and side of the spindle, respectively. Based on the results of this analysis, an improved method that reduces such effects on the performance of the spindle is proposed.

To determine mirror surface finishing conditions and efficient and economical superfinishing conditions for pure titanium and titanium alloys, an abrasive film is used when superfinishing is performed under varying conditions. These conditions include the workpiece rotation speed, the oscillation speed, the contact pressure of the roller, the hardness of the roller, and the type of abrasive film. The superfinishing device is applied to polishing a thin and long cylindrical bar. A micro-finishing film and a lapping film were used as abrasive films. Al₂O₃ grains or SiC grains were used as abrasives. The surface roughness of a polished workpiece was measured using a stylus-type surface-roughness measuring instrument. As a result, the conditions to improve the polishing surface efficiently include high values for the workpiece rotation speed, oscillation speed and contact pressure. The roller hardness has no effect on the efficient polishing conditions. The mirror finish of a surface can be created using lapping film of 3 μm with Al₂O₃ grains after polishing to a steady surface roughness under the efficient polishing conditions.

Ship-mounted container cranes are challenging industrial applications of nonlinear pendulum-like systems with oscillating disturbance which can cause them unstable. Since wave-induced ship motion causes the hoisted container to swing during the transfer operation, the swing motion may be dangerously large and the operation must be stopped. In order to reduce payload pendulation of ship-mounted crane, nonlinear dynamics of ship-mounted crane is derived and a control method using T-S fuzzy model is proposed. Simulation results are given to illustrate the validity of the proposed design method and pendulation of ship-mounted crane is reduced significantly.

For the conventional single-ended eFuse cell, sensing failures can occur due to a variation of a post-program eFuse resistance during the data retention time and a relatively high program resistance of several kilo ohms. A differential paired eFuse cell is designed which is about half the size smaller in sensing resistance of a programmed eFuse link than the conventional single-ended eFuse cell. Also, a sensing circuit of sense amplifier is proposed, based on D flip-flop structure to implement a simple sensing circuit. Furthermore, a sensing margin test circuit is proposed with variable pull-up loads out of consideration for resistance variation of a programmed eFuse. When an 8 bit eFuse OTP IP is designed with 0.18 μm standard CMOS logic of TSMC, the layout dimensions are 229.04 μm × 100.15 μm. All the chips function successfully when 20 test chips are tested with a program voltage of 4.2 V.

To enhance machining efficiency, tool change time has to be reduced. Thus, for an automatic tool changer attached to a machining center, the tool change time is to be reduced. Also the automatic tool changer is a main part of the machining center as a driving source. The static attributes of the automatic tool changer using the commercial code, ANSYS Workbench V12, were tried to interpret. And the optimum design of automatic tool changer arm was proposed by performing the multi-stage optimum design. The shape optimization of the automatic tool changer was proposed and the result was verified to obtain acceptable improvements. It is possible to obtain an optimized model in which the maximum deformation, maximum stress, and mass are reduced by 10.46%, 12.89% and 9.26%, respectively, compared with those of the initial model. Also, the results between conventional method by the design of experiments and proposed method by the multi-stage optimum design method were compared.

A multivariable regression (MVR) approach is proposed to identify the real power transfer between generators and loads. Based on solved load flow results, it first uses modified nodal equation method (MNE) to determine real power contribution from each generator to loads. Then, the results of MNE method and load flow information are utilized to determine suitable regression coefficients using MVR model to estimate the power transfer. The 25-bus equivalent system of south Malaysia is utilized as a test system to illustrate the effectiveness of the MVR output compared to that of the MNE method. The error of the estimate of MVR method ranges from 0.001 4 to 0.007 9. Furthermore, when compared to MNE method, MVR method computes generator contribution to loads within 26.40 ms whereas the MNE method takes 360 ms for the calculation of same real power transfer allocation. Therefore, MVR method is more suitable for real time power transfer allocation.

To improve the productivity of cluster tools in semiconductor fabrications, on the basis of stating scheduling problems, a try and error-based scheduling algorithm was proposed with residency time constraints and an objective of minimizing Makespan for the wafer jobs in cluster tools. Firstly, mathematical formulations of scheduling problems were presented by using assumptions and definitions of a scheduling domain. Resource conflicts were analyzed in the built scheduling model, and policies to solve resource conflicts were built. A scheduling algorithm was developed. Finally, the performances of the proposed algorithm were evaluated and compared with those of other methods by simulations. Experiment results indicate that the proposed algorithm is effective and practical in solving the scheduling problem of the cluster tools.

Chip multiprocessors (CMPs) allow thread level parallelism, thus increasing performance. However, this comes with the cost of temperature problem. CMPs require more power, creating non uniform power map and hotspots. Aiming at this problem, a thread scheduling algorithm, the greedy scheduling algorithm, was proposed to reduce the thermal emergencies and to improve the throughput. The greedy scheduling algorithm was implemented in the Linux kernel on Intel’s Quad-Core system. The experimental results show that the greedy scheduling algorithm can reduce 9.6%–78.5% of the hardware dynamic thermal management (DTM) in various combinations of workloads, and has an average of 5.2% and up to 9.7% throughput higher than the Linux standard scheduler.

For acquiring the details in aluminum holding furnace with bottom porous brick purging system, efforts were performed to try to find out the potential optimal operation schemes. By adopting transient analysis scheme and constant boundary temperature, combustion in the furnace was investigated numerically using computational fluid dynamics (CFD). The predicted gas temperature shows good agreement with the measured results, and the predicted energy distribution of the furnace is consistent with that obtained from energy balance experiment, which confirms the reliability of the numerical solution. The results show that as the fuel-air mixture temperature rises up from 300 K to 500 K, the energy utilization of the furnace could increase from 34.55% to 37.14%. However, as the excess air coefficient increases from 1.0 to 1.4, energy utilization drops from 34.55% to 29.56%. Increasing the combustion temperature is the most effective way to improve the energy efficiency of the furnace. High reactant temperature and medium excess air coefficient are recommended for high operation performance, and keeping the furnace jamb sealed well for avoiding leakage has to be emphasized.

A pre-selection space time model was proposed to estimate the traffic condition at poor-data-detector, especially non-detector locations. The space time model is better to integrate the spatial and temporal information comprehensibly. Firstly, the influencing factors of the “cause nodes” were studied, and then the pre-selection “cause nodes” procedure which utilizes the Pearson correlation coefficient to evaluate the relevancy of the traffic data was introduced. Finally, only the most relevant data were collected to compose the space time model. The experimental results with the actual data demonstrate that the model performs better than other three models.

Pb²⁺ adsorption onto a soil by irrigation of sewage in the Pearl River Delta of South China was examined as a function of the reaction time, solution pH, initial lead concentration, organic matter (humic acid) and competitive ions (Cu²⁺). The adsorption of Pb²⁺ onto the soil was investigated on batch equilibrium adsorption experiments. Results show that the Pb²⁺ adsorption on the soil is relatively rapid in the first 30 min and reaches equilibrium at 2 h, and the kinetics of the adsorption process on the soil is well characterized by the pseudo-second order reaction rate. Langmuir, Freundlich and Temkin isothermal models are fit for the adsorption of Pb²⁺ onto the soil, and the maximum amount of Pb²⁺ adsorption (Q_m) is 7.47 mg/g. The amount of Pb²⁺ adsorption increases with increasing the pH at the range of 1.2–4.5 and reaches a plateau at the range of 4.5–12. The presence of humic acid in soil decreases the adsorption of Pb²⁺ onto the soil at solution pH of 8 since the negatively charged humic acid with Pb²⁺ is difficult to be adsorbed on the negatively charged soil surface. The adsorption of Pb²⁺ onto the soil also decreases in the presence of Cu²⁺ due to the competition adsorption between Pb²⁺ and Cu²⁺.

The hysteresis of saturation-capillary pressure (S-p) relations was investigated in a fine sandy medium under consecutive drainage-imbibition cycles, which resulted from scheduled water level fluctuations. A drainage-imbibition cycle starts with a drainage process and ends with an imbibition process in sequence. The saturation and capillary pressure were measured online with time domain reflectometry (TDR) probes and T5 tensiometers, respectively. Results show that the relation between the degree of hysteresis and the number of the drainage-imbibition cycles is not obvious. However, the degree decreases with the increase of the initial water saturation of the imbibition processes in these drainage-imbibition cycles. The air-entry pressure of a sandy medium is also found to be constant, which is independent of the drainage-imbibition cycles and the initial water saturation of the drainage process. In all the imbibition processes, parameter α of the van Genuchten (VG) model decreases with the increase of the initial water saturation, which corresponds positively to the magnitude of the hysteresis.

New ultra-lightweight sludge-red mud ceramics (ULS-RMC) were prepared by red mud (RM), clay and dried sewage sludge (DSS). The properties and mechanism of RM in the preparation of ULS-RMC were discussed. The chemical components, thermal properties and mineral phases of RM were determined by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX), differential scanning calorimetry/thermal gravimetric analysis (DSC/TGA) and X-ray diffraction (XRD), respectively. Constant dosage of DSS to clay and different amounts of RM were utilized in the preparation of ULS-RMC. Physical properties test (bulk density, grain density, water absorption and expansion ratio), XRD and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were employed to characterize the ULS-RMC. The results show that RM exhibits high hydroscopic property and good water-retention property, and bloating property and fluxing property of RM are caused by abound of gaseous components and flux, respectively. The two chemical properties are utilized to discuss the mineral phases and microstructures differences between ULSC and ULS-RMC.

The floatability of different crystalline structures of pyrrhotite (monoclinic and hexagonal) was studied. It is shown that the floatability of monoclinic and hexagonal has obvious difference, and that the flotation recovery of monoclinic pyrrhotite is larger than that of hexagonal pyrrhotite using different collectors. When butyl dithiophosphate is used as the collector, the recovery is larger than that by sodium butyl xanthate and sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate. At the pH values ranging from 6 to 9, monoclinic pyrrhotite can be floated well, and the flotation recovery is higher than 90%. Monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites are more easily activated by Cu²⁺ in acidic conditions than in alkaline conditions. But Cu²⁺ cannot activate hexagonal pyrrhotite using sodium diethyldithiocarbamate as the collector. By the measurement of contact angle, it is indicated that monoclinic and hexagonal pyrrhotites float well and are easily activated by Cu²⁺ when dithiophosphate is used as the collector. Using sodium diethyl dithiocarbamate as a collector, the relationship between potential and pH range for pyrrhotite flotation is established. At pH 5, the optimal potential range for flotation of monoclinic pyrrhotite is about 125–580 mV (vs SHE), with the maximum flotation occurring at about 350 mV (vs SHE); the optimal potential range for flotation of hexagonal pyrrhotite is 200–580 mV (vs SHE), with the maximum flotation occurring at about 300 mV (vs SHE).

To better understand the mechanism of the Mw6.3 L’Aquila (Central Italy) earthquake occurred in 2009, global positioning system (GPS) and interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data were used to derive the coseismic slip distribution of the earthquake fault. Firstly, based on the homogeneous elastic half-space model, the fault geometric parameters were solved by the genetic algorithm. The best fitting model shows that the fault is a 13.7 km×14.1 km rectangular fault, in 139.3° strike direction and 50.2° southwest-dipping. Secondly, fixing the optimal fault geometric parameters, the fault plane was extended and discretized into 16×16 patches, each with a size of 1 km×1 km, and the non-uniform slip distribution of the fault was inverted by the steepest descent method with an appropriate smoothing ratio based on the layered crustal structure model. The preferred solution shows that the fault is mainly a normal fault with slight right-lateral strike slip, the maximum slip of 1.01 m is located in the depth of 8.28 km, the average rake is −100.9°, and the total geodetic moment is about 3.34×1018 N·m (Mw 6.28). The results are much closer than previous studies in comparison with the seismological estimation. These demonstrate that the coseismic fault slip distribution of the L’Aquila earthquake inverted by the crustal model considering layered characters is reliable.

Triaxial creep tests were carried out under seepage pressure by using rock servo-controlled triaxial rheology testing equipment. Based on experimental results, rock rheological properties influenced by seepage-stress coupling were studied, and variations of seepage rate with time in complete creep processes of rock were analyzed. It is shown that, when the applied stress is less than failure stress level, the creep deformation is not obvious, and its main form is steady-state creep. When applied stress level is greater than or less than but close to fracture stress, it is easier to see the increase of creep deformation and the more obvious accelerative creep characteristics. The circumferential creep deformation is obviously higher than the axial creep deformation. At the stage of steady-state creep, the average of seepage flow rate is about 4.7×10⁻⁹ m/s at confining pressure (σ₃) of 2 MPa, and is about 3.9×10⁻⁹ m/s at σ₃ of 6 MPa. It is seen that the seepage flow rate at σ₃ of 2 MPa in this case is obviously larger than that at σ₃ of 6 MPa. At the stage of creep acceleration, the seepage flow rate is markedly increased with the increase of time. The variation of rock permeability is directly connected to the growth and evolution of creep crack. It is suggested that the permeability coefficient in complete creep processes of rock is not a constant, but is a function of rock creep strain, confining pressure, damage variable and pore water pressure. The results can be considered to provide a reliable reference for the establishment of rock rheological model and parameter identification.

The pull-out capacities for soil nailing systems comprising of one single 29 mm diameter (type A) and four 16 mm diameter (type B) rebars with grouted cement were examined. A field test and numerical analysis for the type A and type B systems were carried out to investigate the pull-out capacities and the slope stability reinforcement efficiency in soil and rock slopes. The results of the pull-out tests show the mobilized shear force and load transfer characteristics with respect to soil depth. The load-displacement relationship was examined for both type A and type B systems. Slope stability analyses were carried out to study the relationships between soil and nail reinforcement and bending stiffness as well as combined axial tension and shear forces. Factors of safety were calculated in relation to the number of nails and their outside diameters. Both soil and rock slopes were included in this evaluation.

In order to predict the local scour hole and its evaluation around a cylindrical bridge pier, the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and theories of sediment movement and transport were employed to carry out numerical simulations. In the numerical method, the time-averaged Reynolds Navier-Stokes equations and the standard k-ɛ model were first used to simulate the three-dimensional flow field around a bridge pier fixed on river bed. The transient shear stress on river bed was treated as a crucial hydrodynamic mechanism when handling sediment incipience and transport. Then, river-bed volumetric sediment transport was calculated, followed by the modification of the river bed altitude and configuration. Boundary adaptive mesh technique was employed to modify the grid system with changed river-bed boundary. The evolution of local scour around a cylindrical bridge pier was presented. The numerical results represent the flow pattern and mechanism during the pier scouring, with a good prediction of the maximum scour hole depth compared with test results.

One-dimensional consolidation of visco-elastic aquitard due to withdrawal of deep-groundwater was studied. Merchant model was used to simulate visco-elastic characteristic of aquitard. General solutions of the governing equation were obtained by applying Laplace transform with respect to time, and then the pore-pressure, strain and deformation of the aquitard could be calculated by Laplace inversion. A case was analyzed to validate the correctness of the present method. Finally, some consolidation properties of the problem were analyzed. Comparison of the average degree of consolidation defined by pore pressure with that defined by settlement shows that they are different and the maximum difference is 22.8%. The influences of parameters of Merchant model and the rate of the water level on the consolidation are great. The smaller the viscosity coefficient is, the later the rate of consolidation decreases. The rate of consolidation is decreased with the decrease of the rate of the water level fall. Therefore, the lagged effect of land subsidence should be considered in the actual project.

Traffic flow prediction is an important component for real-time traffic-adaptive signal control in urban arterial networks. By exploring available detector and signal controller information from neighboring intersections, a dynamic data-driven flow prediction model was developed. The model consists of two prediction components based on the signal states (red or green) for each movement at an upstream intersection. The characteristics of each signal state were carefully examined and the corresponding travel time from the upstream intersection to the approach in question at the downstream intersection was predicted. With an online turning proportion estimation method, along with the predicted travel times, the anticipated vehicle arrivals can be forecasted at the downstream intersection. The model performance was tested at a set of two signalized intersections located in the city of Gainesville, Florida, USA, using the CORSIM microscopic simulation package. Analysis results show that the model agrees well with empirical arrival data measured at 10 s intervals within an acceptable range of 10%–20%, and show a normal distribution. It is reasonably believed that the model has potential applicability for use in truly proactive real-time traffic adaptive signal control systems.