Unified analytical solutions are presented for the predictions of the stresses and displacements around a circular opening based on non-linear unified failure criterion and the elastic-brittle-plastic softening model. Unified analytical solutions not only involve generally traditional solutions which are based on the Hoek-Brown (H-B) failure criterion or the non-linear twin-shear failure criterion, but also involve other new results. The results of the radius of plastic zone, radial displacements and stresses are obviously different using three rock masses when different values of the unified failure criterion parameter or different material behavior models are used. For a given condition, the radius of plastic zone and radial displacements are reduced by increasing the unified failure criterion parameter. The latent potentialities of rock mass result from considering the effect of intermediate principal stress. It is shown that proper choices of the failure criterion and the material behavior model for rock mass are significant in the tunnel design.

A physical model facility was designed, built, and setup for conducting model tests on a composite foundation in a soil ground. The model tests were carried out on a composite foundation with different combinations of vertical reinforcement elements in the same soil ground. Via the analysis of the collected data the characteristics of the composite foundation with different reinforcing elements were obtained, including the characteristics of load-settlement curves, column stresses, stresses of the inter-column soil, pile-soil stress ratio, and load-sharing ratios of columns and soil. Results from the model tests reveal the mechanism of a composite foundation with different reinforcing elements quantitatively. It is concluded that both a composite foundation with a combination of steel pipe pile and sand column and that with a combination of concrete pile and lime column have a higher bearing capacity than the composite foundation with only sand columns with the same conditions of soil ground and loading. A composite foundation with lime column and sand column embodies no much better performance than that with sand columns only.

A number of dry bridges have been built to substitute for the roadbed on the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, China. The aim of this study was to investigate the exothermic process of cast-in-place (CIP) pile foundation of a dry bridge and its harm to the stability of nearby frozen ground. We present 3D heat conduction functions of a concrete pile and of frozen ground with related boundaries. Our analysis is based on the theory of heat conduction and the exponent law describing the adiabatic temperature rise caused by hydration heat. Results under continuous and initial conditions were combined to establish a finite element model of a CIP pile-frozen ground system for a dry bridge under actual field conditions in cold regions. Numerical results indicated that the process could effectively simulate the exothermic process of CIP pile foundation. Thermal disturbance to frozen ground under a long dry bridge caused by the casting temperature and hydration heat of CIP piles was substantial and long-lasting. The simulated thermal analysis results agreed with field measurements and some significant rules relating to the problem were deduced and conclusions reached.

Though the bumper of a vehicle plays a major role in protecting the vehicle body against damage in low speed impacts, many bumpers, particularly in large vehicles, are too stiff for pedestrian protection. In designing a bumper for an automobile, pedestrian protection is as important as bumper energy absorption in low speed collisions. To prevent lower extremity injuries in car-pedestrian collisions, it is important to determine the loadings that car front structures impart on the lower extremities and the mechanisms by which injury is caused by these loadings. The present work was focused on gaining more insight into the injury mechanisms leading to both ligament damage and bone fracture during bumper-pedestrian collisions. The European Enhanced Vehicle-safety Committee (EEVC) legform impactor model was introduced and validated against EEVC/WG17 criteria. The collision mechanism between a bumper and this legform impactor was investigated numerically using LS-DYNA software. To identify the effect of the bumper beam material on leg injuries, four analyses were performed on bumpers that had the same assembly but were made from different materials.

In this study, an electro-mechanical valve (EMV) system for the intake valve of a four stroke, single cylinder, overhead valve and spark ignition (SI) engine was designed and constructed. An engine with the EMV system and a standard engine were tested to observe the effects of the EMV on engine performance and emissions at different speeds under full load. The EMV engine showed improved engine power, engine torque and break specific fuel consumption (BSFC). A 66% decrease in CO emissions was also obtained with the EMV system, but hydrocarbons (HC) and NO_x emissions increased by 12% and 13% respectively.

The optimization of the performance of a single-stage Linde-Hampson refrigerator (LHR) operating with six different binary refrigerants (R23/R134a, R23/R227ea, R23/R236ea, R170/R290, R170/R600a and R170/R600) with ozone depletion potentials (ODPs) of zero was conducted using a new approach at the temperature level of −60 °C. Among these binary refrigerants, the 0.55 and the 0.6 mole fractions of R23 for R23/R236ea are the most prospective nonflammable ones for the medium and low suction pressure compressors, respectively. For these two kinds of compressors, the 0.6 and the 0.65 mole fractions of R170 for R170/R600, respectively, are the most prospective binary refrigerants with low global warming potentials (GWPs). The results of optimization of pressure levels indicate that the optimum low pressure value for coefficients of performance (COP) is achieved when the minimum temperature differences occur at both the hot and the cold ends of the recuperator at a specified composition and pressure ratio. Two useful new parameters, the entropy production per unit heat recuperated and the ratio of heat recuperating capacity to the power consumption of the compression, were introduced to analyze the exergy loss ratio in the recuperator. The new approach employed in this paper also suggests a promising application even to the optimization of the performance with multi-component refrigerants.

Cryosurgery is an effective way of curing many diseases including tumors and cancers. It can be applied using a variety of systems and cryogens. Cheap, convenient, reliable equipment still needs to be developed so that cryotherapy may be accepted by surgeons and hospitals. This paper presents a cryosurgery apparatus that utilizes an auto-cascade refrigeration system. Refrigerant mixture R50/R23/R600a was selected as the working fluid. The mixture composition was altered to achieve lower temperatures and higher capacity. The lowest temperature at the cryoprobe could be as low as −100 °C, and 8 W refrigeration capacity could be obtained at −80 °C. An ice ball of 11.6 mm diameter could be formed when the cryoprobe was immersed in a water bath at 37 °C.

This paper describes the NiiMi process designed to treat landscape water. The main aim of the research was to investigate the feasibility of NiiMi for removing organic and nutriment materials from landscape water. During the batch-scale NiiMi operation, the removal rates of color ranged from 66.7%–80%, of turbidity from 31.7%–89.3%, of chemical oxygen demand (COD) from 7%–36.5%, of total phosphor (TP) from 43%–84.2%, of soluble phosphate from 42.9%–100%, of total nitrogen (TN) from 4.2%–46.7%, and of NH₄⁺-N from 39.3%–100% at the hydraulic loading of 0.2 m³/(m²·d). Results showed that the removal efficiencies of COD, TP, soluble phosphate and TN decreased with the decline in the temperature. The NiiMi process had a strong shock loading ability for the removal of the organics, turbidity, TP, soluble phosphate, TN and NH₄⁺-N. Three sodium chloride tracer studies were conducted, labeled as TS1, TS2, and TS3, respectively. The mean hydraulic retention times (mean HRTs) were 31 h and 28 h for TS1 and TS2, respectively, indicating the occurrence of a dead zone volume of 12% and 20% for TS1 and TS2, respectively. TS1 and TS2 displayed the occurrence of short-circuiting in the NiiMi system. The comparison results between TS1 and TS2 were further confirmed in the values obtained for some indicators, such as volumetric efficiency (e), short-circuiting (S), hydraulic efficiency (λ) and number of continuously stirred tank reactors (N).

The formation of brominated trihalomethanes (THMs-Br) which is proved more carcinogenic than their chlorinated analogues reported was very different at various water qualities. This study was performed to assess the effects of water quality parameters (bromide concentration, pH value and ammonia concentration), chlorination conditions (chlorine dose, reaction time) and ratios of Br⁻/DOC and Br⁻/Cl₂ consumption on the formation and distribution of THMs-Br in chlorination. The results showed good correlation between the bromine incorporation factor (BIF) n(Br) and Br⁻/Cl₂ consumption ratio. The formation of total THM (TTHM) was found to decrease with increasing ammonia concentration but to increase with bromide concentration and pH value. The n(Br) trends were significantly affected by the presence of bromide concentration. The effects on the molar yields of THMs were more strongly influenced by bromide concentration and dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration than pH value and natural organic matter (NOM) source. High Br⁻/DOC and Br⁻/Cl₂ favor the formation of THMs-Br over chlorinated THMs (THMs-Cl). The experimental data including the main parameters such as bromide, DOC, ammonia, pH and reaction time were used for developing the predictive model for THMs-Br.