Weather-related geo-hazards are a major concern for both natural slopes and man-made slopes and embankments. Government agencies and private companies are increasingly required to ensure that there is adequate protection of sloping surfaces in order that interaction with the climate does not produce instability. Superior theoretical formulations and computer tools are now available to address engineering design issues related to the near ground surface soil-atmospheric interactions. An example is given in this paper that illustrates the consequences of not paying adequate attention to the hazards of slope stability prior to the construction of a highway in South America. On the other hand, examples are given from Hong Kong and Mainland China where significant benefits are derived from putting in place a hazard slope stability management system. Some results from a hazard management slope stability study related to the railway system in Canada are also reported. The study took advantage of recent research on unsaturated soil behaviour and applied this information to real-time modelling of climatic conditions. The quantification of the water balance at the ground surface, and subsequent infiltration, is used as the primary tool for hazard level assessment. The suggested hazard model can be applied at either specific high risk locations or in a more general, broad-based manner over large areas. A more thorough understanding of unsaturated soil behaviour as it applies to near ground surface soils, along with the numerical computational power of the computer has made it possible for new approaches to be used in slope hazard management engineering.

The solution of a slope stability problem can be approached by its least upper-bound and maximum lower-bound with high accuracy. The limit equilibrium methods that employ vertical slices imply a lower bound of the factor of safety. It has been successfully extended to the area of active earth pressure analysis that accounts for different input of locations of earth pressure applications. Those methods that employ slices with inclined interfaces give an upper-bound approach to the stability analysis. It enjoys a sound mechanical background and is able to provide accurate solutions of soil plasticity. It has been successfully extended to the area of bearing capacity analysis in which various empirical coefficients are no longer necessary. The 3D upper- and lower-bound methods under this framework have been made possible and show great potential for solving various engineering problems.

In recent years, the usages of by-products and wastes in industry have become more important. The importance of the sustainable development is also of increasing. The utilizations of wastes, as mineral admixture or fine aggregate, reduce the consumption of the natural resources and improve the durability of concrete. In this study, the effect of the fineness on the high temperature and sulphate resistances of concrete mortar specimens, produced with ground granulated blast-furnace slag (GBFS) replacing cement, is investigated. The compressive and flexural strength test results for all series related to durability effects, exposing temperature and solutions, exposure times for these durability effects, slag content and fineness are discussed. Consequently, the optimum slag contents are determined for producing the sulphate and high temperature resistant mortars.

A new double-arch structure for the gate used as tidal barrage and sluice was adopted in Caoe River Dam in China. It was a spatial structure made up of the right arch, the invert arch, the chord, etc., and was designed to bear bilateral loads. To research the cyclic behavior of the new double-arch structure, a scale-model cyclic test was conducted. First, the test setup and test method were presented in detail, and according to the test results, the cyclic behavior and failure characteristics of this structure were discussed. Then by analyzing the test cyclic envelope curve, it was found the curve was divided into three stages: the elastic stage, the local plastic stage and the failure stage at the local yield point and structural yield point. The gate model has local yield strength and structural yield strength, with both their values being bigger than that of the designing load. Therefore, the gate is safe enough for the projects. At last, dynamic property of the gate was analyzed considering additional mass of the water. It was found that the tidal bore shock would not cause resonance vibration of the gate.

Semi-analytical elasticity solutions for bending of angle-ply laminates in cylindrical bending are presented using the state-space-based differential quadrature method (SSDQM). Partial differential state equation is derived from the basic equations of elasticity based on the state space concept. Then, the differential quadrature (DQ) technique is introduced to discretize the longitudinal domain of the plate so that a series of ordinary differential state equations are obtained at the discrete points. Meanwhile, the edge constrained conditions are handled directly using the stress and displacement components without the Saint-Venant principle. The thickness domain is solved analytically based on the state space formalism along with the continuity conditions at interfaces. The present method is validated by comparing the results to the exact solutions of Pagano’s problem. Numerical results for fully clamped thick laminates are presented, and the influences of ply angle on stress distributions are discussed.

The principle and process of parallel seismic (PS) testing for the integrity testing of cemented soil columns are introduced in this paper. A three-dimensional (3D) finite element model (FEM) for the pile-soil system is established for impulse responses. Under saturated soil or unsaturated soil condition, several vibrating velocity-time histories at different depths in parallel hole are obtained based on the numerical simulation. It shows that the length of the pile and the one-dimensional (1D) P-wave velocity in the pile can be determined easily from the features of the mentioned velocity-time histories. By examining the slopes of the first arrival time plotted versus depth or the depth where the amplitude of the first arrival significantly decreases, the length of the pile can be determined. The effects of the 3D P-wave propagation through the saturated soil and the defect of the cemented soil column on the velocity-time histories are also investigated.

This article reveals the inherent evolution adjusting mechanism of regional architecture by means of considering the concept and method of “regional gene” as the research approach of regional architecture construction system, and in the meanwhile establishes the “gene database” of regional architecture and optimum technology, on the basis of the principle of sustainable development and scientific evaluation system. In addition, this article chooses the planning of model villages of cave dwellings in Loess Plateau and the construction of ecological cave dwellings for case study to prove the feasibility of the research approach.

Wall deposition occurs in spray dryers when dried or partially dried particles contact and adhere to the walls during operation, thus reducing the yield of product collected. Wall deposits also present a product contamination risk and a fire or explosion risk when spray drying products that oxidize exothermically, such as milk powder. Re-entrainment is the resuspension of spray dryer wall deposits into the main gas stream for collection as product. Literature suggests that the process for re-entrainment of particles from spray dryer wall deposits is strongly dependent on particle size and gas velocity.

This paper presents a method of forecasting stable operation of gas compressor unit (GCU) centrifugal supercharger (CFS) installed on a piping of compressor shops servicing gas pipelines. The stability of superchargers operation is assessed in relation to the phenomenon of surge. Solution of this problem amounts to the development and numerical analysis of a set of ordinary differential equations. The set describes transmission of gas through a compressor shop as a fluid dynamics model with lumped parameters. The proposed method is oriented to wide application by specialists working in the gas industry. The practical application of this method can use all-purpose programming and mathematical software available to specialists of gas companies.

This paper focuses on the analysis of running conditions and machining processes of conical cam with oscillating follower. We point out the common errors existing in the design and machining of the widely used plane expansion method of conical cam trough-out line. We show that the motion can be divided into two parts, i.e. the oscillating motion of oscillating bar and the rotary motion of oscillating bar relative to the conical cam. By increasing the rotary motion of oscillating bar, the motion path of tapered roller on oscillating bar (i.e. contour surface of conical cam) can be expanded on the cylinder. Based on these analyses, we present a creative and effective designing and machining method for 3D curve expansion of conical cam with oscillating follower.

This paper presents a probabilistic methodology for linear fracture mechanics analysis of cracked structures. The main focus is on probabilistic aspect related to the nature of crack in material. The methodology involves finite element analysis; statistical models for uncertainty in material properties, crack size, fracture toughness and loads; and standard reliability methods for evaluating probabilistic characteristics of linear elastic fracture parameter. The uncertainty in the crack size can have a significant effect on the probability of failure, particularly when the crack size has a large coefficient of variation. Numerical example is presented to show that probabilistic methodology based on Monte Carlo simulation provides accurate estimates of failure probability for use in linear elastic fracture mechanics.

The 4TPS-PS parallel platform designed for a stabilization and automatic tracking system is a novel lower-mobility parallel mechanism. In the first part of this paper, the structure of the platform is described and the kinematics model is built. The workspace of the platform is defined as the full reachable rotation workspace when the Z coordinate dimension of the upper plate varies continuously. A fast searching method of the full reachable workspace is presented, after which the inverse kinematics of the platform is deduced. The forward and inverse solutions of the speed and force of the platform are deduced. According to the characteristic of the 4TPS-PS platform’s structure, a fast searching algorithm of the maximum generalized speed and maximum generalized force output by the upper plate is put forward based on the forward and inverse solutions of the platform’s speed and force. The 4TPS-PS platform prototype built by the State Key Laboratory of Fluid Power Transmission and Control of China is taken as the research subject. The full reachable rotation workspace of the prototype is computed out and analyzed. The curves of maximum generalized speed and maximum generalized force of the prototype are computed out and plotted. Finally, the computing and analyzing results of the operating characteristics are confirmed through the experiment.

Soils can often be contaminated simultaneously by more than one heavy metal. The sorption-desorption behavior of a metal in a soil will be affected by the presence of other metals. Therefore, selective retention and competitive adsorption of the soils to heavy metals can affect their availability and movement through the soils. In this study, the simultaneous competitive adsorption of four heavy metals (Cd, Cu, Hg, and Pb) on ten agricultural soils collected from the Changjiang and Zhujiang deltas, China was assessed. The results showed that the competition affected the behavior of heavy metal cations in such a way that the soils adsorbed less Cd and Hg, and more Pb and Cu with increasing total metal concentrations, regardless of the molar concentration applied. As the applied concentrations increased, Pb and Cu adsorption increased, while Cd and Hg adsorption decreased. The adsorption sequence most found was Pb>Cu>Hg>Cd. The maximum adsorption capacity for the heavy metal cations was calculated, and affected markedly by soil properties. The results suggest that Hg and Cd have higher mobility associated to the lower adsorption and that Pb and Cu present the opposite behavior. Significant correlations were found between the maximum adsorption capacity of the metals and pH value and exchangeable acid, suggesting that soil pH and exchangeable acid were key factors controlling the solubility and mobility of the metals in the agricultural soils.

Electricity consumption increases rapidly with the rapid development of China. The environmental damage costs of electricity generation are very important for both policy analysis and the proper management of the environment. A method was developed in this work to estimate gross environmental damage costs according to emission inventory and environmental cost factors, and to extend the costs from provincial to national level with population density. In this paper, sulfur dioxide (SO₂), nitrogen oxides (NO_x), particulate matter less than 10 μm in diameter (PM₁₀), and carbon dioxide (CO₂) from fossil fired power plants over 6000 kW were selected as index pollutants to quantify the environmental costs of damages on human health and global warming. With the new developed method, environmental damage costs, caused by 3 types of fired power plants in 30 provinces and 6 economic sectors during the years 2000 to 2003, were evaluated and analyzed. It can be seen that the calculated total national environmental damage costs of electricity have rapidly increased from 94930.87×10⁶ USD in 2000 to about 141041.39×10⁶ USD in 2003, with an average annual growth rate of 14.11%. Environmental damage costs of SO₂, NO_x, PM₁₀, and CO₂ are 69475.69×10⁶, 30079.29×10⁶, 28931.84×10⁶, and 12554.57×10⁶ USD and account for 49.26%, 21.33%, 20.51%, and 8.90% of total environmental costs in fossil electricity generation, respectively. With regard to regional distribution, external costs caused by fossil electricity generation are mainly concentrated in the more populated and industrialized areas of China, i.e., the Eastern Central and Southeastern areas.

Zooplankton cyclops propagates profusely in waterbody, cannot be effectively inactivated by conventional disinfection process, and becomes a troublesome drinking water treatment problem. In this work, the qualitative and quantitative experimental studies were carried out on inactivation of zooplankton cyclops using oxidants, such as chlorine (Cl₂), chlorine dioxide (ClO₂), ozone (O₃), hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂), ozone/hydrogen peroxide (O₃/H₂O₂), chloramines (Cl₂-NH₃) and potassium permanganate (KMnO₄). The influences of various factors include different oxidant dosages, organic substance contents and pH values. The results showed that currently available oxidants used all might inactivate cyclops in some extent. According to the experimental results, chlorine dioxide, ozone, ozone/hydrogen peroxide and chloramines can be selected as effective oxidants for inactivating cyclops because of their strong inactivation abilities. Then the synergic removal effects on cyclops with ozone, ozone/hydrogen peroxide pre-oxidation followed by conventional water treatment processes were investigated. The results showed that ozone and ozone/hydrogen peroxide pre-oxidation can inactivate cyclops effectively, which then can be removed thoroughly by conventional water treatment processes. Cyclops cannot appear in water after filtration with 1.65 mg/L of ozone and 6 mg/L of hydrogen peroxide, with the inactivation rate being 62% before conventional water treatment processes. Cyclops cannot appear in water after filtration with 1.8 mg/L of ozone, with the inactivation rate being 50% before conventional water treatment processes. For different oxidants, when removal rate was the best, the inactivation rate was not the same. These results may provide reference and model for actual waterworks.

In solving the deterioration of biological treatment system treating petrochemical wastewater under low temperatures, bioaugmentation technology was adopted by delivering engineering bacteria into a pilot-scale two-stage anoxic-oxic (A/O) process based on previous lab-scale study. Experimental results showed that when the concentrations of COD and NH₄⁺-N of the influent were 370~910 mg/L and 10~70 mg/L, the corresponding average concentrations of those of effluent were about 80 mg/L and 8 mg/L respectively, which was better than the Level I criteria of the Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB8978-1996). According to GC-MS analysis of the effluents from both the wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) and the pilot system, there were 68 kinds of persistent organic pollutants in the WWTP effluent, while there were only 32 in that of the pilot system. In addition, the amount of the organics in the effluent of the pilot system reduced by almost 50% compared to that of the WWTP. As a whole, after bioaugmentation, the organic removal efficiency of the wastewater treatment system obviously increased.

Using Sn_xTi_1−xO₂ as carriers, CuO/Sn_0.9Ti_0.1O₂ and CuO/Sn_0.7Ti_0.3O₂ catalysts with different loading amounts of copper oxide (CuO) were prepared by an impregnation method. The catalytic properties of CuO/Sn_0.9Ti_0.1O₂ and CuO/Sn_0.7Ti_0.3O₂ were examined using a microreactor-gas chromatography (GC) NO+CO reaction system and the methods of BET (Brunauer-Emmett-Teller), TG-DTA (themogravimetric and differential thermal analysis), X-ray diffraction (XRD) and H₂-temperature programmed reduction (TPR). The results showed that NO conversions of Sn_0.9Ti_0.1O₂ and Sn_0.7Ti_0.3O₂ were 47.2% and 43.6% respectively, which increased to 95.3% and 90.9% at 6 wt% CuO loading. However, further increase in CuO loading caused a decrease in the catalytic activity. The nitrogen adsorption-desorption isotherm and pore-size distribution curve of Sn_0.9Ti_0.1O₂ and Sn_0.7Ti_0.3O₂ represented type IV of the BDDT (Brunauer, Deming, Deming and Teller) system and a typical mesoporous sample. There were two CuO diffraction peaks (2θ 35.5° and 38.7°), and the diffraction peak areas increased with increasing CuO loading. TPR analysis also detected three peaks (α, β and γ) from the CuO-loaded catalysts, suggesting that the α peak was the reduction of the highly dispersed copper oxide, the β peak was the reduction of the isolated copper oxide, and the γ peak was the reduction of crystal phase copper oxide. In addition, a fourth peak (δ) of the catalysts meant that the Sn_xTi_1−xO₂ mixed oxides could be reductive.

Culture of Arthrospira platensis (Spirulina platensis) in human urine was investigated to get valuable biomass. NO₃-N was the proper N source, in comparison with other N source, including urea, NH₄-N and NO₂-N. As a result, aerobic nitrification of human urine was performed, with above 93.6% nitrification percentage finally achieved with total-N (TN) load of 46.52 mg/(L·d), in which Arthrospira platensis was successfully grown. The main compositions of the obtained biomass are close to those in Zarrouk medium. Thus, it is possible to culture Arthrospira platensis in nitrified human urine for food production within bioregenerative life support systems (BLSSs).

Radiative imaging of combustion flame in furnace of power plant plays an increasingly important role in combustion diagnosis. This paper presents a new method for calculating the radiative imaging of three-dimensional (3D) combustion flame based on Monte Carlo method and optical lens imaging. Numerical simulation case was used in this study. Radiative images were calculated and images obtained can not only present the energy distribution on the charge-coupled device (CCD) camera target plane but also reflect the energy distribution condition in the simulation furnace. Finally the relationships between volume elements and energy shares were also discussed.

In the phase of field evaluation, the changing of interwell reservoir may be out of control if the geological model was built only on well data due to few existing wells. The uncertainty of the interwell reservoir interpolation based only on well data can be decreased by comprehensive utilization of geological, logging and seismic data, especially by using highly relative seismic properties from 3D seismic data adjusted by well point data to restrict interpolation of geological properties. A 3D-geological model which takes the sand body as the direct modeling object was built through stacking the structure, reservoir and water/oil/gas properties together in 3D space.

There are two different types of oils—high-wax oil and normal oil—found in the Damintun Depression of Liaohe Oilfield after several years of exploration and development, but their distributions and origins had confused the explorers in the oilfield. The introduction of petroleum-system concept shifts the view of geoscientists from geology and geophysics to oil, gas and their related source rocks. After detailed study, two petroleum systems have been identified in the Damintun Depression: (1) the ES₄²-Ar buried hill petroleum system (called the high-wax oil petroleum system) and (2) the ES₄¹+ES₃⁴-ES₄ and ES₃ petroleum system (called the normal oil petroleum system). Based on the detailed analysis of the basic components, and all the geological processes required to create these elements of the two petroleum systems, it is put forward that targets for future exploration should include the area near Dongshenpu-Xinglongpu and the area near the Anfutun Sag. This provides scientific basis and has theoretical and practical meaning for the exploration and development.

Manghan Faulted Sag is an exploratory target area in Kailu Basin. In order to determine its exploration prospect, the effectiveness of its source rocks is evaluated by organic geochemical behavior analysis of the samples, and their distributions are predicted using trace integration seismic inversion technology. Studies on their organic matter abundance, type and maturity indicate that the source rocks in the Sag have great generating potentials. Furthermore, it is found that, based on the spatial distribution predication, the source rocks in the Sag are well developed. Therefore, the Sag has a promising prospect for exploration.