Evaluation of the influence of boundary confinement on the behaviour of unsaturated swelling clay soils

2009 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 339-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
Greg Siemens ◽  
James A. Blatz

Swelling soils are found in many regions throughout the world. Damage caused to infrastructure by these types of soils is measured annually in billions of dollars. These excessive damages are, in part, due to the lack of proper design, resulting from a need for better tools for practitioners to assess the impact of swelling soils in typical design applications. This paper presents an experimental testing program with interpretations to provide a framework for predicting the behaviour of swelling soils under general stress and volume state conditions for practical applications. The experimental testing adopted a new automated triaxial apparatus that controls boundary stress and strain while applying liquid infiltration conditions at the perimeter or center of triaxial specimens. Results demonstrate the influence of a range of boundary conditions on the behaviour of swelling soil during liquid infiltration. The range of boundary conditions examined in the experimental testing include constant mean stress (CMS), where the mean stress applied during the swelling stage is constant; constant volume (CV), where the volume is held constant during the liquid infiltration; as well as a flexible spring-type boundary condition (CS) that applies increases in stress as a specified function of the volume increase. These boundary conditions represent the broad spectrum of experiences in the field. The experimental results show the dominance of boundary conditions on the development of swell pressure and volume expansion to give evidence for a new swell equilibrium limit (SEL) relationship. The SEL shows promise in providing a framework for swelling soils to predict the final soil state under wetting conditions for the range of boundary conditions examined. Application of the SEL relationship in practice is presented as a concept for examining swelling induced pressures and volume expansion in applications of liquid infiltration of swelling soils.

Author(s):  
Andrea Ferrantelli ◽  
Klaus Viljanen ◽  
Jarek Kurnitski

The energy efficiency of ice hockey arenas is a central concern for the administrations, as these buildings are well known to consume a large amount of energy. Since they are composite, complex systems, solutions to such a problem can be approached from many different areas, from managerial to technological to more strictly physical. In this paper we consider heat transfer processes in an ice hockey hall, during operating conditions, with a bottom-up approach based upon on-site measurements. Detailed heat flux, relative humidity and temperature data for the ice pad and the indoor air are used for a heat balance calculation in the steady-state regime, which quantifies the impact of each single heat source. We then solve the heat conduction equation for the ice pad in transient regime, and obtain a generic analytical formula for the temperature profile that can be used in practical applications. We then apply this formula to the resurfacing process for validation, and find good agreement with an analogous numerical solution. Since it is given with implicit initial condition and boundary conditions, it can be used not only in ice hockey halls, but in a large variety of engineering applications.


1985 ◽  
Vol 17 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carl G. Enfield

Relatively immobile chemicals have been observed moving significantly faster than anticipated from hydrophobic theory. A theory is developed considering transport in three mobile fluid phases which can be used to describe this facilitated transport. The convective dispersive transport equation is solved utilizing a transformation of variables which permits utilizing existing solutions covering a wide variety of boundary conditions. The impact of the facilitated transport is demonstrated for one case where the soils organic carbon is 10%. If 2% of the fluid phase is an organic fraction, the theory developed projects that hydrophobic theory may underestimate mobility by more than 100 times. At concentrations of dissolved organic carbon normally observed in nature (5 - 10 mg/l), a measurable increased mobility is anticipated for the very immobile compounds like dioxins.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 168781402110094
Author(s):  
Ibrahim Elnasri ◽  
Han Zhao

In this study, we numerically investigate the impact perforation of sandwich panels made of 0.8 mm 2024-T3 aluminum alloy skin sheets and graded polymeric hollow sphere cores with four different gradient profiles. A suitable numerical model was conducted using the LS-DYNA code, calibrated with an inverse perforation test, instrumented with a Hopkinson bar, and validated using experimental data from the literature. Moreover, the effects of quasi-static loading, landing rates, and boundary conditions on the perforation resistance of the studied graded core sandwich panels were discussed. The simulation results showed that the piercing force–displacement response of the graded core sandwich panels is affected by the core density gradient profiles. Besides, the energy absorption capability can be effectively enhanced by modifying the arrangement of the core layers with unclumping boundary conditions in the graded core sandwich panel, which is rather too hard to achieve with clumping boundary conditions.


Author(s):  
Katarzyna Cegiełka ◽  
Piotr Dniestrzański ◽  
Janusz Łyko ◽  
Arkadiusz Maciuk ◽  
Maciej Szczeciński

AbstractOne of the main problems of practical applications of degressively proportional allocations of goods and burdens is lack of uniqueness of this principle. Even under given boundary conditions of allocation, i.e. determined minimal and maximal amounts of a good that can be assigned in a given allocation, there are usually many feasible solutions. The lack of formal rules of allocation is the reason why the allocation is typically a result of negotiations among its agents. A number of allocations favor some of agents or their groups, therefore other agents cannot accept them. The aim of this paper is to indicate a way of reducing the set of all feasible solutions exclusively to those that are neutral to all agents. As a result of the term of lexicographic preference of allocation agents defined on the basis of the relation theory followed by a numerical analysis of sets of all feasible solutions, it is possible to determine a core of this set in the form of a subset of all feasible solutions that are acceptable by all agents. In addition, this subset can be further divided into smaller subsets with regard to the degree of acceptance of their elements. Theoretical analysis is complemented by case studies, one of which is application of this idea to the allocation of seats in the European Parliament among the member states of the European Union.


Author(s):  
Z. Chen ◽  
B. Lei ◽  
Q. Zhao

Based on space curve meshing theory, in this paper, we present a novel geometric design of a circular arc helical gear mechanism for parallel transmission with convex-concave circular arc profiles. The parameter equations describing the contact curves for both the driving gear and the driven gear were deduced from the space curve meshing equations, and parameter equations for calculating the convex-concave circular arc profiles were established both for internal meshing and external meshing. Furthermore, a formula for the contact ratio was deduced, and the impact factors influencing the contact ratio are discussed. Using the deduced equations, several numerical examples were considered to validate the contact ratio equation. The circular arc helical gear mechanism investigated in this study showed a high gear transmission performance when considering practical applications, such as a pure rolling process, a high contact ratio, and a large comprehensive strength.


2011 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 4828-4834 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.J. Smith ◽  
D.J. Noy ◽  
S. Holloway ◽  
R.A. Chadwick

1990 ◽  
Vol 117 (2) ◽  
pp. 173-277 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. D. Daykin ◽  
G. B. Hey

AbstractA cash flow model is proposed as a way of analysing uncertainty in the future development of a general insurance company. The company is modelled alongside the market in aggregate so that the impact of changes in premium rates relative to the market can be assessed. An extensive computer model is developed along these lines, intended for use in practical applications by actuaries advising the management of genera1 insurance companies. Simulation methods are used to explore the consequences of uncertainty, particularly in regard to inflation and investments. Some comments are made on the role of actuaries in general insurance. Alternative approaches to describing the behaviour of an insurance firm in the market are considered.


Polymers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 1173
Author(s):  
Ilze Beverte ◽  
Ugis Cabulis ◽  
Sergejs Gaidukovs

As a non-metallic composite material, widely applied in industry, rigid polyurethane (PUR) foams require knowledge of their dielectric properties. In experimental determination of PUR foams’ dielectric properties protection of one-side capacitive sensor’s active area from adverse effects caused by the PUR foams’ test objects has to be ensured. In the given study, the impact of polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) films, thickness 0.20 mm and 0.04 mm, in covering or simulated coating the active area of one-side access capacitive sensor’ electrodes on the experimentally determined true dielectric permittivity spectra of rigid PUR foams is estimated. Penetration depth of the low frequency excitation field into PTFE and PUR foams is determined experimentally. Experiments are made in order to evaluate the difference between measurements on single PUR foams’ samples and on complex samples “PUR foams + PTFE film” with two calibration modes. A modification factor and a small modification criterion are defined and values of modifications are estimated in numerical calculations. Conclusions about possible practical applications of PTFE films in dielectric permittivity measurements of rigid PUR foams with one-side access capacitive sensor are made.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document