Experimental Study of the Aggregate Shapes in Self-Compaction

Compaction operations have a vital role in embankments or rock fills to avoid settlement, but in some projects, such as marine ones, it is hardly possible to accomplish compaction operations due to the problems and executive limitations. In situations with no possibility of compaction, it is recommended to use single-size or self-compacted materials. From a theoretical point of view, self-compacted materials consist of coarse aggregates with no vast domain of gradation. In this case, the porosity of the materials in the dense state is not significantly different from the loose one, and a relatively dense condition occurs after it is poured; thus, the mass of materials will undergo lower volumetric changes in the future. In this study, the self-compacted characteristic of materials has been investigated using real aggregates with different gradations (the ratio of the largest to the smallest aggregate size of 1, 2, 4, and 8). The gradation and shape of aggregates are the main variables examined in the research. Real aggregates have been used in order to compare the study of self-compacted idea with ideal aggregates and the effects of sphericity and angularity of them. According to the experiments carried out on samples in the present work, it was observed that, without compaction operations, even ideal materials would not be in fully self-compacted state. However, relatively denser conditions can be achieved by observing the necessary points. Moreover, aggregates with high sphericity have better self-compacted property. Furthermore, the more uniform gradation and bigger size of materials lead to more self-compacted pile of materials.

Increase in Axial Compressibility in a Spinning Van der Waals Gas

We investigated the adiabatic compression along the axial direction of a spinning Van der Waals gas by applying theoretical analysis and molecular dynamics (MD) simulations. Based on the analytical results, the rotation-induced compressibility increase effect is significant in a Van der Waals gas, while the attraction term in the Van der Waals equation of states (EOS) contributes significantly to the compressibility increase in a spinning system. We conducted MD simulations to the axial compression of a spinning gas, whose state is far from the ideal gas state, and further demonstrated that the rotation-induced compressibility increase effect in a dense state is robust, implying that such a phenomenon can be detected in experiments under high-energy-density conditions.

Behaviour of Vertically Loaded Piled Raft System

A foundation gives the overall strength to a building by providing a level surface for the building to stand and distributing the total load uniformly to the underlying soil. The type of foundation to be chosen varies with the foundation soil and site conditions. Piled raft system are a type of foundation preferred when the bearing strata has less soil bearing capacity and a huge load has to be transferred. Thus Piled raft foundation is a foundation system which uses the combined effects of both rafts and piles such that it is expected to transfer huge loads without large settlement. An ample evaluation of factors like number of piles, length of piles, and degree of compaction of soil that affects the performance of the foundation is required, to understand the concept of piled raft foundation. This study was based on the behaviour of vertically loaded piled raft system by varying the length of pile as 100 mm, 150 mm and 200 mm with 4 and 9 numbers of pile conducted on loose and dense state in cohesion less soil. A vertical load test was conducted on unpiled raft both in loose and dense state of soil also and the results obtained from both piled and unpiled rafts were compared together. The compared results indicated an improvement in ultimate load capacity and settlement reduction. A settlement reduction of 32.71% and increased bearing capacity of 63.67% were observed when compared to unpiled raft under dense condition. About 84% of increase in bearing capacity of the piled raft system was observed with varying the degree of compaction of soil from loose to dense state of soil. An optimum design of this piled raft foundation can provide an alternative foundation for high rise buildings, transmission towers, bridges etc. and it can provide an aid to the threat of differential settlement for heavy loaded buildings in poor bearing strata.

Shear strength of compacted Chlef sand: effect of water content, fines content and others parameters

This paper presents a laboratory study of the combined effect of the water content and fines content on the mechanical behaviour of Chlef sand in a medium dense state (RD = 65%) and dense state (RD = 80%). Several mechanical parameters were evaluated such as shear strength, cohesion and friction angle at different water content w = 0, 1, 2 and 3% and different fines content Fc = 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40%. The test results showed that the shear strength of Chlef sand decrease with the increase fines content Fc = 0 to 40%, our tests result also showed that the water content has a significant influence on the shear strength which decreases with the increase in the water content w = 0 to 3%. The fines content and the water content have a significant influence on the mechanical parameters c and φ. Cohesion increases with the percentage of fines and decreases with the increase of the water content while the friction angle decreases with the increase the fines content and the water content.

Thermal effects on mechanical behaviour of soil–structure interface

Mechanical behaviour of the soil–structure interface plays a major role in the shear characteristics and bearing capacity of foundations. In thermoactive structures, due to nonisothermal conditions, the interface behaviour becomes more complex. The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of temperature variations on the mechanical behaviour of soils and the soil–structure interface. Constant normal load (CNL) and constant normal stiffness (CNS) tests were performed on the soil and soil–structure interface in a direct shear device at temperatures of 5, 22, and 60 °C. Fontainebleau sand and kaolin clay were used as proxies for sandy and clayey soils. The sandy soil was prepared in a dense state and the clayey soil was prepared in a normally consolidated state. Results show that the applied thermal variations have a negligible effect on the shear strength of the sand and sand–structure interface under CNL and CNS conditions, and the soil and soil–structure interface behaviour could be considered thermally independent. In clay samples, an increase in the temperature increased the cohesion and consequently the shear strength, due to thermal contraction during heating. The temperature rise had less impact on the shear strength in the case of the clay–structure interface than in the clay samples. The adhesion of the clay–structure interface is less than the cohesion of the clay samples.

Parameter Evaluation of Exponential-Form Critical State Line of a State-Dependent Sand Constitutive Model

In sand constitutive models, it is of cardinal importance to consider a state parameter to distinguish the real dilatancy for cohesionless soils (sand), which is different from cohesive soils (clay). Thus, one of the key issues in simulating the sand behaviour is the better representation and parameter calibration of critical state line (CSL) for estimating contraction in loose state and dilatancy in dense state, respectively. For this purpose, a new exponential form for CSL with two model constants a and b has been presented in the literature. This paper provides a valuable insight into the two model constants, controlling the shape of the critical state line by simulating a uniform quartz reference sand (Hostun RF) in loose and dense states under undrained triaxial conditions. It can be concluded that the liquefaction behaviour in loose state is fundamentally affected by even a minor variation in model constant a , but insensitive to model constant b . Moreover, the linear fitting calibration of CSL recommended in the literature is complicated in consideration of the non-unified critical state line. Thus, the maximum void ratio in the natural state could be considered as a comparison basis on which to evaluate the liquefaction potential as an alternative. The numerical results showed good agreement with real experimental data. However, in dense state, the dilatant behaviour of sand was found to be mainly controlled by model parameter b . In addition, the influence of a non-unified critical state under various confining pressures on the determination of b should not be neglected. With the correction of b , the numerical results were found to be consistent with the experimental data concerning Hostun RF sand.

Heavy-Flavor Measurements with the ALICE Experiment at the LHC

Heavy quarks (charm and beauty) are produced early in the nucleus–nucleus collisions, and heavy flavor survives throughout the later stages. Measurements of heavy-flavor quarks thus provide us with means to understand the properties of the Quark–Gluon Plasma, a hot and dense state of matter created in heavy-ion collisions. Production of heavy-flavor in small collision systems, on the other hand, can be used to test Quantum-chromodynamics models. After a successful completion of the Run-I data taking period, the increased luminosity from the LHC and an upgraded ALICE detector system in the Run-II data taking period allows for unprecedented precision in the study of heavy quarks. In this article we give an overview of selected recent results on heavy-flavor measurements with ALICE experiments at the LHC.