The scheme design for the earth pressure balance shield cutterhead structure

The earth pressure balance （EPB） shield cutterhead structure, which features an opening ratio and opening distribution as a core, seriously affects tunneling stability and tunneling efficiency. This paper presents a new model for the soil using visco-plastic fluid theory, and then introduces the model into the computational-fluiddynamics model to comprehensively analyze the cutterhead structure, which consists of the soil, the cutterhead, the working chamber, and the screw conveyor. Based on this model, the stability situation and tunneling perfor- mance of multiple schemes of the cutting head structure are analyzed by changing the opening ratio and the opening distribution on the cutterhead. In this study, a new method for design and analysis of the EPB-shield cutterhead structure is proposed that fits changes in geologic conditions. The results will be helpful for engineers and manufacturers of more efficient machines and for carrying out tunneling projects with more stable EPB-shield cutterheads, and it will reduce the influences of changing geologic conditions during all stages of tunnel construction.     

Load compensation research on twicetension for loop anchor cable of inner lining in Yellow River-crossing tunnel

The load compensation equipment for anchor cable named low retraction prestressed anchorage system with twice-tension （referred to as twice-tension anchorage system） is proposed in the paper. Calculation results of loop anchorage prestressing loss （PL） values of inner lining （IL）in Yellow River-crossing tunnel under two anchorage systems, including twice-tension anchorage system and HM （Chinese transliteration is huanmao） anchorage system, are introduced. The software ANSYS is selected to realize the three-dimensional （3D） finite element modeling to accomplish simulation and calculation works under the two anchorage systems, respectively. Stress processes of IL under the two working conditions, of which one is completed cable tensioning （CCT） and the other is water in the tunnel with the designed water pressure （DWP）, are contrasted and analyzed. Impacts of prestressing forces of anchor cables on structural safety under the two anchorage systems are contrasted. The calculation results show that the twice-tension anchorage system can reduce PL effectively and then increase prestresses of wall concrete （WC）. Meanwhile, the anchorage system has the advantages of improving security and stability of tunnel structure, reducing project costs and saving steel consumption. The research work is available to related design and construction of anchor cable, and is worthy of promotion and application.     

Vibration Analysis of Digital Radiography System for Large Container Inspection

The cantilever vibration characteristics of a digital radiography system were analyzed to predict the effect of vibration on the performance of a mobile container inspection system. The static deformation,vibration mode and natural frequency of the cantilever of the digital radiography system were calculated with the ALGOR Finite Element System to verify the strength and rigidity of the cantilever. The maximum amplitude of the cantilever vibration occurs as it starts accelerating. The predictions show good agreement with test results, indicating that the finite element model of the cantilever structure accurately models the mechanical characteristics.     

2D self-assembling of 4, 5-didodecylthiolphthalonitrile on graphite surface

An important precursor 4,5-didodecylthiolphthalonitrile (DCP) for synthesis of phthalocyanines (Pcs) and subphthalocyanines (SubPcs) was synthesized and the assembling structure of this molecule on the basal plane of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface was characterized using the scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) in ambient conditions. In high-resolution images of the molecules, we found that the arrangement of the cyano groups forms a “head-to-head” configuration to keep the stability of the entire system. The mismatch of the DCP molecules with the substrate lattice has also been observed in the experiment.     

Analysis of mechanical behaviors of big pipe roof for shallow buried large-span tunnel

A series of researches on mechanical behaviors of big pipe roof for shallow large-span loess tunnel were carried out based on the Wenxiang tunnel in Zhengzhou -Xi＇ an Special Passenger Railway. The longitudinal de- formations of the pipe roofs were monitored and the mechanical behaviors of the pipe roofs were analyzed at the test section. A new double-parameter elastic foundation beam model for pipe roof in shallow tunnels was put for- ward in Wenxiang tunnel. The measured values and the calculation results agreed well with each other, revealing the force-deformation law of big pipe roof in loess tunnel： At about 15 m in front of the excavating face, the pipe roof starts to bear the load; at about 15 m behind the excavating face, the force of the pipe roof tends to be stabi- lized; the longitudinal deformation of the whole pipe roofs is groove-shaped distribution, and the largest force of pipe roofs is at the excavating face. Simultaneously, the results also indicate that mechanical behaviors of pipe roof closely relate to the location of the excavation face, the footage of the tunnelling cycle and the mechanics pa- rameters of pipe roof and rock. The conclusions can be reference for the design parameter optimization and the con- struction scheme selection of pipe roofs, and have been verified by the result of numerical analysis software FLAC3D and deformation monitoring.     

Collapse ratios of buildings due to the 1995 Kobe earthquake and interference between S-wave and the second surface wave at basin edge

The distribution characteristics of collapse ratios of buildings in Kobe city due to the 1995 M7.2 Hyogo-ken Nanbu, Japan (Kobe) earthquake and the interferenres due to SH or P-SV and the second surface waves propagating in heterogeneous medium are discussed in this paper by using numerical simulation technique of wave equation. The staggered grid real value fast Fourier transform differentiation (SGRFFTD) is used in the pseudospectral method of ground motion simulations because of its speed, high stability and accuracy. The results show that the maximum amplitude of simulated acceleration waveforms on the ground coincides well with the complicated distributions of collapse ratios of buildings. The peak collapse ratio of buildings away from the earthquake fault also coincides well with the peak ground acceleration. The spatial interference process is analyzed by using the snap shots of seismic wave propagation. The peak ground acceleration is probably caused by the interferences due to the second surfare wave transmitting from the bedrock to sedimentary basin and the upward body wave. Analyses of the interference process show that seismic velocity structure and geologic structure strongly influence the distribution of the maximum amplitude of acceleration waveforms. Interferences occurring near the basin boundary are probably the cause of the peak collapse ratio of buildings away from the fault. Therefore it is necessary to analyze wave propagations and interference process using numerical simulation strategy for studies on the seismic disasters.     

Mechanical and thermal properties of AA7075/TiO2/Fly ash hybrid composites obtained by hot forging

In the present paper, multiple reinforcements TiO2 and fly ash were utilized for the fabrication of AA7075 matrix based hybrid composites using stir casting technique followed by hot forging. In hybrid composites, the fly ash content was fixed to 3 wt% while that of TiO2 was varied from 2.5 to 10 wt%. Scanning electron microscopy images revealed homogenous dispersion of both the reinforcements in AA7075 matrix.Compression test was conducted to study the mechanical behaviour of hybrid composites. The hybrid composites showed increase in compressive strength with the incorporation of multiple reinforcements and further increased with the increase in the weight fractions of TiO2 particles. The coefficient of thermal expansion was measured between 50 and 250 ℃ with a high precision thermal mechanical analyser. The thermal coefficient of hybrid composites decreased with the addition of TiO2 and fly ash. However a slight decrease in thermal conductivity of hybrid composites was observed when compared to that of AA7075 alloy.     

The mechanical response of multi tower continuous span suspension bridge deck pavement based on whole bridge analysis

The effect of multiple span suspension structure on the mechanical response of bridge deck pavement was studied, and finite element analysis (FEM) of stress and strain of pavement according to the bridge floor system features of super-long and high flexibility was made. Meanwhile, the FEM results were compared with those of the single span suspension structure. Three-stage analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is developed to analyze the mechanical response including whole bridge analysis, partial beams section analysis and orthotropic plate analysis. The most unfavorable load position was determined by the numerical solutions acquired from each stage to study the main mechanical index of multiple span suspension structure. The FEM results showed that the mechanical response numerical solutions by using the three-stage AHP are greater than those by simplified boundary condition, and the force condition of multiple span suspension structure is worse than that of the single span suspension structure.     

The effect of water content in crude oil on the tribological behavior of screw pump’s stator rubber

It is worthy of studying the effect of water content in crude oil on tribological behavior of stator rubber, because the different water content would affect the swelling and wear of rubber. Compatibility of dewatered crude oil and water was observed after mixture of dewatered crude oil and water （called oilwater mixture） was mechanical stirred and statically placed. Static etching experiment of samples in oil-water mixture was performed using hanging patch test. Wetting contact angle of oil- water mixture on rubber surface was measured by contact angle meter. Tribological behavior of samples in mixture was measured using a ringonblock tester. The result shows that when the water content is less than 15 %, water can blend with dewatered crude oil, and oil-water separation happens when water content was more than 15 %. With the increasing of water content in crude oil, Wettability of mixture and swelling increment of samples decrease. The wear loss of sample increases after treated by swelling experiment, and FKM owns better wear resistance than NBR.     

Effect of wing planform on leading-edge vortex structures

Flow visualization experiments are conducted in water tunnel for low aspect ratio cropped wings at low Reynolds number. The experimental results show that the model sweep angle Λ influences the formation and development of the leading-edge vortex. For wings with Λ =0°, the dominant flow structure is transverse vortex. When Λ≥26°, the dual vortex structure can be observed at some angles of attack, and it is confirmed that the dual vortex is a special structure for flow over low aspect ratio wing at low Reyno...     

Influence of Te doping on the dielectric and optical properties of InBi crystals grown by directional freezing

Stoichiometric pure and tellurium (Te) doped indium bismuthide (InBi) were grown using the directional freezing technique in a fabricated furnace. The X-ray diffraction profiles identified the crystallinity and phase composition. The surface topographical features were observed by scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy. The energy dispersive analysis by X-rays was performed to identify the atomic proportion of elements. Studies on the temperature dependence of dielectric constant (?), loss tangent (tanδ), and AC conductivity (σ_ac) reveal the existence of a ferroelectric phase transition in the doped material at 403 K. When InBi is doped with tellurium (4.04 at%), a band gap of 0.20 eV can be achieved, and this is confirmed using Fourier transform infrared studies. The results thus show the conversion of semimetallic InBi to a semiconductor with the optical properties suitable for use in infrared detectors.     

Effects of basicity and MgO content on the viscosity of the SiO2-CaO-MgO-9wt%Al2O3 slag system

The effects of basicity and MgO content on the viscosity of SiO2-CaO-MgO-9wt%Al2O3 slags with basicity from 0.4 to 1.0 and MgO content from 13wt%to 19wt%were investigated using the rotating cylinder method. A correlation between the viscosity and the slag structure was determined by Fourier transform infrared （FTIR） spectroscopy. It is indicated that the complex network structure of the slag melt is depolymerized into simpler network units with increasing basicity or MgO content, resulting in a continuous decrease in viscosity of the slag. The viscosity is strongly dependent on the combined action of basic oxide components in the slag. Under the present experimental conditions, increasing the basicity is found to be more effective than increasing the MgO content in decreasing the viscosity of the slag. At higher temperatures, the increase of basicity or MgO content does not appreciably decrease the viscosity of the slag, as it does at lower tem-peratures. The calculated activation energy of viscous flow is between 154 and 200 kJ＆#183;mol-1, which decreases with an increase in basicity from 0.4 to 1.0 at a fixed MgO content in the range of 13wt%to 19wt%.     

Subsurface macro-inclusions and solidified hook character in aluminum-killed deep-drawing steel slabs

Subsurface macro-inclusions and hooks are detrimental to the surface quality of deep-drawing steel sheets. However, little is known about the relationship between macro-inclusions and hooks. Thus, in this work, two ultralow carbon (ULC) steel slabs and two low carbon (LC) aluminum-killed steel slabs were sampled to study the relationship between hooks and subsurface macro-inclusions, which were detected on the cross-sections of steel samples with an area of 56058 mm2 using an automated scanning electron microscopy/energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy system. Results show that subsurface inclusions larger than 200 μm were almost entrapped by hook structures, whereas the location of other inclusions smaller than 200 μm had no obvious dependence on the location of solidified hooks. Furthermore, the number density (ND) of subsurface inclusions larger than 200 μm decreased from 0.02 to 0 cm-2 in ULC steel as the mean hook depth decreased from 1.57 to 1.01 mm. Similar trends were also observed in LC steel. In addition, the detected inclusions larger than 200 μm were concentrated in the region near the slab center (3/8 width-5/8 width), where hook depths were also larger than those at any other locations. Therefore, minimizing the hook depth is an effective way to reduce inclusion-induced sliver defects in deep-drawing steels.     

Microstructure, crystallography and nucleation mechanism of NANOBAIN steel

The microstructure of bainite ferrite in NANOBAIN steel transformed at different temperatures was investigated by scanning electron microscopy, transmission electron microscopy, electron back-scattered diffraction, and vickers hardness tester in detail. It is found that the average width of bainitic ferrite (BF) plates can be refined to be thinner with the reduction of temperature (473–573 K), and the bainitic ferrite plates can reach up to 20–74 nm at 473 K. Crystallographic analysis reveals that the bainitic ferrite laths are close to the Nishiyama-Wasserman orientation relationship with their parent austenite. Temperature shows a significant effect on the variant selection, and a decrease in temperature generally weakens the variant selection. Thermodynamic analyses indicates that the Lacher, Fowler and Guggenheim (LFG) model is more suitable than the Kaufman, Radcliffe and Cohen (KRC) model dealing with NANOBAIN steel at a low temperature range. The free energy change ΔGγ→BF is about ?1500 J·mol?1 at 473 K, which indicates that nucleation in NANOBAIN steel is the shear mechanism. Finally, the formation of carbon poor regions is thermodynamically possible, and the existence of carbon poor regions can greatly increase the possibility of the shear mechanism.     

Design and evaluation of a Laval-type supersonic atomizer for low-pressure gas atomization of molten metals

A Laval-type supersonic gas atomizer was designed for low-pressure gas atomization of molten metals. The principal design objectives were to produce small-particle uniform powders at lower operating pressures by improving the gas inlet and outlet structures and optimizing structural parameters. A computational fluid flow model was developed to study the flow field characteristics of the designed atomizer. Simulation results show that the maximum gas velocity in the atomization zone can reach 440 m·s?1; this value is independent of the atomization gas pressure P₀ when P₀ > 0.7 MPa. When P₀ = 1.1 MPa, the aspiration pressure at the tip of the delivery tube reaches a minimum, indicating that the atomizer can attain the best atomization efficiency at a relatively low atomization pressure. In addition, atomization experiments with pure tin at P₀ = 1.0 MPa and with 7055Al alloy at P₀ = 0.8 and 0.4 MPa were conducted to evaluate the atomization capability of the designed atomizer. Nearly spherical powders were obtained with the mass median diameters of 28.6, 43.4, and 63.5 μm, respectively. Compared with commonly used atomizers, the designed Laval-type atomizer has a better low-pressure gas atomization capability.     

Recovery of iron from copper slag by deep reduction and magnetic beneficiation

Aiming at recovering iron from high-iron-content copper slag, this article introduced a combination technology of deep reduction and magnetic beneficiation, investigated the iron recovery efficiency and optimized the technical conditions. When coke powder with 86wt% fixed carbon was used as a reductant, iron was successfully extracted from the copper slag. Under the optimized condition of the coke powder content of 14wt%, the calcium-to-silicon mass ratio (Ca/Si) of 0.2, the roasting temperature of 1300℃, the roasting time of 3 h, the grinding time of 20 min, and the magnetic field intensity of 61 kA·m?1, the iron recovery rate of the copper slag can reach 91.82%, and the extracted iron powder has an iron grade of 96.21%. With the characteristics of high iron grade and low impurity content, the extracted iron powder can be used as high-quality raw materials of weathering steel.     

A dynamic programming algorithm for network selection in 3G/WLAN

An essential characteristic of the 4th Generation （4G） wireless networks is integrating various heterogeneous wireless access networks.This paper considers the network selection for both admission and handoff strategy problems in heterogeneous network of 3G/WLAN.A novel dynamic programming algorithm is proposed by taking heterogeneous network characteristics,user mobility and different service types into account.The specificity of our approach is that it puts the situations in a new model and makes decisions in stages of different states.Simulation results validate that the proposed scheme can obtain better new call blocking and handoff dropping probability performance than traditional schemes while ensuring quality-of-services （QoS） for both real-time and data connections.     

Exploration on ecological regulation of the reservoirs

Reservoir regulation process in the Yangtze River basin is mainly divided into two types of flood regulation and initiating benefit regulation. The present reservoir management system and operation mode are mainly for dealing with or coordinating of flood control and benefit initiation as well as benefit distribution among various beneficial functions. From the view point of river ecosystem protection, the current regulation mode has two kinds of problems ： firstly, most of the reservoir regulation plans do not consider ecosystem protection at downstream of dams and needs of environment protection in reservoir areas; secondly, integrated regulation or management of water resources is ignored. It is very necessary to improve reservoir regulation mode, bearing problems faced by regulation of the Three Gorges reservoir and issues related to cascade development and regulation in Tuojiang and Minjiang River basins in mind. In accordance with the concept of scientific development, and the philosophy of ＂ensuring a healthy Yangtze River and promoting the harmony between human and water＂, taking flood control, benefit initiation and eco-system as a whole, this paper put forward the basic consideration to improve reservoir regulation as follows ： on the basis of requirements of ecosystem protection at downstream of dams and needs of environment protection in reservoir areas, we should bring the functions of reservoir such as flood control and benefit initiation into full play, control the negative influence to the ecosystem at downstream of dams and the environment in reservoir areas in an endurable scope, and restore the ecosystem and the environment step by step. This paper put forward the relevant regulation process aiming at the idiographic problems such as protection of ecosystem at downstream of dams and environment in reservoir areas, protection of aquatic wildlife species and fish species, regulation of sediment and protection of wetland.     

Effect of dietary supplementation on improvement of growth and immune function of broilers

The purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the effect of a dietary supplement （Mirigen TM）, a fungal cell wall derivative product, as a new generation alternative to antibiotics, on the growth and the innate and adaptive immune functions in broilers from birth to 45 d of age. Newborn chicken were randomly assigned to one of three groups： G 1 （n=150） controls no supplement fed; G2 （n=150） is fed with dietary supplement at a designed regular dose （0.5 %, weight of additive to food）; G3 （n= 150） is fed with dietary supplement at double doses （1%）. All three groups were housed in the same conditions. Body weight and blood were taken on day 1, 14, 28 and 45. Medications used and costs/treatment were recorded for each group. The whole blood was used to purify heterophils for reactive oxygen species （ROS） generation and E coli killing abilities examination assays, and the serum samples were preserved in freezer for enzyme linked immunosorbent assays （ELISAs） to determine concentration of macrophage inflammatory protein-1β （MIP-1β）, CD4/CD8, interferon-y （IFN-y）, and titers of antibody against Newcastle disease virus （NDV）. Group differences were analyzed using analysis of variance （ANOVA） algorithm （S-Plus）. There was no significant birth weight difference in three groups. After 45 d growth, the dietary supplement treated groups had significantly higher body weight gain （BWG） with lower mortality rate if compared to the untreated control group （P〈0.05）. Their BWG and mortality rate were 2.23 kg and 10 % in GI （control group）, 2.89 kg and 2 % in G2 （experimental group, 0.5 % dose）, and 2.77 kg and 1% in G3 （experimental group, 1% dose）, respectively. Heterophil ROS generation in treated groups were markedly improved through the addition of dietary supplement in both regular and double doses to the diet （P〈 0.05）. The ability of heterophil to kill E coli was also significantly improved in dietary supplement treated groups （P〈0.01）. Comparing to control group, there was significantly higher serum IFN-y concentration in treated groups （P〈0.05） on day 45. The CD4/CD8 was also improved in treated groups （P〈0.05）. Newcastle di-sease is the most prevalent avian disease, and vaccination is an effective method to protect the animals from the virus infection. In our study, it is found G2 and G3 that fed with dietary supplement had higher antibody titers against NDV after vaccination （P〈0.01） and the antibodies lasted longer. Results from this study demonstrated dietary supplement to broilers improved the immune capabilities of immune cells, which are vital to the establishment of immune response against pathogens, thereby, to improve chicken＇ s health and growth and reduce medication cost in chicken farming.