Mechanical trapping of fine particles in a medium of mono‐sized randomly packed spheres

Mechanical trapping (or straining) of fine particles is a key mechanism in many filtration systems. For example, the performance of rapid sand filters depends in part on mechanical trapping of larger fine particles, while relying on adsorptive processes to trap very small fine particles and microbes. The ability to trap these particles is directly related to the construction of the packed bed used for filtration in this system. Thus, the ability to model the effect of the inner structure of the packed bed can lead to more efficient design for improved filtration. Because of its significant efficiency, gravitational sphere packing is employed in this work to simulate a bed of mono‐sized randomly packed spheres. The simulated bed provides a way to visualize the pore network and estimate the pore size distribution associated with the void space between particles. Furthermore, by subsequently introducing fine particles into the bed, we evaluate the mass‐rate of fine particles passing through and possibly saturating the packed bed. Results show that fine particles between 15% and 25% of the coarse particle size can be physically strained within the randomly packed bed. These results differ significantly from the results obtained assuming a periodically spaced bed. The technique therefore provides an efficient yet accurate alternative for understanding how fine particles pass through a coarse particulate medium. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Changing grading of soil: effect on critical states

Examples of situations are presented where the grading of a soil changes during its lifetime either by crushing of particles leading to an increase of fine material or by slow transport of fine particles with seepage leading to a decrease of fine material. Such grading changes influence the basic constitutive properties of the soil, in particular properties such as critical states which are dependent on the available range of densities of packing. Discrete element modelling is used to show the dependence of critical state conditions on grading and the way in which the particle assembly seeks out new critical state conditions as the grading changes.     

细粒含量对冰碛土抗剪强度影响的实验研究

为研究细粒组颗粒在浸水/降雨条件下产生迁移对冰碛土抗剪强度的影响,从西藏林芝市帕隆藏布嘎隆寺沟流域内采取冰碛土样品,进行7种不同细粒（粒径小于2 mm）含量情况下的冰碛土比重和相对密度的测试,开展了不同围压下的大型饱和固结不排水三轴（CU）实验。结果表明：（1）细粒含量对干密度的影响较小,不同细粒含量的冰碛土孔隙比大致相同,细颗粒对孔隙具有改造作用,不同细粒含量会引起孔隙结构的差异,从而导致冰碛土的结构差异,最终导致抗剪强度的不同;（2）细颗粒迁移导致冰碛堤坡脚和内部一定深度细粒含量较高,达到一定的量值时,抗剪强度明显降低,冰碛堤容易发生剪切破坏;（3）细粒含量对抗剪强度参数的变化具有重要影响,从中还可以反映出冰碛土结构控制的变化：粗颗粒控制→粗细颗粒共同控制→细颗粒控制。研究结果对于评价冰碛堤的稳定性具有重要意义。     

悬移质颗粒运动的脉动强度

应用图象处理技术,量测了直径d=0.1～1.5mm的塑料颗粒和d=0.1～0.3mm的玻璃球颗粒在明槽恒定均匀水流中运动的脉动强度.试验发现:(1)靠近床面处,粗颗粒的脉动强度大于细颗粒的脉动强度,在靠近水面处,规律则相反;(2)细颗粒的脉动强度只是相对水深y/h的函数,而粒径较大颗粒的脉动强度和y/h及摩阻流速都有关;(3)重颗粒的脉动强度小于相同粒径的轻质颗粒的脉动强度.     

细颗粒沉积物分布区地下水源热泵抽灌井施工工艺探讨

郑州市广泛分布着第四系松散堆积物,其特点是颗粒细,厚度大,含水介质主要为细颗粒的砂层。由于地下水富水性好,目前郑州市浅层地温能开发利用主要以地下水地源热泵工程为主。传统正循环泥浆钻探工艺施工的地温空调井,普遍存在洗井困难、涌水量和回灌量偏小的问题,在很大程度上限制了地下水地源热泵工程的推广使用。针对这一问题,本次采用泵吸反循环工艺施工地温空调井。施工过程及试验数据对比分析表明,在细颗粒松散沉积物分布区,采用泵吸反循环钻探工艺施工地温空调井,对提高施工进度、增大出水量和回灌量等方面具有显著优势,可以为类似地区地温空调井的施工提供借鉴。     

On leaching lime and calcite from calcined calcareous phosphate with triammonium citrate solution

Silverman solution, 0.5 $\text{M}$ triammonium citrate, was used successfully for leaching the free CaO in the calcined calcareous phosphate and proved to be efficient. The extractant solution was evaporated to dryness and then heated in a muffle furnace at 1000°C and tested to be phosphate free. Separation of solids and fine particles in the leaching solution by a centrifugation technique was necessary for the removal of fine phosphate particles present in the solution.     

Selective separation of very fine particles at a planar air–water interface

Selective fine particle separation is a key unit operation in the mineral and related industries. In flotation, the capture of fine particles by bubbles is inefficient due to their low mass and momentum, which result in low particle–bubble collision efficiency. We demonstrate that it is possible to selectively separate a mixture of very fine hydrophobic graphite and hydrophilic quartz particles by direct contact with an air–water interface without a particle–bubble collision step involved. We demonstrate that it is possible to scale-up the process from a simple batch to a continuous process. Good selective separation of graphite from quartz gangue could be obtained under continuous conditions.     

Particle transport within water-saturated porous media: Effect of pore size on retention kinetics and size selection

The transport and filtration behaviour of fine particles (silt) in columns packed with sand was investigated under saturated conditions by using step-input injections. Three samples of different particle size distributions (coarse medium, fine medium and a mixture of both) were used in order to highlight the influence of the pore size distribution on particle retention and size selection of recovered particles. The main parameters of particle transport and deposition were derived from the adjustment of the experimental breakthrough curves by an analytical model. The higher particle retention occurs in the mixture medium, owing to its large pore size distribution, and the filtration coefficient decreases with increasing flow velocity. Particle size distribution of recovered particles shows a thorough size selection: (i) the first recovered particles are the coarser ones; (ii) the size of the recovered particles increases with increasing flow velocity and enlarger pore distribution of the medium.     

纳米TiO2光催化降解亚甲基蓝

在以钛酸丁酯为钛源,采用溶胶-凝胶法合成制备纳米TiO2催化剂样品的基础上,将其用于在紫外光照射和无光照射条件下进行亚甲基蓝降解的实验研究,并与P-25纳米TiO2进行光催化降解对比研究。对在不同条件下合成制备样品的光催化降解率的差异,通过X射线粉晶衍射、扫描电镜等从物相组成、微观结构等因素上进行了分析和探讨。结果表明,采用溶胶-凝胶法在450℃焙烧2 h所得到的纳米TiO2具有很好的光催化降解亚甲基蓝的能力,当催化剂样品质量浓度为2.5 g/L,亚甲基蓝初始浓度为5.0 mg/L时,室温下光催化反应3 h,其降解率达98%以上,其光催化降解率比P-25纳米TiO2高;光催化降解率与催化剂样品的制备条件、物相组成、颗粒尺寸等因素有关。     

TL dating of malan loess in gansu province

TL dating technique is of great advantage for determining the initial time of storing energy (T₀) in an object to be analyzed. The sample is required to have undergone at least one thermal event, permitting all the residual storage to release. As a result, TL dating technique has found wide application in geochronology of pottery. The determination of T₀ of loess is mainly based on the fact that fine particles of which loess is composed will lose their storage in the process of transportation by wind. In our experiment TL dating technique was adopted to determine the ages of fine quartz grains, and the results were corrected for those of shine-fading experiment. TL dating of Malan loess specimens from Mt. Gaolanshan, Liugouhe near Lanzhou, Mt. Qijiadashan in Jingning and Baichaoyuan in Huining gave the age values of 2.6±0.1, 3.6±0,3. 4.7±0.5 and 10.0±0.6×10⁴ yr, respectively. The values indicate that the Malan loess began depositing in Late Pleisotocene, but the initial time and acumulation rate are different under different morphological conditions from place to place.     

细颗粒组分含量对钙质砂抗剪强度的影响

由于吹填过程的水力分选作用钙质砂土地基颗粒分布不均匀,容易形成分布不均、形态各异的以不同细粒含量的粉细砂层为主的细粒汇集层,引起钙质砂土地基承载力和不均匀沉降问题。开展不同细粒含量的粉细砂三轴固结排水剪切试验,分析细粒含量对钙质砂土力学特性的影响。研究结果表明,（1）当细粒含量增加时相同围压下土样剪胀性逐渐减弱,且峰值偏应力也逐渐减小;（2）各组试样干密度为1.40 g/cm3状态下各含量粉细砂均表现出应变软化特征,当细粒含量为10%时粉细砂土体强度稳定性最差,之后稳定性随细粒含量增加而逐渐增大;（3）钙质细砂由于颗粒咬合作用,具有表观黏聚力,当细粒含量小于40%时,随着细粒含量增加,颗粒之间的咬合作用显著降低,表观黏聚力线性减小。研究成果可为粉细砂层的地基处理及边坡稳定分析提供参考。     

Three-dimensional DEM modeling of the stress–strain behavior for the gap-graded soils subjected to internal erosion

In this work, 3D discrete element method modeling of drained shearing tests with gap-graded soils after internal erosion is carried out based on published experimental results. The erosion in the model is achieved by randomly deleting fine particles, mimicking the salt dissolving process in the experiments. The present model successfully simulates the stress–strain behavior of the physical test by employing the roll resistance and lateral membrane. The case without erosion shows a strain-softening and dilative response, while strain-hardening and contractive response starts to occur as the degree of erosion increases. The dilative to contractive transition is mainly caused by the increase in void ratio due to the loss of fine particles. The change from dilative behavior to contractive behavior is more abrupt for the specimen with larger fine particle percentage because the soil skeleton is mainly controlled by the fine particles instead of by the coarse soil particles. The transition from “fines in sand” to “sand in fines” might be associated with the rapid increasing in the contacts associated with fine particles in the specimen as the percentage of fine content increases. The erosion scenario based on the hydraulic gradient is also modeled by deleting the fine particles based on the ranking of the contact force. Compared with the scenario based on random deletion, the remaining fine particles for the erosion scenario based on the ranking of contact force are more dispersedly distributed, which might benefit the small strain stiffness but result in a smaller strength. This work provides some insights for better understanding the mechanism behind the internal erosion and the associated stress–strain behavior of soil. The gradient of the critical state line increases with more loss of fine particles denoting that the fine particles are helpful for holding the structure of the soils from larger deformation.

     

含细粒砂土反常剪切行为的数值模拟研究

针对含细颗粒砂土的反常剪切行为,开展了双轴剪切试验的数值模拟,从宏细观角度分析了其反常剪切行为发生的内在机制。数值模拟结果表明,增加围压能提高含细颗粒砂土的抗剪切液化能力,该反常行为的根本原因在于围压上升使得粗细颗粒更有效地参与了力链传递,增加了颗粒间的接触,增强了土体的密实度。细颗粒在土骨架中的移动对砂土的液化起着至关重要的作用,而粗颗粒仅起次要作用。研究表明,细颗粒在剪切过程中会持续从有效土骨架中移出成为无效颗粒,而部分粗颗粒也因失去细颗粒的支撑作用会脱离土骨架,直至试样最终液化。细颗粒一般参与土骨架中的弱力链,而粗颗粒则一般参与强力链,导致细颗粒较粗颗粒更容易在土骨架中移动。     

砂性土细颗粒起动临界水力坡降计算方法

地下水渗流作用下内部不稳定砂性土将发生潜蚀现象,潜蚀作用引起的土体渗透破坏会对土工建筑物或地基造成不良影响。考虑土体有效应力和细颗粒应力折减,建立渗流场中细颗粒受力模型,根据极限受力平衡状态得到潜蚀过程中砂性土细颗粒起动临界水力坡降计算公式,并通过DEM-CFD耦合方法以及现有试验数据进行验证。结果表明：砂性土中细颗粒以滚动方式起动,起动临界水力坡降受渗流水流、土体特性以及颗粒自身特性共同影响;砂性土表层细颗粒起动临界水力坡降受埋深影响较大,埋深1 cm的细颗粒最高、最低起动临界水力坡降相差10.169%,埋深10 cm时差异减少至1.061%。该计算方法与数值模拟和渗流试验结果的最大标准误差分别为6.038%、11.211%,可以较为准确地预测砂性土细颗粒起动临界水力坡降。     

颗粒迁移作用下宽级配土渗透性研究

宽级配土作为堆积层滑坡的主要物源,其渗透性研究是开展降雨型堆积层滑坡机制研究的前提和基础。宽级配土的渗透是一个包括水分运移和土体细颗粒迁移的复杂过程,但在研究其渗透性时通常只考虑了水分的运移而忽略了细颗粒的迁移。为此,采用自制大型渗透仪对3组不同D15/d85值(D15为粗粒组中小于该粒径的颗粒质量分数为15%的粒径;d85为细粒组中小于该粒径的颗粒质量分数为85%的粒径)的土样进行了饱和渗流试验,研究了宽级配土的水分运移特征和细颗粒迁移规律。研究结果表明:D15/d85值对宽级配土的渗透系数和细颗粒迁移有重要影响,D15/d85值越小,则土体渗透系数越小,细颗粒不易发生迁移;D15/d85值越大,渗透系数越大,试验过程中渗透系数变化越剧烈,迁出细颗粒的量也更大。根据渗透系数的变化也可判定土体内部细颗粒的运动情况,据此提出了3种宽级配土颗粒迁移模式。该研究成果加深了对宽级配土渗透特性的认识,为完善降雨型堆积层滑坡机制研究提供了新思路。     

高黏性吹填土固结过程中细颗粒迁移规律研究

软土地基在真空预压过程中,受强大的真空吸力作用,产生固结压密。其中一类软土黏粒含量较大,排水固结过程中产生细颗粒迁移现象,令土体固结的同时细颗粒也积聚在排水板四周,形成泥膜,造成后期排水通道堵塞,降低了固结效率。本研究采用室内试验模拟吹填土排水固结过程,监测颗粒分布情况,探讨细颗粒迁移规律,从颗粒空间分布特征解释高黏性吹填土固结机理。研究证实,固结条件影响细颗粒迁移现象:自重沉淤固结期间,细颗粒迁移受边界条件及渗流路径影响; 加压固结期间,细颗粒迁移受附加荷载产生的垂直压力影响,随着土体含水量的减少,黏粒迁移趋势逐渐减弱,黏粒不再表现出明显的迁移趋势,土体中细颗粒分布从竖向条带状逐步转变为水平向条带状。同时,高黏性吹填土固结过程中,将土样未加分散剂测试得到的粉粒含量称为似粉粒,随着吹填土排水固结过程的持续,吹填土似粉黏比不断地增加。固结时间越长,似粉黏比随深度增加而减小的特征越明显; 与排水管水平距离较远的土体似粉黏比有所增大。似粉黏比作为吹填土固结过程的指标,与土体强度大小成正比,可间接反应强度变化规律,为确定流塑状态及软塑状态的高黏性吹填土固结程度提供了定性指标,直观地反映出土体固结程度。研究表明,随着固结排水过程的持续,排水速度减慢,吹填土粉黏比不断增加,固结程度迅速增加。     

Sedimentological parameters for a continuous climatic evolution throughout the Weichselian

Evolution of the width-to-depth ratios through time is subjected to a power function. It is the direct result of an increase in the amount of fine particles in the suspended load fraction. The evolution from coarse to fine sediments accompanies a change from fluviatile to eolian sedimentation. This evolution occurs gradually, as may be inferred from the Douglas diagram of the grain-size distributions. This gradual evolution is subjected to exponential laws in both fluviatile and eolian sedimentation systems. In conclusion, all the evolutional trends considered encompass the growing cold and dry conditions of the climate throughout the Late Pleistocene (Eemian and Weichselian).     

El Chichón volcano, April 4, 1982: volcanic cloud history and fine ash fallout

This retrospective study focuses on the fine silicate particles (<62 µm in diameter) produced in a large eruption that was otherwise well studied. Fine particles represent a potential hazard to aircraft, because as simple particles they have very low terminal velocities and could potentially stay aloft for weeks. New data were collected to describe the fine particle size distributions of distal fallout samples collected soon after eruption. Although, about half of the mass of silicate particles produced in this eruption of ~1 km³ dense rock equivalent magma were finer than 62 µm in diameter, and although these particles were in a stratospheric cloud after eruption, almost all of these fine particles fell to the ground near (<300 km) the volcano in a day or two. Particles falling out from 70 to 300 km from the volcano are mostly <62 µm in diameter. The most plausible explanation for rapid fallout is that the fine ash nucleates ice in the convective cloud and initiates a process of meteorological precipitation that efficiently removes fine silicates. These observations are similar to other eruptions and we conclude that ice formation in convective volcanic clouds is part of an effective fine ash removal process that affects all or most volcanic clouds. The existence of pyroclastic flows and surges in the El Chichón eruption increased the overall proportion of fine silicates, probably by milling larger glassy pyroclasts.     

Fine gold particles and gold dust in alluvial autochthonous placers in southern West Siberia

This paper deals with the behavior of fine gold particles (0.25–0.1 mm) and gold dust (<0.1 mm) during the formation of alluvial placers in denudation areas in southern West Siberia. Native gold particles with a low settling velocity, <5–10 cm/s, such as dust (<0.1 mm) and fine flat particles, are transported with a river stream beyond denudation areas. This easily migrating gold participates in the formation of lithochemical flows, which are an important indicator of gold mineralization. It occurs in the upper beds of alluvial section. Heavier fine gold particles are partly retained at the site of river activity, and the rest are partly redeposited in cooler parts of placers, being graded according to their settling velocity, as evidenced from the direct relationship between the flatness and size of gold particles. Fine gold particles do not form large accumulations in alluvial autochthonous placers. The main typomorphic features of fine gold particles and gold dust are their abundance in ore sources, compositional similarity to larger gold fractions, and high migration ability. In contrast to morphological features of gold, these ones remain stable during the river drift.     

Analysis of mechanical behaviour and internal stability of granular materials using discrete element method

Granular materials like sand are widely used in civil engineering. They are composed of different sizes of grains, which generate a complex behaviour, difficult to assess experimentally. Internal instability of a granular material is its inability to prevent the loss of its fine particles under flow effect. It is geometrically possible if the fine particles can migrate through the pores of the coarse soil matrix and results in a change in its mechanical properties. This paper uses the three‐dimensional Particle Flow Code (PFC3D/DEM) to study the stability/instability of granular materials and their mechanical behaviour after suffusion. Stability properties of widely graded materials are analysed by simulating the transport of smaller particles through the constrictions formed by the coarse particles under the effect of a downward flow with uniform pressure gradient. A sample made by an initially stable material according to the Kenney & Lau geometrical criterion was divided into five equal layers. The classification of these layers by this criterion before and after the test shows that even stable granular materials can lose fine particles and present local instability. The failure criterion of eroded samples, in which erosion is simulated by progressive removal of fine particles, evolves in an unexpected way. Internal friction angle increases with the initial porosity, the rate of lost fine particles and the average diameter D₅₀. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.