Machine learning for pore-water pressure time-series prediction: Application of recurrent neural networks

Knowledge of pore-water pressure(PWP)variation is fundamental for slope stability.A precise prediction of PWP is difficult due to complex physical mechanisms and in situ natural variability.To explore the applicability and advantages of recurrent neural networks(RNNs)on PWP prediction,three variants of RNNs,i.e.,standard RNN,long short-term memory(LSTM)and gated recurrent unit(GRU)are adopted and compared with a traditional static artificial neural network(ANN),i.e.,multi-layer perceptron(MLP).Measurements of rainfall and PWP of representative piezometers from a fully instrumented natural slope in Hong Kong are used to establish the prediction models.The coefficient of determination(R^2)and root mean square error(RMSE)are used for model evaluations.The influence of input time series length on the model performance is investigated.The results reveal that MLP can provide acceptable performance but is not robust.The uncertainty bounds of RMSE of the MLP model range from 0.24 kPa to 1.12 k Pa for the selected two piezometers.The standard RNN can perform better but the robustness is slightly affected when there are significant time lags between PWP changes and rainfall.The GRU and LSTM models can provide more precise and robust predictions than the standard RNN.The effects of the hidden layer structure and the dropout technique are investigated.The single-layer GRU is accurate enough for PWP prediction,whereas a double-layer GRU brings extra time cost with little accuracy improvement.The dropout technique is essential to overfitting prevention and improvement of accuracy.     

浅析如何在溶剂萃取机理研究中正确使用斜率法

斜率法是萃取机理研究最为常用的方法之一。尽管其理论基础和使用方法非常简单,但该方法却常常被误用,导致其非但不能有效的确定萃取机理,反而产生了误导性结论。本文以t-BAMBP萃取碱金属离子(K~+、Rb~+、Cs~+)体系为例讨论了常见的错误用法以及造成这类情况的根源问题,之后对其他萃取体系中类似错误用法进行了简要评述,表明斜率法的错误使用主要源于对萃取反应方程式的错误假定及对工作方程推导过程中引入的近似处理理解不当。最后总结了在萃取机理研究中正确使用斜率法的几点注意事项。     

Coupled analysis for response and instability of sloping seabed under wave action

Wave-induced instability of seabed may cause damage to coastal and offshore structures. This issue has been investigated mostly for mildly sloping ($<5^{°}$) seabed considering uncoupled or one-way coupled response of wave and seabed interaction. However, some of the marine structures are founded on seabed with steeper slopes. In this study, the wave-induced response and instability of sloping seabed are evaluated using a coupled finite element model. The interaction between fluid and porous seabed accounting for the effect of fluid motion on the seabed response, and conversely the effect of seabed response on the fluid motion (but not on the surface wave profile) is considered. The results indicate that the system response (fluid pressure, stresses, etc.) and the extent of instantaneously liquefied zone within the sloping seabed with significant steepness are lesser than those for horizontal seabed. Moreover, for typical sediment and wave characteristics, for the flat seabed, the response obtained from fully coupled analysis is not significantly different from those obtained by uncoupled analysis. For the sloping bed, such difference is slightly greater as compared to that for the flat bed.     

Flexural performances of prestressed high strength concrete piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP and steel bars

Abstract

This study developed prestressed high-strength concrete (PHC) piles reinforced with high-strength materials (glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) bars) for flexural performance enhancement. Flexural strengths and behaviors of PHC piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP and steel bars were experimentally investigated, respectively. Large-scale specimens with total lengths of 12,000?mm and diameters of 600?mm were constructed and tested under bending, accompanied by evaluation of effects of non-prestressed reinforcement type and longitudinal reinforcement ratio. J-factors were calculated to evaluate deformability of all the specimens. PHC piles reinforced with GFRP bars were demonstrated to have much higher flexural capacity than those reinforced with steel bars. Moreover, strains at the midspans of cross sections of all the specimens basically conformed to the assumption of plane section. Failure of PHC piles reinforced with GFRP bars was attributable to gradual concrete crushing, while that of PHC piles reinforced with steel bars resulted from steel yielding. Results of this study were expected to provide theoretical basis for wide engineering applications of PHC piles reinforced with hybrid GFRP bars and steel bars in marine structures.     

Countermeasures for breakwater foundation subjected to foreshocks and main shock of earthquake loading

Coastal protective structures, such as composite breakwaters, are generally vulnerable to earthquake. It was observed that breakwaters damage mainly due to failure of their foundations. However, the seismically induced failure process of breakwater foundation has not been well understood. This study describes failure mechanism of breakwater foundation as well as a newly developed reinforcing model for breakwater foundation that can render resiliency to breakwater against earthquake-related disasters. Steel sheet piles and gabions were used as reinforcing materials for foundation. The experimental program consisted of a series of shaking table tests for conventional and reinforced foundation of breakwater. Numerical analyses were conducted using finite difference method, and it was observed that the numerical models were capable to elucidate the seismic behavior of soil–reinforcement–breakwater system. This paper presents an overview of the results of experimental and numerical studies of the seismic response of breakwater foundation. Overall, the results of these studies show the effectiveness of the reinforced foundation in mitigating the earthquake-induced damage to the breakwater. Moreover, numerical simulation was used for parametric study to determine the effect of different embedment depths of sheet piles on the performance of breakwater foundation subjected to seismic loading.     

Seismically induced slope instabilities and the corresponding treatments: the case of a road in the Wenchuan earthquake hit region

On May 12, 2008, a magnitude 8.0 earthquake hit Wenchuan County, Sichuan Province resulted in great loss of life and properties. Besides, abundant landslides and slope failures were triggered in the most seriously hit areas and caused disastrous damages to infrastructures and public facilities. Moreover, abundant unstable slopes caused by the quake have the potential to cause damages for a considerable long period of time. The variety of these slopes and the corresponding treatments are connected with the topographical and geological conditions of the sites. It is decided to document and identify some of these major slope instabilities caused by the earthquake and their treatments. The paper shows the condition of a road in Dujiangyan through in situ explorations. The case history showed significant implications to the reconstruction of the quake-hit regions and future disaster prevention and management works.     

灌注桩钢筋笼的充电电场特征研究

充电法是用于良导电矿体勘探的传统方法.利用良导椭球体的充电电场特征,结合模型桩试验,分析了灌注桩中钢筋笼周围的充电电场特征.结果表明在钢筋笼底边缘附近,电位曲线急剧下降,出现明显拐点,梯度曲线相应出现极小值.研究成果为检测灌注桩钢筋笼长度提供了理论依据.     

Seismic stability analysis of piled embankments: A multiphase approach

The seismic stability analysis of an embankment lying over a soft foundation soil reinforced by a group of vertical piles is performed within the framework of the upper bound kinematic approach of yield design. The analysis is based on a previously developed ‘multiphase’ model of the reinforced ground, which explicitly accounts for the shear and bending resistances of the piles. Making use of appropriate failure mechanisms involving shear zones across which the reinforcements are continuously deforming, along with ‘plastic hinge’ surfaces, upper bound estimates to the critical seismic coefficient of the structure are derived. The results, which are confirmed by the simulations obtained from a finite element elastoplastic code, give clear evidence of the key role played by the bending strength capacities of the piles in ensuring the stability of the pile reinforced embankment. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

粉煤灰碎石混凝土灌注桩法加固软弱地基效果的分析与检验

对由深厚软弱土层组成的地基,采用粉煤灰碎石混凝土灌注桩法予以加固处理时,其施工机具相对简单,工期短,节约“三材”,投资省,具有显著的经济效益。由粉煤灰碎石混凝土灌注桩和深厚软弱土层共同构成的复合地基的工程特性,介于一般碎石桩复合地基与混凝土桩桩基之间,其基本特征是:承载力的提高,主要是置于深厚软弱土层中的粉煤灰碎石混凝土灌注桩的排水和垂直加筋作用的结果;其承载机理,部分具有一般碎石桩复合地基的特征;在结构物荷载作用下,其桩、土荷载分担特征,比较接近于普通混凝土桩桩基。