Minimising ground movements around deep excavations in soft soils

This research concerns the influence of a range of construction methods, acting at or below excavation formation level, on ground movements of the retained surface attributed to a 12m deep excavation in very soft to soft soil. Movements around excavations arise as a consequence of the removal of soil and lateral wall deformations. The work examined the behaviour of excavations that were supported by a high stiffness embedded retaining wall whilst modelling a variety of construction techniques. Four distinct construction methods were modelled which could be regarded as surcharging the formation level or stiffening the ground below excavation formation level. The specific techniques that were explored include underwater excavations, bermed excavations, deep soil mixing and double walled excavations. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of these construction measures on reducing the magnitude and extent of displacements occurring behind the retaining wall. Experimental data were obtained from twenty-two plane strain centrifuge model tests undertaken at 160g. The geometry of the model comprised a pre-formed excavation where the retaining wall was laterally supported by a continuous prop acting over the majority of the height of the wall and the excavation formation level was surcharged by a pressurised rubber bag. Pressure in the bag at formation level was reduced at a constant rate to simulate the stress change caused by the excavation process. Vertical movements at the retained ground surface were measured using displacement transducers whilst subsurface deformations elsewhere in the model were determined from the analysis of digital images captured by cameras viewing the front of the model through a Perspex window. The magnitude and extent of movements were quantified and the general patterns of ground deformation were identified for the construction methods implemented. A series of reference tests were conducted to provide a baseline against which modified excavation tests were compared. The stiff wall and continuous prop supporting the retaining wall ensured that the reference tests quantified the magnitude of displacements at the retained surface arising simply as a result of heave at the formation level. The main test series investigated a range of construction methods that aimed to surcharge or stiffen the formation level. Additional tests were also undertaken to evaluate the influence of wall embedment on the performance of the excavation system. Direct comparisons were also drawn between tests in an attempt to establish the significance of wall crest fixity on soil movements. The use of all of the special construction techniques investigated were shown to reduce the magnitude of vertical displacement behind the retaining wall and at the formation level; in addition to reducing horizontal displacements at the toe of the wall. Increasing the retaining wall embedment depth in the main test series generally reduced the magnitude of vertical settlement by a factor of two, however the effect was less pronounced in the reference tests. Improving the fixity of the crest of the wall delayed excavation collapse and, where additional support mechanisms were not employed, pinning the crest of the wall was shown to reduce maximum settlement in the reference test by a factor of three. Of the four supporting construction methods the underwater excavation was found to be the most effective owing to the reduced change in vertical stress during the simulated excavation. Various deep soil mixing geometries were modelled and similar excavation behaviour was observed, however deep soil mixing ground treatment extending to the toe of the retaining wall and across 2/3 of the excavation demonstrated a slight reduction in settlement. Similar behaviour was observed for double walled excavations. Combining underwater excavations with a double wall was shown to further reduce maximum settlements however little additional benefit was observed when performing an underwater excavation with a deep soil mixed soil layer at excavation formation level

Federation of Piling Specialists’ casing extraction review

During construction of rotary bored piles it is necessary to install a temporary casing to prevent the collapse of material into the open bore and provide edge protection. T he preferred method of removal for some contractors is by means of the handling crane. The Federation of Piling Specialists (2010) released guidance to predict the load developed in the removal of casings. This paper investigated whether the recommended constants applied to the overburden and clay terms were reasonable for various casing diameter s , embedment and depth of overburden. A series of five ce ntrifuge tests were conducted where loads were recorded as casings were extracted. Results showed that the FPS method over predicted the pull - out force and indicated that the adhesion factor, α , and angle of dilation between the casing and soil, tan δ , are not constant. This paper proposes a new method of predicting extraction forces which was found to predict forces to within ±10% of those measured in centrifuge tests

Influence of geometry on the bearing capacity of sheet piled foundations

Bored concrete piles are commonly used to support moderate loads from buildings in urban areas. At the end of their 25-30 year lifespan these structures are decommissioned but their foundations are left in place. These cannot be inspected hence the bearing capacity cannot be accurately verified. A hybrid foun- dation comprising sheet piles and a pilecap to mobilise shaft friction and end bearing was demonstrated to be a feasible and sustainable alternative to cast in-situ concrete piles. This research investigated the influence of sheet pile geometry on ultimate bearing capacity. A centrifuge test at 50 g was performed in over- consolidated clay where a square hybrid sheet pile group was ax ially loaded and vertical settlements recorded. Results indicated a square sheet pile group offers 70% greater capacity than a circular sheet pile group of similar surface area and 24% improved performance over the solid p ile loaded in the same test. Analysis of results suggested that the ultimate bearing capacity of the square sheet pile group compared with a solid pile of equivalent base area were within 0.2%, emphasising the importance of shape on capacity and the feasibility of the hybrid system as a viable foundation solution

Bearing Capacity of Sheet Piled Foundations

Bored concrete piles have been used widely on commercial developments in London for about the last 50 years. The life of a commercial building is between 25 – 30 years and, as each building is demolished and rebuilt, the piles from the previous buildings remain in the ground causing obstructions to the new foundations. This paper describes a preliminary study to explore the viability of sheet piled foundations as a genuine alternative to cast in situ concrete piles and all of the complications inherent in their construction and the obstruction they create to subsequent foundations. If it is possible to use steel piles as foundations they can be easily removed, recycled and will not cause obstructions for future developments. However, individual sheet piles have relatively low capacity when axially loaded and it is therefore necessary to consider a sheet pile group in conjunction with a pilecap, which can be considered a hybrid foundation; a combination of shallow (pilecap) and deep (sheet pile). A short series of centrifuge tests is reported in which model sheet pile groups in over-consolidated clay were loaded axially whilst vertical displacements were measured. Equivalent cast in place piles were similarly tested alongside the sheet pile groups by way of comparison

Feature Based Multi View Image Registration by Detecting the Feature with Fuzzy Logic for Corner Detection

This paper aim to Present accurate feature base registration by detecting the feature with Fuzzy logic for corner detection. Image registration is process used to match two or more partially overlapping image taken for example at different times ,from different sensors, or from different viewpoints and stitch these image into one panoramic image comprising whole scene. It is a fundamental image processing technique very useful in integrating information from different sensors, finding changes in image taken at different time, inferring three-dimensional information from stereo images and recognizing model-based objects. The paper presents a corner detection algorithm for feature detection which employs such fuzzy reasoning. The robustness of the proposed algorithm is compared to well-known conventional Harris corner detectors and its performance is also tested over a noise image. DOI: 10.17762/ijritcc2321-8169.150616

Varunamula Twak Kwatha in Mootrashmari as ideal Ashmarighna - A Case Study

Urinary disorders have a specific identity both in modern and Ayurvedic system of medicine. The improper purificatory procedure results in residual accumulation of Kapha and Pitta Prakopa in Mootravaha Srotas. Hence all the Doshas collectively result in formation of Ashmari. The information regarding Ashmari is available in almost all Samhitas. The disease is prevalent irrespective of their socio-economic and cultural background. The process of stone formation is called Urolithiasis. Most calculi arise in kidney when urine becomes supersaturated with a salt that is capable of forming solid crystals. There are different treatment lines for the management of Ashmari in modern system. Management of urinary disease occupies an important place in Ayurveda. Varunamula Twak Kwatha administerd in Paneeya form, which is having Vedana Shamaka, Ashmrighna properties which leads to disintegration, dissolution, dislodgement and expulsion of stone. A 36 yrs young male presenting with history of symptoms of Mootrashmari like Teevravedana over Nabhi, Vasti, Sevani and Medra during micturition, aggravation of pain during running, jumping, walking long distance etc. since 3 days has presented here

Centrifuge modelling to determine the influence of pile stiffness on pile capacity

The stiffness of piles relates to their ability to resist deformation in response to an applied force. The modulus of elasticity of an uncracked concrete piles typically varies between 30-40kN/m2. Under axial loading these high stiffness piles transfer the load through the pile to the base. This results in low mobilisation of shaft friction as the stiff pile displaces uniformly and therefore the magnitude of skin friction along the entire length of the pile is small. In addition, base resistance of deep piles is mobilised at very high loads which may exceed the working load of the pile shaft. The adhesion factor, α, for bored piles in London Clay can range between 0.45 and 0.6 suggesting that a significant proportion of the soil strength cannot be mobilised. This low mobilisation of shaft resistance means that the ultimate bearing capacity is much reduced. The research investigated the behaviour of a low stiffness pile under axial load and compared this with a conventional high stiffness pile. The results demonstrated that the low stiffness pile exhibited marginally greater capacity at working load and a noticeably improved capacity at ultimate load

Optimization of cogging torque in interior permanent magnet synchronous motor using optimum magnet v-angle

Introduction. At present, the most important requirement in the field of electrical engineering is the better utilization of electrical power, due to its increasing demand and not-so-increasing availability. A permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is increasingly gaining popularity in various household and industrial applications because of its superior performance compared to conventional electrical motors. Purpose. PMSM is designed based on the selection of various design variables and optimized to fulfill the same. Being superiorly advantageous over other motors, PMSM has the major disadvantage of higher cogging torque. Higher cogging torque generates torque ripple in the PMSM motor leading to various problems like vibration, rotor stress, and noisy operation during starting and steady state. The designer should aim to reduce the cogging torque at the design stage itself for overall better performance. Methods. An interior rotor v-shaped web-type PMSM is designed and its performance analysis is carried out using finite element analysis (FEA). Magnet v-angle is optimized with the objective of cogging torque reduction. Performance comparison is carried out between the optimized motor and the initially designed motor with FEA. Novelty. Magnet v-angle analysis is performed on the same keeping all other parameters constant, to obtain minimum cogging torque. The proposed method is practically viable as it does not incur extra costs and manufacturing complexity. Practical value. It is observed that the magnet v-angle is an effective technique in the reduction of cogging torque. Cogging torque is reduced from 0.554 N×m to 0.452 N×m with the application of the magnet v-angle optimization technique.Вступ. В даний час найважливішою вимогою в галузі електротехніки є найкраще використання електроенергії через зростаючу потребу в ній і не настільки зростаючу доступність. Синхронний двигун з постійними магнітами (СДПМ) набуває все більшої популярності в різних побутових та промислових застосуваннях завдяки своїм чудовим характеристикам у порівнянні зі звичайними електродвигунами. Мета. СДПМ, спроєктований на основі вибору різних конструктивних змінних та оптимізований для їх виконання. Будучи чудовим у порівнянні з іншими двигунами, СДПМ має головний недолік: вищий крутний момент. Вищий крутний момент викликає пульсації крутного моменту в двигуні з постійними магнітами, що призводить до різних проблем, таких як вібрація, напруга ротора і шумна робота під час запуску і режиму. Проєктувальник повинен прагнути зменшити крутний момент зубчастого колеса на стадії проєктування для підвищення загальної продуктивності. Методи. Розроблено СДПМ з внутрішнім ротором v-подібної форми та стрижневого типу, та аналіз його характеристик виконаний з використанням аналізу методом скінченних елементів (FEA). Кут v-подібного магніту оптимізовано з метою зниження зубчастого моменту. Порівняння продуктивності здійснюється між оптимізованим двигуном та двигуном, спочатку спроєктованим за допомогою FEA. Новизна. Аналіз кута v-подібного магніту виконується таким же чином, зберігаючи решту всіх параметрів постійними, щоб отримати мінімальний зубчастий крутний момент. Запропонований спосіб практично життєздатний, оскільки не вимагає додаткових витрат та складності виготовлення. Практична цінність. Помічено, що v-подібний кут магніту є ефективним способом зниження зубчастого моменту. Зубчастий крутний момент зменшений з 0,554 Н×м до 0,452 Н×м за рахунок застосування методу оптимізації v-подібного кута магніту

Non-monotonic size dependence of the elastic modulus of nanocrystalline ZnO embedded in a nanocrystalline silver matrix

We present the first high pressure Raman study on nanocrystalline ZnO films with different average crystallite sizes. The problem of low Raman signals from nano sized particles was overcome by forming a nanocomposite of Ag and ZnO nanoparticles. The presence of the nanodispersed Ag particles leads to a substantial surface enhancement of the Raman signal from ZnO. We find that the elastic modulus of nanocrystalline ZnO shows a non-monotonic dependence on the crystallite size. We suggest that the non-monotonicity arises from an interplay between the elastic properties of the individual grains and the intergranular region.Comment: 10 pages, 6 figure

Following basal stem rot in young oil palm plantings

The PCR primer GanET has previously been shown to be suitable for the specific amplification of DNA from Ganoderma boninense. A DNA extraction and PCR method has been developed that allows for the amplification of the G. boninense DNA from environmental samples of oil palm tissue. The GanET primer reaction was used in conjunction with a palm-sampling programme to investigate the possible infection of young palms through cut frond base surfaces. Ganoderma DNA was detected in frond base material at a greater frequency than would be expected by comparison with current infection levels. Comparisons are made between the height of the frond base infected, the number of frond bases infected, and subsequent development of basal stem rot. The preliminary results suggest that the development of basal stem rot may be more likely to occur when young lower frond bases are infected