Influence of Scour Protection on the Vertical Bearing Behaviour of Monopiles in Sand

Extensive studies have been performed on the effectiveness of scour protection against scour erosion progression. But there is little research to date evaluating the effect of scour protection on vertical resistance behaviour of monopile foundations. This paper investigates the influence of scour protection on the vertical loading behaviour of...

Scour Effect on the Lateral Bearing Behaviour of Monopiles Considering Different Slenderness Ratios

Scour leads to the loss of soil around monopile foundations for offshore wind turbines, which affects their structural safety. In this paper, the effect of scour on the lateral behaviour of monopiles was extensively investigated using finite element analysis, and calibration and comparison were undertaken using centrifuge tests. Piles with three...

Refined nonlinear fractional derivative model of vehicle-track coupling dynamics

The coupled vehicle-track system (CVTS) dynamics have been extensively investigated for decades. However, the calculation accuracy of prevailing vehicle-track coupling models needs to be improved in the high frequency range due to the inappropriate model simplification and neglect of material nonlinearity. In this study, we propose a refined...

A stabilized mixed-FE scheme for frictional contact and shear failure analyses in deformable fractured media

Simulation of fracture contact mechanics in deformable fractured media is of paramount important in computational mechanics. Previous studies have revealed that compressive loading may produce mode II fractures, which is quite different from mode I fractures induced by tensile loading. Furthermore, fractures can cross each other. This will...

Rational hyperelastic modelling of elastic poured compound for the failure analysis of embedded rail system

The continuous homogeneous rail constraint of embedded rail system (ERS) is realized by the encapsulation of rails with the elastic poured compound (EPC) which is a composite material. Previous treatment of EPC as linear elastic material was insufficient in the failure analysis of ERS. In this work, a hyperelastic model is developed to...

Numerical simulation on reflective cracking behavior of asphalt pavement

Cracks are one of the main problems that plague road workers. A correct understanding of the internal crack propagation mechanism of asphalt pavement will help road workers evaluate the road’s working status more comprehensively and make more reasonable decisions in design, construction, and maintenance work. This paper established a three...

Numerical investigation of the behavior of stone ballast mixed by steel slag in ballasted railway track

Recently, implementing steel slag ballast has been proposed as an appropriate material to substitute stone ballast. In this regard, one of the technical concerns is the behavior of steel slag ballast in both time and frequency domains that needs to be assessed, properly. Furthermore, the combination of stone ballast and steel slag is...

Measurement, Assessment, Analysis and Improvement of Transition Zones in Railway Track

Transition zones in railway tracks are locations with considerable changes in the vertical stiffness of the track support, which can be found near bridges, culverts and tunnels. In such locations, the stiffness variation and the differential settlement of tracks (uneven settlement of the track on the embankment and of the engineering structure)...

Numerical investigation of rubber swelling in bitumen

Crumb rubber modified bitumen (CRMB) has been utilized in the asphalt paving industry for decades due to its various benefits. The main mechanisms of bitumen-crumb rubber interaction include rubber particle swelling and chemical degradation. Crumb rubber modifier (CRM) swelling plays a dominant role in controlling the property development of...

Corrective countermeasure for track transition zones in railways: Adjustable fastener

Transition zones in railway tracks are the locations with considerable variation in the vertical stiffness of supporting structures. Typically, they are located near engineering structures, such as bridges, culverts, tunnels and level crossings. In such locations, the variation of the vertical stiffness and the differential track settlement...

Analysis of the evolvement of contact wire wear irregularity in railway catenary based on historical data

This paper studies the evolvement of the wear irregularity of contact wire using wire thickness data measured yearly from a section of railway catenary. The power spectral density and time–frequency representation based on the wavelet transform are employed for data analysis, with an emphasis on local wear irregularities that are crucial for...

Analysis of Bridge Transition Zones in Railways Considering the Moisture Condition of the Ballast and Subballast

Transition zones in railway tracks are the locations with considerable changes in vertical support structures, e.g., near bridges. Due to possible water flow constrictions in transition zone structures, there is frequently an increased moisture level in the ballast/subballast layers, which is a potential source of track degradation. This paper...

Integrated Stiffness Analysis of Redundant Parallel Manipulator Based on Finite Element Method

An integrated stiffness model is established for a Planar Parallel Manipulator (PPM) with actuation redundancy based on Finite Element Method (FEM), and the static stiffness, dynamitic stiffness and moving stiffness of the PPM are analyzed according to the integrated stiffness model. Firstly, a dynamic model of flexible plane beam element is...