Quasi-rectangular shield tunneling is a cutting-edge trenchless method for constructing metro tunnels with double tubes, owing to its advantages in saving underground space and reducing ground disturbance. However, the conventional quasi-rectangular shield tunneling method is not applicable when constructing a tunnel without a center pillar, such as a scissor crossover section of a metro line. Therefore, the 0−θ tunneling method, which combines the quasi-rectangular shield and pipe jacking methods, was investigated in this study to solve the aforementioned construction challenges. This study presents a case study of the Sijiqing Station of the Hangzhou Metro Line 9 in China, in which the 0−θ method was first proposed and applied. Key techniques such as switching between two types of tunneling modes and the tunneling process control in complex construction environments were investigated. The results demonstrated that the 0−θ method can address the technical challenges presented by the post-transition line with a high curvature and a scissors crossover line. In addition, the adoption of the 0−θ method ensured that the transformation between shield tunneling and pipe jacking was safe and efficient. The ground settlement monitoring results demonstrated that the disturbance to the surrounding environment can be limited to a safe level. This case study contributes to the construction technology for a metro tunnel containing both post-transition lines with a small turning radius and a scissors crossover line. A practical construction experience and theoretical guidance were provided in this study, which are of significance for both the industry and academia.@en

Coastal vegetation is efficient in damping incident waves even in storm events, thus providing valuable protections to coastal communities. However, large uncertainties lie in determining vegetation drag coefficients (CD), which are directly related to the wave damping capacity of a certain vegetated area. One major uncertainty is related to the different methods used in deriving CD. Currently, two methods are available, i.e. the conventional calibration approach and the new direct measurement approach. Comparative studies of these two methods are lacking to reveal their respective strengths and reduce the uncertainty. Additional uncertainty stems from the dependence of CD on flow conditions (i.e. wave-only or wave-current) and indicative parameters, i.e. Reynolds number (Re) and Keulegan-Carpenter number (KC). Recent studies have obtained CD-Re relations for combined wave-current flows, whereas CD-KC relations in such flow condition remain unexplored. Thus, this study conducts a thorough comparison between two existing methods and explores the CD-KC relations in combined wave-current flows. By a unique revisiting procedure, we show that CD derived by the direct measurement approach have a better overall performance in reproducing both acting force and the resulting wave dissipation. Therefore, a generic CD-KC relation for both wave-only and wave-current flows is proposed using direct measurement approach. Finally, a detailed comparison of these two approaches are given. The comprehensive method comparison and the obtained new CD-KC relation may lead to improved understanding and modelling of wave-vegetation interaction.@en

Aluminum Nitride (AlN) based Surface Acoustic Wave (SAW) sensors have shown great application potentials on serving as biosensors. In this paper, we investigate the mass sensitivity of SAW sensors, which were fabricated based on Si/AlN structure by depositing aluminum oxide (AhO3) thin films on the active area between the input port and output port of the SAW devices. The material of the IDTs is aluminum. To validate the sample accommodation and protection function of the SiN thin film in bio-liquid detection processes, the contact angle of the SiN surface is also detected. We found that the mass sensitivity of the SAW devices is as high as 1958 MHz/g and the SiN surface is hydrophilic with contact angle of 45 degree. The research results indicate the AlN based SAW devices can be well employed in certain biosensing applications.@en