Fitness-for-purpose assessment of cracked offshore wind turbine monopile

In this paper, the procedure for flaw acceptability assessment is examined through a case study of a semi-elliptical surface crack in an offshore monopile as it grows till it forms a through thickness crack. Using the procedure prescribed in an industrial standard (BS 7910), the fracture ratio, K_r is shown to increase monotonically with increasing crack depth. The load ratio, L_r, is initially insensitive to the crack depth. However, there is a rapid increase in L_r when the crack depth to thickness ratio exceeds 80%. L_r values obtained from detailed 3D FE limit analysis using elastic-perfectly-plastic material behaviour do not exhibit the asymptotic behaviour predicted by BS 7910 as the flaw transitions from deep crack to through-thickness crack. Furthermore, K_r predicted by BS 7910 is shown to be an over-estimation for the typical dimensions of offshore monopiles. The findings suggest that a structure with a deep flaw may be identified as unacceptable based on BS 7910 when it may still possess a non-trivial amount of structural residual life. This is a concern for monopiles where crack growth as a large flaw forms a significant part of the total life.     

挂篮底模纵梁受力简化计算方法及承重分配系数

以一桥梁施工工程实例为依托,采用有限元软件ANSYS对桥梁悬臂施工中使用的菱形挂篮进行仿真分析.提出3种简化模式计算底模纵梁的承重分配,对比发现将底模纵梁承受的外荷载简化为集中荷载,并分配至挂篮下前后横梁的方法是最优简化计算方法.在此基础上对挂篮底模纵梁承重分配系数进行优化,从而简化了繁琐的挂篮底模纵梁受力分析计算,保证了挂篮结构设计和施工的安全.     

STX1(2)型驮背多功能运输车超偏载检测标准

分析了STX₁₍₂)型驮背多功能运输车对既有超偏载检测方法和标准的适应性,提出了该车的超偏载检测方案,明确了公路货车或半挂车超偏载的检测方法及评判标准。     

内压载荷下X80管道裂纹应力分布规律研究

为了研究内压作用下管道裂纹应力场分布规律,以含有表面裂纹的X80管道为研究对象,对不同形状、不同方向、不同内压、不同尺寸的含裂纹管道进行仿真分析和实验验证。结果表明:裂纹尖端处应力远大于裂纹中心应力。裂纹形状对应力影响作用较小,随着裂纹方向与管道轴向夹角增大,裂纹尖端应力先增大后减小,随着管道内压、裂纹深度、裂纹长度的增大,裂纹尖端处应力随之线性增大。其中,裂纹长度对裂纹尖端应力的影响小于管道内压和裂纹深度。     

An improved cellular automaton with axis information for microscopic traffic simulation

Cellular Automaton (CA), an efficient dynamic modeling method that is widely used in traffic engineering, is newly introduced for traffic load modeling. This modeling method significantly addresses the modest traffic loads for long-span bridges. It does, however, require improvement to calculate precise load effects. This paper proposed an improved cellular automaton with axis information, defined as the Multi-axle Single-cell Cellular Automaton (MSCA), for the precise micro-simulation of random traffic loads on bridges. Four main ingredients of lattice, cells’ states, neighborhoods and transition rules are redefined in MSCA to generate microscopic vehicle sequences with detailed vehicle axle positions, user-defined cell sizes and time steps. The simulation methodology of MSCA is then proposed. Finally, MSCA is carefully calibrated and validated using site-specific WIM data. The results indicate: (1) the relative errors (REs) for the traffic parameters, such as volumes, speeds, weights, and headways, from MSCA are basically no more than ±10% of those of WIM data; (2) the load effects of three typical influence lines (ILs) with varied lengths of 50, 200 and 1000 m are also confidently comparable, both of which validate the rationality and precision of MSCA. Furthermore, the accurate vehicle parameters and gaps generated from MSCA can be applied not only for precise traffic loading on infrastructures but also for the accurate estimation of vehicle dynamics and safety. Hence, wide application of MSCA can potentially be expected.     

The potential mitigation of CO2 emissions via modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel from a life cycle perspective – An Australian case study

The objective of this study is to provide a strategic evaluation of the mitigation of CO₂ emissions via modal substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel on the Sydney–Melbourne, Australia city-pair from a life cycle perspective. It has been demonstrated that when considering CO₂ emissions from vehicle operations, the modal shift from air to high-speed rail on this city-pair has the potential to provide a means of CO₂ mitigation. However, uncertainty exists with regard to the level of mitigation potential when considering the whole-of-life performance of the systems. Given the significant difference in the infrastructure requirements between the air mode and the high-speed rail mode, this study quantifies the life cycle CO₂ load attributable to each system and examines the effect on CO₂ mitigation potential. The study concluded that while the inclusion of the linehaul infrastructure did increase the CO₂ load associated with high-speed rail mode, it did not equate to or exceed the CO₂ load per trip as experienced by the air mode. The avoided annual life cycle CO₂ emission in the target year 2056 was 0.37 Mt representing an 18% reduction when compared to the air mode only on the city pair. In fact, the scenario comparison indicated that the substitution of high-speed rail for short-haul air travel on the city pair resulted in CO₂ emissions avoidance throughout the longitudinal period.     

Agent-based simulation framework for mixed traffic of cars,pedestrians and trams

In this paper, we report on the construction of a new framework for simulating mixed traffic consisting of cars, trams, and pedestrians that can be used to support discussions about road management, signal control, and public transit. Specifically, a layered road structure that was designed for car traffic simulations was extended to interact with an existing one-dimensional (1D) car-following model and a two-dimensional (2D) discrete choice model for pedestrians. The car model, pedestrian model, and interaction rules implemented in the proposed framework were verified through simulations involving simple road environments. The resulting simulated values were in near agreement with the empirical data. We then used the proposed framework to assess the impact of a tramway extension plan for a real city. The simulation results showed that the impact of the proposed tramway on existing car traffic would not be serious, and by extension, implied that the proposed framework could help stakeholders decide on expansion scenarios that are satisfactory to both tram users and private car owners.     

25t轴重荷载作用下隧底脱空区域受力特性分析

为了研究在役铁路隧道在通车之后隧底脱空病害的问题,采用有限元理论,建立隧道脱空区域在围岩压力与25 t轴重列车动载作用下的数值计算模型,主要研究80 cm与40 cm脱空宽度分别距隧道中心线0,80 cm与160 cm时脱空区域的受力特性。结果表明:在围岩压力下,脱空区域中线上壁和外侧顶角混凝土中产生拉应力及内侧顶角中产生压应力,其中压应力对脱空的宽度更为敏感;同时施加列车动载作用时,脱空区域上壁出现了竖向动应力与横向拉应力,得到了脱空区域力学指标的最大响应值及其出现的具体位置,宽度的增加对脱空区上壁横向拉应力更为显著,上壁横向拉应力增幅超过200%,竖向动应力增幅达50%。因此,隧底脱空区周围应力分布复杂,拉应力与压应力在脱空区域同时存在,应力突变严重,对脱空现象应及时组织处理。     

Traffic modelling in system boundary expansion of road pavement life cycle assessment

This paper uses a case study of a UK inter-urban road, to explore the impact of extending the system boundary of road pavement life cycle assessment (LCA) to include increased traffic emissions due to delays during maintenance. Some previous studies have attempted this but have been limited to hypothetical scenarios or simplified traffic modelling, with no validation or sensitivity analysis. In this study, micro-simulation modelling of traffic was used to estimate emissions caused by delays at road works, for several traffic management options. The emissions were compared to those created by the maintenance operation, estimated using an LCA model. In this case study, the extra traffic emissions caused by delays at road works are relatively small, compared to those from the maintenance process, except for hydrocarbon emissions. However, they are generally close to, or above, the materiality threshold recommended in PAS2050 for estimating carbon footprints, and reach 5–10% when traffic flow levels are increased (hypothetically) or when traffic management is imposed outside times of lowest traffic flow. It is recommended, therefore, that emissions due to traffic disruption at road works should be included within the system boundary of road pavement LCA and carbon footprint studies and should be considered in developing guidelines for environmental product declarations of road pavement maintenance products and services.     

冲压机械振动对高铁桥梁及行车动力影响分析

高速铁路桥梁的平顺性和稳定性对运营列车的平稳性和安全性有很大影响。为研究冲压机械产生的外部振动激励对高铁桥梁的影响,首先通过对此机械引起的地面振动进行实测,并结合有限元分析软件,确定最大冲击荷载作用下产生的地面振动及传播至桥墩处的振动;然后通过建立列车-轨道-桥梁耦合动力学模型,将桥墩处的地面振动作为激励输入,分析列车以不同速度通过时车辆、桥梁动力学响应。结果表明:地面冲击振动有限元模型计算结果与实测结果基本相符,验证了模型的可靠性;地面振动对桥梁响应会产生一定的影响,距振源50 m处地面振动对桥梁所产生的影响较距振源80 m处(桥墩处)的大,但对运行车辆的影响很小;随着车速由250 km/h至350 km/h,车辆及桥梁各结构的动态响应均有所增大,但都未超出安全限值。因此,冲压机械冲击作用导致的地面振动对列车-轨道-桥梁系统动态服役性能影响非常有限。