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This paper provides experimental data on the temperature rise during granular flows in a small-scale rotating drum due to heat generation. All heat is believed to be generated by conversion of some mechanical energy, through mechanisms such as friction and collisions between particles and between particles and walls. Particles of different material types were used, while multiple rotation speeds were considered, and the drum was filled with different amounts of particles. The temperature of the granular materials inside the rotating drum was monitored using a thermal camera. The temperature increases at specific times of each experiment are presented in form of tables, along with the average and standard deviation of the repetitions of each setup configuration. The data can be used as a reference to set the operating conditions of rotating drums, in addition to calibrating numerical models and validating computer simulations. This project is funded through Marie SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE Innovative Training Network MATHEGRAM1, the People Programme (Marie SKŁODOWSKA-CURIE Actions) of the European Union's Horizon 2020 Programme H2020 under REA grant agreement No. 813202. Dr. Franci acknowledges the support from MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa for funding his work via project PID2021-122676NB-I00. Prof. Oñate acknowledges the Severo Ochoa Programme through the Grant CEX2018-000797-S funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033.

The particulate discrete element method (DEM) can be employed to capture the response of rock, provided that appropriate bonding models are used to cement the particles to each other. Simulations of laboratory tests are important to establish the extent to which those models can capture realistic rock behaviors. Hitherto the focus in such comparison studies has either been on homogeneous specimens or use of two-dimensional (2D) models. In situ rock formations are often heterogeneous, thus exploring the ability of this type of models to capture heterogeneous material behavior is important to facilitate their use in design analysis. In situ stress states are basically three-dimensional (3D), and therefore it is important to develop 3D models for this purpose. This paper revisits an earlier experimental study on heterogeneous specimens, of which the relative proportions of weaker material (siltstone) and stronger, harder material (sandstone) were varied in a controlled manner. Using a 3D DEM model with the parallel bond model, virtual heterogeneous specimens were created. The overall responses in terms of variations in strength and stiffness with different percentages of weaker material (siltstone) were shown to agree with the experimental observations. There was also a good qualitative agreement in the failure patterns observed in the experiments and the simulations, suggesting that the DEM data enabled analysis of the initiation of localizations and micro fractures in the specimens.

The traveling wave reactor (TWR) is a once-through reactor that uses in situ breeding to greatly reduce the need for enrichment and reprocessing. Breeding converts incoming subcritical reload fuel into new critical fuel, allowing a breed-burn wave to propagate. The concept works on the basis that breed-burn waves and the fuel move relative to one another. Thus either the fuel or the waves may move relative to the stationary observer. The most practical embodiments of the TWR involve moving the fuel while keeping the nuclear reactions in one place−sometimes referred to as the standing wave reactor (SWR). TWRs can operate with uranium reload fuels including totally depleted uranium, natural uranium, and low-enriched fuel (e.g., 5.5% 235U and below), which ordinarily would not be critical in a fast spectrum. Spent light water reactor (LWR) fuel may also serve as TWR reload fuel. In each of these cases, very efficient fuel usage and significant reduction of waste volumes are achieved without the need for reprocessing. The ultimate advantages of the TWR are realized when the reload fuel is depleted uranium, where after the startup period, no enrichment facilities are needed to sustain the first reactor and a chain of successor reactors. TerraPower's conceptual and engineering design and associated technology development activities have been underway since late 2006, with over 50 institutions working in a highly coordinated effort to place the first unit in operation by 2026. This paper summarizes the TWR technology: its development program, its progress, and an analysis of its social and economic benefits.

HPR1000 is an advanced nuclear power plant (NPP) with the significant feature of an active and passive safety design philosophy, developed by the China National Nuclear Corporation. On one hand, it is an evolutionary design based on proven technology of the existing pressurized water reactor NPP; on the other hand, it incorporates advanced design features including a 177-fuel-assembly core loaded with CF3 fuel assemblies, active and passive safety systems, comprehensive severe accident prevention and mitigation measures, enhanced protection against external events, and improved emergency response capability. Extensive verification experiments and tests have been performed for critical innovative improvements on passive systems, the reactor core, and the main equipment. The design of HPR1000 fulfills the international utility requirements for advanced light water reactors and the latest nuclear safety requirements, and addresses the safety issues relevant to the Fukushima accident. Along with its outstanding safety and economy, HPR1000 provides an excellent and practicable solution for both domestic and international nuclear power markets.

Molecular imaging (MI) can provide not only structural images using traditional imaging techniques but also functional and molecular information using many newly emerging imaging techniques. Over the past decade, the utilization of nanotechnology in MI has exhibited many significant advantages and provided new opportunities for the imaging of living subjects. It is expected that multimodality nanoparticles (NPs) can lead to precise assessment of tumor biology and the tumor microenvironment. This review addresses topics related to engineered NPs and summarizes the recent applications of these nanoconstructs in cancer optical imaging, ultrasound, photoacoustic imaging, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and radionuclide imaging. Key challenges involved in the translation of NPs to the clinic are discussed.

Energy production based on fossil fuel reserves is largely responsible for carbon emissions, and hence global warming. The planet needs concerted action to reduce fossil fuel usage and to implement carbon mitigation measures. Ocean energy has huge potential, but there are major interdisciplinary problems to be overcome regarding technology, cost reduction, investment, environmental impact, governance, and so forth. This article briefly reviews ocean energy production from offshore wind, tidal stream, ocean current, tidal range, wave, thermal, salinity gradients, and biomass sources. Future areas of research and development are outlined that could make exploitation of the marine renewable energy (MRE) seascape a viable proposition; these areas include energy storage, advanced materials, robotics, and informatics. The article concludes with a sustainability perspective on the MRE seascape encompassing ethics, legislation, the regulatory environment, governance and consenting, economic, social, and environmental constraints. A new generation of engineers is needed with the ingenuity and spirit of adventure to meet the global challenge posed by MRE.

The pressurized water reactor CAP1400 is one of the sixteen National Science and Technology Major Projects. Developed from China's nuclear R&D system and manufacturing capability, as well as AP1000 technology introduction and assimilation, CAP1400 is an advanced large passive nuclear power plant with independent intellectual property rights. By discussing the top design principle, main performance objectives, general parameters, safety design, and important improvements in safety, economy, and other advanced features, this paper reveals the technology innovation and competitiveness of CAP1400 as an internationally promising Gen-III PWR model. Moreover, the R&D of CAP1400 has greatly promoted China's domestic nuclear power industry from the Gen-II to the Gen-III level.

Geotechnical structures can be employed to provide renewable and cost-effective thermal energy to buildings. To date, limited field studies regarding thermo-active retaining walls exist and therefore their mechanical response under non-isothermal conditions requires further research to comprehend their behaviour. This paper investigates the response of a hypothetical thermo-active diaphragm wall by performing finite element analysis to characterise in detail its short and long term response. The soil-structure interaction mechanisms arising from the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical nature of soil behaviour are for the first time identified and shown to be complex and highly non-linear. Subsequently, simpler modelling approaches are used to isolate and quantify the impact of the various identified mechanisms on the design of thermo-active retaining walls. It is concluded that simpler approaches tend to overestimate structural forces developing due to temperature changes in the retaining wall, while severely underestimating the associated ground movements, which are highly influenced by the development of thermally-induced excess pore water pressures. Furthermore, the results suggest that the behaviour of thermo-active retaining walls is highly transient in nature, as a result of the high rates of heat transfer and pore water pressure dissipation under plane strain assumptions.

Cryptocrystalline flint is an extremely hard siliceous rock that is found in chalk formations. The chalk is frequently a prefered rock type, which in recent decades is often used as a host for underground rock caverns and tunnels in Europe and North America. A reliable estimation of the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) of the extremely strong flint, with an average UCS of about 600 MPa will provide guidance for a proper engineering design, where flint is encountered, thereby avoiding project progress delay, litigation as well as economic consequences. Conventional UCS measurement using core samples is cumbersome for flint due to the extreme strength and hardness of the rock, for which the core sample preparation process is often extremely difficult. In this study, the UCS prediction models of flints collected from the North-West Europe were developed and the validity of the developed models was investigated. A series of laboratory index tests (comprising the three-point-bending, point load, ultrasonic velocity, density, Shore hardness and Cerchar Abrasivity tests) were perfomed. The index test results were correlated with the UCS values previously determined in the laboratory using both cylindrical and cuboidal specimens to develop the UCS prediction models. Regression analysis of the UCS and the index test results was then performed to evaluate for any potential correlations that can be applied to estimate the UCS of the cryptocrystalline flint. Intensive validity and comparison studies were performed to assess the performance of the proposed UCS prediction models. This study showed that UCS of the tested flint is linearly correlated with its point load strength index, tensile strength and compressional velocity, and is parabolically correlated with its density. The present study also demonstrated that only a couple of the previously developed empirical UCS models for estimating UCS are suitable for flint, which should be used with care. Accepted version

A theoretical formulation was first established to evaluate the dynamic stress concentration factor (DSCF) around a circular opening under conditions of blasting stress wave incidence. A two-dimensional numerical model was then constructed by the particle flow code (PFC) in order to simulate the dynamic responses around an underground tunnel subjected to blasting load. In the simulation, a series of horizontal blasting stress waves were applied to an underground tunnel under various in situ stress states, and then the dynamic responses around the tunnel were analyzed from the viewpoint of the dynamic stress concentration and energy evolution. The results of theoretical analysis indicated that obvious dynamic effects occur at tunnel boundary during blasting stress wave incidence, and the DSCF at the roof and floor of the tunnel is much larger than that at two sidewalls when blasting stress wave was applied to left model boundary. The numerical results showed that high static compressive stress concentration around the underground tunnel results in the accumulation of substantial strain energy at the same location. The roof and floor of the tunnel are more prone to dynamic failures during the blasting loading process. In addition, the analysis of energy dissipation indicated that the strain energy reduction and the residual kinetic energy are positively related to the lateral pressure coefficient and the burial depth of the tunnel, and the residual kinetic energy is much larger than the strain energy reduction under the same condition. Furthermore, for an underground tunnel subjected to high in situ stress, the blasting stress wave with lower amplitude is sufficient to trigger severe dynamic failures.

Over the past few decades, China’s economy has maintained rapid growth, with an average annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth rate of more than 10% (Fig. 1 [1]). In recent years, the Chinese economy has entered a “new normal,” in which the GDP growth rate has slowed but remained stable at around 7%. Rapid development and urbanization in China supplement and promote each other, enabling 400 million people to live in cities and enjoy the modern urban life. For most of its long history, China has been a traditional agricultural country, with 90% of people living and farming in rural areas and only 10% living in cities. Until the 1970s, this proportion remained almost unchanged, and at present, the majority of middle-aged people, their parents, and their grandparents still live in rural areas. After 1978, however, due to the demand for labor for economic development, the labor force began to flow from rural to urban areas. Rough estimates put the growth rate of the urban population at almost 1% per year, which means that 10 million people move from the countryside to cities every year (Fig. 2 [2]). By the end of 2012, China’s urbanization rate had reached 52.57%, or a population of 0.71 billion.

This contribution assesses the effect of particle surface roughness on the shear wave velocity (VS) and the small-strain stiffness (G0) of soils using both laboratory shear plate dynamic tests and discrete element method (DEM) analyses. Roughness is both controlled and quantified to develop a more comprehensive understanding than was achieved in prior contributions that involved binary comparisons of rough and smooth particles. Glass beads were tested to isolate surface roughness effects from other shape effects. VS and G0 were accurately determined using a new design configuration of piezo-ceramic shear plates. Both the experimental and the DEM results show that increasing surface roughness reduces G0 particularly at low stress levels; however, the effect is less marked at high pressures. For the roughest particles, the Hertzian theory does not describe the contact behaviour even at high pressures; this contributes to the fact that the exponent in the G0 – mean effective stress relationship exceeds 0.33 for sand particles. Particle-scale analyses show that the pressure-dependency of the surface roughness effects on G0 can be interpreted using roughness index α which enables the extent of the reduction in G0 due to surface roughness to be estimated.

Accounting for interaction of the soil’s constituents due to temperature change in the design of geo-thermal infrastructure requires numerical algorithms capable of reproducing the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) behaviour of soils. This paper proposes a fully coupled and robust THM formulation for fully saturated soils, developed and implemented into a bespoke finite element code. The flexibility of the proposed formulation allows the effect of some coupling components, which are often ignored in existing formulations, to be examined. It is further demonstrated that the proposed formulation recovers accurately thermally induced excess pore water pressures observed in undrained heating tests.

This paper presents Class-A and Class-C predictions of the behaviour of an embankment built on soft Ballina clay improved with prefabricated vertical drains. Predictions were carried out using hand calculations and the finite-difference method. The latter approach allowed the variation of soil parameters and stress levels with depth to be considered in the analyses. An alternative systematic procedure for estimating soil parameters based on high-quality laboratory data is described. Class-A predictions highlighted some disagreements with the measured total settlements and pore pressure dissipation rates. For Class-C predictions, the choice of geotechnical parameters used in the analyses was guided by a systematic assessment of the stress states undergone by soil elements underneath the embankment centreline. This led to a better agreement between predicted and measured data, which demonstrates the potential of the proposed procedure for future analyses of embankment behaviour on soft Ballina clay.

This study examines the use of nonlocal regularisation in a coupled consolidation problem of an excavated slope in a strain softening material. The nonlocal model reduces significantly the mesh dependency of cut slope analyses for a range of mesh layouts and element sizes in comparison to the conventional local approach. The nonlocal analyses are not entirely mesh independent, but the predicted response is much more consistent compared to the one predicted by local analyses. Additional Factor of Safety analyses show that for drained conditions the nonlocal regularisation eliminates the mesh dependence shown by the conventional local model.

The paper presents the Finite Element formulation of the equations proposed by Tsiampousi et al. (2016) for coupled consolidation in unsaturated soils. Their coupling is discussed in relation to a conceptual model which divides soil behaviour into zones ranging from fully saturated to dry states. The numerical simulation of a laboratory experiment involving drainage of water from a vertical column of sand is used to validate the equations. Finally, the example of rainfall infiltration into a cut slope highlights how aspects of the conceptual model are reflected in the numerical analysis of boundary value problems involving unsaturated soils.

The equations governing coupled consolidation in unsaturated soils are known to contain additional parameters when compared to the equations for saturated soils. Nonetheless, the variation of these parameters with suction or degree of saturation is not generally agreed upon. The paper introduces a novel approach to deriving general equations for each of these parameters and their variation, and explains that, for consistency with the constitutive and soil-water retention curve models adopted, these general equations need to be transformed into case-specific expressions. Finally, a conceptual model is presented highlighting how the behaviour of unsaturated soil reflects aspects of its water content.

The normal stiffness of a fracture is a key parameter that controls, for example, rock mass deformability, the change in hydraulic transmissivity due to stress changes, and the speed and attenuation of seismic waves that travel across the fracture. Non-linearity of normal stiffness as a function of stress is often attributed to plastic yield at discrete contacts. Similar surface-altering mechanisms occur due to pressure solution and precipitation over larger timescales. These processes partition the fracture surfaces into a flattened contact region, and a rough free surface that bounds the void space. Under low loads, contact occurs exclusively over the flattened part, leading to rapid, exponential stiffening. At higher loads, contact occurs over the rough surface fraction, leading to the conventional linear increase of stiffness with stress. It follows that a relationship exists between the history of in situ temperature and stress state of a rock fracture, and its subsequent deformation behavior.

Simple shear element tests can be used to examine numerous geotechnical problems; however, the cylindrical sample (NGI-type) direct simple shear (DSS) device has been criticized for its inability to apply uniform stresses and strains, as well as for its inability to fully define the stress state of the soil during shearing. Discrete element method (DEM) simulations offer researchers a means to explore the fundamental mechanisms driving the overall behavior of granular soil in simple shear and to improve the understanding of the DSS device itself. Here, three-dimensional DEM simulations of laminar NGI-type direct simple shear element tests and equivalent physical tests are compared to validate the numerical model. This study examines the sensitivity of the DEM simulation results to sample size, contact model and stiffness inputs, and ring wall boundary effects. Sample inhomogeneities are also considered by examining the radial and vertical void ratio distributions throughout the samples. Both the physical experiments and the DEM simulations presented herein indicate that the observed material response is highly sensitive to the particle size relative to the sample dimensions. The results show that samples with a small number of relatively large particles are very sensitive to small changes in packing; and thus, an exact match with the DEM simulation data cannot be expected. While increasing the number of particles greatly improved the agreement of the volumetric and stress–strain responses, the dense DEM samples were still initially much stiffer than the experimental results. This is most likely due to the fact that the inter-particle friction was artificially lowered, during the sample preparation for the DEM simulations, in order to increase the sample density.

In geotechnical earthquake engineering, wave propagation plays a fundamental role in engineering applications related to the dynamic response of geotechnical structures and to site response analysis. However, current engineering practice is primarily concentrated on the investigation of shear wave propagation and the corresponding site response only to the horizontal components of the ground motion. Due to the repeated recent observations of strong vertical ground motions and compressional damage of engineering structures, there is an increasing need to carry out a comprehensive investigation of vertical site response and the associated compressional wave propagation, particularly when performing the seismic design for critical structures (e.g. nuclear power plants and high dams). Therefore, in this paper, the compressional wave propagation mechanism in saturated soils is investigated by employing hydro-mechanically (HM) coupled analytical and numerical methods. A HM analytical solution for compressional wave propagation is first studied based on Biot’s theory, which shows the existence of two types of compressional waves (fast and slow waves) and indicates that their characteristics (i.e. wave dispersion and attenuation) are highly dependent on some key geotechnical and seismic parameters (i.e. the permeability, soil stiffness and loading frequency). The subsequent HM Finite Element (FE) study reproduces the duality of compressional waves and identifies the dominant permeability ranges for the existence of the two waves. In particular the existence of the slow compression wave is observed for a range of permeability and loading frequency that is relevant for geotechnical earthquake engineering applications. In order to account for the effects of soil permeability on compressional dynamic soil behaviour and soil properties (i.e. P-wave velocities and damping ratios), the coupled consolidation analysis is therefore recommended as the only tool capable of accurately simulating the dynamic response of geotechnical structures to vertical ground motion at intermediate transient states between undrained and drained conditions.

Climate change is no longer a future possibility: There is already ample evidence that conditions are changing. Sea level is rising at increasing rates [1], storms are becoming more intense [2], and communities that have depended on meltwater runoff from snowpack are running short of water during the dry season. As difficult as it might be for a human population of more than seven billion to adapt to these changing conditions, potentially more worrisome is the destabilizing effects of refugees from drought, floods, and rising seas. For example, a multiyear drought in the Middle East has been implicated as a contributing factor in the current civil war in Syria [3]. On account of the potential for major disruption of global security, climate change is one of the most significant grand challenges of our time. It is co-dependent with energy, sustainability, and health grand challenges. If we solve the climate change grand challenge, it is likely we will have made significant inroads on those other issues.

In this paper, the stability of the Generalised-α time integration method (the CH method) for a fully coupled solid-pore fluid formulation is analytically investigated for the first time and the corresponding theoretical stability conditions are proposed based on a rigorous mathematical derivation process. The proposed stability conditions simplify to the existing ones of the CH method for the one-phase formulation when the solid–fluid coupling is ignored. Furthermore, by degrading the CH method to the Newmark method, the stability conditions are in agreement with the ones proposed in previous stability investigations on coupled formulation for the Newmark method. The analytically derived stability conditions are validated with finite element (FE) analyses considering a range of loading conditions and for various soil permeability values, showing that the numerical results are in agreement with the theoretical investigation. Then, the stability characteristics of the CH method are explored beyond the limits of the theoretical investigation, assuming elasto-plastic soil behaviour which is prescribed with a bounding surface plasticity constitutive model. Since the CH method is a generalisation of a number of other time integration methods, the derived stability conditions are relevant for most of the commonly utilised time integration methods for the two-phase coupled formulation.

The accurate simulation of complex dynamic phenomena requires the availability of advanced constitutive models capable of simulating a wide range of features of soil behaviour under cyclic loading. One possible strategy is to improve the capabilities of existing bounding surface plasticity models, as this framework is characterised by its modularity and flexibility. As a result, specific components of the formulation of this type of model may be adjusted to improve the reproduction of any aspect of soil behaviour deemed essential to the problem being analysed. In this paper, a series of computational studies are performed in order to establish the impact of expanding a bounding surface plasticity model for sands on its modelling capabilities and to suggest ways of mitigating the associated increase in complexity. Changes to three distinct aspects of the selected constitutive model are examined: the shape of the Critical State Line in p′ − e space, the expression used for calculating the hardening modulus and the form of the yield surface. It is shown that the introduced changes have the potential to increase significantly the ability to control how certain aspects of soil response, such as degradation of stiffness and flow liquefaction with limited deformation, are reproduced by the model. Moreover, this paper presents a systematic approach to the expansion of this type of constitutive model, establishing how alterations to the formulation of a model may be assessed in terms of improved accuracy and potential benefits.