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As vast networks of high pressure buried energy pipelines traverse North America and other continents, the stability of such essential buried infrastructure must be maintained under a variety of earth loading conditions. The pipe-soil interaction and the longitudinal behaviour of buried pipes due to relative ground movements is poorly understood. This thesis presents full scale testing and numerical modeling of steel and Glass Fibre Reinforced Polymer (GFRP) pipelines to better understand the flexural performance of buried pipes subjected to lateral earth movement. For the experimental phase of the study, a series of pipe bending experiments have been conducted on 102 mm nominal diameter and 1830 mm long steel and GFRP pipes buried in dense sand. Pipe loading was carried out by pulling pipe ends using two parallel cables attached to a spreader beam outside the test region, using a hydraulic actuator. The different tests covered burial depth-to-diameter (H/D) ratios of 3, 5 and 7. During the steel pipe testing phase, special consideration was given to assess the effect of boundary limits, friction within the pulling mechanism, and consistency of results using repeated tests. For the GFRP pipes, the experimental work investigated the effect of the laminate structure of the pipes, including both cross-ply and angle-ply laminates. Test results showed that burial depth significantly influenced the ultimate pulling forces, longitudinal strains, and pipe net deflection at mid-span. The results were also compared between the two types of pipes. The failure mechanism for all tests was consistently governed by soil failure, except for the angle-ply GFRP pipe that failed at a burial depth of H/D=7. For the numerical analysis, the study presents the development and verification of two and three-dimensional numerical models including material constitutive models for both the pipe and for the soil using a stress-dependent modulus. Calculations are presented for different burial depths and are compared to experimental data. It was shown that the numerical model can successfully capture the pipe-soil interaction behaviour for both pipe types in terms of load-displacement responses and net bending deflection. Also, the effect of material variation and laminate structure were in agreement with test data. / Thesis (Ph.D, Civil Engineering) -- Queen's University, 2013-04-18 22:21:53.025

For the design of deep excavations, codes and standards advise to base estimates of wall deflections and ground movements on empirical data. Due to the limited number of case studies on circular excavations it is nearly impossible to find comparable projects under similar conditions. Therefore designers have to adopt conservative approaches, which predict larger ground movements than probably occur in reality and thus lead to more expensive structures and protective measures. Further uncertainty is induced for diaphragm wall shafts. The discontinuous nature of the wall due to the joints between the individual panels may cause anisotropic wall behaviour. There is a complete lack of understanding if, and how, the design of diaphragm wall shafts should consider anisotropic wall stiffness. The construction of Thames Water's Abbey Mills shaft in East London provided a unique opportunity to monitor the structural performance and the ground movements of one of the largest shafts ever built in the UK. The 71 m deep excavation penetrates a typical London strata and one third is in unweathered medium to hard Chalk. The monitoring scheme included distributed fibre optic strain sensing instrumentation and conventional inclinometers in the shaft wall to measure bending and hoop strains, as well as wall deflections during several construction stages. Further inclinometers and extensometers were installed around the shaft to monitor surface and sub-surface ground movements. The monitoring results were then compared to the initial PLAXIS design predictions. A further numerical investigation was conducted in FLAC2D which allowed a more flexible parametric study. The measured bending moments during shaft excavation exceeded the predictions mainly in the wall sections in the Chalk group. It was found that this was caused by assigning a low cohesion to the Chalk to induce conservative ground movements, so that the Chalk yielded in the analysis. In reality however, it remained elastic and hence induced larger bending moments in the wall. For future excavations in Chalk it is recommended to investigate the effect of a low and a high cohesion of the Chalk on the wall bending moment. The hoop strain measurements indicate that the shaft has undergone a three-dimensional deformation pattern during a dewatering trial prior to shaft excavation. The parametric study on wall anisotropy suggests that the shaft wall behaved like a cylindrical shell with isotropic stiffness, where the joints between the panels do not reduce the circumferential stiffness. Further numerical simulations varied the shaft wall thickness and the at rest lateral earth pressure coefficient in the Chalk. The results showed that the wall thickness has a minor influence on its deflection and hence thinner walls might be feasible for future shafts. The at rest lateral earth pressure coefficient of the Chalk appeared to be appropriately picked with 1.0 in the initial design. Above all, it was shown that wall deflections were very small with less than 4 mm. Correspondingly small ground movements were measured throughout shaft excavation. Empirical formulas on the other hand predict large settlements between 40 and 105 mm. Numerical predictions were much closer to the measurements and showed that small heaves occurred due to soil swelling caused by removal of overburden pressure. For future shaft designs it is hence advised against the use of empirical formulas derived from case studies under different conditions. It may furthermore not be necessary to implement expensive large-scale monitoring schemes, as it has been confirmed that ground movements around diaphragm wall shafts are minimal and that risks are low. The findings from this study provide valuable information for future excavations, which can be applied to the shafts constructed for the forthcoming Thames Tideway Tunnel project.

Im Beitrag werden zwei alternative Methoden zur inversen Schätzung der Parameter für Bodenbewegungsvorausberechnungsmodelle aus Messdaten zu Höhenänderungen an Höhenfestpunkten gegenübergestellt, ein Ansatz unter Nutzung der Ausgleichungsrechnung sowie ein Bayes’scher Ansatz unter Nutzung der Monte-Carlo-Simulation. Der Vergleich erfolgt im Kontext eines Kavernenfeldes. Es wird gezeigt, dass durch beide Verfahren aus Höhenbeobachtungen an der Tagesoberfläche die Parameter Hohlraumkonvergenz und Einwirkungswinkel signifikant präzisiert werden können, was zu verbesserten Vorhersagen führt. Im Ergebnis der Studie lassen sich Möglichkeiten ableiten, das Messnetz zu optimieren. / The paper compares two alternative methods for inverse estimation of the parameters for ground movement prediction models from elevation change measurements at fixed levelling points, an approach using the geodetic adjustment theory and a Bayesian approach using Monte-Carlo simulation. The comparison is performed in the setting of a cavern field. It is shown that both methods allow utilizing elevation-change observations on the surface to significantly improve the prediction of the parameters convergence and angle of influence. Such an approach will lead to improved predictions. As a result of the study, opportunities for optimizing the elevation measurement network can be lifted.

Driven by the gradually increasing electrification of the transportation industry, in particular the aviation sector, the future’s electrified aircraft requires not only an improvement of the flight operation, but also an enhancement of the movement on ground. One very promising concept to improve the taxiing operation is the integration of an electric propulsion system into the aircraft’s undercarriage, also called “Electric Taxiing”. This yields a decrease of the overall fuel consumption, reduction of emissions, and improvement of aircraft maneuverability to help reducing operating times on ground. In this thesis, the performance requirements for an electric taxiing system are investigated by using self-recorded real-life aircraft taxiing drive cycle data. Based upon the system requirements, the powertrain for the electric propulsion system is sized for a commercial midsize aircraft to achieve a similar driving performance to conventional taxiing maneuvers. The sized powertrain, including the determined electric motor characteristics, is evaluated using a developed simulation model which allows testing the proposed electric taxiing system given the attained drive cycles. For the electric machine which is implemented into the wheel of the aircraft’s main landing gear, an axial flux permanent magnet (AFPM) motor with segmented stator windings is selected due to its very compact structure while providing high torque capabilities. The AFPM motor is designed and evaluated by using analytical models and three-dimensional finite element analysis (3D FEA) to fulfill the specified motor characteristics required for the electric propulsion unit. Finally, suggestions for potential improvements and future work are discussed. / Thesis / Master of Applied Science (MASc)

The assessment of ageing tunnels requires a deeper understanding of the long-term behaviour of twin tunnels, whilst lack of permeability data limits the accuracy of long-term predictions. This thesis therefore investigates long-term twin-tunnel behaviour through finite-element parametric analyses, and provides additional pereability data through laboratory studies. Permeability tests are performed on fissured London Clay, exploring the effect of isotropic stress cycles on the permeability of fissures. A model explaining the permeability-stress relationship is proposed to explain irrecoverable changes observed in fissure permeability, and is formulated mathematically for numerical implementation. Laboratory investigations are performed on grout from the London Underground tunnels, investigating permeability, porosity, microstructure and composition. A deterioration process is proposed to explain observations, consisting of acid attack and leaching. The deterioration had appeared to transform the grout from impermeable to permeable relative to the soil. The change in grout permeability with time would strongly influence long-term movements. The long-term behaviour of single tunnels is investigated in a finite-element parametric study. A new method is formulated to predict long-term horizontal and vertical surface displacements after excavation of a single tunnel, and incorporates an improved measure of relative soil-lining permeability. The study also predicts significant surface movements during the consolidation period, contradicting the lack of further building damage observed in the field. A further parametric study also investigates the long-term behaviour of twin tunnels. Key interaction mechanisms are identified, leading to the postulation of the long-term interaction behaviour under different tunnelling conditions. Long-term interaction is found to be complex and significant, and should be accounted for in numerical simulations.

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Der untertägige Abbau von Steinkohle führt zu Bewegungen des überlagernden Gebirges und der Tagesoberfläche. Eine Bewegungsprognose ist im Hinblick auf entstehende Bergschäden weltweit von großer Bedeutung. In dieser Arbeit wird untersucht, ob eine Prognose von Bodenbewegungen im amerikanischen Steinkohlenbergbau mit einem in Europa bewährten Verfahren, einem dynamischen stochastischen Senkungsmodell, möglich ist. Dazu wurde eine Literaturstudie über den bisherigen Kenntnisstand in den USA durchgeführt, abbaubegleitende Bodenbewegungsmessungen aus dem Steinkohlengebiet der Appalachen ausgewertet und durch Modellrechnungen nachgebildet. Es wurde darüber hinaus untersucht, welchen Einfluss die spezifischen Abbaubedingungen und die räumliche und zeitliche Abbauführung auf die Größe und Dynamik von Bodenbewegungen haben. Die theoretischen und praktischen Untersuchungen zeigen einen deutlichen Know-how Vorsprung des europäischen Bergbaus in den Bereichen der Senkungsmodellierung und Bewertung abbauinduzierter Bodenbewegungen und belegen die Anwendbarkeit des Senkungsmodells. Es wurden wichtige Erkenntnisse gewonnen, die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen einer Optimierung des Abbauzuschnitts und der zeitlichen Abbauführung im Sinne einer bergschadensmindernden Abbauplanung aufzeigen. Die Arbeit trägt zur Verbesserung der bergmännischen und markscheiderischen Abbauplanung im Steinkohlenbergbau bei.