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Lined rock cavern at shallow depth is identified as a promising alternative and cost-effective solution for air storage of large-scale compressed air energy storage (CAES) plant. To better understand the thermodynamic process of the compressed air in the underground cavern and the response of the surrounding rock during air charging and discharging phases, a small-scale pilot cavern with concrete liner and fiber-reinforced plastic (FRP) sealing layer was constructed in China. The test program includes one trial charging test, eight short-term charging tests, and one long-term charging test. Numerical simulations were carried out along with the experiments. The results show that the air pressure in the pilot cavern increased/decreased approximately linearly during the charging/discharging phase when the air was injected/released at a constant mass rate. The heat exchanging system could maintain the temperature of the compressed air in the cavern in a designed range. Excellent sealing performance of the FRP was validated in the test, with only 3.2% air mass leaked during the high-pressure storage phase. The influence of the high air pressure on the surrounding rock was limited and only elastic deformation was observed in all the tests. Good quality of rock mass could guarantee the structural safety of the underground cavern under high inner pressure. Generally, there are reasonable agreements between the numerical simulation and the results of the experiment. The study confirms the feasibility of CAES in lined rock caverns at shallow depth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ling Bridge, built by Siemens AG in 1936, is the only existing three-hinged steel arch bridge in China, and now declared a historic structure by the local government. Located on the busiest road that crosses the Ningbo city centre, the bridge has carried heavy traffic for more than 70 years. Concerned about the bridge's safety following frequent ship collisions in recent years and other damage, the bridge owners perform structural inspections every year. According to the latest inspection, Ling Bridge is suffering from a number of serious structural problems, including local deformation and deflection of the arch ribs, cracks in the deck and severe corrosion of the hangers. Therefore, at the end of 2014, the bridge management launched an overhaul of the bridge. To maintain traffic flows and the cultural function of the bridge, the overhaul project is different from ordinary repair projects. The present overhaul mainly involves five parts of the structure: the hinges of the arch structure, the cantilever structure of the cross-beams, the deck system, the hangers and the arch ribs. This paper discusses the damage evolution of the diseases and pertinent strengthening measures taken to meet the requirements of structural safety and cultural protection. Sanierung einer alten Dreigelenk-Stahlbogenbrücke: Fallstudie zur Ling-Brücke. Die Ling-Brücke in Ningbo wurde 1936 von der Siemens AG errichtet und ist die einzige Dreigelenk-Stahlbogenbrücke in China. Sie wurde kürzlich von der Stadtverwaltung zum historischen Bauwerk erklärt. Seit über 70 Jahren trägt die Brücke die Lasten der verkehrsreichsten Straße im Zentrum von Ningbo. Nach mehreren Schiffskollisionen und anderen Schäden in den vergangenen Jahrzehnten führten die Eigentümer der Brücke jährliche Prüfungen des Brückentragwerks durch, um dessen Sicherheit zu gewährleisten. Bei der letzten Untersuchung wurden schwere Schäden festgestellt, zu denen lokale Verformungen und Verbiegungen von Bogenrippen, Risse in der Brückenfahrbahn und starker Rost an der Aufhängung zählten. Daher begann die Brückenverwaltung 2014 eine Sanierung der Brücke. Um die verkehrstechnische und kulturelle Funktion der Brücke zu erhalten, unterscheidet dieses Sanierungsprojekt sich von normalen Reparaturaufgaben. Die aktuellen Sanierungsschritte umfassen hauptsächlich fünf Bereiche der Konstruktion: Bogengelenk-Tragwerk, Auskragungsstruktur der Querträger, Fahrbahnsystem, Aufhängung sowie Bogenrippen. Der vorliegende Text behandelt die Schadensentwicklung und die geeigneten Sanierungsmaßnahmen zur Erfüllung der Anforderungen an Tragsicherheit und Schutz der historischen Bausubstanz. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current method of steel bar soil nail construction is both labor intensive as well as expensive and many engineers are considering the use of new soil nail materials. In the present pilot test, an innovative soil nail is constructed by light weight high strength glass fiber-reinforced plastic (GFRP) pipe with the Tube a’ Manchette grouting technique. It is found that this new soil nail system can be handled easily on sites with difficult access. Extensive laboratory as well as field tests were carried out on the GFRP pipe nails and the grouted soil mass and numerical modeling of a field test was performed. The installation of the GFRP pipe, laboratory, and field test results that were carried out in Hong Kong and Korea are discussed in this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fibreglass reinforced plastic (FRP) products have a long history of success in power plant applications, particularly in flue gas desulphurisation (FGD) systems. Over the next several years, the potential market for FRP materials in the power industry will be expanding rapidly. FRP is replacing other materials due to cost and maintenance considerations. Furthermore, soaring growth in the construction of FGD systems, particularly in China, will increase the demand for reliable, corrosion resistant materials such as FRP. Debbie Fox of the McIlvaine Company reports. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article reports on the plan of Ticona Technical Polymers, the engineering polymers business of Celanese Corp., to invest in a new Celstran long-fiber-reinforced thermoplastics (LFRT) compounding facility and a new ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene equipment (UHMW-PE) in China. The new industrial plants are expected to boost the company's UHMW-PE capacity to 90,000 tons a year and increase global Celstran LFRT capacity.