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Purpose: The induction of geological disasters is predominantly influenced by the dynamic evolution of the stress and plastic zones of the multilayer rock formations surrounding deep-rock roadways, and the behaviours and mechanisms of high in situ stress are key scientific issues related to deep-resource exploitation. The stress environment of deep resources is more complex owing to the influence of several geological factors, such as tectonic movements and landforms. Therefore, in practical engineering, the in situ stress field is in a complex anisotropic three-dimensional state, which may change the deformation and failure law of the surrounding rock. The purpose of this study is to investigate the tunnelling-induced stress and plastic evolution causing instability of multilayered surrounding rock by varying three-dimensional in situ stresses. Design/methodology/approach: Based on data from the Yangquan Coal Mine, China, a finite difference model was established, and the elastic-plastic constitutive model and element deletion technology designed in the study were analysed. Gradual tunnelling along the roof and floor of the coal seam was used in the model, which predicted the impact tendency, and compared the results with the impact tendency report to verify the validity of the model. The evolutions of the stress field and plastic zone of the coal roadway in different stress fields were studied by modifying the maximum horizontal in situ stress, minimum horizontal in situ stress and lateral pressure coefficient. Findings: The results shown that the in situ stress influenced the stress distribution and plastic zone of the surrounding rock. With an increase in the minimum horizontal in situ stress, the vertical in situ stress release area of the roof surrounding rock slowly decreased; the area of vertical in situ stress concentration area of the deep surrounding rock on roadway sides decreased, increased and decreased by turn; the area of roof now-shear failure area first increased and then decreased. With an increase in the lateral pressure coefficient, the area of the horizontal in situ stress release area of the surrounding rock increased; the area of vertical in situ stress release area of the roof and floor surrounding rock first decreased and then increased; the area of deep stress concentration area of roadway sides decreased; and the plastic area of the surrounding rock and the area of now-shear failure first decreased and then increased. Originality/value: The results obtained in this study are based on actual cases and reveal the evolution law of the disturbing stress and plastic zone of multilayer surrounding rock caused by three-dimensional in situ stress during the excavation of deep rock roadways, which can provide a practical reference for the extraction of deep resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transverse solute mixing across a vegetation generated horizontal shear layer was quantified using laser induced fluorometry techniques for artificial and real vegetation. A two-dimensional finite difference model (FDM) was developed to describe transverse concentration profiles for flows containing transverse variations in velocity and transverse dispersion, from a steady solute input. The FDM was employed inversely, to optimize the parameters describing the transverse distribution of the transverse dispersion coefficient for vegetation generated shear layers. When laboratory data are available, continuous function descriptions produce slightly improved FDM modelled solute concentration profiles compared with simplified step discontinuity velocity and dispersion inputs. When laboratory data are not available, estimates of step or continuous transverse distributions from other work enable concentration profiles to be predicted with a similar goodness of fit. This paper presents a validated, simple, robust finite difference model to describe the mixing of solutes in a channel containing marginal vegetation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Training data sets are generated by a validated finite difference method model. • Mapping method predictions agree well with data sets from independent sources. • The new method predicts performance of wheels with different physical geometries. • The new approach method requires fewer training data points than current models. Energy recovery ventilators are often employed in buildings to decrease the energy consumed by their HVAC systems, and to improve overall indoor air quality. Several studies in the open literature have developed physical or empirical models to simulate the performance of energy recovery wheels. However, these models are often computationally intensive, time-consuming, or require numerous experimental data points to train and execute the performance predictions. These models also tend to lack flexibility for varying all of the available wheel design parameters. Hence, developing a mapping method with better computational efficiency and flexibility is the goal of this research. A finite difference numerical model for simulating the performance of an energy wheel has been developed and validated using experimental test results from independent laboratories. This model was then employed to provide an extensive data set for the development of an energy wheel performance mapping method. After validating this new mapping approach, the method predictions were compared against independent data sets from two different laboratories, and additional sources available in the literature, to identify its universality. The mapping method delivers good agreement between the predictions and validation data, and requires only a small number of data points to train, which is one of its novel contributions. Another unique contribution of the proposed mapping method is that once the model is trained it can predict the performance characteristics for other wheels with different physical design geometries and operating conditions, provided only that the desiccant material is the same. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract This study is focused on the development of a finite difference model to simulate Lamb wave propagation through Single Lap Joints (SLJs). The main advantage of this model is the mathematical ability to easily reproduce the presence of a damage (debonding) as a discontinuity in velocity values. This makes our model suitable for continuous and embedded Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of a complex structure. Numerical simulations and experimental campaigns are presented in order to validate the proposed model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study develops a coupled nonlinear hydrodynamic model of a mooring system consisting of multiple cables for analyses of floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs). The model is based on a finite difference model of submerged cables which considers cable-seabed interaction, current effect, cable bending and torsional stiffness. The implementation of the model proposes a parallelization scheme for solving the cable responses to improve the computational efficiency. The developed program is then coupled with a spar type FOWT and verified using an experimentally validated open source mooring simulation program. Furthermore, the model is used to study the impact of nonlinear dynamics of the mooring system on FOWT responses in the presence of current. Both static responses of a spar FOWT under current load and dynamic responses of the spar FOWT under wind, wave and current loads are investigated. Responses are compared where varied mooring models are used including the linear model, quasi-static model and nonlinear mooring models without and with current effect on cables considered. The results show that the current effect on cables can have a considerable impact on the restoring effect of the mooring system and hence the spar and cable responses. The current effect on mooring cables needs to be properly considered in the FOWT analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reports on the investigation of the loading rate of nickel onto an iminodiacetic acid ion exchange resin (TP207XL) under the finite solution volume condition in the presence of ferrous in a batch loading system. A hybrid correlation model (McKevitt, 2012) was applied for nickel-ferrous displacement loading data. The experimental fit parameters of the hybrid correlation were used to successfully predict the results of the batch loading experiments by applying the finite difference model. The finite difference model was applied to predict the loading behavior of nickel in the presence of ferrous in the batch system using the modified Helfferich number and the linear isotherm equation. As confirmed, the ion exchange reaction examined in this study was predominantly controlled under some combination of intraparticle diffusion/ion exchange reaction. Regarding the hybrid correlation fit parameters (D app = 9.95 × 10 − 12 m 2 /s, α = 0.65), these parameters correlated well with the loading behavior of nickel onto resin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A snow layer on a heated pavement strongly affects the energy balance at the pavement surface. Freshly fallen snow has a fairly low thermal conductivity and acts as a good insulator. The thermal properties can vary greatly during the melting process. This study looks into the change of the thermal conductivity during the melting process of dry uncompressed and compressed snow on heated pavements. The energy balance of the heated pavement system is described and the effective thermal conductivity of the melting snow layer during the melting process of snow on a heated pavement system is calculated based on the volume fractions and thermal conductivity of ice, water and air. The results show that the thermal conductivity of an uncompressed and compressed melting snow layer on a heated pavement can be best described as a combination of a parallel and series system. Ice and air are modelled as a series system and water and ice/air are modelled in parallel. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The work in hand presents results of an experimental and numerical research on the post-heating residual strength of a basalt textile refractory composite submitted to tensile loading. The tensile tests were performed after a preheating process at temperatures ranging from 25 to 1000 °C. The mechanical performance and cracking mechanisms were discussed and compared to that obtained at room temperature. Image analysis by means of digital image correlation method was used to obtain the evolution of crack width which was subsequently correlated with the stress response for all target temperatures. Scanning electron microscopy was used to investigate the damage processes in the fiber–matrix interfaces after exposure to high temperatures. A finite difference model was used to simulate the tension stiffening behavior of TRC (Textile Reinforced Concrete) systems predicting their crack spacing and stress vs. strain responses. The obtained results indicated that due to the coating decomposition the reliability of basalt TRC can only be guaranteed from room temperature to 150 °C. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerical and empirical models addressing the drying shrinkage cracking behavior of joint-free steel-fiber-reinforced concrete (SFRC) slabs are presented. Effect of water--cement ratio, admixtures, and free shrinkage are considered. Mechanical restrictions including base friction, fiber dosage, and interfacial bond properties restrain the growth of microcracks into main cracks and also reduce crack opening. A model based on a finite-difference equilibrium solution of a one-dimensional (1D) slab on frictional ground simulates the formation and subsequent opening of cracks in the slab. Results are compared with an empirical predictive tool for crack opening. A sensitivity study shows that correlation of predicted crack opening reduced by increasing fiber volume, base friction, and interfacial bond strength. Case studies are conducted on three slabs in service at different occasions and both models are used to predict the crack opening. While these models are developed based on different methodologies, they are related to a great extent by addressing the same mechanical characteristics. A simple method to estimate the slab curl is proposed and a parametric study has been conducted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: This study evaluated the localization precision of 256-channel dense array electroencephalographic source imaging (dESI) in comparison to conventional noninvasive tools. In addition, the study was designed to analyze the relationship between the 256-channel dESI source patterns and surgical outcome. Methods: Forty-three patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) who underwent one-stage resective surgeries were recruited in this study. We compared dESI with other noninvasive evaluation methods by comparing results with resections that eliminate or significantly reduced seizures according to sublobule and lobule criteria. Sensitivity and specificity of multiple evaluation methods were calculated. Kaplan-Meier analysis was performed to evaluate the relationship between source patterns and surgical outcome. Results: dESI showed the best sensitivity (sub-lobule, 91.4%; lobule, 97.1%) and specificity (75%) for both sub-lobule and lobule criteria. The Kaplan-Meier survival analysis showed that cases with ''single source'' had better prognosis than with ''multiple sources'' (p < 0.05); cases of ''sources within resection'' showed better surgical prognosis than cases of ''sources outside resection'' (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, 256-channel dESI provided a higher clinical yield than the other most broadly used noninvasive presurgical workup tools. dESI results with ''single source'' correlated strongly to good prognosis, while cases with ''multiple sources'' may cautiously be considered as candidates for one-stage resective surgeries. The resection of the irritative zone identified by interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs) was related to good surgical prognosis in TLE. Significance: In the presurgical workup of TLE, the clinical yield of 256-channel dESI is high. Patterns of dESI results are related to surgical prognosis, and they can be instructive for presurgical planning. The resection of the irritative zone can be related to good surgical prognosis in TLE. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Heated bridge is an eco-friendly technology where embedded internal heating elements are utilized for deicing/snow melting of the bridge deck surface. A crucial factor preventing wide scale implementation of this technology is the lack of fundamental understanding of the thermo-mechanical behavior of the reinforced slab under cyclic internal thermal loads. This study presents a novel thermo-mechanical assessment of a heated bridge deck subjected to cyclic internal thermal loads implemented through three different heating elements: pipe, cable, rebar. A new finite difference based numerical model was developed and calibrated against small scale laboratory experiments; considering realistic thermal and mechanical boundary conditions, and incorporating thermal-induced degradation of the mechanical properties of concrete. Results revealed a considerably distinct thermo-mechanical response of the concrete slab under each heating system. The cable system resulted in the most substantial thermal-induced internal damage in the concrete slab. Findings indicate that the thermal conductivity and the linear thermal expansion coefficients of the heating elements are key factors governing the thermal efficiency and the extent of the internal damage in a heated concrete slab. A sensitivity analysis suggested that the thermo-mechanical performance of a heated slab can be notably enhanced through initiating heating at higher ambient temperatures, and reducing the depth of placement of the heating elements. • Thermo-mechanical assessment of heated bridge deck to internal cyclic thermal loads. • Heating element thermal conductivity and linear thermal expansion govern efficiency. • Heated cable system generates highest thermal-induced internal damage. • Efficiency enhanced by rebar, shallower heater placement, higher start temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A ground loss model of the curve section. • Surface settlement prediction formula of the curve section. • Surface settlement law of the curve section. • A FDM of shield machine tunneling along the curve section. The shield tunneling along the curve section is widespread in cities. This paper proposes a ground loss model for shield tunneling along such sections. A prediction formula for the surface settlement was deduced using the mirror theory and the Mindlin solution, and a finite difference model was constructed based on the Changsha power tunnel engineering project. The law of surface settlement caused by shield tunneling along a curve section was analyzed. The theoretical prediction results and numerical simulation results were found to be in good agreement with the field monitoring data, proving the correctness of the proposed ground loss model and theoretical prediction formula. The over-cutting gap causes the transverse surface settlement to be asymmetrically distributed, whereas the integrative gap at the shield tail causes it to be symmetrically distributed. The transverse surface settlement curve is nonuniformly distributed in a "V" shape when shield tunneling along the curve section. The surface settlement is maximum inside the curve section, and the settlement value inside the curve section is greater than that outside, which is different from the surface settlement law in the straight section. The nonuniform distribution of the ground loss and shield shell friction was found to be the cause of the uneven surface settlement distribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: It is of practical interest to investigate the natural evaporation of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) after the removal of a leaking tank situated on the top of the soil. This study aims to develop a mathematical model to predict mole fraction distributions and migration of evaporation front for two VOCs emanating from residual non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) due to the leak from the tank in a homogeneous soil. Considering the location of the front and the regions above and below the front, a numerical model for the diffusive transport of VOCs in unsaturated soils was developed using the finite difference method with a moving grid approach. The model was further simplified to the case of single VOC and solved analytically by Boltzmann''s transformation with a moving boundary. Analytical expressions for the depth and moving speed of the front for a single VOC were then obtained for practical use. Finally, the developed model was used to predict the concentration distributions of VOCs below the land surface and examine the factors affecting the location and moving speed of the evaporation front. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Summary: Numerical simulation of saturated–unsaturated subsurface flows is widely used in many branches of science and engineering, and rapid developments in computer technology have enabled not only one-dimensional but also multi-dimensional simulations on a personal computer. However, a multi-dimensional subsurface flow simulation still incurs heavy load on computational resources, particularly for simulations in wide regions with long periods. An Iterative Alternating Direction Implicit (IADI) scheme has certain advantages in terms of computational cost and algorithmic simplicity. However, it is barely used at present because it occasionally incurs numerical instabilities and convergence difficulties. Another reason is that three-dimensional simulations cannot be performed by the original IADI scheme. This study has proposed an advanced IADI algorithm for solving the saturated–unsaturated flow equation; this advanced scheme is more numerically stable than the original IADI scheme and can be used for three-dimensional simulations. The performance of the proposed scheme was assessed through test simulations. In all the simulations, the new method was shown to be faster than the fully implicit scheme linearized by the modified Picard iteration method while still yielding very similar results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] In accounting for concentration dependent grain boundary diffusion, an extra term is derived and added to the boundary condition in Fisher's Model for atomic transport in fast diffusing boundaries under the condition of low diffusant concentration resulting in an expanded model. The validity of this is evaluated using an implicit finite difference model which shows that a minimum of around 0.5–0.6 order of magnitude difference between the minimum and maximum grain boundary diffusion values is necessary for a significant effect to be observed. This was investigated for a grain boundary diffusion coefficient that exponentially increased and decreased with concentration. Whereas effects on measured grain boundary diffusion coefficients are evaluated to be negligible, the concentration dependency of the grain boundary diffusion substantially affects the elemental distribution in the surrounding of the grain boundary. The latter directly influences grain boundary related metallurgical phenomena such as grain growth or phase transformations in nanocrystalline materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To minimize time-consuming and expensive in vitro and in vivo testing, information regarding the effects of implantation and the implants on measurements should be available during the designing of active implantable devices measuring bioelectric signals such as electrocardiograms (ECG). Modeling offers a fairly inexpensive and effective means of studying and demonstrating the effects of implantation on ECG measurements prior to any in vivo tests, and can thus provide the designer with valuable information. Finite difference model (FDM) and lead field approaches offer straightforward and effective modeling methods supporting the designing of active implantable ECG devices. The present study demonstrates such methods in developing and studying ECG implants. They were applied in demonstrating the effects of implant dimensions and of electrode implantation on the measurement sensitivity of the ECG device. The results of the simulations indicated that the interelectrode distance is the factor of the implant design determining the lead sensitivity. Other parameters related implant dimensions and shape have minor effect on the morphology of the ECG or on the average sensitivity of the measurement. This is shown for example when the interelectrode distance was reduced to 1/3 of original the average lead sensitivity decreased by 69.1% while larger relative changes in other dimensions produced clearly smaller changes. It was also observed here that implanting the electrodes deeper under the skin has major effects on the local sensitivities in heart muscle and thus affect to the morphology of the ECG. The study indicated also that non-conducting medium (i.e. implant insulated body) between the electrodes increases the sensitivity on heart muscle compared to cases where only electrodes are implanted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: A new three-dimensional, non-hydrostatic free surface flow model is presented. For simulating water wave motions over uneven bottoms, the model employs an explicit project method on a Cartesian the staggered gird system to solve the complete three-dimensional Navier–Stokes equations. A bi-conjugated gradient method with a pre-conditioning procedure is used to solve the resulting matrix system. The model is capable of resolving non-hydrostatic pressure by incorporating the integral method of the top-layer pressure treatment, and predicting wave propagation and interaction over irregular bottom by including a partial bottom-cell treatment. Four examples of surface wave propagation are used to demonstrate the capability of the model. Using a small of vertical layers (e.g. 2–3 layers), it is shown that the model could effectively and accurately resolve wave shoaling, non-linearity, dispersion, fission, refraction, and diffraction phenomena. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The numerical errors associated with explicit upstream finite difference solutions of two-dimensional advection—Dispersion equation with linear sorption are formulated from a Taylor analysis. The error expressions are based on a general form of the corresponding difference equation. The numerical truncation errors are defined using Peclet and Courant numbers in the X and Y direction, a sink/source dimensionless number and new Peclet and Courant numbers in the XY plane. The effects of these truncation errors on the explicit solution of a two-dimensional advection–dispersion equation with a first-order reaction or degradation are demonstrated by comparison with an analytical solution in uniform flow field. The results show that these errors are not negligible and correcting the finite difference scheme for them results in a more accurate solution. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

A mechanistic mathematical model was developed that successfully traced the Cr(VI) concentration profiles inside porous aquifer media columns. The model was thereafter used to calculate Cr(VI) removal rate for a range of Cr(VI) loadings. Internal concentration profiles were modelled against data collected from intermediate sample ports along the length of the test columns. For the first time, the performance of a simulated barrier was evaluated internally in porous media using a finite difference approach. Parameters in the model were optimised at transient-state and under near steady-state conditions with respect to biomass and effluent Cr(VI) concentration respectively. The best fitting model from this study followed non-competitive inhibition kinetics for Cr(VI) removal with the best fitting steady-state parameters: Cr(VI) reduction rate coefficient, k = 5.2×10-8 l·mg-1.h-1, Cr(VI) threshold inhibition concentration, Cr = 50 mg·l-1, and a semi-empirical reaction order, n = 2. The model results showed that post-barrier infusion of biomass into the clean aquifer downstream of the barrier could be limited by depletion of the substrates within the barrier. The model when fully developed will be used in desktop evaluation of proposed in situ biological barrier systems before implementation in actual aquifer systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]