General deformation behavior of deep excavation support systems: A review

In geotechnical engineering, ground movement caused by excavations is a challenging issue. The excessive differential settlement generated by soil movement induced by wall deflection may cause damage to nearby structures. A detailed literature review on the general deformation behavior of deep excavation support systems is presented in this paper. Many factors, such as normalized horizontal deflection (δh-max/He%), vertical displacement (δv-max/He%), δvmax/δhmax ratio, settlement influence zone (Do), etc., can play significant roles in describing the deflection behavior of the excavation system. A descriptive analysis of the reviewed data was carried out. The concluded δh-max/He% values range between 0.17 to 1.5, with a mean value of 0.58 for soft clay, while in the case of sands and stiff clay soils δh-max/He% value ranges between 0.07 to 0.40, with a mean value of 0.20. δv-max/He% values range between 0.13 to 1.10, with a mean value of 0.49 for soft soil, while its value ranges between 0.02 to 1.10, with a mean value of 0.24 in the case of sands and stiff clay soils. The settlement influence zone (Do) reaches a mean distance of 2.3He, which falls within Do=1.5-3.5He in the case of soft clays, while Do reaches a mean distance of 2.0He and 3.0He in the case of sands and other stiff clay soils, respectively. The relationship between system stiffness and excavation-induced wall and ground movements was discussed. Unfortunately, the literature review offers limited data regarding system stiffness, the 3-D nature of excavation support systems, excavation processes, and time effects.

Hot Deformation Behavior of Non-Alloyed Carbon Steels

The hot deformation behavior of selected non-alloyed carbon steels was investigated by isothermal continuous uniaxial compression tests. Based on the analysis of experimentally determined flow stress curves, material constants suitable for predicting peak flow stress σp, peak strain εp and critical strain εcrDRX necessary to induce dynamic recrystallization and the corresponding critical flow stresses σcrDRX were determined. The validity of the predicted critical strains εcrDRX was then experimentally verified. Fine dynamically recrystallized grains, which formed at the boundaries of the original austenitic grains, were detected in the microstructure of additionally deformed specimens from low-carbon investigated steels. Furthermore, equations describing with perfect accuracy a simple linear dependence of the critical strain εcrDRX on peak strain εp were derived for all investigated steels. The determined hot deformation activation energy Q decreased with increasing carbon content (also with increasing carbon equivalent value) in all investigated steels. A logarithmic equation described this dependency with reasonable accuracy. Individual flow stress curves of the investigated steels were mathematically described using the Cingara and McQueen model, while the predicted flow stresses showed excellent accuracy, especially in the strains ranging from 0 to εp.

Plastic deformation behavior and constitutive modeling of Cu-50Ta alloy during hot compression

This paper presents a study on plastic deformation behavior of Cu–50Ta alloy at temperatures of 286–473 K and strain-rate of 0.01–6200 s−1. The effects of temperature, strain-rate, and strain on the yield strength, flow stress, and strain-rate sensitivity coefficient were determined. A phenomenological model was established to predict variation of the strain-rate sensitivity coefficient for Cu–50Ta alloy under dynamic compression. A Johnson–Cook constitutive model was established to predict the equivalent stress–equivalent plastic strain relationship under extreme deformation (high temperature and strain-rate). The results showed that the plastic deformation behavior of Cu–50Ta alloy was affected by temperature, strain-rate, and strain. The material exhibited obvious strain-rate strengthening and thermal softening. As the strain-rate increased, the yield strength logarithmically increased. At a temperature of 286 K, the strain-rate increased from 0.01 s−1 to 6200 s−1, and the yield strength increased from 543.75 MPa to 881.13 MPa. In addition, the yield strength linearly decreased as the deformation temperature increased. Under conditions of dynamic deformation, the variation of strain-rate sensitivity coefficient could be expressed as a function of strain-rate and strain. The phenomenological model accurately described the variation of the strain-rate sensitivity coefficient of Cu–50Ta under dynamic deformation conditions. The Johnson–Cook constitutive parameters, calibrated by experimental data, described the plastic deformation behavior of the alloy under high-velocity impact.