Sustainability

Research

24 pages, 20622 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Research and Application of Early Identification of Geological Hazards Technology in Railway Disaster Prevention and Control: A Case Study of Southeastern Gansu, China

by Peng He, Zhaocheng Guo, Hong Chen, Pengqing Shi, Xiaolong Zhou and Genhou Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(24), 16705; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152416705 - 9 Dec 2023

Viewed by 1157

Abstract

Geological hazards significantly threaten the safety of China’s railway network. As the railway system continues to expand, particularly with the effects of accelerated climate change, approximately 70% of the newly encountered geohazards occur outside of known areas. This study proposes a novel approach [...] Read more.

Geological hazards significantly threaten the safety of China’s railway network. As the railway system continues to expand, particularly with the effects of accelerated climate change, approximately 70% of the newly encountered geohazards occur outside of known areas. This study proposes a novel approach that can be applied to railway systems to identify potential geohazards, analyze risk areas, and assess section vulnerability. The methodology uses integrated remote sensing technology to effectively enhance potential railway hazard identification timeliness. It combines kernel density, hotspot, and inverse distance-weighted analysis methods to enhance applicability and accuracy in the risk assessment of railway networks. Using a case study in southeastern Gansu as an example, we identified 3976 potential hazards in the study area, analyzed five areas with high concentrations of hazards, and 11 districts and counties prone to disasters that could threaten the railway network. We accurately located 16 sections and 20 significant landslide hazards on eight railway lines that pose operational risks. The effectiveness of the methodology proposed in this paper has been confirmed through field investigations of significant landslide hazards. This study can provide a scientific basis for the sustainability of the railway network and disaster risk management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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21 pages, 6360 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on the Dynamic Stability and Spectral Characteristics of a Toppling Dangerous Rock Mass under Seismic Excitation

by Linfeng Wang, Jixu Zhang, Xiaoming Huang and Guojin Tan

Sustainability 2023, 15(21), 15397; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152115397 - 28 Oct 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 948

Abstract

To evaluate the dynamic stability of dangerous rock masses under seismic excitation more reasonably, a mass viscoelasticity model was adopted to simulate the two main controlling surfaces of a toppling dangerous rock mass. Based on the principles of structural dynamics, a dynamic response [...] Read more.

To evaluate the dynamic stability of dangerous rock masses under seismic excitation more reasonably, a mass viscoelasticity model was adopted to simulate the two main controlling surfaces of a toppling dangerous rock mass. Based on the principles of structural dynamics, a dynamic response analysis model and motion equations were established for toppling dangerous rock masses. The Newmark-β method was utilized to establish a calculation method for the dynamic stability coefficient of a toppling dangerous rock mass. This method was applied to the WY2 dangerous rock mass developed in a steep cliff zone in Luoyi Village, and the dynamic stability coefficient time history was calculated. Subsequently, the acceleration response signals of the dangerous rock mass in different directions were analyzed using wavelet packet transform. The results show that the sum of the energy proportions of the first to third frequency bands in the n₁ and s₂ directions exceeded 95%. This suggests that the n₁ and s₂ directions of the WY2 dangerous rock mass suffered the initial damage under bidirectional seismic actions. Finally, the marginal spectra variations of the acceleration response signals in different directions were analyzed based on the HHT. The results show that the seismic energy in the n₁ and s₂ directions of the dangerous rock mass was found to be the most significant under seismic loading, indicating that the rock mass experienced the most severe damage along these two directions. This reveals that the failure mode of the dangerous rock mass is inclined toppling, consistent with the results of wavelet packet analysis. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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11 pages, 5248 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Exploring the Use of Pattern Classification Approaches for the Recognition of Landslide-Triggering Rainfalls

by Ascanio Rosi

Sustainability 2023, 15(20), 15145; https://doi.org/10.3390/su152015145 - 23 Oct 2023

Viewed by 790

Abstract

Rainfall-triggered landslides are well-known natural hazards that pose significant risks, and lot of effort has been invested to reduce the risk associated with this type of phenomenon. One approach to reduce such risk is the establishment of landslide early warning systems (LEWSs). LEWSs [...] Read more.

Rainfall-triggered landslides are well-known natural hazards that pose significant risks, and lot of effort has been invested to reduce the risk associated with this type of phenomenon. One approach to reduce such risk is the establishment of landslide early warning systems (LEWSs). LEWSs are designated to proactively identify conditions favorable to the initiation of landslides. When dealing with regional scale works, LEWSs are usually based on statistical methodologies to determine the minimum amount of rainfall required to trigger a landslide. This amount is often expressed in terms of minimum intensity or cumulative rainfall in a given time period. This research explores the use of artificial intelligence, specifically Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) networks to analyze rainfall time series as either likely or not likely to result in a landslide. Various lengths of time series and different configurations of the model were tested to identify the best setting of the model. To develop the research, the selected test site was the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy, which has a robust landslide inventory, with assessed accuracy. Model performances were evaluated using several statistical indicators, including sensitivity (0.9), specificity (0.8), positive prediction power (0.82), negative prediction power (0.89), Efficiency (0.85) and misclassification rate (0.15). These results showed that the defined model correctly identified the rainfall conditions associated with landslide initiation with a high degree of accuracy and a low rate of false positives. In summary, this research demonstrates the potential of artificial intelligence, particularly LSTM networks, in improving the accuracy of LEWSs by analyzing rainfall time series data, ultimately enhancing our ability to predict and mitigate the risks of rainfall-triggered landslides. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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23 pages, 9974 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Study on Surface Deformation and Movement Caused by Deep Continuous Mining of Steeply Inclined Ore Bodies

by Yanhui Guo, Luo Luo, Rui Ma, Shunyin Li, Wei Zhang and Chuangye Wang

Sustainability 2023, 15(15), 11815; https://doi.org/10.3390/su151511815 - 1 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 979

Abstract

In order to study the surface movement and deformation law of deep continuous mining of steeply inclined orebodies in high-stress areas, the surface movement and deformation law of deep continuous mining by caving method in the Shizishan mining area was studied based on [...] Read more.

In order to study the surface movement and deformation law of deep continuous mining of steeply inclined orebodies in high-stress areas, the surface movement and deformation law of deep continuous mining by caving method in the Shizishan mining area was studied based on the field fissures investigation, GPS monitoring, and large-scale geotechnical engineering numerical simulation software FLAC3D 5.0. The results show that with deep continuous mining of the orebody, surface fissures, and monitoring displacement are rapidly increasing. After the stoping of different sublevel orebodies, there will be an obvious settlement center on the surface, and the horizontal surface displacement also shows a trend of gradual increase. The results indicate that surface subsidence at the mine site is in an active development phase. The research results are of great significance to the prevention and control of surface rock movement disasters in mining areas. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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23 pages, 23406 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Thermal Infrared Precursor Information of Rock Surface during Failure Considering Different Intermediate Principal Stresses

by Sijie Liu, Jianchao Wang, Guoqing Chen, Kai Meng and Yan Zhang

Sustainability 2023, 15(11), 8877; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15118877 - 31 May 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1038

Abstract

Rock failure generally leads to serious consequences, and it is significant to obtain the precursor information prior to failure using associated techniques. Thus, it is essential to acquire and probe the relevant precursor information. In this study, true triaxial tests are performed on [...] Read more.

Rock failure generally leads to serious consequences, and it is significant to obtain the precursor information prior to failure using associated techniques. Thus, it is essential to acquire and probe the relevant precursor information. In this study, true triaxial tests are performed on red sandstone specimens under varying intermediate principal stress conditions. The thermal infrared image evolution and the temperature-induced change characteristics of rock failure are also analyzed using infrared thermal imaging technology. In addition, with the assistance of a high-speed photography technique, these characteristics during the true triaxial compression and unloading processes are systematically investigated to determine how the intermediate principal impacts on thermal image, temperature, and fracture propagation. Finally, the evolution mechanism of the specimens is summarized, and a non-contact thermal infrared rock failure precursor indicator is proposed, which can give significant advance notice of rock collapse before the abnormal temperature change. The results show that there exist thermal infrared temperature precursors, thermal image precursors, and rapid development of rock macroscopic cracks before rock failure. Abnormal thermal images are prior to the abnormal temperature changes. As the intermediate principal stress increases, thermal abnormalities will change accordingly. Both temperature changes and thermal image anomalous patches can be utilized as precursor information of rock collapse, and the mechanism and specific information of thermal infrared failure precursors can be preliminarily determined in time and space. Our results can function as a significant frame of reference for the analysis and prevention of rock failure due to sudden instability. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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28 pages, 5468 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Improved Unascertained Measure-Set Pair Analysis Model Based on Fuzzy AHP and Entropy for Landslide Susceptibility Zonation Mapping

by Xiaojie Yang, Zhenli Hao, Keyuan Liu, Zhigang Tao and Guangcheng Shi

Sustainability 2023, 15(7), 6205; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15076205 - 4 Apr 2023

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2264

Abstract

Landslides are one of the most destructive and common geological disasters in the Tonglvshan mining area, which seriously threatens the safety of surrounding residents and the Tonglvshan ancient copper mine site. Therefore, to effectively reduce the landslide risk and protect the safety of [...] Read more.

Landslides are one of the most destructive and common geological disasters in the Tonglvshan mining area, which seriously threatens the safety of surrounding residents and the Tonglvshan ancient copper mine site. Therefore, to effectively reduce the landslide risk and protect the safety of the Tonglvshan ancient copper mine site, it is necessary to carry out a systematic assessment of the landslide susceptibility in the study area. Combining the unascertained measure (UM) theory, the dynamic comprehensive weighting (DCW) method based on the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP)-entropy weight method and the set pair analysis (SPA) theory, an improved UM-SPA coupling model for landslide susceptibility assessment is proposed in this study. First, a hierarchical evaluation index system including 10 landslide conditioning factors is constructed. Then, the dynamic comprehensive weighting method based on the fuzzy AHP-entropy weight method is used to assign independent comprehensive weights to each evaluation unit. Finally, we optimize the credible degree recognition criteria of UM theory by introducing SPA theory to quantitatively determine the landslide susceptibility level. The results show that the improved UM-SPA model can produce landslide susceptibility zoning maps with high reliability. The whole study area is divided into five susceptibility levels. 5.8% and 10.16% of the Tonglvshan mining area are divided into extremely high susceptibility areas and high susceptibility areas, respectively. The low and extremely low susceptibility areas account for 30.87% and 34.14% of the total area of the study area, respectively. Comparison with the AHP and Entropy-FAHP models indicates that the improved UM-SPA model (AUC = 0.777) shows a better performance than the Entropy-FAHP models (AUC = 0.764) and the conventional AHP (AUC = 0.698). Therefore, these results can provide reference for emergency planning, disaster reduction and prevention decision-making in the Tonglvshan mining area. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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18 pages, 5753 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Method for Unloading Zonation Based on Strain per Unit Crack: Case Study of a Large-Scale Rocky Slope on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau

by Zhengxuan Xu, Guoqing Chen, Xiang Sun, Xin Yang and Zhiheng Lin

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3861; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043861 - 20 Feb 2023

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1721

Abstract

Distribution of unloading zones determines stability of slopes, and the unloading of a large-scale rocky slope formed by rapid river erosion and surface uplift on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is particularly severe. Generally, unloading assessment relies on traditional methods, which are mainly related to [...] Read more.

Distribution of unloading zones determines stability of slopes, and the unloading of a large-scale rocky slope formed by rapid river erosion and surface uplift on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau is particularly severe. Generally, unloading assessment relies on traditional methods, which are mainly related to phenomena. However, unloading is a process of deformation and failure regarding the rock mass. Based on deformation and failure, strain rate and crack rate established through theoretical analysis can measure the relationship between accumulative width of open cracks and unloading deformation and the relationship between accumulative number of cracks and unloading failure, respectively. Thus, a method that combines strain rate and crack rate, namely strain per unit crack (i.e., SPUC), is proposed. The SPUC was applied to assess the unloading zones of a large-scale rocky slope on the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau. The results show that the SPUC curve regularly varied and can be easily divided into three parts. Strong and weak unloading zones can be recognized from the SPUC curve. The reasonability of SPUC in the unloading zones assessment was confirmed by comparing and verifying with traditional methods. We found that SPUC has good universality and can compensate for the defect of using strain rate or crack rate to assess unloading zones. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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19 pages, 166850 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

Dynamic Mechanical Properties and Failure Characteristics of Sandstone with Pre-Flaws Parallel to the Loading Direction

by Ziyun Li, Yunhui Zhu, Qianghui Song, Peiyong Wang and Dongyan Liu

Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3587; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043587 - 15 Feb 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1351

Abstract

Investigations on rock dynamics have been comprehensively focused on when the dynamic impact is perpendicular to the trend of the flaws, while understanding the dynamic mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock with pre-flaws parallel to the loading direction remains unrevealed. In this [...] Read more.

Investigations on rock dynamics have been comprehensively focused on when the dynamic impact is perpendicular to the trend of the flaws, while understanding the dynamic mechanical properties and failure characteristics of rock with pre-flaws parallel to the loading direction remains unrevealed. In this study, impact tests are performed to experimentally study the dynamic mechanical properties, failure characteristics, and energy evolution of pre-flawed sandstone using the split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) apparatus, in which the pre-flaws are parallel to the loading direction. The results show that for specimens, the dynamic loading rate and the number of flaws greatly influence the dynamic strength, peak strain, energy absorption rate, and failure behaviors. The dynamic strength increases exponentially with an increase in loading rate and decreases with an increase in flaw numbers. The fractal dimension of triple-flawed specimens is the largest at the same loading rate range. The failure modes of different pre-flawed specimens show a transition from tensile failure to tensile-shear failure with the increase of dynamic loading rate. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Geological Hazards Monitoring and Prevention)

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