Soil compaction caused by heavy agricultural machinery poses a significant challenge to sustainable farming by degrading soil health, reducing crop productivity, and disrupting environmental dynamics. Field traffic optimization can help abate compaction, yet conventional algorithms have mostly focused on minimizing route length while overlooking soil compaction dynamics in their cost function. This study introduces Soil2Cover, an approach that combines controlled traffic farming principles with the SoilFlex model to minimize soil compaction by optimizing machinery paths. Soil2Cover prioritizes the frequency of machinery passes over specific areas, while integrating soil mechanical properties to quantify compaction impacts. Results from tests on 1000 fields demonstrate that our approach achieves a reduction in route length of up to 4-6% while reducing the soil compaction on headlands by up to 30% in both single-crop and intercropping scenarios. The optimized routes improve crop yields whilst reducing operational costs, lowering fuel consumption and decreasing the overall environmental footprint of agricultural production. The implementation code will be released with the third version of Fields2Cover, an open-source library for the coverage path planning problem in agricultural settings.

In metropolitan cities, underground railway lines of Mass Rapid Transit Systems are the lifeline to the daily commuters. However, these underground lines cause vibrations while trains move. This ground-borne vibrations may cause damage to heritage buildings and fa & ccedil;ade elements. Humans can feel this vibration, and the comfort of people living nearby is compromised if vibrations cross threshold limit. In the current study, a two-stage coupled analysis is conducted to assess ground-borne vibrations in the free field generated by moving trains in a circular shaped tunnel. Two sub-models are generated-(a) train-track sub-model and (b) tunnel-soil coupling sub-model. The preceding model is a closed-form analytical solution which calculates the quasi-static effect of dynamic interactions between the train wheel and the railway track. The follower model is a 2D FE model to calculate the transfer of dynamic forces from track-tunnel interface to the ground surface through the soil medium. It is found that the computed results fairly match with experimental results for both amplitude and frequency content of the vibration. It is observed that ground vibrations reduce with distance from tunnel and any structure or residents staying beyond 30 m distance would not be affected by vibration as only 25% of vibration is present at this distance. The vibration is found to increase with velocity of train and at soft ground conditions to limit vibration, the velocity of train can be restricted. It is found that the frequency content of vibration is in interference range of human life and critical zone of frequency of structures. Therefore, careful assessment of vibration is required during finalization of the metro project particularly if the ground has shear wave velocity of less than 400 m/s.

In the areas of aerospace and military industry, wheeled vehicles are expected to have the ability of passing various ground surfaces, including lunar soil, sand, marsh, mud flat, etc. This makes vehicle trafficability on soft ground become a very hot research topic. There are very a few difficulties in the present research of vehicle trafficability on soft ground, such as obtaining wheel-ground interaction information, inaccurate identification of soil mechanical characteristics parameters, and single evaluation index. In this paper, a novel approach of evaluating the vehicle trafficability on soft ground using wheel force information is proposed. As parts of the proposed approach, the methods of obtaining wheel force information, identification of soil mechanical characteristics parameters and integated method of trafficability evaluation, are discussed in detail. The proposed approach was validated through a practical test.

Vibrations observed as a result of moving vehicles can potentially affect both buildings and the people inside them. The impacts of these vibrations are complex, affected by a number of parameters, like amplitude, frequency, and duration, as well as by the properties of the soil beneath. These factors together lead to various effects, from slight disruptions to significant structural damage. Occupants inside affected buildings may experience discomfort, disrupted sleep patterns, and increased stress levels due to the pervasive nature of vibrations. Low-frequency vibrations, typically ranging from 5 to 25 Hz, are of particular concern since they can exacerbate these effects by resonating with internal human organs. To effectively mitigate these issues, a comprehensive approach is required, starting with some interventions at the source. This may involve strategic choices in road construction materials and advancements in vehicle design to reduce the transmission of vibrations through the ground to the surrounding environment. Understanding the complexities of vibration dynamics is essential in urban planning, serving as a fundamental consideration in the development of modern infrastructure that prioritizes the well-being and safety of its inhabitants. Therefore, the aim of the present study is to consider artificial neural networks to assess the potential impact of traffic-induced vibrations on a building's residents. The results of the study indicate that the proposed method of utilizing machine learning can be effectively applied for such purposes.

Urban water supply pipelines experience repetitive traffic loads during their operational lifespan, potentially leading to fatigue failure. However, existing research focuses primarily on the static or dynamic mechanical responses of pipes, with limited studies on the fatigue performance of pipes. This study investigates the fatigue performance and failure mechanism of DN200 ductile iron (DI) pipes with socket joints under traffic loads and water pressure through bending fatigue tests. First, the mechanical responses of pipe joints under traffic loads derived from statistical data on highway traffic loads, soil pressure, and self-weight are calculated using ABAQUS to give the fatigue test load amplitude. Subsequently, tests are conducted on three DN200 DI pipes under a water pressure of 0.2 MPa: one for a monotonic test and two for fatigue tests under extra car and bus loads, respectively. The fatigue life of pipes under various traffic load combinations is analyzed using cumulative damage theory. Moreover, the relationship between fatigue load amplitude and number of cycles for DN200 DI pipes are obtained on the basis of the test data. Results show that the maximum rotation angle of joint is an important indicator of failure. Finally, a theoretical method for calculating the joint angle is proposed on the basis of geometric dimensions. A good agreement between the test and theoretical results is observed. Thus, the proposed method can obtain the fatigue performance of joints effectively.

Insufficient understanding of the stress-strain behavior of pavements built over backfilled trenches, particularly with recycled aggregates, often leads to overdesign or overcompaction, raising costs and project delays. This research investigates how compaction levels during backfilling impact the pavement performance over these trenches. Various recycled material mixtures, both unbound and cement-treated, are compared with conventional crushed rock. Investigations included repeated load triaxial (RLT) tests, microstructural analysis with scanning electron microscopy, environmental assessments, and modeling with FlexPAVETM, a pavement response and performance analysis software. RLT test results were incorporated into the FlexPAVETM models by utilizing established constitutive resilient modulus models. Stress-strain responses of pavements over recycled aggregate backfill, compacted with standard and modified Proctor efforts, were compared with those over crushed rock and natural clay subgrades. Outcomes revealed that the standard compaction energy was sufficient for the desired performance. Fatigue and rutting strains with recycled mixtures closely resembled those with crushed rock, making them viable green alternatives. Pavements over backfilled trenches exhibited 1.5 and 1.8 times longer fatigue and rutting lives, respectively, than those over natural clay subgrades.

The availability of quality materials for construction has been an issue in some regions. This scarcity obliged using marginal materials reinforced with geosynthetic materials as one of the quests for sustainability in the pavement industry. In this study, an attempt was made to stabilize the marginal materials by incorporating geosynthetics. The different geosynthetics used in the study are geogrid, geocell, double geogrid, and geocell + geogrid. A series of unreinforced (UR) and geosynthetic reinforced (GR) pavement prototypes were constructed in the laboratory with landslide debris as base material underlain by black cotton soil subgrade. Large-scale cyclic plate load (CPL) tests were performed on test prototypes constructed in the laboratory under cyclic loading following the trapezoidal loading pattern with 0.77 Hz frequency. The efficacy of geosynthetic reinforcement was quantified concerning permanent deformation (PD), resilient deformation (RD), Rut depth reduction (RDR), Traffic improvement ratio (TIR), and reduction in vertical stresses transmitted to the subgrade and reduction in base layer thickness. The test results indicate that the GR significantly reduced the rut depth and improved the traffic capacity. In addition, over all types of GRs, the combination of geogrid and geocell outperformed in terms of permanent deformation and rut depth reduction.

The Traffic Speed Deflectometer (TSD) is a mobile vehicle that measures deflection slopes. Deflection slopes have been utilised in previous studies to backcalculate pavement layers' moduli. However, the nonlinear stress-dependency and cross-anisotropy of unbound granular materials and fine-grained soils were overlooked in those studies. Utilising the Finite Element Method (FEM) based on static analysis in this study to evaluate a three-layered flexible pavement system with specific material properties and layer thicknesses revealed that neglecting the nonlinear stress-dependency of base and subgrade layers underestimated the permanent deformation life of the backcalculated pavement by more than 45%. Neglecting the cross-anisotropy of the base layer with the design anisotropy ratio of 0.5 increased the backcalculated Asphalt Concrete (AC) modulus by more than 21%, increased the estimated permanent deformation life of the pavement by more than 160%, and decreased the backcalculated base modulus by around 28%. Neglecting the cross-anisotropy of the subgrade with the design anisotropy ratio of 0.5 almost increased the estimated permanent deformation life of the pavement by 15%. The results underscore the necessity to consider the nonlinear stress-dependency and cross-anisotropy of unbound granular materials and fine-grained soils in backcalculating pavement layers' moduli from TSD deflection slopes.

Traffic-induced cyclic stresses in the subsoil are three-dimensional, and it is important to acknowledge that cyclic major, intermediate, and minor principal stresses have obvious impacts on the permanent strain of the subsoil. Therefore, a series of cyclic true triaxial tests were performed on intact marine clay to investigate the evolution of permanent major principal strain (epsilon(p)(1)) under long-term true triaxial cyclic loads in this study, considering the effects of the amplitudes of cyclic deviator stress (q(ampl)), coefficient of the cyclic intermediate principal stress (b(cyc)), and the slope of the stress path (eta). The test results indicated that epsilon(p)(1) exhibits an increasing trend with increasing CSR, but decreases nonlinearly with an increase in b(cyc)and eta. This implies that the increasing amplitude of cyclic deviator stress promotes the development of epsilon(p)(1), and the accumulation of epsilon(p)(1) is limited by the growing amplitudes of the cyclic mean principal stress and cyclic intermediate principal stress. Considering the effects of CSR, b(cyc), and eta on epsilon(p)(1), a five-parameter empirical model is established to describe the accumulation of epsilon(p)(1) under true triaxial cyclic loads. In addition, the proposed model is verified by the permanent deformation data in this study and previous studies.

This study focuses on investigating permanent deformations, encompassing normal and shear strains, of calcareous sandy soils subjected to drained cyclic traffic-induced loadings. The investigation utilizes a Simple Shear (SS) apparatus allowing for variations in both normal and shear stress components over each cycle and incorporates Principal Stress Rotation (PSR), a feature not replicable in conventional cyclic uniaxial triaxial tests which is the key aspect of this research. The study also accounts for the harmonically changing the effective horizontal stress resulting from cyclic variations of effective vertical stress, conducted under a horizontally constrained boundary condition with zero lateral strain. A series of drained cyclic simple shear experiments is carried out, implementing a heart-shaped stress path, encompassing up to 1000 cycles. The objective of the study is to analyze permanent normal and shear deformations, along with associated total particle crushing, using both sieving analyses and 2D image processing of particles. The study also evaluates the impact of an initial static shear stress originating from the longitudinal slope of roads. The findings highlight the influences of induced cyclic amplitudes of stress components, principal stress and strain rate rotation, and initial static shear stress on the development of permanent strains. Furthermore, the research characterizes particle crushability in terms of total crushability over such loading, examining its dependency on relative density and variations in both shear and normal stress components.