Information concerning the size and shape of tunnel boring machine (TBM) debris is essential for designing efficient loading, hauling and dumping systems for TBM excavation. It is also very important in deciding how to recycle the TBM debris. However, only very limited information is available at present, and theoretical or calculation methods to estimate the size and shape are still open to di...

PURPOSE To study the prevalence, tomographic features, and clinical characteristics of focal choroidal excavation (FCE) in eyes with exudative age-related macular degeneration (AMD). METHODS We examined 243 consecutive eyes with exudative AMD with a prototype swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) system. Three-dimensional images of the macular area, covering 6 × 6 mm(2), were recons...

In this paper, an innovative instrument for the measurement of the soil displacement, developed at the laboratories of the Departments of Civil and Information Engineering of the University of Parma and currently under patenting, is presented. The instrument, which can be used in any application requiring soil movement measurements, has been originally designed for the measurement of the axial ...

The demand for the development of underground spaces has been sharply increased in lieu of saturated ground spaces because the residents of cities have steadily increased since the 1980s. The traditional widely used excavation methods (i.e., explosion and shield) have caused many problems, such as noise, vibration, extended schedule, and increased costs. The vibration-free (and explosion-free) ...

Intelligent Excavation System (IES) has been considered to be one of the desirable solutions to improve the productivity, quality and safety of the current earthwork processes. IES is composed of various hardware and software modules including task planner (work command generator), local and global work environment sensors, GPS and other sensors to acquire the excavator’s status, robotic contro...

The similar material plays an important role in Geo-mechanical model test, and the proportion influences the test results directly. According to the physical and mechanical properties of the prototype, the cementitious material with good elastic-plastic for iron crystal sand (ISBM) was chosen as the similar material for the research on failure mechanism of surrounding rock under the environment...

One of the most important factors affecting the design of the structures, is the impact of the earthquake loadings on the forces and the design displacements. Nevertheless, the influences of the near structures on the existing buildings, that sometimes can cause great changes in forces and displacements, can never be forgotten. Thus, the induced displacement in the adjacent buildings of a newly...

OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to evaluate the performance of a visual-tactile examination and a laser fluorescence device for detecting residual dentinal caries after carious dentin removal with bur excavation, hand excavation and chemomechanical excavation (Carisolv()]. METHODS Thirty extracted coronal caries primary second molars were used. The caries infected dentin has been removed...

Hundreds of impact craters on Mars contain diverse phyllosilicates, interpreted as excavation products of preexisting subsurface deposits following impact and crater formation. This has been used to argue that the conditions conducive to phyllosilicate synthesis, which require the presence of abundant and long-lasting liquid water, were only met early in the history of the planet, during the No...

Driven by progress in sensor technology, computer software and data processing capabilities, terrestrial laser scanning has recently proved a revolutionary technique for high accuracy, 3D mapping and documentation of physical scenarios and man-made structures. Particularly, this is of great importance in the underground space and tunnel construction environment as surveying engineering operatio...