AI Networking Cookbook: Practical recipes for AI-assisted network automation and development
Purpose: The aim of this study is to examine the effect of variations in groundwater table height on foundation settlement behaviour in arid-zone soils, where evaporation, restricted recharge and anthropogenic groundwater extraction are the dominant hydrologic conditions. Design/Methodology/Approach: This research integrates field monitoring, laboratory testing, and numerical modelling to quantify settlement behaviour in response to changing groundwater levels. At an actual site, seasonal groundwater table depths between 1.2 m and 2.8 m BGL have been measured and implemented in hydro-mechanical simulations with PLAXIS 2D for the three common arid-region soil types (fine-grained, expansive soils and silty sands). Research Limitation: The research focuses only on general desert soil types and the level of groundwater fluctuation present at the chosen site. Long-term climatic variations and extreme pumping scenarios seeded into the models, as well as three-dimensional groundwater flow effects, were not considered explicitly and potentially alter settlement behaviour under different field conditions. Findings: The results show that groundwater depletion decreases effective stress and increases consolidation settlements, whereas fine-grained and expansive soils exhibit settlement up to ~38 mm for a groundwater drawdown of 2–3 m, and silty sands respond rapidly with lower settlement magnitudes. At footing edges, maximum differential footing settlement was near the footing edges and increased with depth due to the localised pumping hydraulic gradient. Deep foundations produced the highest reduction in differential settlement among all mitigation measures (up to 65%); lime–cement stabilisation was the next best alternative (reduction of 42%); and groundwater control systems provided only moderate improvement at relatively lower incremental costs. Practical Implication: The results have immediate implications for foundation design in arid regions, highlighting the leading role of groundwater oscillations in settlement behaviour. Social Implication: Better detection and tracking of groundwater-induced settlements can avoid damage to buildings and infrastructure in arid areas, increasing public safety, decreasing maintenance costs, and supporting reliable groundwater management practices. Originality / Value: The combination of field data with hydro-mechanical numerical modelling offers a unifying approach for improving the outcome of large foundation designs and a useful input to researchers and practitioners alike.
Riverbank failure offers serious geotechnical and hydraulic dangers to infrastructure, the environment, and the quality of water along fluvial rivers. This study looks at the collapse causes of riverbanks and surrounding embankments over an 8-kilometer stretch of the Euphrates River in Babilon City. An integrated technique integrating field collection, thorough laboratory testing, and the GeoStudio (SEEP/W and SLOPE/W) model was used. Laboratory data demonstrated that high silt and clay concentration (62% silt, 28% clay in embankments; 58% silt, 24% clay in banks) influences soil behavior. Also, the seepage analysis highlighted pore water pressure variations (0.2–1.2 m) and discharge rates (1.76×10⁻⁸ to 1.84×10⁻⁷ m³/sec), which directly influence embankment stability. Slope stability analysis demonstrated a 26% increase in the factor of safety (FS) with higher soil cohesion, emphasizing the importance of cohesive strength in mitigating failure risks. This study bridges the empirical-computational gap by establishing site-specific hydraulic conductivity functions and safety factor sensitivity charts for fine-grained fluvial soils, offering actionable reinforcement strategies (geosynthetic additives and stone riprap). The integration of field data with comprehensive laboratory tests utilizing GeoStudio to determine seepage flow and slope stability under many circumstances is innovative. The work comes to the conclusion that practical insights for riverbank management may be obtained by combining laboratory data with numerical modeling. Periodic monitoring, soil fortification with additives, and stability-enhancing preventive measures like stone rippling or gabions are among the recommendations.
Reliable assessment of rockburst tendency is essential for maintaining the stability and operational safety of deep underground excavations. However, the complex coupling among stress conditions, lithological characteristics, and structural features of rock masses introduces significant uncertainty into rockburst prediction. Conventional evaluation approaches relying on individual indices frequently produce inconsistent classifications and are often insufficient to represent actual rockburst behavior. To address this issue, a hybrid evaluation framework integrating unascertained measure theory, cloud-based uncertainty analysis, and a game-theoretic weighting strategy was developed in this study. Four representative parameters, including the strain energy storage index (Wet), geostress index (S), rock quality designation (RQD), and rock mass integrity factor (Kv), were adopted to characterize the energy-storage capability, stress environment, and structural condition of the surrounding rock mass. The conventional unascertained measure approach was further enhanced using the normal cloud model to describe the uncertain mapping relationship between quantitative measurements and qualitative rockburst classifications. In addition, a combination weighting scheme incorporating AHP, entropy weight (EW), and CRITIC methods was established to improve the stability and rationality of index weighting. The developed framework was subsequently applied to a deep phosphate mine in China. The calculated comprehensive weights of the four evaluation parameters were 0.1982, 0.3446, 0.2173, and 0.2399, respectively, demonstrating that the stress-related parameter has the greatest influence on rockburst evaluation. The results indicate that the investigated rock masses generally exhibit moderate-to-strong rockburst tendency. The shallow and moderately deep zones exhibited relatively high rockburst potential, while the ultra-deep dolomite formations mainly showed a moderate tendency due to the development of joints and fractures, which weakened the integrity of the deep rock mass. The proposed framework provides an effective and practical approach for preliminary hazard assessment, rockburst risk zoning, and prevention strategy design in deep mining engineering.
This study determines the hydraulic characteristics of the Quaternary aquifer in the eastern part of the Missan Governorate, southern Iraq. As a result of the increasing demand for water supplies, especially for agricultural purposes, in addition to droughts, groundwater abstraction has intensified, leading to declining groundwater levels. This requires determining the hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer and assessing its development potential. To obtain the hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer, pumping tests were carried out on nine selected wells. The results of the single and multi-well tests were interpreted using the Theis (1935) method and Cooper-Jacob (1946) analytical methods to obtain the hydraulic characteristics: Transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity, and Storativity. The pumping test data analysis revealed that the Quaternary aquifer is unconfined, with storativity values ranging from 0.006 to 0.1, indicating moderate to high storage potential. Spatial data analysis shows that hydraulic conductivity and transmissivity are highest in the eastern and northeastern parts of the area, where coarse gravel and sand of the alluvial fan are found predominate. Specifically, well W8 recorded the highest values, with transmissivity of about 556.65 m²/day and hydraulic conductivity of 11.05 m/day. Mapping of the spatial distribution of hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer (transmissivity, hydraulic conductivity , and storativity) highlights the northeastern part of the study area has the greatest groundwater potential. Overall, the aquifer is characterized by moderate to high hydraulic conductivity, underscoring its importance as a strategic water resource.
To address the poorly understood controlling mechanisms of gas-bearing property in shale reservoirs and the low accuracy of sweet spot prediction, this study investigates the shale reservoirs of the Wufeng Formation–Long-11 Submember in the Z3 well area, western Chongqing–central Sichuan. Based on the logging curve data and the analysis and test data of various rock samples, the coupling relationship between the key parameters under the constraint of lithofacies is clarified by using the scatter plot correlation analysis method. The controlling effect of the coupling mechanism on gas-bearing property was further analyzed. The results show that Porosity and TOC content exhibit a nonlinear, unimodal “inverted U-shaped” relationship, first increasing and then decreasing. Free gas content is most significantly controlled by porosity (R 2 = 0.518), while adsorbed gas content is most significantly controlled by TOC content (R 2 = 0.6369). Based on the coupling control relationship of gas-bearing properties in the study area, organic matter is newly classified. It is clarified that shales with medium-to-high organic matter (TOC = 2–5%) and high porosity have the best gas-bearing property; shales with ultrahigh organic matter (TOC > 5%) and medium porosity rank second; and shales with organic-poor (TOC < 2%) and low porosity (<3.5%) have the poorest gas-bearing property. The results of this study provide an important theoretical basis for shale gas sweet spot prediction.
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