Establishment of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between multiple subjects is an effective means to realize the collaborative governance of water pollution and maintain the security of water ecology. This paper breaks through the conventional upstream and downstream perspectives of watershed ecological compensation design research and combines them with uncertainty factors. The watershed ecological compensation mechanism for the mainstream and branches was established based on the evolutionary game and the random process. Then, taking the midstream of the Yellow River as an example, some constraint conditions and influencing factors were explored. Results show that: (1) The branch government (i.e., the Shanxi provincial government) is the key to establishing an ecological compensation mechanism between the river mainstream and branches. (2) The proportion of pollution transferred by other branches, the initial probability and the random factors are the main factors affecting the decision-making of branch governments (Shanxi and Shaanxi provincial governments). (3) The compensation and reward of the mainstream government to the branch government and the compensation of the branch government to the mainstream government are the main factors affecting the decision-making of mainstream and branch governments (Shanxi–Henan provincial governments, Shaanxi–Henan provincial governments). The study may provide scientific guidance for the construction of a watershed ecological compensation mechanism between mainstream and multiple branches.

As one of the key components in geopolymer systems, the activator significantly influences the properties of cementitious materials. This study investigates the effects of key activator parameters, specifically alkali equivalent and activator modulus, on the setting time, workability, hydration characteristics, compressive strength, and splitting tensile strength of Yellow River sediment-based slag eco-friendly cementitious materials. Tests such as setting time, slump, flowability, hydration heat, and strength were conducted to evaluate these effects. Additionally, X-ray diffraction (XRD), differential thermal analysis (DTA), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) tests were conducted to investigate the mechanisms and variations in microstructural properties. The results indicate that the alkali equivalent and activator modulus significantly affect the setting time, workability, reaction process, and strength of Yellow River sediment-based eco-friendly cementitious materials. An excessively high or low alkali equivalent and activator modulus result in either insufficient or excessive activation, adversely affecting the densification process of the hardened matrix. When the alkali equivalent is 5% and the activator modulus is 1.2, the matrix demonstrates superior flowability, well-regulated and sustained heat evolution during hydration, and achieves compressive and splitting tensile strengths of 61.68 MPa and 4.37 MPa, respectively. Under optimal alkaline conditions, slag dissolution, hydrolysis of silicon–oxygen and aluminum–oxygen tetrahedra, and the formation of low-calcium calcium silicate hydrate (C-S-H) and calcium aluminum silicate hydrate (C-A-S-H) phases are effectively promoted, leading to the development of a wrinkled three-dimensional polymeric gel structure. This structure fills the matrix pores, optimizes the pore structure, and contributes to strength development.

To address the demands for resource utilization of Yellow River sediment and the durability requirements of engineering materials in cold regions, this study systematically investigates the mechanisms affecting the frost resistance of slag-Yellow River sediment geopolymers through the incorporation of mineral admixtures (silica fume and metakaolin) and fibers (steel fiber and PVA fiber). Through 400 freeze-thaw cycles combined with microscopic characterization techniques such as SEM, XRD, and MIP, the results indicate that the group with 20% silica fume content (SF20) exhibited optimal frost resistance, showing a 19.9% increase in compressive strength after 400 freeze-thaw cycles. The high pozzolanic reactivity of SiO₂ in SF20 promoted continuous secondary gel formation, producing low C/S ratio C-(A)-S-H gels and increasing the gel pore content from 24% to 27%, thereby refining the pore structure. Due to their high elastic deformation capacity (6.5% elongation rate), PVA fibers effectively mitigate frost heave stress. At the same dosage, the compressive strength loss rate (6.18%) and splitting tensile strength loss rate (21.79%) of the PVA fiber-reinforced group were significantly lower than those of the steel fiber-reinforced group (9.03% and 27.81%, respectively). During the freeze-thaw process, the matrix pore structure exhibited a typical two-stage evolution characteristic of “refinement followed by coarsening”: In the initial stage (0–100 cycles), secondary hydration products from mineral admixtures filled pores, reducing the proportion of macropores by 5–7% and enhancing matrix densification; In the later stage (100–400 cycles), due to frost heave pressure and differences in thermal expansion coefficients between matrix phases (e.g., C-(A)-S-H gel and fibers), interfacial microcracks propagated, causing the proportion of macropores to increase back to 35–37%. This study reveals the synergistic interaction between mineral admixtures and fibers in enhancing freeze–thaw performance. It provides theoretical support for the high-value application of Yellow River sediment in F400-grade geopolymer composites. The findings have significant implications for infrastructure in cold regions, including subgrade materials, hydraulic structures, and related engineering applications.

Steel fibers (STs), polyvinyl alcohol fibers (PVAs), and polyethylene fibers (PEs) were selected to systematically investigate the effects of different fiber types and dosages on the workability (slump and spread) and mechanical properties (compressive strength and splitting tensile strength) of slag–Yellow River sand geopolymer eco-cementitious materials. By combining microstructural testing techniques such as thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA), X-ray diffraction (XRD), and scanning electron microscopy-energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), the influence mechanisms of fibers on the characteristic products and microstructure of the matrix were thoroughly revealed, and the role of fibers in the strength development of Yellow River sediment-based geopolymers was elucidated. The results show that as the fiber content increases, the workability of the mixture significantly decreases. The appropriate incorporation of steel fibers and PVAs can significantly enhance the strength and toughness of the matrix. When the fiber dosage is 1%, the 28-day compressive strength of specimens with steel fibers and PVAs increased by 25.93% and 21.96%, respectively, compared to the control group, while the splitting tensile strength increased by 50.00% and 60.34%, respectively. However, the mechanisms of action differ significantly; steel fibers primarily enhance the compressive performance of the matrix through their high stiffness and strength, whereas PVAs inhibit crack propagation through their flexibility and excellent bonding properties. In contrast, the strength improvement of PEs is mainly reflected in toughening. When the fiber dosage is 1.5%, the 28-day splitting tensile strength of PE specimens increased by 72.61%, and the tensile-to-compressive ratio increased by 92.32% compared to the control group. Microstructural analysis indicates that the incorporation of different types of fibers does not alter the types of characteristic products in alkali-activated cementitious materials, but excessive fiber content affects the generation of gel-like products and the distribution of free water, thereby altering the thermal decomposition behavior of characteristic gel products. Additionally, the matrix incorporating PEs forms a honeycomb-like amorphous gel, resulting in weak interfacial bonding between the fibers and the matrix. This is one of the main reasons for the limited reinforcing effect of PEs at the microscopic scale and a key factor for their inferior long-term performance compared to steel fibers and PVAs. This study provides theoretical foundations and practical guidance for optimizing the performance of fiber-reinforced geopolymer materials.

In recent years, the water and sediment pattern of the Yellow River has changed significantly, and a preliminary water and sediment regulation system was constructed. Based on a summary of the regulation principles of water and sediment in the Middle Yellow River, this paper proposes three key technologies to determine the water and sediment control thresholds, the artificial creation of a long-distance density current, and an engineering regulation for water and sediment control of the Yellow River. Taking the actual flood and sedimentation regulation of the Yellow River Basin in 2018 as an example, the practical applications of these relevant technologies are analyzed. This study provides an important theoretical and practical reference for the flood and sediment regulation of sediment-laden rivers in arid and semi-arid areas during flood season.

Most 2D (two-dimensional) models either take vertical velocity profiles as uniform, or consider secondary flow in momentum equations with presupposed velocity profiles, which weakly reflect the spatio-temporal characteristics of meander flow. To tackle meander flow in a more accurate 3D (three-dimensional) way while avoiding low computational efficiency, a new 3D model based on spectral methods is established and verified in this paper. In the present model, the vertical water flow field is expanded into polynomials. Governing equations are transformed by the Galerkin method and then advection terms are tackled with a semi-Lagrangian method. The simulated flow structures of an open channel bend are then compared with experimental results. Although a zero-equation turbulence model is used in this new 3D model, it shows reasonable flow structures, and calculation efficiency is comparable to a depth-averaged 2D model.