Proposal of design rules for ductile X-CBFS in the framework of EUROCODE 8

Cross concentrically braced frames (X-CBFs) are commonly used as primary seismic resisting system, owing to their large lateral stiffness, simplicity of design, and relatively low constructional cost. Current EN 1998-1 provides design rules theoretically aiming at developing ductile global plastic mechanism, namely enforcing plastic deformations in the diagonal members, while the remaining structural members and connections should elastically behave. However, as widely demonstrated by many existing studies, the design and the corresponding seismic performance of EC8-compliant X-CBFs are generally affected by several criticisms, eg, difficulties in sizing of diagonal members, massive and non-economical structures, and poor seismic behavior. In light of these considerations, the research activity presented in this paper is addressed to revise the design rules and requirements given EN 1998-1 for X-CBFs to simplify the design process and to improve the ductility and the dissipative capacity of this structural system. Hence, design rules are proposed for the next version of EN 1998-1 and numerically validated by means of nonlinear dynamic analyses.     

Hidden in plain sight: How finding a lake in the Brazilian Pantanal improves understanding of wetland hydrogeomorphology

Wetlands are permanently or seasonally flooded areas which support countless species of plants and animals. The Pantanal, in central-west Brazil is one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the world covering an area of ~150 000 km². The relationships between geomorphology, hydrology, sedimentation, and vegetation cover are critical for understanding how the landscape constrains the dynamics of wetlands. We provide a detailed study of the geomorphology and surface hydrology of the Negro River Interfan System (NRIS), in the southern Pantanal, by applying multiple approaches (i.e. remote sensing analysis, geomorphological zonation and hydrosedimentological surveys). A multitemporal analysis of Landsat imagery produced an inundation frequency map (2000–2011 period) that revealed a permanently flooded area in the central portion of the NRIS. A hidden fluvial lake was previously undetected due to the accumulation of floating mats and floating meadows of macrophytes. The Negro and Aquidauana feeder rivers exhibit remarkable differences in channel planform, water discharge, and sediment load. The Negro River presents a distributary pattern with marginal levees with decreasing elevation as it progrades into the lake and remains as a subaqueous landform conditioning the water flow downstream. The lake outflow to the Paraguay River occurs mainly by sheet flow during flood seasons and through small tributary channels during dry months. The lake's geometry is outlined by east–northeast and west–northwest straight borders, suggesting that the area is tectonically controlled. A cloud-based worldwide water surface database (1984–2015) revealed frequent channel changes within the NRIS. Recent channel avulsions in the lower course of the Negro River are noteworthy mainly because the former river channel at the confluence with the Paraguay River is no longer connected with the Negro River channel. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The impact of hydrograph variability and frequency on sediment transport dynamics in a gravel-bed flume

A laboratory study was undertaken to investigate how changes in flow regime and hydrograph shape (number of cycled hydrographs and duration of each hydrograph) together impact bedload transport and resulting bed morphology. Three hydrologic conditions (experiments) representing different levels of urbanization, or analogously different flow regimes, were derived from measured hydrometric field data. Each experiment consisted of a series of hydrographs with equal peak discharge and varying frequency, duration and flashiness. Bedload transport was measured throughout each hydrograph and measurements of bed topography and surface texture were recorded after each hydrograph. The results revealed hysteresis loops in both the total and fractional transport, with more pronounced loops for longer duration hydrographs, corresponding to lower rate of unsteadiness until reaching the peak discharge (pre-urbanization conditions). Shorter duration hydrographs (urban conditions) displayed more time above critical shear stress thresholds leading to higher bedload transport rates and ultimately to more variable hysteresis patterns. Surface textures from photographic methods revealed surface armoring in all experiments, with larger armor ratios for longer duration hydrographs, speculated to be due to vertical sorting and more time for bed rearrangements to occur. The direction of bed surface adjustment was linked to bedload hysteresis, more precisely with clockwise hysteresis (longer hydrographs) typically resulting in bed coarsening. More frequent and shorter duration hydrographs result in greater relative channel adjustments in slope, topographic variability and surface texture. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.