Stochastic micromechanical model of the deterioration of asphalt mixtures subject to moisture diffusion processes

The deleterious effect of moisture in the microstructure of asphalt mixtures, usually referred to as moisture damage, has been recognized as a main cause of early deterioration of asphalt pavements. The initiation and evolution of moisture‐related deterioration is strongly influenced by the internal air void structure of asphalt mixtures. Despite its importance, the majority of works conducted on the micromechanical modeling of asphalt mixtures overlook the role of the air void structure, mainly because of its high complexity and variability. This paper explores the influence of air void variability on the performance of asphalt mixtures subjected to moisture diffusion processes. A stochastic modeling technique based on random field theory was used to generate internal distributions of physical and mechanical properties of the asphalt matrix of the mixture that depend on probable air voids distributions. The analysis was conducted by means of a coupled numerical micromechanical model of moisture damage. The results showed that the variability and distribution of air voids are decisive in determining the moisture‐dependent performance of asphalt mixtures. Furthermore, it was also shown that a stochastic characterization of the diverse air void configurations is a feasible and useful approach to better represent and understand mechanically related deterioration processes in asphalt mixtures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Comparison of catchment and network delineation approaches in complex suburban environments: application to the Chaudanne catchment,France

Suburban areas are subject to strong anthropogenic modifications, which can influence hydrological processes. Sewer systems, ditches, sewer overflow devices and retention basins are introduced and large surface areas are sealed off. The knowledge of accurate flow paths and watershed boundaries in these suburban areas is important for storm water management, hydrological modelling and hydrological data analysis. This study proposes a new method for the determination of the drainage network based on time efficient field investigations and integration of sewer system maps into the drainage network for small catchments of up to 10 km². A new method is also proposed for the delineation of subcatchments and thus the catchment area. The subcatchments are delineated using a combination of an object‐oriented approach in the urban zone and geographical information system–based terrain analysis with flow direction forcing in the rural zone. The method is applied to the Chaudanne catchment, which belongs to the Yzeron river network and is located in the suburban area of Lyon, France. The resulting subcatchment map gives information about subcatchment response and contribution. The method is compared with six other automatic catchment delineation methods based on stream burning, flow direction forcing and calculation of subcatchments for inlet points. None of the automatic methods could correctly represent the catchment area and flow paths observed in the field. The watershed area calculated with these methods differs by as much as 25% from the area computed with the new method. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Observations of urban and suburban environments with global satellite scatterometer data

A global and consistent characterization of land use and land change in urban and suburban environments is crucial for many fundamental social and natural science studies and applications. Presented here is a dense sampling method (DSM) that uses satellite scatterometer data to delineate urban and intraurban areas at a posting scale of about 1 km. DSM results are analyzed together with information on population and housing censuses, with Landsat Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) imagery, and with Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) night-light data. The analyses include Dallas-Fort Worth and Phoenix in the United States, Bogotá in Colombia, Dhaka in Bangladesh, Guangzhou in China, and Quito in Ecuador. Results show that scatterometer signatures correspond to buildings and infrastructures in urban and suburban environments. City extents detected by scatterometer data are significantly smaller than city light extents, but not all urban areas are detectable by the current SeaWinds scatterometer on the QuikSCAT satellite. Core commercial and industrial areas with high buildings and large factories are identified as high-backscatter centers. Data from DSM backscatter and DMSP nighttime lights have a good correlation with population density. However, the correlation relations from the two satellite datasets are different for different cities indicating that they contain complementary information. Together with night-light and census data, DSM and satellite scatterometer data provide new observations to study global urban and suburban environments and their changes. Furthermore, the capability of DSM to identify hydrological channels on the Greenland ice sheet and ecological biomes in central Africa demonstrates that DSM can be used to observe persistent structures in natural environments at a km scale, providing contemporaneous data to study human impacts beyond urban and suburban areas.     

Caracas, Venezuela, Site Effect Determination with Microtremors

—?Caracas 1967 earthquake caused heavy damage to multi-story buildings. In 1995, 184 microtremor measurement points were performed over the city. The measurement grid was more or less dense and covered the main part of the alluvial basin as well as surrounding rock basement. For each point, the horizontal record spectrum was divided by the vertical one (H/V ratio). Subsequently, the strongest value (Ao) of this ratio in a given frequency band was kept, as well as the frequency (Fo) where it occurred. Spatial interpolations of Ao and Fo were performed among all points of Palos Grandes district. A map was plotted representing a single surface where Ao is relief and Fo is represented by grey gradation. An alluvion thickness (H) map can be compared with this result. Damaged buildings are located on the same map. Fo decreases until 0.6?Hz when alluvion thickness (H) increases. Fo values fit with frequencies previously predicted from computation and with 1967 earthquake observations. Moreover, interpolation surfaces show that amplification (Ao) of H/V on microtremor is quite low above rock but is high on the south part of the basin. The maximum occurs over the non-urbanized zone. However the other area, where Ao is higher than 5, roughly corresponds to the location of the four collapsed buildings. Furthermore, the estimated natural frequency of these buildings was around Fo. Graphics showing H, Fo and Ao evolution through the basin were composed. Links between all these values are noticeable. Fo is claimed to be very similar to the resonance frequency of soil. As for Ao, it could be a fairly relevant sign of damage seriousness. Microtremor technique is an economic tool and it allows measurement grid as dense as desired. H/V ratio processing followed by interpolation of maximum values provides precise and useful information about expected site effect.     

Increasing the detail of European land use/cover data by combining heterogeneous data sets

ABSTRACT

Data on land use and land cover (LULC) are a vital input for policy-relevant research, such as modelling of the human population, socioeconomic activities, transportation, environment, and their interactions. In Europe, CORINE Land Cover has been the only data set covering the entire continent consistently, but with rather limited spatial detail. Other data sets have provided much better detail, but either have covered only a fraction of Europe (e.g. Urban Atlas) or have been thematically restricted (e.g. Copernicus High Resolution Layers). In this study, we processed and combined diverse LULC data to create a harmonised, ready-to-use map covering 41 countries. By doing so, we increased the spatial detail (from 25 to one hectare) and the thematic detail (by seven additional LULC classes) compared to the CORINE Land Cover. Importantly, we decomposed the class ‘Industrial and commercial units’ into ‘Production facilities’, ‘Commercial/service facilities’ and ‘Public facilities’ using machine learning to exploit a large database of points of interest. The overall accuracy of this thematic breakdown was 74%, despite the confusion between the production and commercial land uses, often attributable to noisy training data or mixed land uses. Lessons learnt from this exercise are discussed, and further research direction is proposed.     

An overview on the seismicity of Cuba

The seismicity of Cuba is briefly presented together with a few fundamental neotectonic elements of the adjacent Caribbean region. The Cuban seismicity catalogue has been extended back to 1528 and it shows that the largest earthquakes occurred in 1766 and 1852 (I = IX MSK). Two types of seismicity (intraplate and interplate) can be distinguished in Cuba. Western and Eastern Seismotectonic Units correspond to intraplate type and the Southeastern Seismotectonic Unit to interplate type. Western Cuba is characterized by a low frequency of earthquake occurrence. Distribution of epicenters is not regular and the most important events mainly concentrate along two regional active fault system (Nortecubana and Surcubana). Due to the lack of seismic stations in this region, the characterization of seismicity is frequently done on the grounds of historical data available from 1693. The main seismogenic source for Cuba is the Bartlett-Cayman fault system, but inland there are other active structures. Some issues about historical and present day Cuban seismological research are also showed.     

The Miocene-Pliocene Macusani Volcanics,SE Peru

The Miocene-Pliocene Macusani volcanics, SE Peru, outcrop in three separate tectonic intermontane basins developed on a Paleozoic-Mesozoic volcano-sedimentary sequence. Several ignimbrite sheets are recognized and K-Ar dates record at least semi-continuous volcanic activity from 10 to 4 Ma in the Macusani field. The volcanics in the Macusani basin comprise crystal-rich (45% crystals) ash-flow tuffs and rare obsidians glasses, both with unusual mineralogy, similar to two-mica peraluminous leucogranites. The mineralogical assemblage (quartz, sanidine Or_69–75, plagioclase, biotite, muscovite and andalusite (both coexisting in the entire volcanic field), sillimanite, schörl-rich tourmaline, cordierite-type phases, hercynitic spinel, fluor-apatite, ilmenite, monazite, zircon, niobian-rutile) is essentially constant throughout the entire Macusani field. Two distinct generations of plagioclase are recognized, viz. group I (An_10–20) and group II (An_30–45). Sillimanite forms abundant inclusions in nearly all phases and is earlier than andalusite which occurs as isolated phenocrysts. Biotite (Al-, Ti-, Fe- and F-rich) shows pronounced deficiencies in octahedral cations. Muscovite is also F-rich and displays limited biotitic and celadonitic substitutions. There is no systematic variation in mineral chemistry with stratigraphic position. The mineralogical data provide a basis for distinction between an early magmatic and a main magmatic stage. The early stage corresponds to the magmatic evolution at or near the source region and includes both restites and early phenocrysts. Some biotites (with textures of disequilibrium melting to Fe — Zn spinel), part of the sillimanite, apatite and monazite, possibly some tourmaline and cordierite-type phases are restites. However, the restite content of the magma was low (5 vol. % maximum). The group II plagioclase are interpreted as early phenocrysts. During this stage, temperatures were as high as 800° C, pressure was no more than 5–7.5 kbar, was intermediate between WM and QFM and was low. The biotite melting textures and the coexistence of restites and early phenocrysts imply fast heating rates in the source region. The transition between the early and the main magmatic stage was abrupt (andalusite crystallization in place of sillimanite, group I vs. group II plagioclases) and suggests rapid ascent of the magma from its source region. During the main crystallization stage, temperature was 650° C or lower at a pressure of 1.5–2 kbar. (calculated from equilibrium between muscovite, quartz, sanidine and andalusite) are around 1, suggesting conditions close to H₂O-saturation. f _HF is around 1 bar but the ratios are significantly different between samples. ranges between 138 and 225 bar. This study shows that felsic, strongly peraluminous, leucogranitic magmas having andalusite and muscovite phenocrysts may be generated under H₂O-undersaturated conditions.CRPG Contribution n 769     

Photoelectrons in the upper atmosphere: A formulation incorporating effects of transport

An efficient scheme is described for computation of photoelectron energy spectra. The method, similar to one used in radiative transfer theory, incorporates effects due to spatial and angular redistribution of electrons. These effects play a dominant role at heights above 400 km.