Investigation of spatially distributed braided river flows using a two‐dimensional hydraulic model

This paper reports the application of a two‐dimensional hydraulic model to a braided reach of the Avoca River, New Zealand. Field measurements of water surface elevation, depth and velocity obtained at low flow were used to validate the model and to optimize the parameterization of bed friction. The main systematic trends in the measured flow variables are reproduced by the model. However, field data are characterized by greater spatial variability than model output reflecting differences in the scale of processes measured in the field and represented by the model. Additional model runs were conducted to simulate flow patterns within the study reach at five higher discharges. The purpose of these simulations was to evaluate the potential for using two‐dimensional hydraulic models to quantify the reach‐scale hydraulic characteristics of braided rivers and their dependence on discharge. Changes in flow depth and velocity with increasing discharge exhibit trends that are consistent with the results of previous field investigations, although the tendency for the wetted area of the braidplain within particular depth and velocity categories to remain fixed as discharge rises, as has been noted for several braided rivers in New Zealand, was not observed. Modelled shear stress frequency distributions fit gamma functions that incorporate a distribution shape parameter, the value of which follows clear systematic trends with rising discharge. These results illustrate both the problems of, and potential for, using two‐dimensional hydraulic models in braided river applications. This leads to something of a paradox in that while such models provide a means of generating hydraulic information that would be difficult to obtain in the field at an equivalent spatial resolution, they are, due to the problems inherent to data collection, difficult to validate conclusively. Despite this limitation, the application of spatially distributed models to investigate relationships between discharge and reach‐scale form and process variables appears to have considerable potential. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The design of post‐mining landscapes using geomorphic principles

Nature can provide analogues for post‐mining landscapes in terms of landscape stability and also in terms of the rehabilitated structure ‘blending in’ with the surrounding undisturbed landscape. In soil‐mantled landscapes, hillslopes typically have a characteristic pro?le that has a convex upper hillslope pro?le with a concave pro?le lower down the slope. In this paper hillslope characteristic form is derived using the area–slope relationship from pre‐mining topography at two sites in Western Australia. Using this relationship, concave hillslope pro?les are constructed and compared to linear hillslopes in terms of sediment loss using the SIBERIA erosion model. It is found that concave hillslopes can reduce sediment loss by up to ?ve times that of linear slopes. Concave slopes can therefore provide an alternative method for the construction of post‐mining landscapes. An understanding of landscape geomorphological properties and the use of erosion models can greatly assist in the design of post‐mining landscapes. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A neural network approach for structural identification and diagnosis of a building from seismic response data

This work presents a novel procedure for identifying the dynamic characteristics of a building and diagnosing whether the building has been damaged by earthquakes, using a back‐propagation neural network approach. The dynamic characteristics are directly evaluated from the weighting matrices of the neural network trained by observed acceleration responses and input base excitations. Whether the building is damaged under a large earthquake is assessed by comparing the modal parameters and responses for this large earthquake with those for a small earthquake that has not caused this building any damage. The feasibility of the approach is demonstrated through processing the dynamic responses of a five‐storey steel frame, subjected to different strengths of the Kobe earthquake, in shaking table tests. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A procedure for evaluating seismic energy demand of framed structures

Energy serves as an alternative index to response quantities like force or displacement to include the duration‐related seismic damage effect. A procedure to evaluate the absorbed energy in a multistorey frame from energy spectra was developed. For low‐ to medium‐rise frames, it required a static pushover analysis of the structure to determine the modal yield force and ductility factor of an equivalent single‐degree‐of‐freedom system for the first two modes. The energy spectra were then used to determine the energy contribution of each mode. A procedure was also developed to distribute the energy along the frame height based on energy shapes. This study showed that the second‐mode response in some cases needs to be considered to reflect the energy (or damage) concentration in the upper floors. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

System identification of the Vincent Thomas suspension bridge using earthquake records

The Vincent Thomas Bridge in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, is a critical artery for commercial traffic flow in and out of the Los Angeles Harbor, and is at risk in the seismically active Southern California region, particularly because it straddles the Palos Verdes fault zone. A combination of linear and non‐linear system identification techniques is employed to obtain a complete reduced‐order, multi‐input–multi‐output (MIMO) dynamic model of the Vincent Thomas Bridge based on the dynamic response of the structure to the 1987 Whittier and 1994 Northridge earthquakes. Starting with the available acceleration measurements (which consists of 15 accelerometers on the bridge structure and 10 accelerometers at various locations on its base), an efficient least‐squares‐based time‐domain identification procedure is applied to the data set to develop a reduced‐order, equivalent linear, multi‐degree‐of‐freedom model. Although not the main focus of this study, the linear system identification method is also combined with a non‐parametric identification technique, to generate a reduced‐order non‐linear mathematical model suitable for use in subsequent studies to predict, with good fidelity, the total response of the bridge under arbitrary dynamic environments. Results of this study yield measurements of the equivalent linear modal properties (frequencies, mode shapes and non‐proportional damping) as well as quantitative measures of the extent and nature of non‐linear interaction forces arising from strong ground shaking. It is shown that, for the particular subset of observations used in the identification procedure, the apparent non‐linearities in the system restoring forces are quite significant, and they contribute substantially to the improved fidelity of the model. Also shown is the potential of the identification technique under discussion to detect slight changes in the structure's influence coefficients, which may be indicators of damage and degradation in the structure being monitored. Difficulties associated with accurately estimating damping for lightly damped long‐span structures from their earthquake response are discussed. The technical issues raised in this paper indicate the need for added spatial resolution in sensor instrumentation to obtain identified mathematical models of structural systems with the broadest range of validity. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

岩石断裂作用的复杂性和混沌动力学

断裂是一个复杂的动力学体系,受到岩石结构、反应、流体迁移、应力、岩石变形和力学等多种地质因素和过程的耦合控制。本文建立了断裂体系的反应-输运-力学耦合动力学模型并编制了模拟程序。以湖南水口山矿区为例,通过动力学模拟表明不同地层岩性的断裂渗透率大小和演化特征存在显著差异,断裂作用促使岩石渗透率的空间非均匀性增强,从而有利于流体的局部汇聚和矿体的形成。断裂中压力随时间呈现出非周期振荡变化,反映了断裂演化的混沌特征。     

防汛信息共享与元数据应用研究

分析了FGDC、CEN／TC287等元数据标准，讨论了基于GIS的防汛信息共享与元数据的应用，设计了防汛信息元数据库，实现了元数据支持下的防汛信息共享。     

新技术在北极星天文方位角测量中的应用

使用GPS接收机的UTC作为北极星天文方位角测量的时间比对的标准时间，利用推估UTl与UTC的差值，将时间归算到UTl的方法，可满足各等级天文方位角测量的要求，现场计算零点恒星时和北极星坐标的精度满足北极星天文方位角测量的要求，实现了现场评估测量精度。     

数字城市规划系统关键技术分析

分析了数字城市规划系统的业务需求，介绍了其基础数据更新、工作流、无纸化办公、历史空间信息管理等主要关键技术，并对其进行了讨论。     

GIS空间过程建模系统初探

阐述了GIS空间过程和空间过程建模的概念，提出了空间过程建模系统的概念框架，分析了其功能需求和主要的支撑技术。