Sample Disturbance in Soft and Sensitive Clays: Analysis and Assessment

Despite the sophisticated methods employed to obtain high quality samples, they are prone to disturbance, due to stress release, let apart, due to sampling tools and techniques adopted. Critical reappraisal of different methods suggest that any method of sample quality assessment involving strength and deformation parameters would enable easier implementation and correct other engineering parameters for estimated sample disturbance. In this technical paper, sample disturbance index, using merely the slopes of compression paths, (representing mechanical response), in the pre- and post-yield stress regimes under odeometric loading conditions is proposed. This method is based on single oedometer test results on samples of unknown degrees of disturbance during sampling and handling. The unique feature of this approach is that the ideal rigid plastic material behavior is taken as reference. This eliminates the need for any additional experimental data or any calculations from the relationships formulated with any set of assumptions.     

On the radiation and diffraction of linear water waves by an infinitely long rectangular structure submerged in oblique seas

The radiation and diffraction of linear water waves by an infinitely long rectangular structure submerged in oblique seas of finite depth is investigated. The analytical expressions for the radiated and diffracted potentials are derived as infinite series by use of the method of separation of variables. The unknown coefficients in the series are determined by the eigenfunction expansion matching method. The expressions for wave forces, hydrodynamic coefficients and reflection and transmission coefficients are given and verified by the boundary element method. Using the present analytical solution, the hydrodynamic influences of the angle of incidence, the submergence, the width and the thickness of the structure on the wave forces, hydrodynamic coefficients, and reflection and transmission coefficients are discussed in detail.     

Wave interaction with a perforated wall breakwater with a submerged horizontal porous plate

This study examines the hydrodynamic performance of a new perforated-wall breakwater. The breakwater consists of a perforated front wall, a solid back wall and a submerged horizontal porous plate installed between them. The horizontal porous plate enhances the stability and wave-absorbing capacity of the structure. An analytical solution based on linear potential theory is developed for the interaction of water waves with the new proposed breakwater. According to the division of the structure, the whole fluid domain is divided into three sub-domains, and the velocity potential in each domain is obtained using the matched eigenfunction method. Then the reflection coefficient and the wave forces and moments on the perforated front wall and the submerged horizontal porous plate are calculated. The numerical results obtained for limiting cases are exactly the same as previous predictions for a perforated-wall breakwater with a submerged horizontal solid plate [Yip, T.L., Chwang, A.T., 2000. Perforated wall breakwater with internal horiontal plate. Journal of Engineering Mechanics ASCE 126 (5), 533–538] and a vertical wall with a submerged horizontal porous plate [Wu, J.H., Wan, Z.P., Fang, Y., 1998. Wave reflection by a vertical wall with a horizontal submerged porous plate. Ocean Engineering 25 (9), 767–779]. Numerical results show that with suitable geometric porosity of the front wall and horizontal plate, the reflection coefficient will be always rather small if the relative wave absorbing chamber width (distance between the front and back walls versus incident wavelength) exceeds a certain small value. In addition, the wave force and moment on the horizontal plate decrease significantly with the increase of the plate porosity.     

Evaluation of bending moments and shear forces at unit connections of very large floating structures using hydroelastic and rigid body analyses

This paper investigates the characteristics of bending moments, shear forces and stresses at unit connections of very large floating structures (VLFS) under wave loads. The responses of VLFS are calculated by solving multi-body motion equation considering hydroelasticity and connection stiffness. Hydroelastic responses are calculated by the direct method. Higher-order boundary element method (HOBEM) is used for fluid analysis and finite element method (FEM) is introduced for structural analysis. The equation of motion is modified to describe the unit connections by employing spring elements. Bending moments and shear forces at the connections are obtained from the dynamic equilibrium condition for pressures and inertia forces. Two types of VLFS units such as tandem arranged units and side-by-side arranged units are considered in the numerical examples. The influences of connection stiffness, wave frequency and heading angle on responses of VLFS are investigated through the numerical examples. Rigid body analysis along with hydroelastic analysis is also carried out in the numerical analysis and comparison of those two approaches is discussed.     

浪流作用下系泊船舶撞击力和系缆力试验研究

以某25万吨矿石码头工程为例,分别进行了单流、单浪和浪流共同作用下,系泊船舶撞击力和系缆力试验。研究了不同水位、不同船舶载度、不同浪流夹角,单流、单浪和浪流共同作用时对船舶撞击力和系缆力的影响。分析了该码头工程护舷和缆绳的布置情况,为工程设计提供了依据。     

Statistics of wave forces on large horizontal cylinders

To the first order in a Stokes expansion, the pressure force exerted by a sea state on a large horizontal cylinder represents a stationary random Gaussian process. A relationship is obtained between the spectrum of this process and the wave spectrum. As a consequence, the basic statistical properties of the height and period of the individual waves of the force-process are also obtained. It is proven that these statistical properties agree very well with the data from a small scale field experiment.     

Experimental studies on the slowly varying drift motion of a berthed container ship model

The effects of free-surface waves on the floating structures are of great importance in the offshore industry. Among the six degrees of motions of a surface ship the absence of restoring forces in surge, sway and yaw led to critical situations for moored ships in the recent times. The order of forces in horizontal plane and their exciting frequencies are matters of interest. The resonance with the presence of moored chains led to many accidents in the recent past. The lines in dry conditions may not give good damping and in wet condition they may trigger the system to chaotic motions and jumps. Two different loading conditions of a container ship model are tested with waves in laboratory conditions in two different drafts. The mooring lines are chosen as per scale law and the energy under the response spectrum is determined from the plots. The results give new insights into the movement of a berthed ships subjected to waves. Response of the moored ship to different loading conditions in different water depths are discussed in this paper. The paper gives the order of energy due to first-order and slowly varying movement of a berthed container model in a towing tank.     

Drag force on a circular cylinder in unseparated laminar high Reynolds number nonlinear random oscillatory flow

The stochastic properties of the drag force maxima on a circular cylinder subjected to nonlinear random waves are investigated. Unseparated laminar high Reynolds number flow is considered. A simplified approach based on second order Stokes waves is presented, including the sum-frequency effect only. It is demonstrated how a drag force formula valid for regular linear waves can be used to find the cumulative distribution function of individual drag force maxima for nonlinear irregular waves. Here the [Wang, 1968] drag force coefficient is used.     

Application of Atomic Force Microscopy to Observation of Marine Bacteria

The atomic force microscopy (AFM) is a recently developed, bench-top instrument that can image the surface structures of biological specimens at high resolution with simultaneous measurement of their size. This paper describes the application of AFM to marine bacteria. Both natural and cultured bacteria were retained on a filter or placed on glass, washed, air-dried and observed by AFM. The instrumental condition, the choice of suitable filter, effect of fixation and filtration, comparison with epifluorescent microscopic (EFM) count, and the size and shape of bacterial cells were investigated. An Isopore filter was best for concentration and subsequent observation because of its surface flatness. Cross section images showed that both rod and coccoid cells were flattened, the former usually having a two-humped shape. Bacterial cells were differentiated from non-living particles based on their cross section shape and size. Bacterial counts by AFM and EFM showed good agreement. Although size measurement is easily done by the instrument, AFM tends to overestimate the size of microspheres. More work is thus needed on the size measurement of living organisms. Because AFM easily provides images of natural bacterial cells at high magnification, it can be used as a new tool to study the fine structures of marine bacteria. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.