Effect of Drain Pipes on Uplift Force and Exit Hydraulic Gradient and the Design of Gravity Dams Using the Finite Element Method

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The effects of diameter and location of drain pipes on the uplift force and exit hydraulic gradient for a gravity dam are investigated. A numerical model...     

Developing a robust SHM method for offshore jacket platform using model updating and fuzzy logic system

Structural monitoring is essential for ensuring the structural safety performance during the service life. The process is of paramount importance in case of the offshore jacket-type platforms due to the underwater structural parts subjected to the marine environmental conditions. This work is an experimental investigation on a laboratory model of a jacket platform with the objective of establishing a baseline finite element (FE) model for long-term structural health monitoring for this type of structures. A robust damage diagnosis system is also developed which is less sensitive to both the measurements and the modeling uncertainties. Experimental vibration tests are conducted on a physical platform model to obtain dynamic characteristics and then, the initial FE-model of the intact structure is developed to determine them numerically. Some differences between numerically and experimentally identified characteristics emerge due to various uncertainties in the FE-model and measured vibration data. To minimize these differences, initial FE-model is updated according to the experimental results. The updated FE-model is employed to predict the changes in the dynamic characteristics under variety of damage scenarios which are imposed by reducing the stiffness at the components of the model. Fuzzy logic system (FLS) and probabilistic analysis is developed for linguistic classification of damage and global damage diagnosis. Incorporation of the FLS fault isolation technique into FE-model updating method are proposed and evaluated for two different FLS methods to develop a vigorous damage diagnosis method. The efficiency of the technique is validated by different damage scenarios foreseen on the physical model. This technique is shown to be effective for diagnosing the presence of degradation and quantify it.     

The nature of fluids during pegmatite development in metamorphic terrains: Evidence from Hamadan complex,Sanandaj-Sirjan metamorphic zone,Iran

In the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone of metamorphic belt of Iran, the area south of Hamadan city comprises of metamorphic rocks, granitic batholith with pegmatites and quartz veins. Alvand batholith is emplaced into metasediments of early Mesozoic age. Fluid inclusions have been studied using microthermometry to evaluate the source of fluids from which quartz veins and pegmatites formed to investigate the possible relation between host rocks of pegmatites and the fluid inclusion types. Host minerals of fluid inclusions in pegmatites are quartz, andalusite and tourmaline. Fluid inclusions can be classified into four types. Type 1 inclusions are high salinity aqueous fluids (NaCl_eq >12 wt%). Type 2 inclusions are low to moderate salinity (NaCl_eq <12 wt%) aqueous fluids. Type 3 and 4 inclusions are carbonic and mixed CO₂-H₂O fluid inclusions. The distribution of fluid inclusions indicate that type 1 and type 2 inclusions are present in the pegmatites and quartz veins respectively in the Alvand batholith. This would imply that aqueous magmatic fluids with no detectable CO₂ were present during the crystallization of these pegmatites and quartz veins. Types 3 and 4 inclusions are common in quartz veins and pegmatites in metamorphic rocks and are more abundant in the hornfelses. The distribution of the different types of fluid inclusions suggests that CO₂ fluids generated during metamorphism and metamorphic fluids might also contribute to the formation of quartz veins and pegmatites in metamorphic terrains.