Analytical solutions for Euler–Bernoulli beam on visco‐elastic foundation subjected to moving load

Analytical solutions for the steady‐state response of an infinite beam resting on a visco‐elastic foundation and subjected to a concentrated load moving with a constant velocity are developed in this paper. The beam responses investigated are deflection, bending moment, shear force and contact pressure. The mechanical resistance of the foundation is modeled using two parameters k_s and t_s — k_s accounts for soil resistance due to compressive strains in the soil and t_s accounts for the resistance due to shear strains. Since this model represents the ground behavior more accurately than the Winkler spring model, the developed solutions produce beam responses that are closer to reality than those obtained using the existing solutions for Winkler model. The dynamic beam responses depend on the damping present in the system and on the velocity of the moving load. Based on the study, dynamic amplification curves are developed for beam deflection. Such amplification curves for deflection, bending moment, shear force and contact pressure can be developed for any beam‐foundation system and can be used in design. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A high strain‐rate constitutive model for sand and its application in finite‐element analysis of tunnels subjected to blast

The paper presents a constitutive model for simulating the high strain‐rate behavior of sands. Based on the concepts of critical‐state soil mechanics, the bounding surface plasticity theory and the overstress theory of viscoplasticity, the constitutive model simulates the high strain‐rate behavior of sands under uniaxial, triaxial and multi‐axial loading conditions. The model parameters are determined for Ottawa and Fontainebleau sands, and the performance of the model under extreme transient loading conditions is demonstrated through simulations of split Hopkinson pressure bar tests up to a strain rate of 2000/s. The constitutive model is implemented in a finite‐element analysis software Abaqus to analyze underground tunnels in sandy soil subjected to internal blast loads. Parametric studies are conducted to examine the effect of relative density and type of sand and of the depth of tunnel on the variation of stresses and deformations in the soil adjacent to the tunnels. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Revisiting Field Burial by Accretion onto Neutron Stars

The surface magnetic field strength of millisecond pulsars (MSPs) is found to be about 4 orders of magnitude lower than that of garden variety radio pulsars (with a spin of \({\sim }\)0.5–5 s and \(B{\sim }10^{12}\hbox { G}\)). The exact mechanism of the apparent reduction of field strength in MSPs is still a subject of debate. One of the proposed mechanisms is burial of the surface magnetic field under matter accreted from a companion. In this article we review the recent work on magnetic confinement of accreted matter on neutron stars poles. We present the solutions of the magneto-static equations with a more accurate equation of state of the magnetically confined plasma and discuss its implications for the field burial mechanism.     

Estimation of Raft Settlement Based on Linear Elastic Finite Element Analysis

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - A detailed parametric study based on linear-elastic three-dimensional finite element (FE) analysis with proper raft–soil interaction is performed for...     

Multifrequency integrated profiles of pulsars

We have observed a total of 67 pulsars at five frequencies ranging from 243 to 3100 MHz. Observations at the lower frequencies were made at the Giant Metre-Wave Telescope in India and those at higher frequencies at the Parkes Telescope in Australia. We present profiles from 34 of the sample with the best signal-to-noise ratio and the least scattering. The general 'rules' of pulsar profiles are seen in the data; profiles get narrower, the polarization fraction declines and outer components become more prominent as the frequency increases. Many counterexamples to these rules are also observed, and pulsars with complex profiles are especially prone to rule breaking. We hypothesize that the location of pulsar emission within the magnetosphere evolves with time as the pulsar spins down. In highly energetic pulsars, the emission comes from a confined range of high altitudes, in the middle range of spin down energies the emission occurs over a wide range of altitudes whereas in pulsars with low spin-down energies it is confined to low down in the magnetosphere.     

Interpretation of magnetic fabrics in the Dalma volcanic rocks and associated meta-sediments of the Singhbhum Mobile Belt

The present work deals with the generations of Fe–Ti oxides and the variation in magnetic fabrics of the Dalma lavas and associated meta-sediments of the Singhbhum Mobile Belt (SMB) in relation to tectonics. Generations of the Fe–Ti oxides are different in meta-sediments and volcanics, the former preserving upliftment related oxidised grains, whereas the latter contains fresh grains prompting towards their upliftment due to plume upwelling before the volcanic eruption. In the meta-sediments, the magnetic fabric has close accordance with \(\hbox {D}_{2}/\hbox {F}_{2}\) event revealing synchronous development with \(\hbox {D}_{2}\). The Dalma thrust developed a sudden break in the homogeneity of the magnetic fabrics of the rocks where the magnetic foliations are all parallel to the Dalma thrust. This also causes \(P_{j}\) to be highest in this sector. The magnetic fabrics of volcanic rocks are different from the meta-sediments and record no signature of deformation. The pattern of distribution of susceptibility axes are in accordance with the subaerial lava flows. However, their \(\hbox {K}_{1}\) and \(\hbox {K}_{2}\) dispersed throughout the periphery with \(\hbox {K}_{3}\) clustering at the centre. This infers towards the fact that although the volcanism took place in a subaerial environment, calm aqueous environment was locally present where the oblate grains settled on the eruption surface with their \(\hbox {K}_{3}\) vertical.     

Tectonic and lithologic control over landslide activity within the Larji–Kullu Tectonic Window in the Higher Himalayas of India

The purpose of this study is to analyze and characterize recent landslide events in the Larji–Kullu Tectonic Window (LKTW), and to establish a relationship between the tectonic and lithologic characters of the terrain and the landslides activity. Using multispectral satellite image analysis with selected field investigation, a landslide occurrence database has been generated for the period between 1984 and 2015. To decipher the accelerated occurrences of landslides in the region, an integrated study is undertaken in the Kullu (also known as Kulu) valley of Beas River basin within the LKTW complex, to analyze the litho-structural and terrain slope interactions using morpho-tectonic parameters such as Topographic/Bedding Plane Interaction Angle (TOBIA) index, terrain surface roughness index and lithological competency analysis. A prominent clustering of landslides is observed in the north of Sainj River, contained within the tectonic window. Major sites of landslides are found to be located in the intensely fractured Manikaran Quartzite occurring within the core of the LKTW. The landslides are mostly associated with southern and southwestern-facing slopes and activations are pronounced in the ‘Orthoclinal’ slope class with gradient of 37°–48°. Thematic maps, e.g., geological, structural, geomorphological, slope and slope-aspect maps are generated and considered together to understand the morpho-tectonic scenario of the tectonic window. Observations from the above-stated thematic maps along with the occurrences of moderate magnitude earthquake epicenters helped to infer neotectonic movements along the Sainj River fault. Tectonic upliftment of the northern bank of the Sainj River along with increased precipitation through decades has resulted in recurrent landslides within the LKTW.     

Role of interannual equatorial forcing on the subsurface temperature dipole in the Bay of Bengal during IOD and ENSO events

Role of equatorial forcing on the thermocline variability in the Bay of Bengal (BoB) during positive and negative phases of the Indian Ocean Dipole (IOD) and El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) was investigated using the Regional Ocean Modeling System (ROMS) simulations during 1988 to 2015. Two numerical experiments were carried out for (i) the Indian Ocean Model (IOM) with interannual open boundary conditions and (ii) the BoB Model (BoBM) with climatological boundary conditions. The first mode of Sea Surface Height Anomalies (SSHA) variability showed a west-east dipole nature in both IOM and altimetry observations around 11°N, which was absent in the BoBM. The vertical section of temperature along the same latitude showed a sharp subsurface temperature dipole with a core at ~ 100 m depth. The positive (negative) subsurface temperature anomalies were observed over the whole northeastern BoB during NIOD (PIOD) and LN (EN) composites due to stronger (weaker) second downwelling Kelvin Waves. During the negative phases of IOD and ENSO, the cyclonic eddy on the southwestern BoB strengthened due to intensified southward coastal current along the western BoB and local wind stress. The subsurface temperature dipole was at its peak during October–December (OND) with 1-month lag from IOD and was evident from the Argo observations and other reanalysis datasets as well. A new BoB dipole index (BDI) was defined as the normalized difference of 100-m temperature anomaly and found to be closely related to the frequency of cyclones and the surface chlorophyll-a concentration in the BoB.

     

Nature of Coherent Radio Emission from Pulsars

The pulsar radio emission originates from regions below 10% of the light cylinder radius. This requires a mechanism where coherent emission is excited in relativistic pair plasma with frequency \(\nu _{\mathrm{cr}}\) which is below the plasma frequency \(\nu _{\circ }\) i.e. \(\nu _{\mathrm{cr}} < \nu _{\circ }\). A possible model for the emission mechanism is charged bunches (charged solitons) moving relativistically along the curved open dipolar magnetic field lines capable of exciting coherent curvature radio emission. In this article, we review the results from high quality observations in conjunction with theoretical models to unravel the nature of coherent curvature radio emission in pulsars.     

Absolute broad-band polarization behaviour of PSR B0329+54: a glimpse of the core emission process

In this paper we report multifrequency single-pulse polarization observations of the PSR B0329+54 normal mode using the Giant Metre-wave Radio Telescope at 325 and 610 MHz and the Effelsberg Observatory at 2695 MHz. Our observations show that towards the central part of the polarization position angle traverse there is an unusual 'arc'-like structure, which comprises a broad-band 'kink' and a frequency-dependent 'spot'. The features are intimately connected with the intensity dependence of the core component: the stronger emission arrives earlier and its linear polarization is displaced farther along the 'kink'. Moreover, at high intensities, the circular polarization is −/+ antisymmetric; the nearly complete positive circular is characteristic of the weaker, later core subpulses. We find that the 'kink' emission is associated with the extraordinary (X) propagation mode, and hence propagation effects do not appear to be capable of producing the core component's broad-band, intensity-dependent emission. Rather, the overall evidence points to a largely geometric interpretation in which the 'kink' provides a rare glimpse of the accelerating cascade or height-dependent amplifier responsible for the core radiation.