Effect of sulphates and curing period on stress–strain curves and failure modes of soil–lime–natural pozzolana mixtures

Abstract

An experimental investigation was undertaken in order to assess the effect of sodium (Na₂SO₄) and calcium (CaSO₄·2H₂O) sulphates and curing period on stress–strain curves and failure modes of grey (GS) and red (RS) clayey soils stabilised by lime (L), natural pozzolana (NP) and their combinations (L–NP). Several soil–L–NP mixtures were studied to be used as subgrade soils for road pavements. Stress–strain curves were obtained from unconfined compressive strength (UCS) test made on several soil–L–NP specimens after curing for 7 and 120 days. Tests results showed that the use of L or L–NP without sulphates produced a significant increase in peaks stress of both clayey soils and then modified their stress–strain curves from nonlinear to linear behaviour almost up to 70% of peak stress after a longer curing period. However, the presence of 2% Na₂SO₄ or any CaSO₄·2H₂O content provided beneficial effects on peaks stress and stress–strain curves of both stabilised clayey soils and then improved their linearity almost up to 95% of peak stress after curing for 120 days. In contrast, the presence of 6% Na₂SO₄ caused undesirable effects. In addition, both sulphates greatly affected the failure modes of soil–L–NP specimens, particularly at a later stage.     

Characteristics of water masses and bio-optical properties of the Bering Sea shelf during 2007–2009

The hydrographic and bio-optical properties of the Bering Sea shelf were analyzed based on in-situ measurements obtained during four cruises from 2007 to 2009. According to the temperature and salinity of the seawater, the spring water masses on the Bering Sea shelf were classified as the Alaskan Coast Water, Bering Sea Shelf Water, Anadyr Water, Spring Mixed Layer Water, Remnant Winter Water, and Winter Water, each of which had varying chlorophyll a concentrations. Among them, the highest chlorophyll a concentration occurred in the nutrient-rich Anadyr Water ((7.57±6.16) mg/m3 in spring). The spectrum-dependent diffuse attenuation coefficient (K_d(λ)) of the water column for downwelling irradiance was also calculated, exhibiting a decrease at 412–555 nm and then an increase within the range of 0.17–0.48 m–1 in spring. Furthermore, a strong correlation between the chlorophyll a concentration and the attenuation coefficient was found at visible wavelengths on the Bering Sea shelf. Spatially, the chlorophyll a concentration was higher on the northern shelf ((5.18±3.78) mg/m3) than on the southern shelf ((3.64±2.51) mg/m3), which was consistent with the distribution of the attenuation coefficient. Seasonally, the consumption of nutrients by blooms resulted in minimum chlorophyll a concentration ((0.78±0.51) mg/m3) and attenuation coefficient values in summer. In terms of the vertical structure, both the attenuation coefficient and the chlorophyll a concentration tended to reach maximum values at the same depth, and the depth of the maximum values increased as the surface temperature increased in summer. Moreover, an empirical model was fitted with a power function based on the correlation between the chlorophyll a concentration and the attenuation coefficient at 412–555 nm. In addition, a spectral model was constructed according to the relationship between the attenuation coefficients at 490 nm and at other wavelengths, which provides a method for estimating the bio-optical properties of the Bering Sea shelf.     

Calculation of electric conductivity of water of the Aral Sea and correction of the sound salinity of 2002–2009

The Aral Sea is an important water area both for monitoring and oceanological studies, because its salinity and salt composition strongly differ from the oceanic. We offer a semiempiric calculation method of electric conductivity and the coefficient of its temperature dependence k judging from the ionic composition of water. The properties of the solution are considered as the sum of properties of seven binary salts taken based on the ionic composition of the solution. The MgSO₄ concentration is thought to be the highest possible, which makes the salt concentration nearly unambiguous. In a salinity range of 46–120‰ and temperature range of 5–25°C (2002–2009), the standard deviation of the calculated and measured electric conductivity was 2.9%. To refine the calculation of salinity from electric conductivity measurements using the “oceanic” formula, we suggest its preliminary reduction to a constant temperature (20°C) using the measured or calculated coefficient k.     

Hydrodynamic and water column properties at six stations associated with mussel farming in Pelorus sound, 1984–85

Mussel farming places a benthic organism in a pelagic environment; it is therefore important to understand the driving force that transports the food to the mussels. The hydrodynamic regimes in the sidearms and embayments in Pelorus Sound are dominated by the lunar tide, and a net estuarine circulation in the main channel flowing inwards along the bottom and outwards along the top. Salinity gradients extend throughout the sound from the river inflows, with strongest density stratification in the sidearms and embayments: nearest the head of the sound. There, the water column is separated at the pycnocline into upper and lower layers which tend to move in different directions or at different velocities. Local circulation patterns modify tidal flushing patterns, producing extended residence times in some embayments, whereas other embayments off the side of the main channel tend to be flushed more rapidly by through‐flow water and have shorter residence times than would otherwise be expected. The changing inflow of fresh water modifies the local hydraulic regimes in the inner sounds, especially during flood conditions.     

Trends in oxygen content 1911–1984 and occurrence of benthic mortality in the northern Adriatic Sea

Trends of dissolved oxygen content of the surface and bottom layers of the northern Adriatic Sea are analysed for the period 1911–1984. An increase in the surface layer and a decrease in the bottom layer are observed in all seasons except winter. Although the oxygen content of the water column as a whole has not changed significantly, it is inferred, from the increasing difference between the surface and the bottom layer, that the primary productivity of the northern Adriatic Sea is increasing. As the average midsummer oxygen content of the bottom layer decreases, the frequency of mass mortality in the benthic fauna is expected to increase, especially in the northern and western subareas.     

Experimental and numerical investigations on the intact and damage survivability of a floating–moored oscillating water column device

This paper investigates the intact and damage survivability of a floating–moored Oscillating Water Column (OWC) device using physical model experiments and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Different extreme wave conditions have been tested using irregular and regular wave conditions. The device was moored to the tank floor via four vertical taut lines and the effect of the mooring line pre–tension on the device response was studied. It was found that the instantaneous position of the floating device was a key factor in the survivability analysis such that a certain irregular wave train that might not include the largest wave could induce the maximum response. Reducing the pre–tension minimized the maximum surge, but significantly increased the maximum tension due to mooring slack events causing snatch loads. A design regular wave with a period equal to the peak period and a height of 1.9–2.0 times the significant wave height could reasonably predict the same maximum line tension as the irregular sea state, but a smaller wave height was required to achieve the maximum surge. A single failure in the mooring system increased the maximum tension by 1.55 times the intact tension. For a damaged mooring system, using the same design regular wave condition derived from the survivability analysis with an intact mooring system could result in overestimating the maximum tension by more than 20% in comparison to the tension from the irregular sea state, but a smaller regular wave height or a different regular wave condition representing another sea state could lead to the same maximum tension. This highlighted the importance of investigating survival conditions with a damaged mooring system instead of simply using the same conditions derived for the intact mooring system.     

Seasonal and inter-annual variability in properties of surface water off Santander,Bay of Biscay, 1991–1995

The annual cycle of temperature, salinity and nutrients of surface waters (up to 100 m depth) was studied from June 1991 to December 1995 in a cross-shelf section over the continental shelf waters off Santander (southern Bay of Biscay). The time series showed that the temperature followed the expected seasonal warming and cooling pattern, which determines a seasonal process of stratification and mixing of the water column. The stratification period occurs annually between May and October in a layer of about 50 m depth from the neritic station beyond to the shelf-break. In the period between November and April the water column remained mixed. During spring and summer low salinity values were found in the surface due to continental runoff and advection from oceanic waters. In late autumn and winter, the salinity pattern was governed by an influx of salty water associated with the poleward current. As in other temperate latitudes, nitrates showed the highest values in winter throughout the water column and the lowest values at the surface during the stratified period. Wind-induced upwelling events were observed mainly in summer, which are characterised by low temperatures (< 12°C), high salinity and nutrient concentrations. The inter-annual variability of temperature showed a warming trend in the upper layers but this sign was not found at 100 m depth. In salinity a decreasing trend was observed throughout the water column, and this feature corresponds to the relaxing of the high salinity anomaly detected in the North Atlantic at the beginning of the 1990s. Both trends were coherent in the cross-shelf section from the coast to the slope.     

Analysis of state of the carbonate system of waters and variations of the content of organic carbon in bottom sediments of the Sevastopol bay in 1998–2005

On the basis of the experimental data accumulated in 1998–2005, we analyzed the space and time variations of the carbonate system of waters and the content of organic carbon in bottom sediments of the Sevastopol Bay. The intensity of gas exchange through the water-atmosphere interface was quantitatively estimated. It was shown that the partial pressure of carbon dioxide pCO₂ in waters of the bay became much higher for the period of observations. The maximum changes were observed in summer. They were especially pronounced for the bottom layer of waters. For the entire period of observations, the invasion of carbon dioxide CO₂ was predominant in the major part of the bay, and the content of organic carbon in the bottom sediments increased. The ability of waters in the bay to absorb CO₂ is explained by the synthesis of organic substances, which becomes possible due to the presence of the equivalent load of nutrients. __________ Translated from Morskoi Gidrofizicheskii Zhurnal, No. 2, pp. 57–67, March–April, 2008.     

Numerical simulation of water circulation in the central part of the Sea of Japan and study of its long-term variability in 1958–2006

The response of circulation in the Sea of Japan (SJ) to the CORE-calculated real atmospheric forcing for 1958–2006 is reconstructed using the general ocean circulation model developed at the Institute of Computational Mathematics, Russian Academy of Sciences (ICM RAS). Features of the interannual variability of the circulation in the intermediate and deep layers of the central part of SJ are studied from the numerical simulation results. For this, the spatiotemporal variability of the relative vorticity is calculated. Frequency spectra of this variability are calculated at depths of 500 and 800 m and the layer-average between these levels. The spectra have a quasi-discrete structure with maxima in vicinities of 4–5, 7, and 10-year periods. Coincidence is ascertained between frequencies corresponding to these periods and earlier determined frequencies of the inter-annual variability of the temperature field observed in the intermediate layer of the SJ in the second half of the 20th century.     

Biogeochemical transformations of dissolved organic matter at the sediment–water interface: results from in situ incubations within benthic chambers

Biogeochemical transformations of dissolved organic matter at the sediment–water interface were investigated by the use of benthic chambers in the western Gulf of Lions. The experimental approach used for this study consisted of in situ incubations of radiolabeled glutamic acid (¹⁴C-Glu), followed by a sequential extraction allowing the quantification of the radioactivity associated to different chemical fractions, representative of different biogeochemical processes. This technique was devised to simulate the fate of simple dissolved compounds resulting from the degradation of particulate organic matter near the seafloor. In our experiment the substrate underwent both biotic (mineralization, bacterial incorporation) and abiotic (geopolymerization) transformations. Significant spatial variations were put in relation with sediment characteristics (e.g. fine-grained fraction, Eh, CaCO₃ contents) and biological activities, such as bacterial respiration and infaunal burrowing. Biologically mediated processes decreased from onshore to deep sites, with mineralization always accounting for the bulk of transformations of the injected ¹⁴C-Glu. Geopolymerization did not display a clear spatial trend and appeared to be a quantitatively important process on the Gulf of Lions margin.     

Season of moult of African penguins at Robben Island,South Africa,and its variation, 1988–1998

Counts of African penguins Spheniscus demersus in immature and adult plumage in the feather-shedding phase of moult were made at Robben Island at two-weekly intervals over a 10-year period between 1988 and 1998. For both age-classes, most birds moulted between November and January, although small numbers moulted throughout the year. In most years, the peak moult was in late November or December. Immature birds had a secondary peak in March. In 1994/95 for adults, and 1995/96 for immature birds, moult was less synchronized than in other years. This probably resulted from oiling of about 2 400 penguins in June 1994, following the sinking of the Apollo Sea. Half of those birds were cleaned and released. Their subsequent moult may have been earlier than normal.     

Impact of circulation on high phytoplankton blooms and fish catch in the northern Adriatic (1990–2004)

We analyzed oceanographic, hydrologic and atmospheric conditions in the northern Adriatic (section between the Po River delta and Rovinj) from 1990 to 2004 in which extreme phytoplankton blooms appeared. The largest blooms occurred in February, March, July and October, and were higher in surface layers and in the western, more eutrophic part of the region. They often appeared when the Istrian Coastal Countercurrent (ICCC; strong southward current indicating a “closure” of the northern Adriatic circulation system) was pronounced. They seem to be related to the intensities of surface fluxes and Po River discharge rates. The blooms can float over the northern Adriatic for a long period (up to 30 days; typical for March) and can appear simultaneously in separate circulation systems with a different species distribution. Finally, we present a hypothesis based on comparisons of geostrophic currents and fish stock that specific February northern Adriatic oceanographic conditions play the key role in the Adriatic anchovy stock.     

Distribution coefficient of Mg2+ ions between calcite and solution at 10–50°C

The distribution coefficient (λ_Mg) of Mg²⁺ ions between calcite and solution was found to be 0.012 ± 0.001 (10°C), 0.014 ± 0.001 (15°C), 0.019 ± 0.001 (25°C), 0.024 ± 0.001 (30°C), 0.027 ± 0.001 (35°C) and 0.040 + 0.003 (50°C). This indicates a remarkable dependence on temperature. The effect of the Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ molar ratio in a parent solution on λ_Mg for calcite is small, where the molar ratio lies in the range 0.04-2. However, the λ_Mg value for aragonite tends to decrease with increasing Mg²⁺/Ca²⁺ ratio in the parent solution. The largest Mg content of calcite in the Ca(HCO₃)₂-Mg²⁺ → calcite system is around 2 mol% in the temperature range 10–50°C. Neither homogeneous nor heterogeneous distribution laws hold for aragonite precipitation, and the temperature effect on the coprecipitation of Mg²⁺ ions with aragonite is very small.     

Study on Sound-Speed Dispersion in A Sandy Sediment at Frequency Ranges of 0.5–3 kHz and 90–170 kHz

In order to study the properties of sound-speed dispersion in a sandy sediment, the sound speed was measured both at high frequency(90–170 k Hz) and low frequency(0.5–3 k Hz) in laboratory environments. At high frequency, a sampling measurement was conducted with boiled and uncooked sand samples collected from the bottom of a large water tank. The sound speed was directly obtained through transmission measurement using single source and single hydrophone. At low frequency, an in situ measurement was conducted in the water tank, where the sandy sediment had been homogeneously paved at the bottom for a long time. The sound speed was indirectly inverted according to the traveling time of signals received by three buried hydrophones in the sandy sediment and the geometry in experiment. The results show that the mean sound speed is approximate 1710–1713 m/s with a weak positive gradient in the sand sample after being boiled(as a method to eliminate bubbles as much as possible) at high frequency, which agrees well with the predictions of Biot theory, the effective density fluid model(EDFM) and Buckingham's theory. However, the sound speed in the uncooked sandy sediment obviously decreases(about 80%)both at high frequency and low frequency due to plenty of bubbles in existence. And the sound-speed dispersion performs a weak negative gradient at high frequency. Finally, a water-unsaturated Biot model is presented for trying to explain the decrease of sound speed in the sandy sediment with plenty of bubbles.     

Performance and limitations of the Hilbert–Huang transformation (HHT) with an application to irregular water waves

This paper relates to the newly developed Hilbert–Huang transformation (HHT). An overview of this time-frequency analysis technique and its applications are given. Key elements of the numerical procedure and principles of the Hilbert transformation (HT) are established. A simple parameter study with trigonometric functions to get an idea about the numerical performance of the empirical mode decomposition (EMD) is performed. The main results of estimating relative standardized errors made between analytically exact defined sine waves and disintegrated intrinsic functions as well as their specific influence on each other are determined. Practical applications are carried out next to evaluate computed nonlinear irregular water waves based on Stokes perturbation expansion approach and measurements on fully nonlinear irregular water waves recorded in a laboratory wave flume. Correspondence between simulated and recorded wave trains is given for narrow-banded fundamental components. Deviations are unveiled when carrier and riding waves get broad banded. Time-dependent spectral representation shows signs of an interesting phenomenon as instantaneous frequencies and amplitudes exhibit strong correlations with water surface elevations of both numerical and measured data series.     

Interannual variations of the planktonic ecosystem in the slope water and Kuroshio south of Japan in February in the years 1990–2002

To determine recent interannual variations in the planktonic ecosystem of the slope water south of Japan, an area between 1000 m isobath on the continental slope and assumable Kuroshio front, in reference to preceding reports on the Kuroshio, we examined interannual variations of physical factors, sea surface chlorophyll concentration (SSChl), size-fractioned copepod biomass and the abundance of Calanus sinicus, one of the dominant copepods in the region, in February from 1990 to 2002. In the slope water, SSChl concentration had generally shown a higher value than in the Kuroshio and increase of the SSChl in both areas started in February but lasted longer in the slope water. The regional distribution of copepod biomass and C. sinicus abundance was similar to that of phytoplankton in that they were distributed more densely in the slope water than in the Kuroshio, reflecting assumed higher nutrient supply. The interannual variation in sea surface temperature in the slope water was explained by the rise of air temperature in 1998, a strong El Niño year, and subsequent change in the Kuroshio path (1999–2001). The interannual variation of the planktonic community, i.e. sea surface chlorophyll concentration and copepod biomass, was attributed to the effects of those physical events through the direct effect of local temperature and/or variation in surface irradiance, except for a prominent increase of copepods in the slope water in 2000. The effect of interannual change in the vertical mixing, suggested in previous studies, was not apparent in February, when the primary production is not limited by nutrient concentration which would be more important in regulating biological production in later months.     

Effects of fluctuations in water level and growth of Lagarosiphon major on the aquatic vascular plants in Lake Rotoma, 1973–80

Fluctuations in water level and the growth of the introduced exotic Lagarosiphon major (Ridley) Moss have significantly influenced the submerged vegetation of Lake Rotoma over the period 1973–80. Low lake levels temporarily reduced the proportion of native vascular plants by removing available shallow‐water habitats through erosion, siltation, or desiccation. High lake levels have allowed native vascular plants to re‐establish from seed and rhizomes. Fluctuations in water level appear to have reduced the long‐term replacement of native species by L. major, which has none the less spread progressively around the lake. Water‐level fluctuations enhanced its rate of fragmentation, and thus its dispersal and establishment. The annual increase in the proportion of L. major has been primarily at the expense of the shallow‐water characean algae, but also partly by competitive displacement of native vascular plants. The southwest inlet of Lake Rotoma had an exceptionally high plant density, with up to 3518 g/m² dry weight of L. major (believed to be a world record for submerged plant biomass); this is attributed to local enrichment and protection from wave exposure.