The deformation of porous sandstones; are Byerlee friction and the critical state line equivalent?

Certain rock properties that depend on intergranular fracture and frictional sliding appear to be independent of rock type. This relationship is true for the rock-on-rock frictional sliding coefficient. The generalization has been widely applied to geomechanical modelling of upper crustal strength. Porous sandstones can be relatively weak and poorly cohesive, hence susceptible to deformation involving grain fragmentation and pore collapse. The critical state theory is commonly applied to describe such behaviour. Previous work showed that the yield surface is substantially independent of rock type when mean stress and differential stress are normalized by the grain crushing pressure, implying that the critical state line is rock type-independent and equivalent to the frictional sliding criterion. We test these hypotheses using previously published data for a range of porous sandstones augmented by new experimental results on Hollington and Berea sandstones deformed to large strains to define the critical state line over a wide range of pressures for each rock type. Results confirm the rock type-independence of the critical state line and show that it is nearly equivalent to frictional sliding. These relationships point to a simple procedure for estimating approximately the mechanical properties of sandstones based only on petrographic characteristics.     

Effect of particle friction and polydispersity on the macroscopic stress–strain relations of granular materials

The macroscopic mechanical behavior of granular materials inherently depends on the properties of particles that compose them. Using the discrete element method, the effect of particle contact friction and polydispersity on the macroscopic stress response of 3D sphere packings is studied. The analytical expressions for the pressure, coordination number and fraction of rattlers proposed for isotropically deformed frictionless systems also hold when the interparticle coefficient of friction is finite; however, the numerical values of the parameters such as the jamming volume fraction change with varying microscopic contact and particle properties. The macroscopic response under deviatoric loading is studied with triaxial test simulations. Concerning the shear strength, our results agree with previous studies showing that the deviatoric stress ratio increases with particle coefficient of friction μ starting from a nonzero value for μ = 0 and saturating for large μ. On the other hand, the volumetric strain does not have a monotonic dependence on the particle contact friction. Most notably, maximum compaction is reached at an intermediate value of the coefficient of friction μ ≈ 0.3. The effect of polydispersity on the macroscopic stress–strain relationship cannot be studied independent of initial packing conditions. The shear strength increases with polydispersity when the initial volume fraction is fixed, but the effect of polydispersity is much less pronounced when the initial pressure of the packings is fixed. Finally, a simple hypoplastic constitutive model is calibrated with numerical test results following an established procedure to ascertain the relation between particle properties and material coefficients of the macroscopic model. The calibrated model is in good qualitative agreement with simulation results.     

Influence of random heterogeneity of the friction angle on bearing capacity factor Nγ

ABSTRACT

Probabilistic methods in geotechnical engineering have received a lot of attention during the last decade and different methodologies are used to capture the inherent variability of soil in different geotechnical engineering problems. In this paper, numerical simulations are conducted to obtain the bearing capacity factor, N_γ, for a purely frictional heterogenous soil where the friction angle is modelled as randomly distributed throughout the domain and the effect of its spatial variability on N_γ is investigated. A finite element method, based on the upper bound limit analysis was combined with random field theory and linear programming to develop a probabilistic analysis. Monte Carlo simulations were performed and the effect of the variability of the friction angle defined by statistical parameters on the bearing capacity factor was investigated. Results show that the mean bearing capacity factor N_γ of a footing on a spatially variable cohesionless soil is generally higher than the deterministic N_γ obtained from a constant mean value. Increasing the heterogeneity of the friction angle by an increase in the coefficient of variation generally increases this deviation. This can be explained by the nonlinearity of the relationship between N_γ and the friction angle.     

Influence of spatial variability of soil friction angle on sheet pile walls’ structural behaviour

The uncertainty in terms of soil characterisation is studied to assess its effect on the structural behaviour of extended structures as sheet pile walls. A finite element model is used. This integrates a numerical model of the soil–structure interaction together with a stochastic model that allows characterising the soil variability. The model serves in propagating the variability and the system parameter uncertainties. Discussion is mainly focused on two points: (1) testing the sensitivity of the structural behaviour of a sheet pile wall to different geotechnical parameters and (2) assessing the influence of spatial variability of soil properties on the structural behaviour by identifying the most sensitive geotechnical parameter and the most significant correlation length values. The findings showed that in assessing the sheet pile wall’s structural behaviour, there are spatial variability parameters that cannot be considered negligible. In this study, soil friction angle is found to be an important parameter.     

Aquifer overexploitation: what does it mean?

Groundwater overexploitation and aquifer overexploitation are terms that are becoming common in water-resources management. Hydrologists, managers and journalists use them when talking about stressed aquifers or some groundwater conflict. Overexploitation may be defined as the situation in which, for some years, average aquifer abstraction rate is greater than, or close to the average recharge rate. But rate and extent of recharge areas are often very uncertain. Besides, they may be modified by human activities and aquifer development. In practice, however, an aquifer is often considered as overexploited when some persistent negative results of aquifer development are felt or perceived, such as a continuous water-level drawdown, progressive water-quality deterioration, increase of abstraction cost, or ecological damage. But negative results do not necessarily imply that abstraction is greater than recharge. They may be simply due to well interferences and the long transient period that follow changes in the aquifer water balance. Groundwater storage is depleted to some extent during the transient period after abstraction is increased. Its duration depends on aquifer size, specific storage and permeability. Which level of "aquifer overexploitation" is advisable or bearable, depends on the detailed and updated consideration of aquifer-development effects and the measures implemented for correction. This should not be the result of applying general rules based on some indirect data. Monitoring, sound aquifer knowledge, and calculation or modelling of behaviour are needed in the framework of a set of objectives and policies. They should be established by a management institution, with the involvement of groundwater stakeholders, and take into account the environmental and social constraints. Aquifer overexploitation, which often is perceived to be associated with something ethically bad, is not necessarily detrimental if it is not permanent. It may be a step towards sustainable development. Actually, the term aquifer overexploitation is mostly a qualifier that intends to point to a concern about the evolution of the aquifer-flow system in some specific, restricted points of view, but without a precise hydrodynamic meaning. Implementing groundwater management and protection measures needs quantitative appraisal of aquifer evolution and effects based on detailed multidisciplinary studies, which have to be supported by reliable data. Electronic Publication     

Why the OCR may reduce the small strain shear stiffness of granular materials?

The small strain shear stiffness G₀ of the soil is of interest and importance in both theory and practice. It is expected that for granular materials G₀ would slightly increases with over-consolidation ratio (OCR). However, laboratory tests indicate that G₀ may decrease with increasing OCR, especially for loose specimens, which is counterintuitive. To explore the underlying mechanism, discrete element method (DEM) is used to investigate the effect of OCR on G₀. The DEM simulations successfully capture the laboratory observations. The analyses at the particulate level reveal that the decrease in small strain stiffness is mainly due to the decreases in coordination number and the uniformity of contact force distribution during unloading process.     

Place of life stories in labour geography: Why does it matter?

Labour geography foregrounds the role of workers in shaping geographies of work by paying attention to the larger actions of labour in response to the capital and state. It however pays less attention to the everyday geographies of labour and the complexities of the ‘social being’ in trying to understand workers motivations and responses. This review argues for labour geography to look beyond the factory gates to understand the nuanced politics of labour as relations get ‘reworked’ within a patriarchal-capitalist society. It argues for paying close attention to the life stories and experiences of workers, to create linkages between lives as waged workers in a formal workspace with the informal nature of work-life outside, without losing sight of the larger struggles of labour and global processes, to develop a more grounded understanding of worker’s agency and actions.     

Micromechanically inspired investigation of cemented granular materials: part II— from experiments to modelling and back

Acta Geotechnica - This paper presents an experimental and analytical/numerical study of the mechanics of cemented granular materials (CGMs). This study incorporates both in situ X-ray tomography...     

Micromechanically inspired investigation of cemented granular materials: part I—from X-ray micro tomography to measurable model variables

Acta Geotechnica - Cemented granular materials are abundant in nature and are often artificially produced. Their macroscopic behaviour is driven by small-scale material processes, which are...     

Church–state relations in Spain: Variations on a National-Catholic theme?

Contrary to the absence of a uniform Spanish identity (a phenomenon that is often referred to as Spain being a ‘nation of nations’), Spain’s confessional map is remarkably homogeneous. From the beginning of its existence as a political conglomeration, Spain has been a mono-confessional Catholic territory. Even at present, Catholicism is an intrinsic feature of Spanish society and – though officially a secular state – of state policy. A closer look at Spain’s religious situation and its corresponding pattern of church–state relations reveals, however, some recent cracks in the century’s old bond between Spain and Catholicism. Particularly secularization and religious pluralism challenge Spain’s mono-confessional Catholic nature, a development that fits well into Spain’s post-Francoist focus on Europe and European (secular) values. This paper discusses Spanish church–state relations from the beginning of its political existence until present times. Special attention will be paid to more recent societal developments and their impact on religious Spain and church–state relations.

The symbolic and political appropriation of scales: A critical analysis of the Amazonian ranchers’ narrative

There are many examples of “local” discourses aiming to delegitimize environmental issues, demands, actions and governance by arguing that they pursue international goals, defined by international actors that do not meet local needs and frequently oppose them. We focus on the narrative held by large ranchers in the Eastern Amazon, which disqualifies the so-called top-down creation of protected areas that jeopardizes the “local development” these actors have, following the narrative, encouraged and sustained for years. Through the combination of an ontological and constructivist approach of scales, our contribution challenges this scalar construction questioning the “locality” of the large ranchers and showing that their role as “local developers” is actually rooted in regional/national/international scales. We then study the most important effect of the anti-environmental grand scalar narrative: its influence on regional and national decision makers. Well-conceived and publicized scalar scenarios are efficient in this context as in many others.     

The future of failure: stress or strain?

Strains in rocks can be observed but ancient stresses can only be inferred. We should re-examine the potential of strain geometry as the key to understanding and interpreting common shear structures ranging from faults to plastic shear zones. The concept of failure along zero extension directions can be applied to natural structures in rocks and is predicated on strain compatibility between differently strained volumes. Zero extension directions are considered for two strain configurations, plane strain (k=1) and uniaxial shortening (k=0). The crucial difference between shear fractures, or faults, and plastic yield zones is that the former are preceded by dilatation while the latter are isovolumetric. Volume changes during deformation affect the orientations of zero extension directions and hence of the resulting structures. With isovolumetric strain, yield occurs on planes at 45° to the principal shortening direction in plane strain and at 54.7° to this axis in uniaxial shortening. Uniaxial shortening experiments on rock samples allow estimation of the relative volumetric strains when yield zones initiate. When this volumetric strain is used to estimate the orientation of shear fractures in plane strain, ca 70° dips are predicted for normal faults at high crustal levels, decreasing downwards to 45°.     

The stress state of the Earth’s lithosphere: Results of statistical processing of the world stress-map data

A method for the statistical processing of the input data on the stress state of the Earth’s lithosphere that takes the initial 3-D position of the principle stress axes into account is elaborated. This approach is based on the calculation of the arithmetic mean value for every six independent tensor components during determination of the average stress in any sampling. When determining the sampling for calculation of the average stress for the current cell of the calculated grid, it is proposed to insert the measurements into the sampling that are spatially located in such a manner where the distance from the measurement point to the cell center is less than some value that is named as a search radius. The latter either was specified as a constant for all cells of the calculated grid or was determined assuming that the dispersion of the average tensor was less than some preset value. The results of the application of this approach are presented based on the example of the processing of the measurements from the World Stress Map (Heidbach et al., 2008). The resultant set of the mean stress-field maps reflects the generalized pattern of the stress distribution in the Earth’s lithosphere.     

The impact of uncertainties on cooperation over transboundary water: The case of Israeli–Palestinian negotiations

The effect of uncertainty on cooperation between the partners sharing the natural resources remains unknown. Uncertainty may strengthen cooperation between partners, as it is necessary to implement cooperative mitigation policies, however, it may also serve as a cause of friction between parties, as it may aggravate existing trust issues or power asymmetries. Given the potential for such contrary outcomes, we provide criteria to examine empirically how uncertainties in a transboundary setting seem to promote or impede cooperation. Taking Israeli–Palestinian Annapolis round and post-Annapolis negotiations as a case study, this work identifies the effect of uncertainties related to water on negotiation positions. Social and political uncertainties, which tend to be more associated with uncertainty regarding interpretation rather than a lack of information, play a much stronger role in water negotiations than do technical or physical uncertainties that often dominate in other resource issues. Many of the criteria used to assess the effect of uncertainty indicate that partners attempted to address uncertainties in an ostensibly cooperative manner, accepting negotiation venues and rules. However, confronting uncertainty stemming from interpretation of information often around social issues tends to result in additional uncertainties associated with delaying negotiations, spillover effects and power implications, each with negative implications in terms of cooperation. As such, mechanisms proposed to address these uncertainties also tend to be more disputed. The only type of mechanisms that did not appear to aggravate the effects of these uncertainties and perhaps the only that would be indicative of some type of cooperation, even if low level, are those that deal data and information exchange and research.     

An overview of US state drought plans: crisis or risk management?

Natural Hazards - Recent severe drought events across the nation have raised our concerns over society’s changing and increasing vulnerability to droughts. All levels of governments have...     

The constraints of an ‘ironic scholar’: Negotiating critical engagement with indigeneity and nature conservation

This paper examines how contemporary articulations of indigeneity as bound to nature are treated by critical scholarship. I suggest that critical scholarship has done much to interrogate problematic understandings and restrictive positionings of indigeneity but has also lead to a contemporary position of irony, explored here as academic detachment and as a corrective form. I argue that this ironic position can lead to a lack of recognition for the ways that some groups are currently articulating indigeneity as bound to nature - in ways that, in Latin America, are currently opening up new political spaces, across scales, to debate how nature is valued, protected and lived with. In this paper, I firstly outline how past critiques from critical geography and anthropology can create an ironic treatment of indigeneity and nature conservation. Secondly, I adopt a political ecology approach to consider how past histories and experiences of (shifting) indigenous discourse can help to make sense of the claims that groups make on nature in the contemporary period, revealing how shifting identity politics, discursive regimes, policy frameworks and articulations of nature have been co-produced. Thirdly, I draw on examples from contemporary Bolivian indigenous politics and suggest their relevance to contemporary conservation debates.