Influence of sand content on the flow characteristics of soft soil under cyclic and high-frequency vibration

The flow characteristics of foundation soils subjected to train loads can present engineering hazards in high-speed railways. In order to verify the feasibility of blending coarse sand in modifying soft subsoil, undrained pulling sphere tests were carried out and the train loads were simulated through localized and cyclic vibration at various frequencies. Laboratory testing results indicate that the flow characteristics of soft soil can be significantly enhanced by high-frequency vibration; meanwhile the continuous increase in flow characteristics caused by cyclic vibration may be an important reason for the long-term settlement of soft subsoil. The influence of sand content on flow characteristics is also studied in detail, and it is shown that the addition of coarse sand can weaken the flow characteristics of soft soil induced by sudden vibration at lower than 50 Hz. Under the condition of cyclic vibration, the growth of the flow characteristics of sand-clay mixtures is mainly caused by the first-time vibration in the cycle, and the increase in sand content can make the flow characteristics present a faster convergent tendency.     

A Method for Evaluating Flow Characteristics in the Coastal Zone

The main factors that control flow characteristics in the coastal zone are discussed. A method is proposed for evaluating flow characteristics and wave transformation.     

Predicting characteristics of dune bedforms using PSO-LSSVM

Dunes have a large influence on hydraulic roughness, and, thereby, on water levels which could affect the navigability of rivers and performance of hydraulic structures. The present study investigated the variation of geometric and topographic characteristics of dune bedforms and flow features as measured in laboratory studies(data sets from laboratory experiments) to estimate the roughness coefficient and characteristics of dune height. The Least Squares Support Vector Machine(LSSVM), which was optimized using Particle Swarm Optimization(PSO), was used as the Meta model approach to predict the values of interest. Developed models were separated into three categories: modeling using flow characteristics,modeling of flow and bedform characteristics, and modeling by using flow and sediment characteristics.It was found that for estimation of the roughness coefficient in open channels with dune bedforms,models developed based on flow and sediment characteristics performed more successfully. The model with input parameters of flow and grain Reynolds numbers(Re and R_b, respectively) and the ratio of the hydraulic radius(R) to the median grain diameter(D_(50)) yields a squared correlation coefficient(R2) of0.8609, a coefficient of determination(DC) of 0.7361,and a root mean square error(RMSE) of 0.0034 for a test series of Manning's roughness coefficient which was the most accurate model. Results proved the key role of flow Reynolds number(Re) values as an input feature for all models predicting the roughness coefficient. Accordingly, classic approaches led to poor results in comparison. On the other hand, results obtained for estimated values of relative dune height led to moderate prediction quality, which albeit,outperformed classic approaches.     

Storage and Drainage Characteristics of a Highly Heterogeneous Karst Aquifer in Houzhai Basin

The characteristics of karst aquifers are difficult to be determined due to their heterogeneous physical properties and lack of hydrogeological information. In this case study, we applied two methods for a comparative analysis of storage and drainage characteristics in upstream, midstream, and downstream of Houzhai cave stream basin. In the first method, Minimum Smoothed Method (MSM) is used to determine the proportion of baseflow to the total flow (Baseflow Index, BFI). In the second method, a bicarbonate‐base two‐end member mixing model is used to quantify the slow flow component and fast flow component. For both methods, slow flow and quick flow are quantified at three sampling sites, which provide useful information for the analysis of storage and drainage characteristics. The results from flow separation method and hydrogeochemical analysis show a consistently increasing trend of the proportion of slow flow to total flow from the upstream to downstream which indicates that the voids of highly conductive conduits and well‐connected fissures decrease along the flow paths in the Houzhai cave stream basin in southwest China. The upstream areas have a low proportion of baseflow which indicates a high drainage capacity due to high permeable conduits and well‐connected fissures. The downstream areas, on the contrary, have a high proportion of baseflow which indicates a high storage capacity and slow infiltration due to the predominant presence of matrix and poorly‐connected fissures. These numerical methods provide alternative ways to investigate the storage and drainage characteristics of karst aquifers where direct measurement are not available.     

土坝自然电场的分布特点

土坝的自然电场中,由均匀和集中渗流产生的过滤电场起主导作用,它是探测土坝渗漏隐患的良好场源.笔者在国内外首先将土坝过滤电场整体上分解为均匀渗流的过滤电场和集中渗流的过滤电场两部分;同时,根据渗流产生的过滤电场的特征,沿土坝横断面将过滤电场分作入渗带、径流带和逸出带三部分;在此基础上,揭示了土坝过滤电场的基本特征,为应用自然电场检测土坝渗漏隐患技术研究提供了理论依据.     

Sand wave formation by stationary waves

In this paper we develop a new hypothesis which relates the formation of sand waves in open flow to the effect of stationary (lee) waves on flow with smooth nonhomogeneous downstream depth or behind an obstacle. The lee wave moves upstream with the phase velocity equal to the absolute value of the flow velocity, hence the wave crest does not move. Results of our experiments show that sand waves on the flow bed appear only below the lee waves and characteristics of sand waves are determined by the wave properties. We investigated the nonlinear stationary waves for subcritical and supercritical Froude numbers. These results allow us to predict sand waves characteristics for a particular flow.     

Influence of surface roughness of dune bedforms on flow and turbulence characteristics

The current paper investigates the flow and turbulence characteristics over dune bedforms by means of laboratory experiments, where spatially dense and temporally high frequency velocity measurements were done. Although similar studies are available in the literature, the focus and novelty of the current study is to assess the influence of surface roughness of the dune bedforms on the nearbed flow. For direct comparison, two different surface roughness heights over idealized, fixed-shaped, high-angled dune bedforms were tested; one with a hydraulically-smooth surface, and the other with a fully-rough surface. Spatial variation of time-averaged flow as well as turbulence statistics were examined, which was complemented by streamline plots and spectral analyses. The results are interpreted from sediment entrainment and sediment transport points of view. The results show that increased dune surface roughness reduces the nearbed flow velocity, but increases the flow velocities at upper regions. The upward directed flow near the dune crests becomes stronger in the case of smooth surface, while the re-attachment point moves further downstream compared to the rough wall case. It is concluded that the roughness of the dune surface affects the nearbed flow and turbulence characteristics qualitatively and quantitatively, which is shown to have direct consequences on sediment entrainment characteristics.     

Measurement of ice flow velocities from GPS positions logged by short-period seismographs in East Antarctica

The ice flow velocity is a basic feature of glaciers and ice sheets. Measuring ice flow velocities is very important for estimating the mass balance of ice sheets in the Arctic and Antarctic. Traditional methods for measuring ice flow velocity include the use of stakes, snow pits and on-site geodetic GPS and remote sensing measurement methods. Geodetic GPS measurements have high accuracy, but geodetic GPS monitoring points only sparsely cover the Antarctic ice sheets. Moreover, the resolution and accuracy of ice flow velocities based on remote sensing measurements are low. Although the accuracy of the location data recorded by the navigation-grade GPS receivers embedded in short-period seismographs is not as good as that of geodetic GPS,the ice flow velocity can be accurately measured by these navigation-grade GPS data collected over a sufficiently long period. In this paper, navigation-grade GPS location data obtained by passive seismic observations during the 36 th Chinese National Antarctic Research Expedition were used to accurately track the movement characteristics of the ice sheet in the Larsemann Hills of East Antarctica and the Taishan Station area. The results showed that the ice sheet in the two study areas is basically moving northwestward with an average ice flow velocity of approximately 1 m mon-1. The results in the Taishan Station area are basically consistent with the geodetic GPS results, indicating that it is feasible to use the embedded GPS location data from shortperiod seismographs to track the movement characteristics of ice sheets. The ice flow characteristics in the Larsemann Hills are more complex. The measured ice flow velocities in the Larsemann Hills with a resolution of 200 m help to understand its characteristics. In summary, the ice flow velocities derived from GPS location data are of great significance for studying ice sheet dynamics and glacier mass balance and for evaluating the systematic errors caused by ice sheet movements in seismic imaging.     

Unsteady inter-porosity flow modeling for a multiple media reservoir

The paper deals with unsteady inter-porosity flow modeling of underground fluid in a multiple media reservoir. Assuming spherical vugs, symmetrically distributed pressure, negligible inter-porosity flow between matrix and vug systems and centrifugal flow of the fluid from matrix blocks or vugs to fractures, and treating media directly connected with wellbore as the fracture system, we establish and solve a model of unsteady inter-porosity flow for dual and triple porosity media reservoirs. We provide simulated graphs of pressure and pressure derivative log-log type curves, and analyze the transient flow process and characteristics of type curves affected by different parameters. The new type curves of unsteady inter-porosity flow modeling are evidently different in shape and characteristics from those of pseudo-steady inter-porosity flow modeling. The location of dimensionless pressure of unsteady inter-porosity is lower than that of pseudo-steady inter-porosity, which indicates that unsteady inter-porosity flow accelerates an energy supplement during production. Qualitatively, the unsteady inter-porosity flow modeling reduces the classical V-shaped response. We also estimated parameters from well test data in real applications using this model.     

泥石流冲击荷载的时频分析方法及应用

泥石流的能量转化主要集中于运动过程中,泥石流冲击压力随时间变化的过程是其能量不断变化的综合表现。本文分析了泥石流能量转化过程及冲击荷载的紊流形态,并根据其脉动特性,将泥石流冲击荷载作为信号进行研究。以大型泥石流模型试验为基础,利用小波时频分析方法将试验测取的泥石流冲击荷载映射为时间与频率的联合信号,得到同一时间9个频段内的能量强度。从冲击荷载的能量分布可以看出,稀性泥石流95%以上的波动能集中在低频段内（0～6.25Hz）,从而为深入研究泥石流冲击机制及防治结构动态荷载设计提供了一些理论依据。     

The role of different forms of natural riparian vegetation on turbulence and kinetic energy characteristics

Flow measurements were conducted by ADV Vectrino to investigate the role of different forms of single natural emergent vegetation elements on kinetic energy characteristics and the flow structure in open channel flow. Experiments were carried out for both forms of “erect” and “compressed” vegetation. The findings revealed that the form of “erect” has greater retaining influence on time-averaged mean velocity characteristics than “compressed” form. Furthermore, the turbulence and kinetic energy patterns behind the single vegetation were also examined. An empirical equation giving the relationship between the kinetic energy components of flow was derived based on the data. The ratio between turbulence kinetic energy and mean kinetic energy at a certain distance downstream of vegetation element was predicted by the empirical equation depending on the vegetation characteristics. These predictions were compared with a different experimental data set and produced satisfactory results. Also, the mean flow and turbulence characteristics behind an isolated natural plant and a volumetrically equivalent rigid cylinder were also compared.     

Influence of hydropower outflow characteristics on riverbank stability: case of the lower Osage River (Missouri,USA)

ABSTRACT

This research examined the influences of outflow characteristics affecting riverbank stability. The 130-km stretch of the Lower Osage River downstream from Bagnell Dam (Missouri, USA) provided an excellent case study for this purpose. The integrated BSTEM model with the HEC-RAS model was accurately calibrated and validated with data from the US Geological Survey. Then, the outflow characteristics (peak flow duration, flow drawdown rate, and low flow duration) were investigated individually. The results of this study showed that: (1) riverbank stability is little affected by the duration time of the peak flow, especially on the reaches far from the dam; (2) sudden flow drawdown significantly reduces riverbank stability; however, the impact of the drawdown rate decreases with distance from the dam; and (3) the duration of the low flow after peak flow influences the riverbank stability value proportional to the distance from the dam. The time of low flow before failure increases as the distance from the dam increases.     

SCOUR AROUND GROINS

l INTRODUCTIONGroins are smictures consmicted transverse to the river flow and extended from the bank into the river.They serve one or more of the following functions: 1) training of the stream flow, 2) protection of s treambank frOm erosion, and 3) imProvement of flow dePth for navigation. Groins, according to method andtyPe of construction material, are usually classified as permeable or imPermeable. However in this paPeranother wne is introduced, i.e. semipermeable groin, which is th…     

水平非均匀基流中行星波的传播

行星波传播理论虽然已有很多研究,但是大多以纬向对称基流为主,无法解释东西风带之间相互作用的事实.鉴于此,本文从理论上系统讨论了纬向对称和水平非均匀基流中定常和非定常波动的传播特征.首先,对纬向对称基流中波动传播的周期特征进行分析后发现,西风中位相东传超长波周期大于30 d,而东风中位相西传超长波的周期则小于30 d.之后,从传播的空间以及周期特征等方面系统研究了水平非均匀基流中球面波动传播理论,得到以下结论:经向基流使得定常波可以穿越东风带,在南北两半球间传播,为东西风带之间的相互作用提供了理论解释;强的经向流使得波动传播具有单向性;亚澳季风区低层纬向1波呈低频特征.     

垂直上升管中油气水三相流流型多尺度熵分析

为了研究垂直上升管中油气水三相流流动特性,本文利用纵向多极阵列电导式传感器（VMEA）和阵列电导探针组合测量方法在内径为125 mm多相流流动环中采集了油气水三相流电导波动信号,在定义6种油气水三相流流型基础上,绘制了4种油水混合液量下油气水三相流流型转换图,分析了含油率对流型转化及气相流速对油水相态逆转的影响.对水为连续相的5种流型VMEA传感器波动信号进行了多尺度熵分析,研究结果表明：含油率增加可使水包油段塞流在较低气相表观速度下产生;较低流速下的油水相态逆转可发生在油液比为0.9左右,气相流速增加使得逆转点向含油率低的方向偏移;多尺度熵细节可以刻画油气水三相流非线性动力学特性,而低尺度的多尺度熵变化率敏感地反映流型转变,是划分油气水三相流流型的有效准则.多尺度熵有助于理解油气水三相流流型非线性动力学特征.     

Estimation of reservoir and remaining oil prediction based on flow unit analysis

Through natural partition and clustering analysis, four kinds of flow units were distinguished in Pu53 block, Pucheng Oilfield. Taking the short-term cycle as studying unit, the two-dimensional distribution of each type of flow units was forecasted and the short-term cycle was classified into four types based on the two-dimensional characteristics of the flow units. The remaining oil was predicted by conceptual simulation, qualitative analysis and quantitative modeling. The results showed obvious control of the characteristics of reservoir flow units to the remaining oil. E and G units in type I and type II short-term cycles which are distributed continuously in large areas are mostly flooded, while the uncontrolled small isolated G flow unit in type III short-term cycles which were mainly made of F flow unit and F flow unit with continuous distribution become the accumulating place for remaining oil. Thus the development adjustment strategy should optimize the development of small-scale E and G units, strengthen the development of type III short-term cycles, and block out type I short-term cycles. This strategy improves the development of Pu53 block obviously.     

Seasonality of low flows and dominant processes in the Rhine River

Low flow forecasting is crucial for sustainable cooling water supply and planning of river navigation in the Rhine River. The first step in reliable low flow forecasting is to understand the characteristics of low flow. In this study, several methods are applied to understand the low flow characteristics of Rhine River basin. In 108 catchments of the Rhine River, winter and summer low flow regions are determined with the seasonality ratio (SR) index. To understand whether different numbers of processes are acting in generating different low flow regimes in seven major sub-basins (namely, East Alpine, West Alpine, Middle Rhine, Neckar, Main, Mosel and Lower Rhine) aggregated from the 108 catchments, the dominant variable concept is adopted from chaos theory. The number of dominant processes within the seven major sub-basins is determined with the correlation dimension analysis. Results of the correlation dimension analysis show that the minimum and maximum required number of variables to represent the low flow dynamics of the seven major sub-basins, except the Middle Rhine and Mosel, is 4 and 9, respectively. For the Mosel and Middle Rhine, the required minimum number of variables is 2 and 6, and the maximum number of variables is 5 and 13, respectively. These results show that the low flow processes of the major sub-basins of the Rhine could be considered as non-stochastic or chaotic processes. To confirm this conclusion, the rescaled range analysis is applied to verify persistency (i.e. non-randomness) in the processes. The estimated rescaled range statistics (i.e. Hurst exponents) are all above 0.5, indicating that persistent long-term memory characteristics exist in the runoff processes. Finally, the mean values of SR indices are compared with the nonlinear analyses results to find significant relationships. The results show that the minimum and maximum numbers of required variables (i.e. processes) to model the dynamic characteristics for five out of the seven major sub-basins are the same, but the observed low flow regimes are different (winter low flow regime and summer low flow regime). These results support the conclusion that a few interrelated nonlinear variables could yield completely different behaviour (i.e. dominant low flow regime).     

A classification of drainage and macropore flow in an agricultural catchment

This paper uses a variety of multivariate statistical techniques in order to improve current understanding of the antecedent and rainfall controls on drainage characteristics for an agricultural underdrained clay site. Using the dataset obtained from a two‐year hillslope study at Wytham (Oxfordshire, UK) a number of patterns in the nature and style of drainage events were explored. First, using principal components analysis, a distinction was drawn between drainflow controlled by antecedent conditions and drainflow controlled by rainfall characteristics. Dimensional analysis then distinguished between two further types of drainflow event: antecedent limited events (ALE) and non‐antecedent limited events (NALE). These were drainflow events requiring a minimum antecedent hydraulic head to occur (ALE) and events that occurred in response to rainfall irrespective of the antecedent conditions, because the rainfall was either of high enough intensity or duration to prompt a response in drainflow (NALE). 2. The dataset also made possible a preliminary investigation into the controls on and types of macropore flow at the site. Principal components analysis identified that rainfall characteristics were more important than antecedent conditions in generating high proportions of macropore flow in drainflow. Of the rainfall characteristics studied, rainfall amount and intensity were the dominant controls on the amount of macropore flow, with duration as a secondary control. Two styles of macropore flow were identified: intensity‐driven and duration‐driven. Intensity‐driven events are characterized by rainfall of high intensity and short duration. During such events the amount of macropore flow is proportional to the rainfall intensity and the interaction between macropore and matrix flow is kinetically limited. The second style of macropore flow is characterized by long‐duration events. For these events the amount of macropore flow approaches a maximum value whatever the rainfall duration. This suggests that these events are characterized by an equilibrium interaction between macropores and matrix flow. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new modeling approach for simulating microtopography-dominated,discontinuous overland flow on infiltrating surfaces

Realistic modeling of discontinuous overland flow on irregular topographic surfaces has been proven to be a challenge. This study is aimed to develop a new modeling framework to simulate the discontinuous puddle-to-puddle (P2P) overland flow dynamics for infiltrating surfaces with various microtopographic characteristics. In the P2P model, puddles were integrated in a well-delineated, cascaded drainage system to facilitate explicit simulation of their dynamic behaviors and interactions. Overland flow and infiltration were respectively simulated by using the diffusion wave model and a modified Green–Ampt model for the DEM-derived flow drainage network that consisted of a series of puddle-based units (PBUs). The P2P model was tested by using a series of data from laboratory overland flow experiments for various microtopography, soil, and rainfall conditions. The modeling results indicated that the hierarchical relationships and microtopographic properties of puddles significantly affected their connectivity, filling–spilling dynamics, and the associated threshold flow. Surface microtopography and rainfall characteristics also exhibited strong influences on the spatio-temporal distributions of infiltration rates, runoff fluxes, and unsaturated flow. The model tests demonstrated its applicability in simulating microtopography-dominated overland flow on infiltrating surfaces.     

Direct observation of complex Tóthian groundwater flow systems in the laboratory

Based on the theory of gravity‐driven groundwater flow systems, we have developed a complex Flow System Sand‐Box Model (FSM). It enables the visual observations of the development and characteristics and temporal evolution of complex Tóthian flow systems in the laboratory. The configuration of the regional, intermediate and local flow systems can be controlled and observed; hydraulic head, flow direction and travel time can be measured; and the scale and shape of the sub‐flow systems as well as the path lines and flow lines can be observed directly. The experiments demonstrate the Tóthian flow systems in a small basin with multiple sources and sinks. Greater local topographic (water table) undulation will lead to larger local flow systems. Greater regional and less local topographic undulation will enhance the development of intermediate and regional flow systems. In homogeneous media, increasing fluid‐potential differences between source and sink increase the spatial scale of the generated flow systems. The FSM is a useful teaching aid and experimental device to study and develop an intuitive insight into gravity‐driven groundwater flow systems. It helps to visualize and understand the hydraulic properties and controlling factors of Tóthian flow systems and may be used to study problems related to the chemical and temperature characteristics of the flow systems as well. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.