Effects of site conditions on earthquake ground motion and their applications in seismic design in loess region

The Loess Plateau is an earthquake prone region of China, where the effects of loess deposit on ground motion were discovered during the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake (Ms8.0) and the 2013 Minxian-Zhangxian earthquake (Ms6.6). The field investigations, observations, and analyses indicated that large number of casualties and tremendous economic losses were caused not only by collapse and damage of houses with poor seismic performance, landslides, but also amplification effects of site conditions, topography and thickness of loess deposit, on ground motion. In this paper, we chose Dazhai Village and Majiagou Village as the typical loess site affected by the two earthquakes for intensity evaluation, borehole exploration, temporary strong motion array, micro tremor survey, and numerical analysis. The aim is to explore the relations between amplification factors and site conditions in terms of topography and thickness of loess deposit. We also developed site amplification factors of ground motion for engineering design consideration at loess sites. The results showed that the amplification effects are more predominant with increase in thickness of loess deposit and slope height. The amplification may increase seismic intensity by 1 degree, PGA and predominant period by 2 times, respectively.     

Effects of the probability of pulse-like ground motions on landslide susceptibility assessment in near-fault areas

Earthquake-induced strong near-fault ground motion is typically accompanied by largevelocity pulse-like component, which causes serious damage to slopes and buildings. Although not all near-fault ground motions contain a pulse-like component, it is important to consider this factor in regional earthquake-induced landslide susceptibility assessment. In the present study, we considered the probability of the observed pulse-like ground motion at each site(PP) in the region of an earthquake as one o...     

不同环剪条件下三峡库区童家坪滑坡滑带土强度特性

研究不同环剪条件下库岸堆积层滑坡滑带土强度特性对滑坡稳定性评价具有重要意义。针对目前在库岸堆积层滑坡滑带土力学特性方面研究薄弱的问题, 以三峡库区童家坪滑坡滑带土为研究对象, 采用ARS-E2环剪仪开展了不同剪切速率下的剪切试验, 研究了等速剪切、加速剪切以及减速剪切作用下滑带土强度变化特征。试验结果表明: 滑带土试样在恒定的低速剪切条件下更容易得到稳定的残余强度, 并且达到峰值强度后易出现"应变软化"现象; 在相同剪切应力条件下, 滑带土加速环剪和减速环剪的剪应力变化趋势基本一致, 与法向应力均呈正相关关系; 剪切速率的变化会显著影响滑带土峰值黏聚力的大小。研究成果揭示了不同环剪条件下滑带土力学特性, 可以为揭示库岸堆积层滑坡变形破坏的力学机制提供理论依据。      

滑坡不同作用模式下房屋基础变形特征

受地形条件限制,我国西南山区大量房屋修建在滑坡上,存在安全隐患。探明滑坡对其上房屋的作用机理,科学指导滑坡上房屋设计和防护,对保障居民生命财产安全、促进人地和谐发展具有重要意义。基础是滑坡对其上房屋作用的直接对象,因此,以砌体结构房屋基础为研究对象,采用室内物理实验和数值模拟相结合的方法,对比分析试验与模拟中基础的变形特征,验证数值模型边界设置的可靠性,开展房屋基础在滑坡不同作用模式下变形破坏特征的研究。结果表明:建筑物基础在滑坡缓慢变形作用下的破坏模式可归纳为3种:张拉、剪切和挤压模式;房屋裂缝发育的位置与滑坡地表裂缝位置关系密切,随着滑坡主滑方向与房屋基础夹角的增大,房屋基础破坏越严重。因此,在房屋的选址和设计时,应优先利用滑坡挤压区或减小房屋长边中轴线与滑坡主滑方向的夹角。      

Debris flows introduced in landslide deposits under rainfall conditions: The case of Wenjiagou gully

Debris flows often occur in landslide deposits during heavy rainstorms. Debris flows are initiated by surface water runoff and unsaturated seepage under rainfall conditions. A physical model based on an infinitely long, uniform and void-rich sediment layer was applied to analyze the triggering of debris-flow introduced in landslide deposits. To determine the initiation condition for rainfall-induced debris flows, we conducted a surface water runoff and saturated-unsaturated seepage numerical program to model rainfall infiltration and runoff on a slope. This program was combined with physical modeling and stability analysis to make certain the initiation condition for rainfall-introduced debris flows. Taking the landslide deposits at Wenjiagou gully as an example, the initiation conditions for debris flow were computed. The results show that increase height of surface-water runoff and the decrease of saturated sediment shear strength of are the main reasons for triggering debris-flows under heavy rainfall conditions. The debris-flow triggering is affected by the depth of surface-water runoff, the slope saturation and shear strength of the sediment.     

Application of probability integral method in ground deformation prediction

In order to study the law of mining subsidence and ground movement, to provide the basis of coal mining under building, railway and water, we used the probability integration method to make comprehensive evaluation of ground stability. Take Yingcheng Coal Mine of Jiutai as an example. Mining-induced movement and horizontal movement are analyzed on the basis of the measurement data. The results of prediction can provide reference and basis for prevention of coal mining subsidence and future restoration and treatment.     

Rapid geometry analysis for earthquake-induced and rainfall-induced landslide dams in Taiwan

Stability analysis of the dam is important for disaster prevention and reduction. The dam＇s geometry plays an important role in understanding its stability. This study develops a rapid landslide dam geometry assessment method for both earthquake-induced and rainfall-induced landslide dams based on nine real cases collected in Chinese Taipei and 214 cases collected worldwide. For simplification purposes, a landslide dam is classified into triangular or trapezoidal. The rapid landslide dam geometry assessment method in this paper uses only satellite maps and the topographic maps to get landslide area, and then analyze the dam geometry. These maps are used to evaluate the area of the landslide and the slope of the river bed. Based on the evaluation information, the proposed method can calculate dam height, the length of the dam, and the angles of the dam in both upstream and downstream directions. These geometry parameters of a landslide dam provide important information for further dam stability analysis. The proposed methodology is applied to a real landslide dam case at Hsiaolin Village. The result shows that the proposed method can be used to assess the landslide dam geometry.     

Field investigations and numerical modeling of a giant landslide in the region of Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis:Jiaobunong landslide

Eastern Himalayan Syntaxis (EHS) is a tectonically active region that undergoes continuous geomorphic changes.Large landslides are predominant in this region.A ...     

Laboratory investigation of disintegration characteristics of purple mudstone under different hydrothermal conditions

Disintegration of rock is one of the primary processes of soil formation and geomorphology and is affected considerably by water and heat.This study focused on the disintegration characteristics under laboratory conditions of typical purple mudstone from the Tuodian group of Jurassic red beds(J3t) in Tuodian Town,Shuangbai county,Yunnan Province of southern China.The fresh mudstone was subjected to alternating applications of water,heat and hydrothermal interaction during five treatments:wetting-drying(WD),saturation(ST),refrigeration-heating(RH),a combination of wetting-drying and refrigeration-heating(WDRH),and a combination of saturation and refrigeration-heating(STRH).Each treatment was run in twenty-four cycles.The results showed that there are three types of disintegration:collapsing disintegration,exfoliation disintegration and imperceptible disintegration.The cumulative disintegration rate(percentage of cumulative disintegrated mass to the initiative sample mass passed through a 2 mm sieve) produced a ’S’-shape function when related to treatment cycle time and closely fit a logistic model(R2 > 0.99).The rank order of the cumulative disintegration rate resulting from the five treatments was as the following:WDRH > STRH > ST > WD > RH.Because of alternating periods of moisture and dryness,WD caused the most disintegration,while RH alone resulted in imperceptible disintegration.Additionally,there was a negative correlation between the disintegration rate of each treatment cycle(percentage of disintegrated mass to the treated sample mass) and treatment cycle number.There was a positive correlation between this rate and temperature change under moist conditions,indicating that a change in temperature greatly accelerates the disintegration of parent rock when water was supplied.     

Soil respiration under three different land use types in a tropical mountain region of China

Soil respiration (SR) Wis one of the largest contributors of terrestrial CO_2 to the atmosphere.Environmental as well as physicochemical parameters influence SR and thus, different land use practices impact the emissions of soil CO_2. In this study, we measured SR, bi-monthly, over a one-year period in a terrace tea plantation, a forest tea plantation and a secondary forest, in a subtropical mountain area in Xishuangbanna, China. Along with the measurement of SR rates, soil characteristics for each of the land use systems were investigated. Soil respiration rates in the different land use systems did not differ significantly during the dry season, ranging from2.7±0.2 μmol m~(-2) s~(-1) to 2.8±0.2 μmol m~(-2) s~(-1). During the wet season, however, SR rates were significantly larger in the terrace tea plantation(5.4±0.5 μmol m~(-2)s~(-1)) and secondary forest(4.9±0.4 μmol m~(-2)s~(-1)) than in the forest tea plantation(3.7±0.2 μmol m~(-2) s~(-1)).This resulted in significantly larger annual soil CO_2 emissions from the terrace tea and secondary forest,than from the forest tea plantation. It is likely that these differences in the SR rates are due to the 0.5times lower soil organic carbon concentrations in thetop mineral soil in the forest tea plantation, compared to the terrace tea plantation and secondary forest.Furthermore, we suggest that the lower sensitivity to temperature variation in the forest tea soil is a result of the lower soil organic carbon concentrations. The higher SR rates in the terrace tea plantation were partly due to weeding events, which caused CO_2 emission peaks that contributed almost 10% to the annual CO_2 flux. Our findings suggest that moving away from heavily managed tea plantations towards low-input forest tea can reduce the soil CO_2 emissions from these systems. However, our study is a casestudy and further investigations and upscaling are necessary to show if these findings hold true at a landscape level.     

Formation conditions of landslide dams triggered by incision of mine waste accumulations

The erosion and delivery processes of mine waste accumulations were reproduced through flume tests under 13 different experimental condition sets. Analysis of the flume test results showed that different scale model landslides, induced by the incision of mine waste accumulations, slipped into the channel and caused complete or partial blockages, with 28 complete blockages and 122 partial blockages observed during the flume tests. The failure of these temporary landslide dams amplified the peak discharge significantly, with the amplification more obvious when caused by the failure of a complete blockage compared to a partial blockage under the same experimental conditions. In order to explore the threshold conditions of a complete blockage, a new blockage index(Ibs) was developed to represent the degree of blockage. It was found that the threshold value of the blockage index for a complete blockage was around Ibs=4.0. What's more, there was a significant negative correlation between the blockage index and the amplification coefficient of peak discharge caused by the failure of a landslide dam.These preliminary results are intended to provide a scientific basis for future research on the disaster prevention and mitigation of mine waste debris flows, as the processes and mechanisms underlying the erosion and delivery of mine waste accumulations by upstream flows along a gully have not yet been clearly identified.     

Combining geomatics and conventional methods for monitoring forest conditions under different governance arrangements

Introduction Assessment and systematic resource condition monitoring are essential components of long-term planning and management of forest resources. These requirements can be fulfilled using different methods and techniques. Traditionally, when the primary objective of forest management was tim- ber production, sample-based forest inventories were the sole method of determining forest condi- tions. Aerial photographs were frequently used for forest cover mapping during the third quarter of …     

Simultaneous optical and radar observations of poleward moving auroral forms under different IMF conditions

Using high temporal resolution optical data obtained from three-wavelength all-sky imagers at Chinese Yellow River Station in the Arctic, together with the EISCAT Svalbard radar （ESR） and SuperDARN radars, we investigated the dayside pole- ward moving auroral forms （PMAFs） and the associated plasma features in the polar ionosphere under difibrent interplanetary magnetic field （1MF） conditions, between 0900 and 1010 UT on 22 December 2003. Simultaneous optical and ESR observations revealed that all PMAFs were clearly associated with pulsed particle precipitations. During northward IMF, particles can precipi- tate into lower altitudes and reach the ionospheric E-region, and there is a reverse convection cell associated with these PMAFs. This cell is one of the typical signatures of the dayside high-latitude （lobe） reconnection in the polar ionosphere. These results indicate that the PMAFs were associated with the high-latitude reconnection. During southward IMF, the PMAFs show larger lati- tudinal motion, indicating a longer mean lifetime, and the associated ionospheric features indicate that the PMAFs were generated by the dayside low-latitude reconnection.     

PREDICTION OF SEDIMENT REDUCING BENEFIT UNDER DIFFERENT RAINFALL CONDITIONS AND CONTROL DEGREES ON THE LOESS PLATEAU DEGREES ON THE LOESS PLATEAU

Soilerosionisoneofthemostseriousenvironmentalproblemsinthepresentworld.Itnotonlyrestrictstheproductionofagriculturebadly,butalsothreatensthenaturalenvironmentonwhichhumanbeinglive.Andthismakethemankindconfrontedwithtremendouschallenge.OntheLoessPlateau,soilandwaterlossisterrible,environmentisweak,anditshighsandyieldmakestheriverwayinthelowerreachesoftheHuanghe(Yellow)Riverfilledup,riverbeddrivenup,floodthreatprickedup,andresultsingreathiddentroublestothecontrollingoffloodandtherunningofirrig…     

库水位升降与降雨作用下大型滑坡体渗流稳定性分析

库岸滑坡体分布广泛,在库水位升降和降雨条件下极易失稳。三板溪水电站东岭信滑坡堆积体总方量2 000×104 m3,最大厚度150 m,2006年水电站蓄水后滑坡体开始出现大变形,每年雨季加剧。首先经野外地质勘察和十余年监测数据整理,探明了地质条件和变形规律;其次使用SEEP/W模块对不同库水位升降速率、2019年库水位结合实测降雨条件下的饱和-非饱和流进行模拟,并采用SLOPE/W分别计算不同时刻的稳定系数。分析认为东岭信为超深层滑坡,其变形过程深受库水位升降和降雨影响;滑坡体具有明显的滞水特征,渗流过程复杂;在库水位上升过程中稳定系数不断下降,而在库水位消落过程中稳定性逐渐增强;在库水位上升和强降雨量共同作用下稳定性下降很快,汛后10 d左右达到最低值,此时的稳定性最差。本研究可用于指导库水位升降和降雨条件下大型滑坡体稳定性评价。      

Development of the nano-composite cement: Application in regulating grouting in complex ground conditions

Improvement of the fluidity and setting time of grouting materials has been recognized as an effective approach of seepage prevention in foundation works, and it is quite common to be used for handling severe leakages in complex ground conditions, such as loose, broken and fully fissured stratum. For the purposed of better meeting the engineering requirements, experimental studies were conducted in this study with focus on the nanocomposite grouting materials and the related controlled grouting technology. As compared with the commonly used silicate-sulpho-aluminate composite cement, which is characterized by relatively poor rheological property, quick setting time and low strength, the most suitable nano-material with proper reactants were selected intentionally to improve the mentioned attributes of composite cement. Due to the setting time and strength of the targeted cement slurry behaving with poor performance of harmonization to engineering construction problems, hydration synergistic effect of these composites were investigated in our experiments. Results showed that the properties of grouting materials, including initial fluidity, setting time, ideal right-angle thickening, and early strength and late strength were sufficient to produce an expected grouting application. It is therefore advocated that the refined grouting material could provide a better solution to fix grouting problems in complex ground cementing operations.     

基于多期无人机影像的滑坡地表竖向变形测量模型试验与工程应用

滑坡地质灾害严重威胁人民生命财产安全,滑坡地表竖向变形测量属于滑坡监测与预警的重要组成部分。近年来,国内外学者开始尝试使用多期无人机影像开展滑坡地表变形监测,然而基于多期无人机影像的滑坡地表竖向变形测量精度研究却相对较少。首先通过大量室外模型试验,对CloudCompare、Global Mapper和PolyWorks三款软件地表竖向变形识别的结果进行了对比和研究;在此基础上,定量分析了三款软件地表竖向变形测量的精度。研究结果表明:当无人机影像分辨率优于3.0cm/像素,三款软件均能识别5.0cm及以上的地表竖向变形;在不同地表竖向变形工况下,Global Mapper地表竖向变形测量结果最为精确与稳定,竖向变形测量的中误差总体上分布于1.5~4.0 cm之间。三款软件地表竖向变形测量的中误差和测量误差的均值及标准差均与地表竖向变形值不呈现明显相关性,同时地表竖向变形量测误差均近似满足正态分布,因此可选取测量误差的95%置信区间对地表竖向变形测量结果进行修正。在此基础之上,运用Global Mapper软件开展了黑方台党川段滑坡地表竖向变形识别与测量应用,结果表明Global Mapper软件能较为准确地识别出滑坡变形区域并圈定其位置。      

The influence of seasonal snow on soil thermal and water dynamics under different vegetation covers in a permafrost region

Seasonal snow is one of the most important influences on the development and distribution of permafrost and the hydrothermal regime in surface soil. Alpine meadow, which constitutes the main land type in permafrost regions of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, was selected to study the influence of seasonal snow on the temperature and moisture in active soil layers under different vegetation coverage. Monitoring sites for soil moisture and temperature were constructed to observe the hydrothermal processes in active soil layers under different vegetation cover with seasonal snow cover variation for three years from 2010 to 2012. Differences in soil temperature and moisture in areas of diverse vegetation coverage with varying levels of snow cover were analyzed using active soil layer water and temperature indices. The results indicated that snow cover greatly influenced the hydrothermal dynamics of the active soil layer in alpine meadows. In the snow manipulation experiment with a snow depth greater than 15 cm, the snow cover postponed both the freeze-fall and thawrise onset times of soil temperature and moisture in alpine LC （lower vegetation coverage） meadows and of soil moisture in alpine HC （higher vegetation coverage） meadows; however, the opposite response occurred for soil temperatures of alpine HC meadows,where the entire melting period was extended by advancing the thaw-rise and delaying the freeze-fall onset time of the soil temperature. Snow cover resulted in a decreased amplitude and rate of variation in soil temperature, for both alpine HC meadows and alpine LC meadows, whereas the distinct influence of snow cover on the amplitude and rate of soil moisture variation occurred at different soil layers with different vegetation coverages. Snow cover increased the soil moisture of alpine grasslands during thawing periods. The results confirmed that the annual hydrothermal dynamics of active layers in permafrost were subject to the synergistic actions of both snow cover and vegetation coverage.     

Joint occurrence period of wind speed and wave height based on both service term and risk probability

Return periods calculated for different environmental conditions are key parameters for ocean platform design.Many codes for offshore structure design give no consideration about the correlativity among multi-loads and over-estimate design values.This frequently leads to not only higher investment but also distortion of structural reliability analysis.The definition of design return period in existing codes and industry criteria in China are summarized.Then joint return periods of different ocean environmental parameters are determined from the view of service term and danger risk.Based on a bivariate equivalent maximum entropy distribution,joint design parameters are estimated for the concomitant wave height and wind speed at a site in the Bohai Sea.The calculated results show that even if the return period of each environmental factor,such as wave height or wind speed,is small,their combinations can lead to larger joint return periods.Proper design criteria for joint return period associated with concomitant environmental conditions will reduce structural size and lead to lower investment of ocean platforms for the exploitation of marginal oil field.     

FLO-2D simulation of mudflow caused by large landslide due to extremely heavy rainfall in southeastern Taiwan during Typhoon Morakot

Daniau Village in Daniau Creek Watershed, Taitung County, Taiwan, sustained damages from landslides and mudflows during Typhoon Morakot in 2009. The purpose of this study is to adopt the FLO-2D numerical model recognized by Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to simulate the mudflow, and the Daniau Village was used as a case study, along with rainfall and digital terrain data for this simulation. On the basis of sediment yields, the residual sediment volume in the landslide area was determined to be 33,276 m³ by comparison of digital elevation models (DEMs) and by using the universal soil loss equation (USLE). In addition, this study performed a hydrological frequency analysis of rainfall to estimate the flow discharge as conditions of the simulation. Results of disaster surveys were collected to compare with outputs of the numerical model. Results of the simulation conducted with FLO-2D indicated that if the countermeasure was not destroyed, the drainage work would function without overflow. This study aimed to review the effectiveness of countermeasure on the basis of simulation results obtained by using the model to provide references for future disaster prevention and resident evacuation plans.