Fiber-based hysteretic model for simulating strength and stiffness deterioration of steel hollow structural section columns under cyclic loading

An efficient component model has been developed that captures strength and stiffness deterioration of steel hollow structural section (HSS) columns. The proposed model consists of two fiber-based segments at a member's ends along with an elastic segment in between. The fibers exhibit nonlinear uniaxial stress–strain behavior, which is explicitly defined by uniaxial monotonic tensile and cyclic round coupon tests. The postbuckling behavior of an HSS column is traced through a proposed uniaxial effective stress–strain constitutive formulation, which includes a softening branch in compression and an energy-based deterioration rule to trace the influence of cyclic deterioration in the inelastic cyclic straining. These may be inferred by uniaxial stub-column tests. The component model captures the coupling between the column axial force and flexural demands. Consistent model parameters for a number of steel materials used in the steel construction in North America and Japan are proposed along with the associated model calibration process. The efficiency of the proposed model in predicting the hysteretic behavior of HSS columns is demonstrated by comparisons with physical steel column tests subjected to various loading histories, including representative ones of ratcheting prior to earthquake-induced collapse. The proposed model is implemented in an open-source finite element software for nonlinear response history analysis of frame structures. The effectiveness of the proposed model in simulating dynamic instability of steel frame buildings is demonstrated through nonlinear response simulations of a four-story steel frame building, which was tested at full-scale through collapse. Limitations as well as suggestions for future work are discussed.     

A hypoplastic model for site response analysis

Site response analyses must take into account the nonlinear behavior of soils. This is typically achieved using an equivalent linear approach or using numerical analyses with an appropriate constitutive model. In this work a family of hypoplastic models is proposed for use in site response analyses. These nonlinear models use a rate-type tensorial equation and are capable of reproducing plastic deformation of soils for cyclic loading under both drained and undrained conditions. A methodology for the calibration of hypoplastic parameter for dynamic loading is proposed. The hypoplastic constitutive models are implemented in a finite element code and the site response of the Lotung downhole array site is used to validate the use of hypoplastic models for site response analysis. The hypoplastic models reproduce accurately site response at the Lotung site. The advantages and disadvantages of the hypoplastic models compared to other models are discussed.     

Prediction of the drag law for air–sea momentum exchange

In this paper, we use the inertial coupling relation as a similarity model for the air–sea boundary layer, to predict the 10-m drag coefficient. Excellent agreement with the commonly used statistical relationship of Garratt (1992) is found for a fully developed growing wind wave sea with a constant inertial drag coefficient, K_I = 1.5 × 10^–3. This suggests that the inertial coupling model can be used to realistically predict the 10 m drag coefficient under more general wind wave conditions.Acknowledgements The paper was completed while JATB was a Fellow at the Hanse-Wissenschaftskolleg in Delmenhorst, Germany, in July and August 2004. The comments of two anonymous reviewers are gratefully acknowledged.     

Soil–structure interaction in the time domain using halfspace Green's functions

A time-domain formulation is proposed for the transient response analysis of general, three-dimensional structures resting on a homogeneous, elastic halfspace subjected to either external loads or seismic motions. The formulation consists of two parts: (a) the time domain formulation of the soil behaviour and (b) the coupling of the corresponding soil algorithms to the Finite Element Code ANSYS. As far as the structure is concerned, this coupling opens the way for the analysis of non-linear soil–structure interaction. The approach is based on halfspace Green's functions for displacements elicited by Heaviside time-dependent surface point loads. Hence, the spatial discretisation can be confined to the contact area between the foundation and the soil, i.e. no auxiliary grid beyond the foundation as for conventional boundary element formulations is required. The method is applied to analyse the dynamic response of a railway track due to a moving wheel set by demonstrating the influence of ‘through-the-soil coupling’.     

Quantitative estimates of interplate coupling inferred from outer rise earthquakes

Interplate coupling plays an important role in the seismogenesis of great interplate earthquakes at subduction zones. The spatial and temporal variations of such coupling control the patterns of subduction zone seismicity. We calculate stresses in the outer rise based on a model of oceanic plate bending and coupling at the interplate contact, to quantitatively estimate the degree of interplate coupling for the Tonga, New Hebrides, Kurile, Kamchatka, and Marianas subduction zones. Depths and focal mechanisms of outer rise earthquakes are used to constrain the stress models. We perform waveform modeling of body waves from the GDSN network to obtain reliable focal depth estimates for 24 outer rise earthquakes. A propagator matrix technique is used to calculate outer rise stresses in a bending 2-D elastic plate floating on a weak mantle. The modeling of normal and tangential loads simulates the total vertical and shear forces acting on the subducting plate. We estimate the interplate coupling by searching for an optimal tangential load at the plate interface that causes the corresponding stress regime within the plate to best fit the earthquake mechanisms in depth and location.We find the estimated mean tangential load over 125–200 km width ranging between 166 and 671 bars for Tonga, the New Hebrides, the Kuriles, and Kamchatka. This magnitude of the coupling stress is generally compatible with the predicted shear stress at the plate contact from thermal-mechanical plate models byMolnar andEngland (1990), andVan den Buekel andWortel (1988). The estimated tectonic coupling,F _tc , is on the order of 10¹²–10¹³ N/m for all the subduction zones.F _tc for Tonga and New Hebrides is about twice as high as in the Kurile and Kamchatka arcs. The corresponding earthquake coupling forceF _ec appears to be 1–10% of the tectonic coupling from our estimates. There seems to be no definitive correlation of the degree of seismic coupling with the estimated tectonic coupling. We find that outer rise earthquakes in the Marianas can be modeled using zero tangential load.     

A comparison of two numerical models for the prediction of vibrations from underground railway traffic

Two prediction models for calculating vibration from underground railways are developed: the pipe-in-pipe model and the coupled periodic finite element–boundary element (FE–BE) model.The pipe-in-pipe model is a semi-analytical three-dimensional model that accounts for the dynamic interaction between the track, the tunnel and the soil. The continuum theory of elasticity in cylindrical coordinates is used to model two concentric pipes: an inner pipe to represent the tunnel wall and an outer pipe to represent the surrounding soil. The tunnel and soil are coupled accounting for equilibrium of stresses and compatibility of displacements at the tunnel–soil interface. This method assumes that the tunnel is invariant in the longitudinal direction and the problem is formulated in the frequency–wavenumber domain using a Fourier transformation. A track, formulated as an Euler–Bernoulli beam, is then coupled to this model. Results are transformed to the space domain using the inverse Fourier transform.The coupled periodic FE–BE model is based on a subdomain formulation, where a boundary element method is used for the soil and a finite element method for the tunnel. The Craig–Bampton substructuring technique is used to efficiently incorporate the track in the tunnel. The periodicity of the tunnel is exploited using the Floquet transformation to formulate the track–tunnel–soil interaction problem in the frequency–wavenumber domain and to compute the wave field radiated into the soil.An invariant concrete tunnel, embedded in a homogeneous full space is analyzed using both approaches. The pipe-in-pipe model offers an exact solution to this problem, which is used to validate the coupled periodic FE–BE model. The free field response due to a harmonic load in the tunnel is predicted and results obtained with both models are compared. The advantages and limitations of both models are highlighted. The coupled periodic FE–BE model has a greater potential as it can account for the complex periodic geometry of the tunnel and the layering in a soil medium. The effect of coupling a floating slab to the tunnel–soil system is also studied with both models by calculating the insertion gain.     

Effects of the Sun on the Earth's environment

Solar disturbances are observed to have significant effects in near-Earth space. Over the past half-century of observation, a relatively clear picture has developed of how and why the typical solar wind — as well as the most extreme solar events — drive geospace responses. It is clear that magnetospheric substorms, geomagnetic storms (both recurrent and aperiodic events), and even certain atmospheric chemical changes have their origins in the solar–terrestrial coupling arena. High-speed solar wind streams and fast coronal mass ejections (CMEs) can often have strong interplanetary shock waves and southward magnetic fields which can initiate strong storm responses. We demonstrate in this review that available modern space-observing platforms and ground facilities allow us to trace drivers from the Sun to the Earth's atmosphere. This allows us to assess quantitatively the energy transport that occurs throughout the Sun–Earth system during both typical and extreme conditions. Hence, we are continuously improving our understanding of “space weather” and its effects on human society.     

A sensitivity analysis of Hortonian flow

We present a sensitivity analysis for infiltration excess (Hortonian) overland flow based on a classic laboratory experiment by Smith and Woolhiser [Smith RE, Woolhiser DA. Overland flow on an infiltrating surface. Water Resour Res 1971;7(4):899–913]. The model components of the compartment approach are comprised of a diffusive wave approximation to the Saint–Venant equations for overland flow, a Richards model for flow in the variably saturated zone, and an interface coupling concept that combines the two components. In the coupling scheme a hydraulic interface is introduced to allow the definition of an exchange flux between the surface and the unsaturated zone. The effects of friction processes, soil capillarity, hydraulic interface, and vertical soil discretization on both infiltration and runoff prediction are investigated in detail. The corresponding sensitivity analysis is conducted using a small-perturbation method. As a result the importance of the hydraulic processes and related parameters are evaluated for the coupled hydrosystem.     

Clasmatic seismodynamics—Oxymoron or pleonasm?

Clasmatic means fractional in a physical and a mathematical sense, seismic means shaking. Truncated Lévy-processes and related fractional differential equations are introduced by means of statistics and balances. Isoclasmatic balance equations are proposed for sand samples, they imply energy-based hypoplastic and hypoelastic relations for the subcritical range and can be extended for rock. Balances of conserved and not conserved quantities with isoclasmatic distributions in spacetime are represented by coupled partial fractional differential equations, these can be transformed into classical balance equations for the subcritical range. Micro-seismic power-law spectra of sand are obtained with a fractional Schrödinger equation, its extension for polar effects and rock is indicated. Critical phenomena beyond the verge of energetic convexity are related with a degeneration of the fractional wave propagation. Due to them the lithosphere is polyclasmatic. Focussing on qualitative aspects, we show that clasmatic seismodynamics is no oxymoron, but rather a pleonasm and a promising new paradigm.     

Adaptive hierarchical grid model of water-borne pollutant dispersion

Water pollution by industrial and agricultural waste is an increasingly major public health issue. It is therefore important for water engineers and managers to be able to predict accurately the local behaviour of water-borne pollutants. This paper describes the novel and efficient coupling of dynamically adaptive hierarchical grids with standard solvers of the advection–diffusion equation. Adaptive quadtree grids are able to focus on regions of interest such as pollutant fronts, while retaining economy in the total number of grid elements through selective grid refinement. Advection is treated using Lagrangian particle tracking. Diffusion is solved separately using two grid-based methods; one is by explicit finite differences, the other a diffusion-velocity approach. Results are given in two dimensions for pure diffusion of an initially Gaussian plume, advection–diffusion of the Gaussian plume in the rotating flow field of a forced vortex, and the transport of species in a rectangular channel with side wall boundary layers. Close agreement is achieved with analytical solutions of the advection–diffusion equation and simulations from a Lagrangian random walk model. An application to Sepetiba Bay, Brazil is included to demonstrate the method with complex flows and topography.     

A case study of storm commencement and recovery plasmaspheric electric fields near L=2.5 at equinox

Data from the VLF Doppler experiment at Faraday, Antarctica (65○ S, 64○ W) are used to study the penetration of the high-latitude convection electric field to lower latitudes during severely disturbed conditions. Alterations of the electric field at L-values within the range 2.0 - 2.7 are studied for two cases at equinox (10 - 12 September 1986 and 1 - 3 May 1986). The recovery of the electric field is found to be approximately an exponential function of time. Values for the equatorial meridional E×B drift velocity, inferred from the data, are used as inputs to a model of the plasmasphere and ionosphere. The model and experimental results are used to investigate the post-storm alteration of ionospheric coupling processes. The magnitude of the effect of ionosphere-plasmasphere coupling fluxes on N_mF2 values and the O⁺-H⁺ transition height is dependent on the local time of storm commencement, and on the orientation of the electric field. The coupling fluxes appear to have a maximum influence on ionospheric content during the main phase of geomagnetic activity that produces outward motion of plasmaspheric whistler ducts.     

小跨高比强化配筋连梁的抗震性能

强化配筋连梁是指采用HRB400及以上钢筋、加密加粗腰筋、加粗箍筋的连梁。期望通过腰筋和箍筋形成的2层或更多层的高强钢筋网片来承受剪力,提高其抗震性能,施工较为方便,适用于小跨高比连梁。利用非线性有限元方法,在已完成普通配筋小跨高比连梁抗震性能试验的基础上,研究了跨高比为1.25的不同配筋形式连梁的抗震性能。研究表明:强化配筋连梁的骨架曲线出现2个峰值,峰值荷载为普通配筋连梁的1.37倍,其荷载下降速率约为普通配筋连梁的39.42%,具有较高的承载力。强化配筋连梁的峰值位移是集中对角斜筋、交叉斜筋和对角暗撑配筋连梁的三倍多,具有较强的变形能力。最后,建议采用深梁的方法计算强化配筋连梁的受剪承载力。     

On the current-voltage relationship in auroral breakups and westwards-travelling surges

Auroral precipitating electrons pass through an acceleration region before entering the atmosphere. Regardless of what produces it, a parallel electric field is assumed to cause the acceleration. It is well known that from kinetic theory an expression for the corresponding upward field-aligned current can be calculated, which under certain assumptions can be linearized to j = KV. The K constant, referred to as the Lyons-Evans-Lundin constant, depends on the source density and thermal energy of the magnetospheric electrons; it is an important parameter in magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling models. However, the K parameter is still rather unknown, and values are found in a wide range of 10^–8–10^–10Sim^–2. In this study, we investigated how the type of auroral structure affects the K values. We look at onset and westwards-travelling surge (WTS) events and make comparisons with earlier results from observations of more stable auroral arcs. A new analysis technique for studying those magnetospheric parameters using ground-based measurements is introduced. Electron density measurements are taken with the EISCAT radar, and through an inversion technique the flux-energy spectra are calculated. Source densities, thermal energies and potential drops are estimated from fittings of accelerated Maxwellian distributions. With this radar technique we have the possibility to study the changes of the mentioned parameters during the development of onsets and the passage of surges over EISCAT. The study indicates that the linearization of the full Knight formulation holds even for the very high potential drops and thermal temperatures found in the dynamic onset and WTS events. The values of K are found to be very low, around 10^–11Sm^–2 in onset cases as well as WTS events. The results may establish a new technique where ionospheric measurements are used for studying the ionosphere-magnetosphere coupling processes.     

Modelling of pile wave barriers by effective trenches and their screening effectiveness

The three-dimensional problem of isolation of vibration by a row of piles is studied numerically on the basis of a model replacing the row of piles by an effective trench in order to reduce the modelling complexity. The analysis is accomplished with the aid of an advanced frequency domain boundary element method, which is used for both the infilled trench and the soil medium in conjunction with a coupling procedure based on enforcement of equilibrium and compatibility at the trench–soil interface. Linear elastic or viscoelastic material behaviour is assumed for both the piles and the soil. The piles can be tubular or solid and have circular or square cross-section. The vibration source is a vertical force, harmonically varying with time, and the row of piles acts as a passive wave barrier. The effective trench model is constructed by invoking well known homogenization techniques used in the mechanics of fibre-reinforced composite materials, and its accuracy is compared against a rigorous boundary element analysis modelling each pile separately in full contact with the soil medium. On the basis of the effective trench model, the screening effectiveness of a row of piles is studied through parametric studies.     

A practical numerical method for large strain liquefaction analysis of saturated soils

Accurate prediction of the liquefaction of saturated soils is based on strong coupling between the pore fluid phase and soil skeleton. A practical numerical method for large strain dynamic analysis of saturated soils is presented. The u–p formulation is used for the governing equations that describe the coupled problem in terms of soil skeleton displacement and excess pore pressure. A mixed finite element and finite difference scheme related to large strain analysis of saturated soils based on the updated Lagrangian method is given. The equilibrium equation of fluid-saturated soils is spatially discretized by the finite element method, whereas terms associated with excess pore pressure in the continuity equation are spatially discretized by the finite difference method. An effective cyclic elasto-plastic constitutive model is adopted to simulate the non-linear behavior of saturated soils under dynamic loading. Several numerical examples that include a saturated soil column and caisson-type quay wall are presented to verify the accuracy of the method and its usefulness and applicability to solutions of large strain liquefaction analysis of saturated soils in practical problems.     

Numerical Computation of Nonlinear Inelastic Waves in Soil

— Godunov's method, a numerical method for solving conservation laws, is applied to nonlinear and inelastic wave propagation in soil. The solution is restricted to the one-dimensional case. An approximate Riemann solver for Godunov's method is presented. The capability of the numerical method is shown by a comparison with the analytical solution of a linear inelastic wave propagation. Finally the behaviour of the nonlinear inelastic soil is described by a hypoplastic constitutive law.     

Seismic soil–structure interaction of massive flexible strip-foundations embedded in layered soils by hybrid BEM–FEM

A study on the seismic response of massive flexible strip-foundations embedded in layered soils and subjected to seismic excitation is presented. Emphasis is placed on the investigation of the system response with the aid of a boundary element–finite element formulation proper for the treatment of such soil–structure interaction problems. In the formulation, the boundary element method (BEM) is employed to overcome the difficulties that arise from modeling the infinite soil domain, and the finite element method (FEM) is applied to model the embedded massive flexible strip-foundation. The numerical solution for the soil–foundation system is obtained by coupling the FEM with the BEM through compatibility and equilibrium conditions at the soil–foundation and soil layer interfaces. A parametric study is conducted to investigate the effects of foundation stiffness and embedment on the seismic response.     

Jupiter’s Great Red Spot: compactness condition and stability

Linear Rossby wave dispersion relationships suggest that Jupiter’s Great Red Spot (GRS) is a baroclinic structure embedded in a barotropic shearing zonal flow. Quasi-geostrophic (QG) two-layer simulations support the theory, as long as an infinitely deep zonal flow is assumed. However, once a finite depth of the lower layer is assumed, a self-interaction of the baroclinic eddy component produces a barotropic radiating field, so that the GRS-like eddy can no longer remain compact. Compactness is recovered by explicitly introducing a deep dynamics of the interior for the lower layer, instead of the shallow QG formulation. An implication of the result is a strong coupling of the GRS to a convectively active interior.Paper presented to the NP Symposia of the 1991 Wiesbaden EGS Assembly on “Nonlinear processes in Geophysics”     

Assessing the seismic torsional vulnerability of elevated tanks with RC frame-type staging

Recurrence of torsional failure of elevated water tanks in past earthquakes (including 1952 Kern County and recent 1993 Killari earthquakes) has highlighted the importance of this problem. It is established that these structures may have amplified torsion-induced rotation if their torsional-to-lateral natural period ratio τ is close to 1 and amplified displacement of structural elements due to the coupled lateral-torsional vibration if τ is within the critical range 0.7<τ<1.25. The present study aims to estimate the range of variation of τ for usually constructed reinforced concrete elevated water tanks with frame-type stagings for assessing their torsional vulnerability. Closed-form expressions for torsional and lateral stiffness of tank stagings are derived and verified by standard finite element software. These expressions are used for studying the variation of τ for feasible ranges of influencing parameters. It is seen that a very large number of such tanks may have τ within the said critical range. Closed-form expressions for moments and shear forces of columns and beams under torsion and that under lateral force are also derived. It is also seen with the help of these expressions that the frame stagings of these tanks normally designed for seismic lateral force, may yield through formation of plastic hinges simultaneously in all columns instead of in beams if they are subjected to large rotational response for having τ possibly very close to 1. Such a pattern of yielding generally converts the whole system suddenly into a mechanism causing immediate collapse. Therefore, torsional coupling seems to be a potential cause of failure for these structures.     

Coupled motions of the inner core and possible geomagnetic implications

As the inner core is a good electrical conductor any ambient magnetic field would diffuse into it on a time scale long compared to several thousand years, and conversely be frozen there on shorter time scales. From the observations that the dipole component of the Earth's magnetic field has been inclined persistently to the spin axis over hundreds of thousands of years, and that the dipole drifts and decays significantly more slowly than the nondipole field, it is suggested that the external dipole is simply a manifestation of a field frozen in an inclined inner core. It is shown that the much neglected gravitational restoring torque can be significant for an inclined inner core, so much so that its motion is in the main determined by gravity, with electromagnetic and inertial coupling effects being of secondary importance. A regular precession of the inner core is shown to be possible where its spin axis drifts westward relative to the mantle with a period of ～ 7000 y. Some preliminary calculations of the possible motions of a gravitationally coupled mantle-inner core system are shown.