Ground zoning against seismic hazard in Athens, Greece

The 1999, Ms=5.9, Athens earthquake caused serious structural damage to buildings in the western part of Athens, Greece. This paper presents the ground zoning against seismic hazard proposed shortly after the earthquake in order to aid reconstruction of the area. Existing engineering geological and geotechnical data were combined with local observations to provide a unified set of classification criteria, consistent with provisions of the Greek Seismic Code EAK. The accuracy and the possible limitations of this zoning procedure are addressed through comparison with observed damage distribution as well as results from seismic ground response analyses performed at sites with well established soil profiles. There is clear evidence that the proposed zones correspond to geological formations exhibiting grossly different seismic response with regard to the design of common engineering structures. However, the mostly qualitative nature of the guidelines for ground categorisation provided by EAK and the general lack of systematic, site-specific geotechnical data for the whole area induce uncertainties in the definition of the seismic design actions for the different zones. These objective uncertainties certainly demand increased conservatism but do not limit application of the proposed methodology for first aid, preliminary planning in the event of destructive earthquakes.     

Influence of dune stabilization on relationship between plant diversity and productivity in Horqin Sand Land, Northern China

The city of Split has been developing continuously since the construction of the Diocletian Palace (287–305) to the present time. Detailed engineering geological investigations, with the recorded documents, have been performed since 1970. Further development and expansion of the city require an urban engineering geological map to be developed as a main prerequisite for the geotechnical and seismic zonation. In this paper a review of engineering geological conditions at the area of Split City (cca 25 km²) is given. Those conditions are interpreted on the basis of available data from geotechnical reports (about stratigraphical units, their lithological composition and physical and mechanical properties) and limited field survey. Zones with different ground conditions regarding rock properties are delineated in the form of lithological complex, engineering geological mapping units for medium-scale maps. The area of the city of Split, built of foraminifera limestones (E_1,2), clayey glauconitic limestones (E₂^1,2 E_{2}^{1,2} ), and flysch sediments (E_2,3), is divided into five lithological complexes, which presents unique combination of individual lithological type for which it is possible to indicate general behavior of the whole. The paper also provides short review of other environmental conditions (active geomorphological processes, hydrological and hydrogeological conditions, as well as seismic conditions), which are intended as a guide to the sort of environmental data that could be collected by more detailed studies during the course of the zoning process.     

“Tunnel Information and Analysis System”: A Geotechnical Database for Tunnels

Existing experience from the design and construction of underground works is of major importance for the improvement of the construction methods and procedures in tunnelling, especially under adverse and complex geological and geotechnical conditions. This experience can be of great value to geotechnical engineers and engineering geologists, if data acquired through the ground investigation, the design and the construction is systematically collected, categorized and stored in a properly structured database that enables a targeted access to it, as well as to proceed to correlations and analysis, based on engineering criteria. Such a database should be carefully designed to “connect” all available data through all the phases of a tunnel project and premises deep knowledge from the geological and geotechnical investigation to the final design and construction. In order to make substantial use of the experience accumulated from the construction of a great number of tunnels, a database named Tunnel Information and Analysis System (TIAS) was developed. The data source for TIAS database was 62 tunnels of the Egnatia Highway in northern Greece, many of which have been constructed under difficult geological conditions in weak rock masses. The data processed by TIAS came from a variety of sources such as geological mapping, boreholes, laboratory and in situ testing, geotechnical classifications, engineering geological behaviour, groundwater, design parameters, information concerning immediate support measures, construction records and cost. The purpose of the system, besides incorporating extended and multi-source data for easy access, is to provide a tool for turning data into usable information for the comparison of anticipated and encountered geological and geotechnical conditions, the evaluation of geotechnical classification and design methods and the relations regarding rock mass conditions and behaviour and immediate support methods and types.     

Exploration of Tunnel Alignment using Geophysical Methods to Increase Safety for Planning and Minimizing Risk

Engineering geophysics provides valuable and continuous information for the planning and execution of tunnel construction projects. For geotechnical purposes special high-resolution geophysical methods have been developed during the last decades. The importance of applying geophysical methods in addition to usually used geological and geotechnical exploration techniques is increasing. The main goal is to achieve an accurate and continuous model of the subsurface in a relative short period of operation time. The routine application of engineering geophysical methods will increase in the coming years. Due to the high acceptance of engineering geophysics at construction sites, much wider application of geophysical investigations is expected. The combination of different methods—geophysics, geology, and geotechnics as well as the so-called joint interpretation techniques—will be of essential importance. Engineering geophysics will play an important role during the three phases: geological investigation, tunnel planning, and execution of tunnel construction. If hazards are well known in advance of a tunnel project the safety of workers will essentially be increased and geological risks will be minimized by means of successful and interdisciplinary cooperation.     

天津地区岩土工程勘察中地震效应重点问题分析

场地和地基的地震效应评价是岩土工程勘察的一项重要任务。结合天津地区工程地质条件和岩土工程勘察现状,对场地和地基的地震效应评价所涉及的抗震设防烈度的确定、场地类别的划分、抗震地段的划分、液化判别、软土震陷、场地稳定性和适宜性评价等重点问题进行了探讨。     

峰峰矿区岩土工程勘察中几个问题的探讨

根据峰峰矿区工业及民用建筑的岩土工程特征,以及在岩土工程勘察中所遇到的诸如由地形地貌产生的不良工程地质现象、特殊地质体等问题,认为在岩土工程勘察中,不仅要研究勘察场地的工程地质条件,而且要重视周围地质条件的宏观研究,同时建议建立岩土工程勘察档案数据库,为今后岩土工程勘察成果的使用、以及正确确定勘察手段奠定基础。     

The need for Quaternary geological knowledge in geotechnical engineering

Engineering geology, like geotechnical engineering, is a new scientific subject in Denmark. Experience in the period since 1924 is laid down in the Danish Code of Practice for Foundation Engineering, which states that the geological conditions establish the foundation class and must be determined as early as possible during the soil investigations by experienced geologists and engineers. The consequences are illustrated by some examples from geotechnical investigations performed at the Danish Geotechnical Institute:
• The economic foundation of a small wooden building on the brink of a postglacial lake and fiord basin at Vedbæk.
• The deep excavation for and foundation of a huge commercial center at Lyngby situated in the middle of a tunnel valley with more than 12 m late- and postglacial organic deposits, based on design and control in the high foundation class.
• The engineering geological modelling of the Quaternary development in the Danish North Sea. Applied geology plays an increasing part in geotechnical engineering as a prerequisite for economic and safe technical solutions. The future use of geological and geotechnical data bases will bring Quaternary geological knowledge into focus.     

Application of EM algorithms for seismic facices classification

Identification of the geological facies and their distribution from seismic and other available geological information is important during the early stage of reservoir development (e.g. decision on initial well locations). Traditionally, this is done by manually inspecting the signatures of the seismic attribute maps, which is very time-consuming. This paper proposes an application of the Expectation-Maximization (EM) algorithm to automatically identify geological facies from seismic data. While the properties within a certain geological facies are relatively homogeneous, the properties between geological facies can be rather different. Assuming that noisy seismic data of a geological facies, which reflect rock properties, can be approximated with a Gaussian distribution, the seismic data of a reservoir composed of several geological facies are samples from a Gaussian mixture model. The mean of each Gaussian model represents the average value of the seismic data within each facies while the variance gives the variation of the seismic data within a facies. The proportions in the Gaussian mixture model represent the relative volumes of different facies in the reservoir. In this setting, the facies classification problem becomes a problem of estimating the parameters defining the Gaussian mixture model. The EM algorithm has long been used to estimate Gaussian mixture model parameters. As the standard EM algorithm does not consider spatial relationship among data, it can generate spatially scattered seismic facies which is physically unrealistic. We improve the standard EM algorithm by adding a spatial constraint to enhance spatial continuity of the estimated geological facies. By applying the EM algorithms to acoustic impedance and Poisson’s ratio data for two synthetic examples, we are able to identify the facies distribution.     

Geospatial contour mapping of shear wave velocity for Mumbai city

Shear wave velocity is one of the most important input parameter in the analysis of geotechnical earthquake engineering problems, particularly to estimate site-specific amplification factor and ground response study. Dynamic in situ tests such as spectral analysis of surface waves (SASW) or multichannel analysis of surface waves (MASW) are very expensive. Also due to lack of specialized personnel, these tests are generally avoided in many soil investigation programs. Worldwide, several researchers have developed correlations between the SPT ‘N’ value and shear wave velocity ‘V _s’, which are useful for determining the dynamic soil properties. In the present study, more than 400 numbers of soil borehole data were collected from various geotechnical investigation agencies, government engineering institutes and geotechnical laboratories from different parts of Mumbai city, which is financial capital of India with highest population density. In this paper, an attempt has been made to develop the correlation between the SPT ‘N’ value and shear wave velocity ‘V _s’ for various soil profile of Mumbai city and compared with other existing correlations for different cities in India. Using Geographical Information System (GIS), a geospatial contour map of shear wave velocity profile for Mumbai city is prepared with contour intervals of 25 and 50 m/s. The scarcity of database or maps of shear wave velocity profile for Mumbai city will make the present geospatial contour maps extremely useful and beneficial to the designer, practitioners for seismic hazard study involved in geotechnical earthquake engineering.     

江西省交通岩土工程信息系统的设计与开发

交通岩土工程信息系统在国民经济和交通工程建设中发挥着重要作用.利用地理信息系统(GIS)技术和计算机技术构建交通岩土工程信息系统是近年来国内交通领域内的研究热点和前沿之一.江西省交通岩土工程信息系统采用组件式地理信息系统(GIS)和计算机技术,并从系统的软硬件设计、系统总体结构设计、系统的功能设计等方面.探讨了江西省交...     

基于IFC标准的三维地质模型扩展研究

岩土工程信息化迫切需要加强大数据集成共享和多专业协同合作,BIM技术在工程建设领域的成功经验给我们以启示,可将BIM技术应用于岩土工程信息化建设,但是当前存在的主要问题是地质模型与BIM模型数据标准不统一。为了解决这个问题,提出了地质模型采用BIM数据标准IFC的思路。采用IFC实体扩展及属性集扩展模式,建立了面向三维地质模型的扩展模型IFC-3DGeoMdl。利用已有的IFC对象类型,派生相应的地质物理实体以及地质空间结构实体,给出地质物理实体的空间表达形式;利用IFC中已有的关系类,定义地质物理实体与空间结构实体的关系;进而,基于IFC中的属性表达方式,实现了地质对象的地层信息与物理力学参数等属性的扩展;最后,给出了创建该模型的具体实现过程,并利用实例验证了该模型的实际应用效果。结果表明,采用该模型,可有效实现岩土工程地质模型与BIM结构模型的集成,从而为深化岩土工程的结构设计、施工等提供有效的地质模型信息。     

市政道路工程勘察资料的时效性分析和探讨

城市化的发展,使市政道路改造工程越来越多,如何科学有效地利用拟建期的勘察资料,节约勘察成本,成为工程勘察关注的焦点。通过对场地地形地貌和地质构造、地层和水文地质条件、岩土物理力学性质、场地稳定性评价和地震效应、岩土工程重点分析评价等岩土工程要素进行分析,对比前后各要素,探讨勘察资料的时效性,进而确定勘察点布置和深度,以及取土（水）样和原位测试工作量。最后以具体工程为例,探讨勘察要点,指出利用拟建期的勘察资料应主要考虑4.0m以内的地层变化,重点勘察路基破损的路段。     

Seismic risk assessment of buildings in urban areas: a case study for Denizli,Turkey

This study aims to carry out a seismic risk assessment for a typical mid-size city based on building inventory from a field study. Contributions were made to existing loss estimation methods for buildings. In particular, a procedure was introduced to estimate the seismic quality of buildings using a scoring scheme for the effective parameters in seismic behavior. Denizli, a typical mid-size city in Turkey, was used as a case study. The building inventory was conducted by trained observers in a selected region of Denizli that had the potential to be damaged from expected future earthquakes according to geological and geotechnical studies. Parameters that are known to have some effect on the seismic performance of the buildings during past earthquakes were collected during the inventory studies. The inventory includes data of about 3,466 buildings on 4,226 parcels. The evaluation of inventory data provided information about the distribution of building stock according to structural system, construction year, and vertical and plan irregularities. The inventory data and the proposed procedure were used to assess the building damage, and to determine casualty and shelter needs during the M6.3 and 7.0 scenario earthquakes, representing the most probable and maximum earthquakes in Denizli, respectively. The damage assessment and loss studies showed that significant casualties and economic losses can be expected in future earthquakes. Seismic risk assessment of reinforced concrete buildings also revealed the priorities among building groups. The vulnerability in decreasing order is: (1) buildings with 6 or more stories, (2) pre-1975 constructed buildings, and (3) buildings with 3–5 stories. The future studies for evaluating and reducing seismic risk for buildings should follow this priority order. All data of inventory, damage, and loss estimates were assembled in a Geographical Information System (GIS) database.     

Spatial predictions of geological rock mass properties based on in-situ interpretations of multi-dimensional seismic data

The article presents a statistical approach to characterize and predict engineering geological conditions in the up to 2000 m deep Faido tunnel and Gotthard base tunnel in Switzerland. Seismic investigations were conducted to improve the technology of interpreting seismic tomographic images. Overall, the goal of this study was to predict spacial maps of geological rock mass properties, such as, uniaxial compressive strength or total fracture spacing, by using up to six seismic features in combination, e.g., compression-wave and shear-wave velocities and dynamic Poisson's ratio. Self-Organizing Mapping (SOM), an artificial intelligent method, was used for the purposes of interpreting multi-dimensional geophysical attributes derived from seismic profiles of tomographic images along tunnel sidewalls. The SOM-method was applied in the Faido tunnel to delineate complex physical relations between the geological and seismic parameters. Then, the method was applied to predict geological properties around a segment of the Gotthard base tunnel with unknown geological–geotechnical conditions. The results illuminate that correlation analyses (pairwise parameter classification) are substantially less powerful than the SOM-method (multi-parameter classification) in order to interpret geological features from seismic in-situ data. Moreover, predicted spatial distributions of the total fracture spacing and the uniaxial compressive strength, for example, corresponded well with drill core and tunnel mapping results. The SOM-approach was a helpful tool for practitioners in predicting zones of instabilities and geological complexity during underground excavation processes of the Gotthard base tunnel. It is suggested to use such an interpretation method as decision support for purposes of sub/surface exploration and long-term geophysical monitoring of large-scale geoengineering projects, such as, disposals of nuclear waste and greenhouse gases or geopower plants for renewable energy (geothermal, biosoils).     

浅层地震折射波法综述

浅层地震折射波法是在工程地质、水文地质及环境地质勘查中广泛应用的地震探测方法之一。在工程地质调查中,根据不同的场地地质条件和勘察目的,合理地正确应用浅层折射波法可以取得较明显的岩土工程勘察效果。本文简要地回顾了浅层地震折射法的发展历史,对各种新近发展的折射波解释方法进行了简单的介绍和比较,并列举了工程勘察中的应用领域。     

边坡工程监测信息可视化分析系统研发及应用

边坡工程监测信息种类繁多、数据庞大,传统的数据库管理系统很难有效地对监测数据进行分析和预测。基于面向对象的程序设计语言Visual Basic、面向对象的数据库管理系统开发平台SQL、运用工程可视化技术与地理信息系统GIS技术思想,将数据库管理、分析预测和图形可视化三者无缝集成,开发了监测信息可视化查询、分析及预测系统,满足了监测数据的信息化、可视化预测预报的需要。该系统具有方便、快捷、及时、准确、直观的特点。     

岩土工程分析信息系统的开发

岩土工程分析信息系统运用地理信息系统的思想将工程可视化、区域地质灾害分区、数据库管理、数值模拟计算、分析预测功能集成,实现了以工程可视化为中心,以各种数据库为依托,并提供计算分析等完整功能系列的实用工具。系统功能齐全,交互灵活,对工程勘测、施工与设计具有一定的实用价值。     

建立常州市工程地质数据库智能系统框架的探讨

基于ArcGIS信息集成平台和Oracle数据库,构建了常州市工程地质数据库智能系统框架,对长期分散积累的工程地质数据进行收集整理、挖掘利用,开发了工程地质数据科学管理和辅助决策功能,集工程地质数据管理与发布、工程地质数据处理、工程地质数据分析、地下空间规划分析、地下工程可视化与分析子系统于一体,可为城市规划、城市建设和决策,提供工程地质依据。     

Engineering geological conditions of the Holocene sediments of Anzali area,South Caspian Coast,North Iran

A broad assessment of the geological, sedimentological, and geotechnical characteristics of the coastal Holocene sediments of Anzali Area (North Iran) was made to provide a useful guide for development, planning, and construction. Based on the sedimentological and geotechnical properties of the sediments, three engineering geological units as Upper Sandy Zone (USZ), Middle Clayey Zone (MCZ), and Lower Sandy Zone (LSZ) were identified and introduced in the form of an engineering geological model. Then the engineering geological characteristics of the units of the model were analyzed and the main engineering geological problems associated with the deposits of each unit were identified. The results showed that USZ has high liquefaction potential, low bearing capacity, settlement susceptibility, and excavation problem; MCZ has low-bearing capacity as well as high settlement susceptibility and excavation problem; and LSZ has good geotechnical properties, then it poses few problems.     

3D GIS Supporting Underground Urbanisation in the City of Turin (Italy)

This paper introduces a 3D geological and geotechnical model of the subsoil of the city of Turin managed by means of a Geographical Information System (GIS). The 3D GIS of the subsoil of Turin represents a useful decision-support tool in the underground management for engineering purposes and it’s here proposed as base geological elaborate to support future underground work in the city. In the final part of the paper, an application of the information coming from the 3D model is shown to define the characteristics of the optimal excavation machines (the type and disposition of tools on the head and the necessary engine power) for the future developments of the Underground Metro System.