Investigation on the Effect of Geometrical and Geotechnical Parameters on Elongated Offshore Piles Using Fuzzy Inference Systems

Among numerous offshore structures used in oil extraction, jacket platforms are still the most favorable ones in shallow waters. In such structures, log piles are used to pin the substructure of the platform to the seabed. The pile’s geometrical and geotechnical properties are considered as the main parameters in designing these structures. In this study, ANSYS was used as the FE modeling software to study the geometrical and geotechnical properties of the offshore piles and their effects on supporting jacket platforms. For this purpose, the FE analysis has been done to provide the preliminary data for the fuzzy-logic post-process. The resulting data were implemented to create Fuzzy Inference System (FIS) classifications. The resultant data of the sensitivity analysis suggested that the orientation degree is the main factor in the pile’s geometrical behavior because piles which had the optimal operational degree of about 5° are more sustained. Finally, the results showed that the related fuzzified data supported the FE model and provided an insight for extended offshore pile designs.     

Constitutive model for cyclic behaviour of cohesionless sands

This paper presents a constitutive model for describing the stress-strain response of sands under cyclic loading. The model, formulated using the critical state theory within the bounding surface plasticity framework, is an upgraded version of an existing model developed for monotonic behaviour of cohesionless sands. With modification of the hardening law, plastic volumetric strain increment and unloading plastic modulus, the original model was modified to simulate cyclic loading. The proposed model was validated against triaxial cyclic loading tests for Fuji River sand, Toyoura sand and Nigata sand. Comparison between the measured and predicted results suggests that the proposed modified model can capture the main features of cohesionless sands under drained and undrained cyclic loading.     

Discrimination of sand dunes and loess deposits using grain-size analysis in northeastern Iran

Identification and characterization of aeolian deposits in arid environments provide information on mechanisms of loess and sand accumulation. The objectives of this study were to (i) identify the distribution of aeolian deposits, (ii) discriminate loess and sand deposits using granulometric data, and (iii) describe the aeolian deposition in Sarakhs area, northeastern Iran. Particle size distributions of 26 surface samples were determined using a laser grain-size analyzer. Fine sand, very fine sand, and very coarse silt were dominant fractions in studied sediments, and the sum of these fractions ranged from 46.9% in loess deposits to 93.8% in sand dunes. The mean grain size (M _z ) of sand dunes ranged from 3.31 to 3.54 ?, which gradually changed to 4.09 to 5.50 ? in loess deposits. Sorting, skewness, and kurtosis ranged from 0.84 to 1.94 ?, 0.18 to 0.49, and 0.76 to 2.38, respectively. Aeolian deposits in the area resulted in the incorporation of Hariroud River system and Kopeh Dagh Mountains for aeolian particle production and accumulation. Alluvial comminution in Hariroud River is suggested the main mechanism of sand and silt production and flood plain environment the main reservoir of these particles. The mountains of Kopeh Dagh act as a barrier and play a key role for sand and loess accumulation.     

Paleoenvironment of geomorphic surfaces of an alluvial fan in the eastern Isfahan,Iran, in the light of micromorphology and clay mineralogy

Alluvial fans are one of the most important landforms in geomorphological and paloenvironmental studies. The objective of this study was the application of clay mineral assemblages and micromorphological properties of the studied paleosols in the geomorphic surfaces of an alluvial fan in the eastern Isfahan as proxies for paleoenvironmental and paleoclimatic changes. Micromorphology, X-ray diffraction, and scanning electron microscopy approaches were used to study the representative pedons. The results indicated that the illuviation process in the calcareous soils of the arid regions of the eastern Isfahan was probably in response to Quaternary moist conditions. There was no significant difference between clay coating properties of the studied relict and buried paleosols. Clay mineralogical study suggested that kaolinite and illite were inherited from the parent materials, while smectite and palygorskite were formed in the soil environment. Paleoargillic horizon was characterized by smectite and calcic (especially the calcrete) horizons were dominated by palygorskite. Palygorskite was accumulated by both neoformation and illuviation processes. High clay content, high intensity of smectite peak, and activity of the illuviation process in paleoargillic horizon demonstrated the seasonality of climate (rainfall) even in the moist periods of Quaternary in Central Iran. Clay mineralogical assemblages suggested a trend of increasing environmental aridity in the study area. This study, therefore, highlighted the role of clay mineralogical investigations in arid lands’ geomorphological and paleoenvironmental researches.     

Mathematical modeling of competition for ammonium among Bacteria, Archaea and cyanobacteria within cyanobacterial mats: Can ammonia-oxidizers force nitrogen fixation?

Molecular analysis of cyanobacterial mat communities indicated that cyanobacteria, ammonia-oxidizing Archaea (AOA), and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) coexist in those systems, competing for ammonium; this situation would imply competitive exclusion. We attempted to model how ammonia utilization niche partitioning occurs, and how ammonium levels can influence the interaction between those groups in a one-dimensional diffusionlimited system using Michaelis-Menten kinetics to describe ammonium consumption by each of those three groups. In our model, AOAs were able to dominate ammonium uptake by the community under most circumstances, except for unrealistically high (millimolar) levels of ammonium, where AOBs gained advantage. Cyanobacteria were unable to effectively compete for ammonium with either AOBs or AOAs throughout the mat at all ammonium concentrations and cell counts, suggesting that the presence of AOAs or AOBs forces cyanobacteria into nitrogen fixation mode. Such interaction can make cyanobacterial mats a net nitrogen source, as well as provide a carbon-independent energy transfer pathway from primary producers to the rest of the ecosystem.     

Simultaneous estimation of shape factor and depth of subsurface cavities from residual gravity anomalies using feed-forward back-propagation neural networks

We develop a new method of using feed-forward back-propagation (FFBP) neural networks to simultaneously estimate shape factor and depth of gravity anomalies. The advantages compared to neural network methods are the following: no pre-assumptions are made on source shape, the FFBP neural network estimates both depth and shape factor of source bodies and, once trained, works well for any new data in the training space, without repeating the initial calculations.     

Agent-based tsunami evacuation modeling of unplanned network disruptions for evidence-driven resource allocation and retrofitting strategies

The constant threat from landslides in the northeastern part of Istria, Croatia, calls for the need to apply accurate and reliable methods in landslide hazard assessment in order to prevent landslide damage and to set an early warning system if necessary. Furthermore, landslide susceptibility and hazard assessment enable optimal area management and regional urban planning. The study area is in the northeastern and central part of the Istrian Peninsula, well known as an area of frequent, small and shallow slope instability phenomena. Landslide susceptibility assessment in the area around the city of Buzet was performed using a deterministic landslide susceptibility model in the LS-RAPID software. LS-RAPID was developed to analyze stability at one single location, but the performed analysis has shown that LS-RAPID can be used as a powerful tool in landslide susceptibility and hazard assessment on regional scale. The objective of this paper is to establish the influence of the runout potential on the enlargement of the landslide-susceptible zones, due to expansion of the failure area around the initial failure zone. Performed analysis of rainfall return periods shows the frequency of landslide occurrence and provides the possible correlation with the time component of landslide hazard in the area.     

An alternative direct method towards mean dynamic topography computations

An alternative “direct method” to “mean dynamic topography” (MDT) computations using satellite altimetry-derived “mean sea surface” (MSS) and “global geopotential model” (GGM), without direct application of the geoid, is devised. The developed approach, which is based on derivation of an equipotential surface of the gravity field of the Earth that fits to global MSS in least squares sense, is formulated via a constrained optimization problem. The validity of our method is numerically tested by computing a global MDT model based on DNSC08 MSS model and EGM2008 GGM as input data.