Seismic energy dissipation for cable-stayed bridges using passive devices

This study assesses analytically the effectiveness, feasibility and limitations of elastic and hysteretic damping augmentation devices, such as elastomeric and lead–rubber bearings, with respect to the dynamic and seismic performance of cable-stayed bridges. This type of bridge, which has relatively greater flexibility, is more susceptible to undesirable vibrations due to service and environmental loadings than are conventional bridges. Therefore, damping is a very important property. Supplementary damping devices based on the plastic deformation of lead and steel are proposed at critical zones, such as the deck–abutment and deck–tower connections, to concentrate hysteretic behaviour in these specially designed energy absorbers. Inelastic behaviour in primary structural elements of the bridge can therefore be avoided, assuring the serviceability of these cable-supported bridges. Analytically, three-dimensional modelling is developed for the bridge and the damping devices, including the bridge geometrical large-displacement non-linearity and the local material and geometric non-linearities of the energy dissipation devices. The effects of various modelling and design parameters of the bridge response are also studied, including the properties, modelling accuracy and location of the devices along the bridge superstructure. It is shown that an optimum model of the seismic performance of the bridges with these passive control devices can be obtained by balancing the reduction in forces along the bridge against tolerable displacements. Appropriate locations and hysteretic energy dissipation properties of the devices can achieve a significant reduction in seismic-induced forces, as compared to the case with no dampers added, and relatively better control of displacements. In addition, proper selection of the location of the passive control systems can help redistribute forces along the structure which may provide solutions for retrofitting some existing bridges. However, caution should be exercised in simulating the device response for a reliable bridge structural performance. Moreover, while seismic response of the bridge can be significantly improved with added dampers, their degree of effectiveness also depends on the energy absorption characteristics of the dampers.     

黑龙江省冷硅锶质矿泉水赋存规律和形成机制的探讨

近年来,黑龙江省境内发现了多处含硅质或硅锶质天然矿泉水,这种矿泉水属珍贵的矿泉水类型之一。本文就冷硅或硅锶质矿泉水的赋存规律和形成机制提出初浅认识。     

A multivariate sedimentary environmental analysis of Great South Bay and South Oyster Bay, New York

A multivariate statistical strategy for classifying paleoenvironments is effective for studying modern sedimentary processes in western Great South Bay and South Oyster Bay, New York. The 13 whole phi weight percent variables were tested for redundancy with R-mode cluster analysis. The samples were partitioned statistically into five environmentally significant facies using Q-mode cluster analysis: (A)sandy gravel, (B)sandy silt, (C)silty sand, (D)slightly gravelly sand, and (E)fine sand. An ordination depicted gradational relationships among the samples and the facies. It was used to evaluate the environmental and textural parameter gradients within the sample space. Interpretations obtained in this manner and by examination of the grain-size curves suggest that these sediments were deposited by waves and currents on beaches and in wave zones (facies C and E),shoal areas (facies B),and tidal channels (facies A and D).Tidal currents, wave action, and eelgrass control the distribution of sediments within the two bays.     

New contributions to the Upper Senonian stratigraphy in Northern Iraq

The Upper Senonian sediments are well developed in Northern Iraq and represent three types of facies; elastics, reefal, and open-marine. These sediments are classified stratigraphically depending upon similarities in age and lithology. New groups are proposed for the first time; Ruwanduz Reefal Group comprising Aqra Limestone Formation, Bekhme Limestone Formation and Pilsener Limestone Formation, and Zakho Marl Group including Shiranish Formation, Digma Formation and Jib'ab Formation. It is suggested here that Jib'ab Formation is an extension of the Shiranish Formation and should not be treated as a separate lithostratigraphic unit.     

Continental-array measurements ofP-wave velocities in the mantle

Summary A velocity model for theP-wave is obtained for the entire mantle, by inversion ofdT/d-data from travel times of 473 earthquakes and explosions registered at 13 seismological observatories in Sweden and Finland. As a check, the travel times resulting from this model are found to be in good agreement with our observed travel times. The observations are distributed over the entire azimuth range with respect to the recording stations. The effect of the core upon the observeddT/d-values is significant from about 95° distance outwards. The estimate of the core radius from this model is 3480 km which corresponds to about 97° of epicentral distance. The resulting model has sudden changes inP-velocity gradient at about 65, 115, 400, 780, 970, 1100, 1350, 2320, 2600 and 2710 km depth, which correspond roughly to 10°, 14°, 19.5°, 29°, 40°, 46°, 54°, 80°, 86° and 90° epicentral distance, respectively.On leave from Geophysical Institute, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran     

Landscape evolution in The V1ndhyan Basin of Rajasthan

The basic geomorphic units in Parsoli surface of the Vindhyan Basin of Rajasthan have been photo-geomorphologically mapped. The paper presents morphology and controls of landscape genesis in structurally deformed cratonic regime.     

Heavy metal pollution and acid drainage from the abandoned Balya Pb-Zn sulfide Mine,NW Anatolia,Turkey

This study was conducted to determine the effects of the waste-rock dump (WRD) of the underground polymetallic Balya Mine on the Kocacay River and eventually on Lake Manyas in Turkey. Data presented in this paper include geochemical characteristics of various kinds of water (mine, surface and groundwater) and of suspended-particle samples in the vicinity of Balya. The more polluted mine waters have low pH and high conductivity, while high concentrations of Zn, Cd, Mn tend to be found in the dry and wet seasons. High concentrations of Pb, As, Cr, Cu and S appear only in the wet season. The sources of the heavy metal concentration within the Kocacay River are leached waste, surface run off, and overflow from the spillway of the WRD. To minimize the formation of acids and dissolved metal, and for the remediation of the harmful effects of extreme contamination conditions, it is recommended that lime or alkali materials and organic carbon be added to simulate the action of sulfate-reducing bacteria.     

Kaiser filter for antialiasing in digital photogrammetry

Image aliasing is a problem appearing as artefacts in digitally resampled images, which degrades the quality of the image. In digital rectification and texture mapping, pixels from an input image are transformed to pixels of an output image. The discrete nature of a digital image causes aliasing in the transformed image. In this paper the source of aliasing and the theory of antialiasing are described. The necessity of a precise filter design in antialiasing is discussed and a filter based on a Kaiser adjustable window is designed. Different practical antialiasing methods are described as well as interpolation methods, which are conventional in photogrammetry. Selected antialiasing methods are implemented and applied to a close range image. An objective analysis is carried out by applying inverse transformations to rectified images and deriving some measures to estimate the information loss for each method by comparing original and reconstructed images. Results indicate that interpolation methods are not capable of removing or reducing aliasing in highly decimating transformations. The output images of interpolation methods therefore suffer from edge corruption and interfusion of small features. Applying a Kaiser filter with a precise antialiasing method results in the least information loss and considerably reduces aliasing at the expense of higher computation load.