Diagnostic modelling of within-water processes in reservoirs

The objectives of diagnostic calculations using mathematical models of reservoirs are formulated. The structure of a box hydrological model GMV-MGU is described, and the results of calculation of daily water balance, internal heat exchange structure, and heat balance of individual areas in the Mozhaisk and Rybinsk reservoirs are given. First results of calculation of variations in mean daily phytoplankton biomass in the near-dam pool of a weakly eutrophic water body in period of spring (diatoms) and summer (blue-green) blooming are presented.     

On the evaluation of displacement and deformation in tidal waves according to digital records of STS-2 and KSESh-R seismometers

A procedure for eliciting displacements in tidal waves from seismograms of broadband velocimeters like STS-2 and KSESH-R and the evaluation conversion of these displacements into vertical or volumetric deformation is proposed.     

Bottom sediments of the oldest reservoir in Moscow region

The methodological features and results of two soil surveys of the Senezh Reservoir carried out in 1992 and 2006 as a part of multidisciplinary limnological studies of this large recreation water body with the aim to monitor its ecological state and prepare recommendations for water protection measures are analyzed     

Investigation of dynamic response of masonry minaret structures

Almost all historical minarets in Turkey were constructed using cut stone, masonry blocks or combination of these two materials. The structural and geometrical properties of each masonry minaret, or slender tower structure, depend on many factors including the structural knowledge and applications at the time of construction, experience of the architect or engineer, seismicity of the region, and availability of construction materials in that area. Recent earthquakes in Turkey have shown that most masonry minarets in high seismic regions are vulnerable to structural damage and collapse. In this study, in order to investigate the dynamic behavior of historical unreinforced masonry minarets, three representative minarets with 20, 25, and 30 m height were modeled and analyzed using two ground motions recorded during the 1999 Kocaeli and Duzce, Turkey earthquakes. The modal analyses of the models have shown that the structural periods and the overall structural response are influenced by the minaret height and spectral characteristics of the input motion. The dynamic displacement and axial stress time histories are computed at the critical points on the minarets. During recent earthquakes, most minaret failures occurred above the base of the structure. Consistent with the observed response, the largest stresses were calculated at the same location.     

Estimation of the ozone decrease possibility in the lower part of the <Emphasis Type="Italic">D</Emphasis> region under the action of a powerful radiowave

The possibility of the influence of a powerful radiowave on the ozone concentration in the lower part of the ionospheric D region is discussed on the basis of experiments at the Sura heating facility in March 2009, the results of which were published relatively recently by a group of authors. The results, which were obtained with the use of exact equations of the mesospheric ozone photochemistry, substantially disagree with some conclusions derived by the authors but do not completely deny their hypothesis on the possible influence on the ozone of internal gravity waves formed at heights of the ionospheric E region.     

A new model for analyzing nonlinear torsion behavior of concrete filled steel tube columns with rectangular section

An experimental study on concrete filled steel tube columns with rectangular section subjected to compressionflexure-torsion combined action has been carried out. The failure modes and load-deformation hysteretic relations were obtained. Based on the principles of classical material mechanics, the relations between the torsion curvature of the section and the shear strain of the fiber on the section were established. Then the strain distribution on the rectangular section of concrete filled steel tube columns subjected to torsion was analyzed. The three-dimensional refined finite element model was also built, in order to make the precision verification. The matrix forms of the relation between the torsion curvature of the section and the shear strain of the fiber on the section were derived, and introduced into the fiber beam model considering nonlinear torsion effect on the section. The comparison between test results and calculation results showed that the fiber beam model considering nonlinear torsion effect had high modeling efficiency and solution precision for predicting the torsion behavior of concrete filled steel tube columns with rectangular sections, and was suitable for analyzing the dynamic response of various structures subjected to the combined cyclic load caused by the earthquake load.     

PML solution of longitudinal wave propagation in heterogeneous media

This paper describes the development of a model for unbounded heterogeneous domains with radiation damping produced by an unphysical wave absorbing layer. The Perfectly Matched Layer (PML) approach is used along with a displacement-based finite element. The heterogeneous model is validated using the closed-form solution of a benchmark problem: a free rod with two-part modulus subjected to a specified time history. Both elastically supported and unsupported semi-infinite rods with different degrees of inhomogeneity and loading are considered. Numerical results illustrate the effects of inhomogeneity on the response and are compared with those for equivalent homogeneous domains. The effects of characteristic features of the inhomogeneous problem, presence of local maxima and cut-off frequency are determined. A degenerate case of a homogeneous semi-infinite rod on elastic foundations is produced by tending the magnitude of the foundation stiffness to zero. The response of the latter is compared with that of a free rod. The importance of proper selection of the PML parameters to highly accurate and efficient results is demonstrated by example problems.