Seismic bearing capacity of shallow strip footings

Seismic bearing capacity of shallow strip footings in soil has been obtained in the form of pseudo-static seismic bearing capacity factors N_cd, N_qd and N_d, denoting the cohesion, surcharge and unit weight components, respectively, by an extensive numerical iteration technique. Limit equilibrium method of analysis with composite failure surface is assumed. The validity of the principle of superposition is examined. Effects of both the horizontal and vertical seismic acceleration coefficients have been found to always reduce the ultimate bearing capacity significantly. Results obtained by the present method of analysis are compared with the available results and are found to be the least in the seismic case.     

The 14-year Performance of a Compacted Clay Liner used as Part of a Composite Liner System for a Leachate Lagoon

The migration of contaminants through a 2.9 m thick compacted clay liner (CCL) for a landfill leachate lagoon is examined 14 years after construction. The clay liner formed the lower portion of the composite liner system but the geomembrane (GM) was found to have defects that had allowed leachate to migrate between the GM and CCL. Chloride, sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium pore water profiles through the CCL are examined. It is shown that chloride migrated approximately 1.7 m into the CCL during the 14 years of the lagoon operation, sodium approximately 1.2 m, and potassium 0.7 m. Diffusion and sorption data from laboratory diffusion testing are utilized in combination with a finite layer contaminant transport model to predict field contaminant migration profiles through the composite liner system and to establish the time of ‘failure’ of the geomembrane at sometime between 0 and 6 years after installation. Relatively high sorptive uptake of potassium by the CCL soil is observed from batch testing and diffusion testing with field data suggesting an even larger amount of sorption. It is hypothesized that organic sludge matter at the base of the lagoon is responsible for potassium uptake from the leachate. This field case highlights the importance of the compacted clay liner as part of the composite liner system in acting as a diffusion barrier during the lifetime of the lagoon as well as using relatively non-conservative contaminants such as chloride and sodium to estimate geomembrane ‘failure’ times     

A study on the bio-hydro mechanical effects of the tree roots on the Agaclı coal reclaimed – forested land

The research area that is in the north of Istanbul (Turkey) and it is a land of open pit coal mining residuals reclaimed and turned to forest in 1988–1989. The materials that are open pit mine spoils are formed by sandy loam, sandy clay loam, heavy loam and clay (noncalcareous Pliocene I sediments). Pseudoacacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), Maritima Pine (Pinus pinaster) and Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) are planted on these materials. The aims of this research were to determine the strength of the material provided by tree roots and evaluate the performance of the forestation practices at lands especially where open pit coal mining spoil (residual) materials piled up. The research has been performed at two stages. The first one was hydro-mechanical effect concerned about material moisture depletion as a result of transpiration and the second one was bio-mechanical effects due to strength parameters of the roots and their growth pattern within the material. All results were evaluated in relation to tensile strength and displacement curves due to pre and post failure behaviors of materials and root systems. The results showed the increase of the displacement of the material was the significant indicator of the bio-mechanics tensile strength of the material provided by the tree roots. The fast growing type of tree roots have stabilized the material up to a depth for 80–100 cm by covering the coal residual materials within 12 years.     

戈壁风沙流结构特性及其意义

通过砾质戈壁风沙流野外实测数据的分析以及风洞模拟实验研究发现：戈壁风沙流结构具有与沙漠风沙流完全不同的风沙流特征,戈壁风沙地表的粗糙度随风速的增大而增加,其表面风沙流输沙量高度分布表现出独特的"象鼻"效应,在一定高度处呈现最大值,并随风速的增加而增高。该"象鼻"效应导致戈壁风沙流结构特征值λ远大于 1,不论风速多大,风沙流都处于未饱和状态的非堆积搬运状态。这种特殊性质比较清楚地解释了敦煌莫高窟千年来不被沙山埋没的谜底。并且在风沙防治工程实践中,采用砾石压沙措施,构造类似与砾质戈壁的下垫面,人工促使风沙流结构呈现"象鼻"形状,可使防沙工程达到理想的输导作用。     

CO<Subscript>2</Subscript> Air–Sea Exchange due to Calcium Carbonate and Organic Matter Storage,and its Implications for the Global Carbon Cycle

Release of CO₂ from surface ocean water owing to precipitation of CaCO₃ and the imbalance between biological production of organic matter and its respiration, and their net removal from surface water to sedimentary storage was studied by means of a quotient θ = (CO₂ flux to the atmosphere)/(CaCO₃ precipitated). θ depends not only on water temperature and atmospheric CO₂ concentration but also on the CaCO₃ and organic carbon masses formed. In CO₂ generation by CaCO₃ precipitation, θ varies from a fraction of 0.44 to 0.79, increasing with decreasing temperature (25 to 5°C), increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentration (195–375 ppmv), and increasing CaCO₃ precipitated mass (up to 45% of the initial DIC concentration in surface water). Primary production and net storage of organic carbon counteracts the CO₂ production by carbonate precipitation and it results in lower CO₂ emissions from the surface layer. When atmospheric CO₂ increases due to the ocean-to-atmosphere flux rather than remaining constant, the amount of CO₂ transferred is a non-linear function of the surface layer thickness because of the back-pressure of the rising atmospheric CO₂. For a surface ocean layer approximated by a 50-m-thick euphotic zone that receives input of inorganic and organic carbon from land, the calculated CO₂ flux to the atmosphere is a function of the CaCO₃ and C_org net storage rates. In general, the carbonate storage rate has been greater than that of organic carbon. The CO₂ flux near the Last Glacial Maximum is 17 to 7×10¹² mol/yr (0.2–0.08 Gt C/yr), reflecting the range of organic carbon storage rates in sediments, and for pre-industrial time it is 38–42×10¹² mol/yr (0.46–0.50 Gt C/yr). Within the imbalanced global carbon cycle, our estimates indicate that prior to anthropogenic emissions of CO₂ to the atmosphere the land organic reservoir was gaining carbon and the surface ocean was losing carbon, calcium, and total alkalinity owing to the CaCO₃ storage and consequent emission of CO₂. These results are in agreement with the conclusions of a number of other investigators. As the CO₂ uptake in mineral weathering is a major flux in the global carbon cycle, the CO₂ weathering pathway that originates in the CO₂ produced by remineralization of soil humus rather than by direct uptake from the atmosphere may reduce the relatively large imbalances of the atmosphere and land organic reservoir at 10²–10⁴-year time scales.     

Energy–Momentum In The Viscous Kasner-Type Universe In Teleparallel Gravity

Using the teleparallel gravity versions of the Einstein and Landau–Lifshitz’s energy and/or momentum complexes, I obtain the energy and momentum of the universe in viscous Kasner-type cosmological models. The energy and momentum components (due to matter plus field) are found to be zero and this agree with a previous work of Rosen and Johri et al., who investigated the problem of the energy in Friedmann–Robertson–Walker (FRW) universe. The result that the total energy and momentum components of the universe in these models is zero same as Bergmann–Thomson’s energy–momentum and props the viewpoint of Tryon. Rosen found that the energy of the FRW space–time is zero, which agrees with the studies of Tryon. PACs Numbers: 04.20.-q; 04.50.+h An erratum to this article is available at .     

Higher Dimensional String Cosmologies in Scale-Covariant theory of Gravitation

Field equations are obtained with the aid of higher dimensional Bianchi type-I cosmological model in scale covariant theory of gravitation in the context of cosmic strings. We present here isotropic and anisotropic solutions of the field equations and some physical implications of these solutions are briefly discussed.     

The Spins of Astrophysical Systems and Extended Gravitational Theory

Recent data on the Tully–Fisher relation for spiral galaxies are compatible with the traditional correlation for astrophysical systems, where the angular momentum varies as the square of the mass. Such a correlation is consistent with standard gravitational theory, but is not explained by it. We here show that the noted relation follows from currently popular accounts of extended or higher-dimensional gravitational theory. The latter also predicts that the spins of spirals should decay as the universe expands, which can be tested by extending the Tully–Fisher data to higher redshifts.     

Location and parameters of a microwave millisecond spike event

A typical microwave millisecond spike event on November 2, 1997 was observed by the radio spectrograph of National Astronomical Observatories (NAOs) at 2.6–3.8 GHz with high time and frequency resolution. This event was also recorded by Nobeyama Radio Polarimeters (NoRP) at 1–35 GHz and Radio Heliograph (NoRH) at 17 GHz. The source at 17 GHz is located in one foot-point of a small bright coronal loop of YOHKOH SXT and SOHO EIT images with strong photospheric magnetic field in SOHO MDI magnetograph. It is assumed that the electron cyclotron maser instability and gyro-resonance absorption dominate, respectively, the rising and decay phase of the spike event. For different harmonic number of gyro-frequency or magnetic field strength, a fitting program with free plasma parameters is used to minimize the difference between the observational and theoretical values of the exponential growth and decay rates for a given spike. The plasma parameters at third harmonic number are more comparable to their typical values in solar corona. Hence, it is able to provide a diagnosis for the source parameters (magnetic field, density, and temperature), the properties of radiations (wave vector and propagation angle), and the properties of non-thermal electrons (density, pitch angle, and energy). The results are also comparable with the diagnosis of the gyro-synchrotron radiation model, the frequency drift rates and a dipole magnetic field model, as well as the YOHKOH SXT and SOHO MDI data. This study is supported by the NFSC project nos. 10333030 and 10273025, and “973” program with no. G2000078403.     

Kantowski-Sachs String Cosmological Model with Bulk Viscosity In General Relativity

String cosmological models with bulk viscosity are investigated in Kantowski-Sachs space-time. To obtain a determinate solution, it is assumed that the coefficient of bulk viscosity is a power function of the scalar of expansion ζ = kθ^m and the scalar of expansion is proportional to the shear scalar θ ∝ σ, which leads to a relation between metric potentials R = AS ⁿ . The physical and geometrical aspects of the model are also discussed. It is shown that the bulk viscosity has significant influence on the evolution of the universe. There is a ‘big bang’ start in the model when m ≤ 1 but there is no ‘big bang’ start when m > 1.