Simulating the membrane contact patterns of triaxial sand specimens

One of the common sources of error in triaxial tests is the penetration of the latex membrane into the peripheral voids of the specimen as confining pressure is applied. Existing analytical solutions developed to predict the magnitude of this membrane penetration have all assumed that the peripheral sand particles in contact with the surrounding membrane are arranged so that the centroids of the sand–membrane contact areas form a square pattern of side length D₅₀ on a plane parallel to the undeflected membrane. Measurements made on digital images of sand–membrane contact patterns for triaxial specimens of varying characteristics have shown this assumption to be inadequate. The analysis presented herein shows how actual contact pattern can be reasonably replicated by simulated patterns. These simulated patterns are generated by adding randomly selected distances to the centroid co‐ordinates of contact areas initially placed in a systematic grid pattern. The results indicate that it is possible to systematically model sand–membrane contact patterns as a function of triaxial specimen characteristics such as relative density and preparation method. The ability to simulate the real patterns eliminates the reliance of existing analytical solutions on a single assumed square contact pattern and hence can serve as the basis for improving the accuracy of future solutions to account for the effects of membrane penetration. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A petrologic re-investigation of the Adak volcanic center, central Aleutian arc, Alaska

The Adak volcanic center is located in the central part of the Aleutian arc and consists of three main volcanic vents. Andrew Bay Volcano, the oldest center, has been mostly removed by erosion. The next youngest vent, Mount Adagdak, was built in three major volcanic stages whereas Mount Moffett, the largest volcanic edifice, consists of a main cone and a parasitic cone each with several magmatic phases. Adak is unique compared to other modern Aleutian volcanic centers in that it contains two xenolith suites (Conrad and Kay, 1984; Debari et al., 1987). One suite consisting predominantly of mafic xenoliths occurs on Mount Moffett whereas an assemblage of ultramafic and mafic xenoliths is found on Mount Adagdak. Lavas erupted at Adak span the compositional range from 48.4 to 65.0 wt.% SiO₂ and are characterized by significant variations in Al₂O₃, MgO, Sr, Ni and Cr. On Harker diagrams, this variability produces compositional trends with significant scatter. The Adak suite has total REE contents that vary from 32 to 154 ppm but do not correlate systematically with silica. ( )_n ratios range from 2.41 to 21.72 with the majority of lavas between 2.41 and 6.06. On process identification diagrams, the Adak suite plots as steeply sloping trends that contrast with the horizontal patterns of most other Aleutian centers. Measured isotopic ranges are large and nearly equal to those for the entire arc. Although they span similar silica ranges, subtle geochemical and isotopic differences distinguish the different volcanic vents of Adak. On Mount Moffett, a geochemically and isotopically distinct group of andesites (55.5–57.9 SiO₂), the mafic andesites, occur on its NE flank. These lavas have elevated MgO, Ni and Cr but are depleted in Al₂O₃ relative to other Mount Moffett andesites with similar silica. They also have more heterogeneous REE abundances and isotopic ratios than most of the other andesites. Significant compositional differences exist between Adak and the other volcanic centers of the central Aleutian arc. Although these differences are characteristic of all geochemical systems, they are greatest for major and rare-earth elements and isotopic ratios. The lack of coherent relationships on major- and trace-element Harker diagrams, the isotopic variability, as well as the steeply sloping trends on REE process identification diagrams suggest that the Adak volcanic suite was not formed predominantly by closed-system crystal fractionation, but must be the product of a complex open-system process(es). The significant isotopic variability displayed by the suite suggests that contamination by an isotopically distinct contaminant must also have been an important petrologic component in the evolution of the suite. REE data are also suggestive of a role for magma mixing. Such a complex petrologic evolution is consistent with an immature lithospheric plumbing system. Based on REE systematics, the xenolith suites of Adak cannot, as previously proposed, be related to the host lavas or the rest of the Adak suite through crystal fractionation schemes. Rather they are probably accidental fragments derived from various depths along lithospheric conduits. In light of their relation to xenolith-bearing units, the mafic andesites of Adak presumably represent hybrid magmas formed during the interaction of ascending magmas with lithospheric wall rock. They are, therefore, characteristic of immature volcanic centers and unlikely to be related directly to the magmatic processes responsible for the generation of primary arc magmas. Because of the close proximity of the vents and the subtle compositional differences between their lavas, the Adak volcanic center was probably supplied by a single, deep lithospheric plumbing system that fed separate crustal magma chambers. The absence of historic volcanic activity on Adak suggests this plumbing system was abandoned before complete conduit development. This decline in magmatism may reflect a re-adjustment of volcano spacing within this part of the Aleutian arc.     

The stability of hercynite at high pressures and temperatures

The stability of hercynite (FeAl₂O₄) has been investigated experimentally between 7 and 24 GPa and 900 and 1,700°C. Hercynite breaks down to its constituent oxides at 7–8.5 GPa and temperatures >1,000°C. The incorporation of a small magnetite component in the hercynite necessitated a small correction to fix the location of the endmember reaction: FeAl₂O₄  = Al₂O₃ + FeO in P–T space. After making this correction, the position of the phase boundary was used to evaluate thermodynamic data for hercynite. Our results support a relatively large S ₂₉₈^° for hercynite, on the order of 115 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. Experiments up to 24 GPa and 1,400°C failed to detect any high-pressure polymorph of FeAl₂O₄; only corundum + wüstite were detected. This behaviour contrasts with that observed for the analogous MgAl₂O₄ system where the constituent oxides recombine at high pressure to produce “post-spinel” phases with CaFe₂O₄-type and CaTi₂O₄-type structures.     

SIZE AND SPACIAL DISTRIBUTION IN METEORITIC SHOWERS

Size distribution in the Barwell, Bruderheim, Gibeon, Johnstown, Sikhote-Alin and Tenham showers is studied. On the assumption that the distribution follows the Gates-Gaudin-Schumann law, which describes artificially crushed material, it is estimated that 80% of the fine material of the Gibeon shower was not collected; for the other showers the figure varies between 52 and 61%. The spacial distribution pattern of the Barwell, Johnstown, Krymka, Kunashak, Leedey, Plainview (1917), and Sikhote-Alin meteoritic showers is studied. It is established that the patterns show considerable regularity and that the distribution pattern of fragments of any one size is a function of the sorting factor, which is the distance in kilometers between groups of fragments whose mass differs by an order of magnitude.     

A boundary-layer analysis of atmospheric motion over a semi-elliptical surface obstruction

Flow over surface obstructions can produce significantly large wind shears such that adverse flying conditions can occur for aeronautical systems (helicopters, V/STOL vehicles, etc.). The purpose of this analysis is to determine the kinds of flow fields that can result from surface obstructions in an otherwise horizontally homogeneous statistically stationary flow. The technique is based on the boundary-layer/Boussinesq-approximated equations of motion. The pressure gradient resulting from the surface obstruction is that consistent with a potential flow over a two-dimensional cylinder with elliptical cross-section, an approach commonly used for boundary-layer analyses in the engineering community. The dissipative effects of atmospheric turbulence on the mean flow are represented with eddy-viscosity models of the Reynolds stresses. The upstream flow is a neutral one and is characterized by a logarithmic profile for the mean wind. The following conclusions result from the analysis: (1) localized maxima in wind speed occur at the top of a surface obstruction, which are expected in physically real flow situations, (2) an increase in the elliptical aspect ratio decreases the wind speed within the boundary layer at the top of the ellipse and returns it to the logarithmic distribution characteristic of undisturbed flow, (3) increases in surface roughness affect the flow by decreasing the velocity in the boundary layer, with the most pronounced effect occurring near the surface of the smaller aspect-ratio ellipse, (4) Reynolds number has a negligible effect on the overall flow for the range of Reynolds numbers considered in this study, (5) a decrease in the elliptical aspect ratio and an increase in the surface roughness cause larger separation regions.     

Magmatic CO2 and saline melts from the Sybille Monzosyenite,Laramie Anorthosite Complex,Wyoming

There are three populations of fluid inclusions in quartz from the Sybille Monzosyenite: early CO₂, secondary CO₂, and rare secondary brines. The oldest consist of low density CO₂ (0.70) inclusions that appear to be co-magmatic. The densities of these inclusions are consistent with the inferred crystallization conditions of the Sybille Monzosyenite, namely 3 kilobars and 950–1000° C. The other types of inclusions are secondary; they contain CO₂ (0.50) and secondary brine inclusions that form trains radiating out from a decrepitated inclusion. The sites of these decrepitated inclusions are now marked by irregularly shaped fluid inclusions and solid inclusions of salt and carbonate. Rather than fluid inclusions, feldspar contain abundant solid inclusions. These consist of magmatic minerals, hedenbergite, hornblende, ilmenite, apatite, and graphite, intimately associated with K, Na chlorides. We interpret these relations as follows: The Sybille Monzosyenite formed from a magma that contained immiscible droplets of a halide-rich melt along with a CO₂ vapor phase. The salt was trapped along with the other obvious magmatic minerals during growth of the feldspars. CO₂ may have also been included in the feldspars but it probably leaked later during exsolution of the feldspars and was not preserved. Both the saline melt and the CO₂ vapor were trapped in the quartz. The melt inclusions in the quartz later decrepitated, perhaps due to progressive exsolution of fluids, to produce the secondary H₂O and CO₂ inclusions. These observations indicate that the Sybille Monzosyenite, which is a markedly anhydrous rock, was actually vapor-saturated. Rather than being H₂O, however, the vapor was CO₂-rich and possibly related to an immiscible chloride-rich melt.     

Crystal structure and compression of an iron-bearing Phase A to 33 GPa

Fe-bearing dense hydrous magnesium silicate Phase A, Mg_6.85Fe_0.14Si_2.00O₈(OH)₆ has been studied by single-crystal X-ray diffraction at ambient conditions and by high-pressure powder diffraction using synchrotron radiation to 33 GPa. Unit cell parameters at room temperature and pressure from single crystal diffraction are a=7.8678 (4) Å, c=9.5771 (5) Å, and V=513.43 (4) ų. Fitting of the P–V data to a third-order Birch-Murnaghan isothermal equation of state yields V ₀=512.3 (3) ų, K _T,0=102.9 (28) GPa and K′=6.4 (3). Compression is strongly anisotropic with the a-axes, which lie in the plane of the distorted close-packed layers, approximately 26% more compressible than the c-axis, which is normal to the plane. Structure refinement from single-crystal X-ray intensity data reveals expansion of the structure with Fe substitution, mainly by expansion of M-site octahedra. The short Si2–O6 distance becomes nearly 1% shorter with ~2% Fe substitution for Mg, possibly providing additional rigidity in the c-direction over the Mg end member. K _T obtained for the Fe-bearing sample is ~5.5% greater than reported previously for Fe-free Phase A, despite the larger unit cell volume. This study represents a direct comparison of structure and K _T–ρ relations between two compositions of a F-free dense hydrous magnesium silicate (DHMS) phase, and may help to characterize the effect of Fe substitution on the properties of other DHMS phases from studies of the Fe-free end-members.     

Virtual geotechnical laboratory experiments using a simulator

The details of a test simulator that provides a realistic environment for performing virtual laboratory experimentals in soil mechanics is presented. A computer program ‘Geo‐Sim’ that can be used to perform virtual experiments, and allow for real‐time observations of material response is presented. The results of experiments, for a given set of input parameters, are obtained with the test simulator using well‐trained artificial neural‐network‐based soil models for different soil types and stress paths. Multimedia capabilities are integrated in Geo‐Sim, using software that links and controls a laser disc player with a real‐time parallel processing ability. During the simulation of a virtual experiment, relevant portions of the video image of a previously recorded test on an actual soil specimen are dispalyed along with the graphical presentation of response from the feedforward ANN model predictions. The pilot simulator developed to date includes all aspects related to performing a triaxial test on cohesionless soil under undrained and drained conditions. The benefits of the test simulator are also presented. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exposure of a late cretaceous layered mafic-felsic magma system in the central Sierra Nevada batholith,California

New U-Pb zircon ages for the Lamarck Granodiorite, associated synplutonic gabbro and diorite plutons, and two large mafic intrusive complexes that underlie them in the Sierra Nevada batholith are 92±1 Ma. These ages establish the Late Cretaceous as a period of extensive mafic-felsic magmatism in the central part of the batholith, and confirm the significance of mafic magmatism in the evolution of the voluminous silicic plutions in the Sierran arc. The lack of significant zircon inheritance in any of the units analyzed supports isotopic evidence that the Lamarck and other Late Cretaceous Sierran plutons were derived predominantly from young crust. Recognition of an extensive mafic-felsic magma system in the Sierra Nevada batholith emphasizes the importance of basaltic liquids in the evolution of continental crust in arc settings.