Influence of bank vegetation and gravel bed on velocity and Reynolds stress distributions

This paper presents the results of a laboratory flume experimental study on the interaction of bank vegetation and gravel bed on the flow velocity （primarily on the location of the maximum velocity, Umax） and the Reynolds stress distributions. The results reveal that the dip of the maximum velocity below the water surface is up to 35% of flow depth and the difference between Umax and the velocity at the water surface is considerable in the presence of vegetation on the walls. The zone of the log-law varies from y/h=2 up to 15 percent of flow depth and it does not depend on distance from the wall. Deviation of the velocity profile in the outer layer over a gravel bed with vegetation cover on the walls is much larger than the case of flow over a gravel bed without vegetation cover on the walls. The presence of vegetation on the walls changes uniform flow to non-uniform flow. This fact can be explained by considering the nonlinear Reynolds stress distribution and location of maximum velocity in each profile at different distances across the flume. The Reynolds stress distributions at the distance 0.02 m from the wall have negative values and away from the wall, they change the sign taking positive values with specific convex form with apex in higher location. Average of von Karman constant κ for this study is equal to 0.16. Based on to=0.16, the methods of Clauser and the Reynolds stress are compatible for determination of shear velocity.     

Retraction Note to: Adaptive neuro-fuzzy selection of the optimal parameters of protective spur dike

Natural Hazards - The Editors-in-Chief have retracted this article [1] because validity of the content of this article cannot be verified.     

Mineral chemistry,petrogenesis and evolution of the Ghorveh-Seranjic skarn,Northern Sanandaj Sirjan Zone,Iran

Mineralogy and Petrology - The Ghorveh-Seranjic (GS) skarn is located in the northern part of the Sanandaj-Sirjan zone, NW Iran, which is part of Alpine-Himalaya orogenic belt. The GS metamorphic...     

Mass balance of major elements in relation to weathering in soils developed on igneous rocks in a semiarid region, northwestern Iran

This study was conducted to evaluate the weathering intensity of the major soils developed on igneous rocks in semiarid region of northwestern Iran.Eight parent materials were selected including monzodiorite,alkali granite,granodiorite,syenite,pyroxene diorite,hornblende andesite,pyroxene andesite,and dacite.Representative soil profiles were described and soil samples were collected and analyzed for selected chemical and physical properties and total concentrations of major elements and Zr,V,Ti and Y.Bulk densities as well as Ti,Zr and V concentrations were used to estimate the strain factors and mass balance equations were used to quantify the net result of pedogenic weathering,i.e.elemental loss and gain.The results of clay content and pedogenic iron variability as well as index of compositional variability(ICV),chemical index of alteration(CIA) and,A-CN-K and MFW ternary plots showed that the soils developed on volcanic rocks(hornblende andesite> pyroxene andesite> dacite) were more weathered than those on the plutonic parent rocks(alkali granite,granodiorite,monzodiorite,syenite,pyroxene diorite).The results of mass balance calculations based on the strain factors revealed that the Ca and Na depleted during weathering progress mostly from plagioclase grains.In the semiarid regions Ca is precipitated as pedogenic calcite in the soil horizons.K and Mg depletion is less than Ca and Na especially in the profiles on the hornblende andesite with the highest clay and LOI content.The results of this study clearly suggest that the behavior of K and Mg during the weathering cannot only be explained by the disintegration of the primary minerals,since they are fixed on the secondary clay minerals.Iron did not change in the soils compared to the parent material and was precipitated as the pedogenic iron and conserved in the soil horizons.Overall,the results on the weathering indicators and major elements mass balance enrichment/depletion in the study area confirmed that the soil profiles developed on volcanic rocks are more weathered than those on the plutonic igneous rocks.     

Effect of slope angle of an artificial pool on distributions of turbulence

Experiments were carried out over a 2-dimentional pool with a constant length of 1.5 m and four different slopes.The distributions of velocity,Reynolds stress and turbulence intensities have been studied in this paper.Results show that as flow continues up the exit slope,the flow velocity increases near the channel bed and decreases near the water surface.The flow separation was not observed by ADV at the crest of the bed-form.In addition,the length of the separation zone increases with the increasing of entrance and exit slopes.The largest slope angle causes the maximum normalized shear stress.Based on the experiments,it is concluded that the shape of Reynolds stress distribution is generally dependent on the entrance and exit slopes of the pool.Also,the shape of Reynolds stress distribution is affected by both decelerating and accelerating flows.Additionally,with the increase in the slope angle,secondary currents are developed and become more stable.Results of the quadrant analysis show that the momentum between flow and bed-form is mostly transferred by sweep and ejection events.     

Out‐of‐plane seismic response of vertically spanning URM walls connected to flexible diaphragms

A simplified numerical model was used to investigate the out‐of‐plane seismic response of vertically spanning unreinforced masonry (URM) wall strips. The URM wall strips were assumed to span between two flexible diaphragms and to develop a horizontal crack above the wall mid‐height. Three degrees of freedom were used to accommodate the wall displacement at the crack height and at the diaphragm connections, and the wall dynamic stability was studied. The equations of dynamic motion were obtained using principles of rocking mechanics of rigid bodies, and the formulae were modified to include semi‐rigid wall behaviour. Parametric studies were conducted that included calculation of the wall response for different values of diaphragm stiffness, wall properties, applied overburden, wall geometry and earthquake ground motions. The results of the study suggest that stiffening the horizontal diaphragms of typical low‐rise URM buildings will amplify the out‐of‐plane acceleration demand imposed on the wall and especially on the wall–diaphragm connections. It was found that upper‐storey walls connected to two flexible diaphragms had reduced stability for applied earthquake accelerograms having dominant frequency content that was comparable with the frequency of the diaphragms. It was also found that the applied overburden reduced wall stability by reducing the allowable wall rotations. The results of this study suggest that the existing American Society of Civil Engineers recommendations for assessment of vertically spanning walls overestimate the stability of top‐storey walls in multi‐storey buildings in high‐seismic regions or for walls connected to larger period (less stiff) diaphragms. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Neutron stars:a relativistic study

We study the inner structure of a neutron star from a theoretical point of view and the outcome results are compared with observed data. We propose a stiff equation of state relating pressure with matter density. From our study we calculate mass(M),compactness(u) and surface redshift(Zs) for two binary millisecond pulsars,namely PSR J1614–2230 and PSR J1903+327,and four X-ray binaries,namely Cen X-3,SMC X-1,Vela X-1 and Her X-1,and compare them with recent observational data.Finally,we examine the stability for such a type of theoretical structure.