Tracing Method of Natural Sediments by Neutron Activation and Its Application

A new method of Neutron Activation Analysis (NAA) for sediment movement study is presented in this paper. Through analyzing the natural sediment, the information about natural tracing agents has been obtained, which can show the direction of sediment movement and relative discharge of sediment transportation. Test results in some areas, such as Shantou Harbour and Hangzhou Bay, are in good agreement with those from normal hydrologic measurements and some results are not obtainable with the latter. The NAA is economical, practical and reliable, and should be widely used in engineering practice.     

A Normalized Stress-Strain Model for Soft Clays

-A nonlinear model for the stress-strain behaviour of normally consolidated clays is presented based on the experimental results. It is indicated that the volume strain under pure shear is a power function of stress ratio and the normalized stress-strain curve is a standard hyperbola. According to the model, the coefficient of pore pressure induced by shear stress and the critical stress ratio which governs the influence of the negative dilatancy are suggested. It is shown by some triaxial tests that the proposed model can be used to study the negative dilatancy and to describe the stress-strain-pore pressure adequately for soft clays.     

Experimental Study on Superficial Sliding of a New Type of Offshore Platform

- In order to verify the theoretical design and computation of a new type of platform, laboratory model test of the superficial sliding of the platform is carried out. Test results show that the requirement for the stability of the platform can be satisfied, and the API-82 criterion can be met. It is also suggested that, in order to enhance the stability of the platform, a buried- pad with porous holes and a long apron-board should be adopted in the design of the new type of platform.     

Simulation on the Strength of Model Armor Block on Rubble-Mound Breakwaters

This paper mainly deals with the simulation on the strength of the concrete armor block in model test. According to the requirement for the strength of blocks in models with various scales, the components of materials for model blocks and their proportions are determined. The failure of armor blocks on rubble-mound breakwaters is reproduced by model tests.     

Computation of Wave Refraction-Diffraction with Error Vector Propagation Method

After modifying the basic computation model made by Panchang (1988), the error vector propagation (EVP) method has been adopted to compute the combined effects of water wave refraction and diffraction in the presence of reflection boundary. The results show that the present method is successful in restraining the noise in Panchang's solution. Compared to other numerical methods for the mild-slope wave equation, EVP method can both consider the influence of reflection and save computer memory and computing time.     

High Performance Concrete and Its Typical Mixes

- With the modern development of chemical and mineral admixtures, it is now possible to produce much higher performance concrete than before. Higher performance does not only mean higher strength, but also better durability, lower risk of thermal cracking and higher dimensional stability etc. The three most effective admixtures for producing high performance concrete are superplastieizer, pulverized fuel ash and condensed silica fume. This paper outlines the properties of these materials and presents some practical guidelines for their usage.     

Application of Headland Control for Stability of Beaches

- Studies on the erosion processes and protective measures at the downcoast of the Friendship Port in Mauritania have been successfully conducted by means of 3-D movable-bed model using light model-sand. The headland control was accepted for the stability of the beach. This paper mainly deals with the shape, orientation, size and erosion depth of the artificial headland. Various forms of headland projects, such as the normal groin, arch groins bending to upcoast ancj to downcoast, offshore breakwater, and T-shaped dike, have been experimentally investigated. Through a comparison of effects of these works on the beach processes, optimized headlands have been obtained, that is, unsymmetrical T-shaped dike or arch groin bending to the downcoast, which has been practically and successfully applied for the stability of beaches.     

A Study on Some Causes of Rubble Mound Breakwater Failure

- Rubble mound breakwater, one of the protection structures, has been widely used in coastal and port engineering. Block stones were first used as its armor layer, and its use was limited to shallow sea areas where there is no large waves. Since the specially-shaped armor unit was developed, the rubble mound breakwater has become the main sort of the protection structures, which can be used in deep water zones where storm sometimes occurs. Owing to severe and complex surrounding conditions, the rubble mound breakwater failure sometimes occurs, thus the study on the causes of failure is of great importance. In the present study some breakwater failures at home and abroad are illustrated and the causes of failure are investigated from the point of view of design, test, construction and maintenance.     

Sediment Transport Investigation in the Yangtze Estuary with Radioactive Tracer

- This paper describes a radioactive tracer experiment carried out at the landward spoil site of the North Passage in the Yangtze Estuary in June, 1991. Scandium -46 was selected as the tracer, the total activity released was 179.45 GBq and the amount of the Sandium-46 glass was 495 g. The purpose of the experiment was to determine the sediment movement direction, path, velocity and transport rate, and therefore, to provide direct evidence for using the landward spoil site in the future. The experimental results showed that the sediment movement was governed by the ebb tide current during the period of mean and neap tides when the radioactive tracer was injected both on the flood and ebb tides, and the sediment moved from the release point to the middle of the North Passage near navigation buoy No. 269. The direciton of the sediment movement was 110 ° , the particle velocity was 758 m/d, and the sediment transport rate per unit width was 47.8 m3 / md.     

Experimental Study on Local Scour Around A Large Circular Cylinder Under Irregular Waves

1 .IntroductionWiththedevelopmentofexploitationofmarineresources ,theconstructionofoffshorestructuresdevelopsrapidly ,suchasmarineoilplatforms ,deep waterbreakwaters ,marinebridges ,largehar bors,etc .Thesestructureswillchangesurroundingwaveandcurrentconditionsandleadtolocalscourofseabed ,resultinginstructuraldamage .Therefore ,localscouraroundmarinestructuresaswellastheirprotectionhasdrawnmuchattentionfromrelativeengineeringfields .Manyscholarshaveconduct edtheoreticalanalysisandexperimentals…