A generalized model for effective thermal conductivity of soils considering porosity and mineral composition

Acta Geotechnica - Soils have a variety of mineral compositions. Although a number of thermal conductivity models have been developed for soils, few quantitatively investigated the effect of...     

Coupled three-dimensional discrete element–finite difference simulation of dynamic compaction

Discrete element method has been widely adopted to simulate processes that are challenging to continuum-based approaches. However, its computational efficiency can be greatly compromised when large number of particles are required to model regions of less interest to researchers. Due to this, the application of DEM to boundary value problems has been limited. This paper introduces a three-dimensional discrete element–finite difference coupling method, in which the discrete–continuum interactions are modeled in local coordinate systems where the force and displacement compatibilities between the coupled subdomains are considered. The method is validated using a model dynamic compaction test on sand. The comparison between the numerical and physical test results shows that the coupling method can effectively simulate the dynamic compaction process. The responses of the DEM model show that dynamic stress propagation (compaction mechanism) and tamper penetration (bearing capacity mechanism) play very different roles in soil deformations. Under impact loading, the soil undergoes a transient weakening process induced by dynamic stress propagation, which makes the soil easier to densify under bearing capacity mechanism. The distribution of tamping energy between the two mechanisms can influence the compaction efficiency, and allocating higher compaction energy to bearing capacity mechanism could improve the efficiency of dynamic compaction.

     

Analysis of mobilized stress ratio of gap-graded granular materials in direct shear state considering coarse fraction effect

Weathered rockfill materials, characterized by a mixture of soil matrix and rock aggregates, are widely distributed in mountainous areas. These soils are frequently used for subgrade or riprap in engineering practice, and the mobilized shear strength is crucial for analyzing the displacement and stability of these geo-structures. A series of direct shear tests are performed on a gap-graded soil with a full range of coarse fraction. The behavior of gap-graded soils is analyzed, and a simple model is proposed for the evolution of mobilized stress ratio during direct shearing process based on mixture theory. The change of inter-aggregate configuration is incorporated by introducing a structure variable which increases with coarse fraction and decreases approximately linearly with the overall horizontal shear strain in double logarithmic plot. It reasonably reflects a gradually transformation from a matrix-sustained structure into an aggregate-sustained one with the increase of coarse fraction. The model has four parameters, and at least two direct shear tests need to be done for the calibration. Validation of the model is done by using the test data in this work and those from the literature.

     

A novel index to evaluate discretization methods:A case study of flood susceptibility assessment based on random forest

The selection of a suitable discretization method(DM)to discretize spatially continuous variables(SCVs)is critical in ML-based natural hazard susceptibility assessment.However,few studies start to consider the influence due to the selected DMs and how to efficiently select a suitable DM for each SCV.These issues were well addressed in this study.The information loss rate(ILR),an index based on the informa-tion entropy,seems can be used to select optimal DM for each SCV.However,the ILR fails to show the actual influence of discretization because such index only considers the total amount of information of the discretized variables departing from the original SCV.Facing this issue,we propose an index,infor-mation change rate(ICR),that focuses on the changed amount of information due to the discretization based on each cell,enabling the identification of the optimal DM.We develop a case study with Random Forest(training/testing ratio of 7:3)to assess flood susceptibility in Wanan County,China.The area under the curve-based and susceptibility maps-based approaches were presented to compare the ILR and ICR.The results show the ICR-based optimal DMs are more rational than the ILR-based ones in both cases.Moreover,we observed the ILR values are unnaturally small(＜1％),whereas the ICR values are obviously more in line with general recognition(usually 10％-30％).The above results all demonstrate the superiority of the ICR.We consider this study fills up the existing research gaps,improving the ML-based natural hazard susceptibility assessments.     

Arsenic contamination caused by roxarsone transformation with spatiotemporal variation of microbial community structure in a column experiment

Arsenic contamination from roxarsone in livestock manure is common, and livestock manure continuously accumulates in the open environment. Evaluations of the environmental processes of As mobilization and transformation are critical for predicting the fate of As compounds after roxarsone degradation. In this study, spatiotemporal variations in As species and microbial community structure were characterized using laboratory column experiments with background soil collected from Yanggu County (northern Shandong Plain, China), a region of intense poultry production. Organic and inorganic arsenic were detected by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and HPLC with hydride generation atomic fluorescence spectrometry (HPLC-HG-AFS), respectively. High-throughput sequencing technology was used to describe microbial diversity. Results showed that roxarsone was transformed completely within 7 days, and As(Ⅲ) and As(Ⅴ) were the major degradation products. The concentration of As(Ⅲ) was much lower than that of As(Ⅴ). The As(Ⅲ) concentration increased significantly after Day 14, whereas the As(Ⅴ) concentration increased significantly after Day 84, indicating that As(Ⅲ) was initially produced. The microbial community structure changed significantly as roxarsone transformed into various As compounds. A critical and dominant bacterial strain, norank_f__Family_XVⅢ, was found to be related to the degradation of roxarsone into As(Ⅲ). This study improves our understanding of the fate of As species released from poultry litter to soil and groundwater, which is a threat to human health and environment.     

海南岛橡胶割胶期的气候适宜度变化特征分析

选取海南省18个市县气象站19612017年逐日气象资料,构建逐月橡胶割胶单要素(温度、日照时数、降水量和降水日数、风速)和综合气候适宜度模型,分析其时空变化特征。结果表明:1)海南岛天然橡胶单要素适宜度对比排序:日照适宜度最高,降水和风速适宜度次之,温度适宜度最低。2)橡胶割胶气候适宜度为0.43~0.80,其中411月较高,适宜割胶;12月至次年3月较低,不适宜割胶。3)天然橡胶割胶适宜度高值区主要分布在海南岛中部地区,该区温度适宜度较高,降水量充足,年平均风速小;低值区主要分布在西部和北部沿海地区,该区主要因为年平均风速大,降雨量不足,易造成干旱;其余地区为适宜度次高值区,该区热量和降水都比较充足,但也容易受高温干旱或风害影响,应予以重点防范。4)19612017年海南岛橡胶割胶期气候适宜度总体呈明显增大趋势,气候倾向率为0.009/10a。     

WOFOST模型对河南省冬小麦模拟的适用性分析

为进一步研究WOFOST模型在河南省冬麦区的适用性,以河南省30个农业气象观测站1991—2014年冬小麦观测资料、历史气象资料和土壤资料为依据,对WOFOST模型进行逐站调参和验证,分别建立了30个站的冬小麦模型参数。其中1991—2010年为模型调参年份,2011—2014年为模型验证年份。各站开花期和成熟期调参模拟的归一化均方根误差NRMSE分别小于5%和3%,验证误差分别为3.7%和2.9%。除潢川和固始外,模型对其余各站产量模拟的归一化均方根误差NRMSE全省各站均小于20.0%,验证误差全省平均为15.2%,大部分站点观测值和模拟值相关系数r通过了显著检验。利用调参后的模型模拟2011—2014年冬小麦生长动态变化可知,模拟地上部总干物重与实测单株干物重、模拟LAI与单株叶面积有较一致的变化趋势,拟合度较高。因此,WOFOST模型对河南省冬小麦主要发育阶段、产量及干物质积累模拟能力较强,具有良好的应用前景。     

杭锦旗北部牧草引种试验

利用在内蒙古杭锦旗北部进行牧草引种试验的数据,结合产量效益分析了4个牧草品种对当地土壤与气候条件的适应性,初步得出适应杭锦旗北部气候、生态条件的牧草品种,并通过产量效益分析,确定了适合当地的牧草间、混作模式,为当地建立人工饲草基地发展生态畜牧业提供决策参考。     

2003年云南大姚6.2级和6.1级地震余震S波分裂研究

利用2003年云南大姚6.2、 6.1级两次地震的余震资料对该区进行了S波分裂研究。 结果表明, 云南大姚地区的快剪切波偏振的优势方向约为N33°W, 与该区域的区域主压应力的方向一致。 通过对比6.2级余震和6.1级余震的偏振方向和延迟时间, 可以看到6.1级地震后明显的应力释放现象, 在几次强余震前, 均观测到延迟时间呈现增加的特征, 并且几次地震在即将发生之前的短时间内还观测到延迟时间有减小的现象, 这一现象符合震前应力长时间积累和短时间应力释放的结论, 时间延迟在强震前会出现下降具有重要的地震短临预测意义。 研究认为S波分裂参数可以反映区域应力场的动态变化信息, 为应力场研究与地震预测提供有用的信息。     

土壤环境中化学定时炸弹的研究现状与展望

土壤环境中的化学定时炸弹对生态环境乃至人类自身危害极大,国内外均有大规模发生化学定时炸弹的实例,但是,由于其不易发现而常常被忽略,这将造成更为严重的后果。化学定时炸弹的分类问题比较复杂,目前较为妥当的做法是对各种分类方案进行有益的探索。化学定时炸弹的触爆机制研究十分重要,是进行地球化学灾害评价、预测和防治的基础;地球化学工程技术是将来预防和治理化学定时炸弹最主要手段。从科学的严密性和严肃性考虑,化学定时炸弹的概念应该由具有更深刻内涵和更广泛外延的“缓变型地球化学灾害”来替代。