Mechanical Behavior of Clayey Soil Reinforced with Recycled Tire Rubber Using Chips and Fibers

Geotechnical and Geological Engineering - The volume of discarded tires continues to increase each year, becoming a major topic of concern for society. Motivated by this environmental issue, this...     

SH Wave Number Green’s Function for a Layered,Elastic Half-Space. Part I: Theory and Dynamic Canyon Response by the Discrete Wave Number Boundary Element Method

We present a closed-form frequency-wave number (ω – k) Green’s function for a layered, elastic half-space under SH wave propagation. It is shown that for every (ω – k) pair, the fundamental solution exhibits two distinctive features: (1) the original layered system can be reduced to a system composed by the uppermost superficial layer over an equivalent half-space; (2) the fundamental solution can be partitioned into three different fundamental solutions, each one carrying out a different physical interpretation, i.e., an equivalent half-space, source image impact, and dispersive wave effect, respectively. Such an interpretation allows the proper use of analytical and numerical integration schemes, and ensures the correct assessment of Cauchy principal value integrals. Our method is based upon a stiffness-matrix scheme, and as a first approach we assume that observation points and the impulsive SH line-source are spatially located within the uppermost superficial layer. We use a discrete wave number boundary element strategy to test the benefits of our fundamental solution. We benchmark our results against reported solutions for an infinitely long circular canyon subjected to oblique incident SH waves within a homogeneous half-space. Our results show an almost exact agreement with previous studies. We further shed light on the impact of horizontal strata by examining the dynamic response of the circular canyon to oblique incident SH waves under different layered half-space configurations and incident angles. Our results show that modifications in the layering structure manifest by larger peak ground responses, and stronger spatial variability due to interactions of the canyon geometry with trapped Love waves in combination with impedance contrast effects.     

Feasibility of observations of stratospheric trace gases using the Hubble Space Telescope

The stellar occultation method has been successfully used in the past from orbiting observatories to measure concentrations of certain trace gases in the Earth's mesosphere. The greatly improved spectroscopic capabilities of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) have prompted recent suggestions for its use to measure stratospheric C10. We examine this possibility along with that for other species relevant to the chemistry of the ozone layer. We conclude that stratospheric (as opposed to mesospheric) observations with HST are not practical, in part because of its orbital and pointing characteristics, but primarily because the high opacity of stratospheric ozone over most of the band-pass of the HST's most suitable spectrometer will obscure observation of other trace species, such as C10, having mixing ratios <10^–3 that of ozone.     

Comparing Beerkan infiltration tests with rainfall simulation experiments for hydraulic characterization of a sandy‐loam soil

Saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, K _s , data collected by ponding infiltrometer methods and usual experimental procedures could be unusable for interpreting field hydrological processes and particularly rainfall infiltration. The K _s values determined by an infiltrometer experiment carried out by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface could however be more appropriate to explain surface runoff generation phenomena during intense rainfall events. In this study, a link between rainfall simulation and ponding infiltrometer experiments was established for a sandy‐loam soil. The height of water pouring for the infiltrometer run was chosen, establishing a similarity between the gravitational potential energy of the applied water, E _p , and the rainfall kinetic energy, E _k . To test the soundness of this procedure, the soil was sampled with the Beerkan estimation of soil transfer parameters procedure of soil hydraulic characterization and two heights of water pouring (0.03 m, i.e., usual procedure, and 0.34 m, yielding E _p  = E _k ). Then, a comparison between experimental steady‐state infiltration rates, i _sR , measured with rainfall simulation experiments determining runoff production and K _s values for the two water pouring heights was carried out in order to discriminate between theoretically possible (i _sR  ≥ K _s ) and impossible (i _sR  < K _s ) situations. Physically possible K _s values were only obtained by applying water at a relatively large distance from the soil surface, because i _sR was equal to 20.0 mm h^?1 and K _s values were 146.2–163.9 and 15.2–18.7 mm h^?1 for a height of water pouring of 0.03 and 0.34 m, respectively. This result suggested the consistency between Beerkan runs with a high height of water pouring and rainfall simulator experiments. Soil compaction and mechanical aggregate breakdown were the most plausible physical mechanisms determining reduction of K _s with height. This study demonstrated that the height from which water is poured onto the soil surface is a key parameter in infiltrometer experiments and can be adapted to mimic the effect of high intensity rain on soil hydraulic properties.     

Intraplate subsidence and basin filling adjacent to an oceanic arc–continent collision: a case from the southern Caribbean‐South America plate margin

The upper Campanian–Lower Eocene synorogenic sedimentary wedge of the Ranchería Basin was deposited in an intraplate basin resting on a tilted continental crustal block that was deformed by collision and subsequent subduction of the Caribbean Plate. Upper Cretaceous–Lower Eocene strata rest unconformably upon Jurassic igneous rocks of the Santa Marta Massif, with no major thrust faults separating the Santa Marta Massif from the Ranchería Basin. The upper Campanian–Lower Eocene succession includes, from base to top: foraminifera‐rich calcareous mudstone, mixed carbonate–siliciclastic strata and mudstone, coal and immature fluvial sandstone beds. Diachronous collision and eastward tilting of the plate margin (Santa Marta Massif and Central Cordillera) favoured the generation of accommodation space in a continuous intraplate basin (Ranchería, Cesar and western Maracaibo) during the Maastrichtian to Late Palaeocene. Terrigenous detritus from the distal colliding margin filled the western segments of the continuous intraplate basin (Ranchería and Cesar Basins); in the Late Paleocene, continental depositional systems migrated eastwards as far as the western Maracaibo Basin. In Early Eocene time, reactivation of former extensional structures fragmented the intraplate basin into the Ranchería‐Cesar Basins to the west, and the western Maracaibo Basin and Palmar High to the East. This scenario of continent–oceanic arc collision, crustal‐scale tilting, intraplate basin generation and fault reactivation may apply for Upper Cretaceous–Palaeogene syntectonic basins in western Colombia and Ecuador, and should be considered in other settings where arc–continent collision is followed by subduction.     

Micromorphology of ice keel scour in pebbly sandy mud and fine‐grained sands: Scarborough Bluffs,Ontario, Canada

The keels of icebergs and ice‐pressure ridges plough through unconsolidated sea/lake sediments gouging out long grooves known as ice keel scour marks. Although the surface and (more recently) subsurface morphology of scours are well‐documented, little is known of the effect of grain size on the detectability, style and intensity of sub‐scour deformation. This investigation macroscopically and microscopically (two‐dimensional thin sections) examines suspected ice keel scour in: (i) glaciolacustrine pebbly sandy mud and (ii) fine‐grained sands at Scarborough Bluffs, Ontario, Canada. In this investigation, there is an almost identical suite of deformation structures (individual structures and overprinted structural patterns) to those identified in iceberg‐scoured clays from former Glacial Lake Agassiz (Manitoba, Canada); this confirms that deformation in the pebbly sandy mud and fine‐grained sands at Scarborough Bluffs is likely to be indicative of ice keel scour. Discrete differences in the detectability, style and intensity of deformation between the Scarborough Bluffs and Glacial Lake Agassiz sediments are probably a function of grain size in response to ice keel scour. This research provides additional information on the types of structures that are associated with sediment deformation by processes of ice keel scour in a variety of grain sizes. This information is particularly valuable to inform palaeoenvironmental reconstruction and offshore engineering in areas where ice keel scour occurs in a variety of grain sizes. It also demonstrates the potential value of micromorphology where, for example, the study of cores is necessary.     

Impact of land use on the hydraulic properties of the topsoil in a small French catchment

The hydraulic properties of the topsoil control the partition of rainfall into infiltration and runoff at the soil surface. They must be characterized for distributed hydrological modelling. This study presents the results of a field campaign documenting topsoil hydraulic properties in a small French suburban catchment (7 km²) located near Lyon, France. Two types of infiltration tests were performed: single ring infiltration tests under positive head and tension‐disk infiltration using a mini‐disk. Both categories were processed using the BEST—Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters—method to derive parameters describing the retention and hydraulic conductivity curves. Dry bulk density and particle size data were also sampled. Almost all the topsoils were found to belong to the sandy loam soil class. No significant differences in hydraulic properties were found in terms of pedologic units, but the results showed a high impact of land use on these properties. The lowest dry bulk density values were obtained in forested soils with the highest organic matter content. Permanent pasture soils showed intermediate values, whereas the highest values were encountered in cultivated lands. For saturated hydraulic conductivity, the highest values were found in broad‐leaved forests and small woods. The complementary use of tension‐disk and positive head infiltration tests highlighted a sharp increase of hydraulic conductivity between near saturation and saturated conditions, attributed to macroporosity effect. The ratio of median saturated hydraulic conductivity to median hydraulic conductivity at a pressure of − 20 mm of water was about 50. The study suggests that soil texture, such as used in most pedo‐transfer functions, might not be sufficient to properly map the variability of soil hydraulic properties. Land use information should be considered in the parameterizations of topsoil within hydrological models to better represent in situ conditions, as illustrated in the paper. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Co-management of sea turtle fisheries: Biogeography versus geopolitics

Co-management between local communities and government agencies is promoted as a strategy to improve fisheries management. This paper considers the potential for co-management of sea turtle fisheries within four UK Overseas Territories (OTs) in the Caribbean, and for co-ordinated management among those territories. We focus on fisher incentives for engaging in co-management and on the potential to scale up co-management to a regional level. This paper presents data from Anguilla, British Virgin Islands, Montserrat, and Turks and Caicos Islands, where 110 turtle fishers participated in a socio-economic survey undertaken as part of the ‘Turtles in the UK Overseas Territories in the Caribbean’ project. Based on three established criteria for co-management (perceived crisis in stock, willingness to participate and community cohesion), results suggest that fisher support for co-management exists within each OT, but the extent of support for and views of specific management interventions varies among OTs. The implications of results for co-management in each territory, and for establishing co-ordinated management regimes in the region, are discussed in the context of current debates about the nature of resources and scalar (mis)matches between resource and management regimes.     

The scattering of SH waves by a finite crack with a superposition-based diffraction technique

The problem of diffraction of cylindrical and plane horizontally polarized shear waves (SH waves) by a finite crack embedded in a plane bidimensional elastic full-space is revisited. Particularly, we construct an approximate solution by the addition of independent diffracted terms. In our method the derivation of the fundamental case of a semi-infinite crack obtained as a degenerate case of a generalized wedge is first considered. This result is then used as a building block to compute the diffraction of the main incident waves. The interaction between the opposite edges of the crack is later considered in terms of a series, one term at a time until a desired tolerance is reached. Moreover, we propose a procedure to determine the number of required interactions as a function of frequency. The solution derived with the superposition technique is shown to be effective at low and high frequencies and as shown by comparisons with a direct boundary element method software, highly accurate solutions are obtained after retaining just a few terms of the infinite series.     

Characterization of the Rapanui mass-transport deposit and the basal shear zone: Mount Messenger Formation,Taranaki Basin,New Zealand

Submarine mass-transport deposits are important in many ancient and modern basins. Mass-transport deposits can play a significant role in exploration as reservoir, seal or source units. Although seismic data has advanced the knowledge about these deposits, more outcrop studies are needed to better understand gravity mass flows and predict the properties of their resultant deposits. It is proposed that sufficiently well-exposed outcrops of mass-transport deposits can be divided into three strain-dominant morphodomains: headwall, translational and toe. The outcrops of the Rapanui mass-transport deposit, part of the Lower Mount Messenger Formation in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, are exposed along a ca 4 km transect in coastal cliffs that enable the identification of the three morphodomains. The aim of this study is to characterize the stratigraphic and sedimentological nature of the Miocene-age Rapanui mass-transport deposit outcrops and the evolution of its basal shear zone. The basal shear zone of a mass-transport deposit is defined as the stratal zone formed in the interface between the overriding mass flow and the underlying in situ deposits or sea floor. Accordingly, the deformation structures in the Rapanui mass-transport deposit and the basal shear zone were documented in an established spatial framework. Traditional methodologies were used to characterize the sedimentology of the Rapanui mass-transport deposit. Data collected from intrafolial folds, rafted blocks and samples from the Rapanui mass-transport deposit were used to investigate strain and matrix texture evolution, estimate palaeoflow direction, and calculate yield strength and overpressure at time of deposition. Additionally, a one-dimensional numerical model was used to test sedimentation-driven overpressure as probable trigger. This work demonstrates that the basal shear zone, as well as the matrix texture of a mass-transport deposit, can vary spatially as sediments from underlying deposits are entrained during shear-derived mixing. This phenomenon can impact the seal potential of mass-transport deposits and their interaction with fluids in the subsurface.