Assessment of excavatability,abrasivity and slope stability in a sandstone quarry in Istanbul,Turkey

The Cebeci region is characterized by outcrops of Carboniferous sandstone, including diabase dykes. This region is very important area for aggregate production in Istanbul, Turkey. The aim of this study is to determine the engineering geological properties of sandstones to assess the excavatability, abrasivity and stability of cut slopes in a quarry site. Firstly, the sandstone samples were used to determine their petrographical and mineralogical characteristics. Then, physico-mechanical tests were performed on these samples. In order to determine rock mass properties, scan-line surveys were performed, and the major orientations of discontinuities were analyzed through the stereographic projection technique. Kinematical analyses were also made to determine the potential failures at the quarry site. According to the results obtained, excavatability is changed from easy ripping to hard ripping on sandstones; the carbonated sandstone is less abrasive than other sandstones. Based on the field studies and stability analyses of the cut slopes, optimum slope geometry and necessary support measures, such as wire mesh and rock fall barriers, are suggested.     

Numerical Modelling of Steep Slopes in Open Rock Quarries

The key question regarding steep rock slopes along rock quarries is their stability because a rock slope failure can have critical results. In this study, the aim is to investigate the areas with potential risk for jointed karstic limestones in a rock quarry. First, to determine rock mass properties, scan-line surveys were performed, and the major orientations of discontinuities were analyzed using stereographic projection. Then, the physicomechanical properties of the slope-forming rock were determined in the laboratory, and geomechanical properties of the rock mass were determined using an empirical failure criterion. Finally, the quarry slope stability was assessed in accordance with numerical modelling. According to the results obtained, the numerical modelling of steep rock slopes can be efficiently evaluated by using finite element method. Beside this, the presence of joints intersecting the main discontinuity sets, the filling materials of discontinuities resulting from weathering of limestone and surface deposits, surcharge load due to mine waste dumped on the slopes and excavation blasting during construction of quarry area play a key role when modelling the steep rock slopes by using finite element method.     

Assessing seismic response of a 2D roller-compacted concrete dam under variable reservoir lengths

Finite element method (FEM) is effectively used for evaluating roller-compacted concrete (RCC) dams, especially in high seismicity zones. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of various reservoir lengths on the seismic response of a selected RCC dam under strong ground motion effects. Six different reservoir lengths, the lengths varies from h/2 to 10h (h, the height of dam), are used within finite element models. The hydrodynamic pressure of the reservoir water is modelled with the 2D fluid finite elements based on the Lagrangian approach. The horizontal and vertical components of the 1989 Mw 6.9 Loma Prieta earthquake are utilized in numerical analyses. The non-linear time-history analyses of those six models are investigated by using Drucker-Prager material model. According to the numerical analysis, it is obvious that the seismic behavior of the RCC dams is considerably dependent on the reservoir length. By increasing the length, we have obtained higher displacement values, which exist until the reservoir length reaches the 3h; at increased lengths, the values remain stable. This result proposes that 3h reservoir length is adequate to assess the seismic response of RCC dams. The principal tensile stresses are relatively lower in non-linear analysis compared to linear analyses. However, the principal compression stresses are close to each other in linear and non-linear analyses. The results imply that the non-linear response is influential on the total seismic response of a dam, which cannot be neglected in numerical analysis.     

On the <Emphasis Type="Italic">P</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">S</Emphasis> Receiver Functions Used for Inverting the One-Dimensional Upper Mantle Shear-Wave Velocities

The teleseismic P receiver functions are customarily inverted to attain the seismic velocities beneath a seismic station. Surface wave dispersion data are often added to reduce the effect of the non-uniqueness. The combination of P receiver function and surface wave works well in resolving the structures in the crust and uppermost mantle, but is less effective in characterizing greater (lithosphere and asthenosphere) depths due to the interference from crustal multiples. A solution to this problem is jointly to model teleseismic S receiver functions with surface wave and P receiver functions. This study adopts a fast, one-dimensional (1-D) inversion scheme. To avoid the effect of multidimensional structures away from the seismic station, we eliminate multiples that reverberate between the surface and interfaces below a restriction depth (RD), as well as S-to-P conversions below an inversion depth (ID). P-to-S conversions off the interfaces above the half-space and S-to-P conversions above the ID and multiples above the RD are properly modelled. This approach favours ray paths travelling close to stations and is, therefore, more suitable for 1-D inversions. We perform numerical experiments with and without noise and highlight the advantages of a joint receiver function and surface wave analysis.     

The deformation evaluation of Kızlaç T3A Tunnel (Osmaniye, Turkey)

This study covers the graphical analysis of deformation values measured in the Kızlaç T3A tunnel (Osmaniye, Turkey), which was built as a part of the Tarsus–Adana–Gaziantep Motorway Project. Excavation was performed through a sequence which was composed of sandstone–shale alternation, sandstone and dolerite dyke. Horizontal, longitudinal and settlement deformation values were optically read and recorded daily on a computer. These data were evaluated according to New Austrian Tunneling Method. Total deformation measurement, risky area determination and forecast of transitions between weak and stiff rock, stiff and weak rock were assessed as a result of deformation evaluation for tunnel stability, safety and economy.

The largest resultant deformation value (13 mm) was measured in the sandstone–shale alternation between chainage 500 and 550 m, which was highly weathered by groundwater and affected by local tectonic disturbance. The smallest deformation value was observed in a stiff dolerite dyke between 370 and 430 m, where at times the deformation values decreased to zero. In the sandstone, small resultant deformation values (2–4 mm) were also recorded. The 500–550-m interval of tunnel alignment had the highest risk for tunnel instability in the studied section but the deformation values (maximum 13 mm) were within the tolerable deformation range (10 cm). Small negative longitudinal deformation values decreasing between chainage 320 and 370 m and small positive longitudinal deformation values decreasing between 420 and 480 m indicate the sandstone–shale alternation (weak rock) and the dyke (stiff rock) and sandstone (stiff rock), and the sandstone–shale alternation with a fault gauge zone (weak rock), respectively. These longitudinal deformations needed probable to predict the lithological transitions ahead of the face, which in timely were used to determination of the tunnel support system.     

Comparison of Treatment Efficiency and Energy Consumption of Batch and Continuous Electrocoagulation in Urban Wastewater

In this study, domestic wastewater was used as the electrolyte. The work was carried out with an up-flow tubular reactor, made of stainless steel that was used as cathode, while the anode electrode material was aluminum and varying values of flow regime (25, 50, 75 and 100 mL/s for continuous system), initial pH value (5, 6, 7 and 7.8) and current intensity (10, 15 and 20 A) were applied. For domestic wastewater with natural pH, the effluent pH was >9 in the batch system, while in the continuous system the pH was 8–8.5. Likewise, while the effluent temperature was up to 60°C in the batch system, it was at most 35°C in the continuous system. However, the energy consumption values in the continuous system were considerably lower compared with the batch system. At a current intensity of 10 A, 80 kWh of energy per unit volume was consumed in the batch system, while it was 50 kWh for the continuous system. The present results show that the batch system can be used for small wastewater streams whereas the continuous system can be used for large wastewater streams for domestic wastewater treatment.     

Implications for the water level change triggered moderate (M ≥ 4.0) earthquakes in Lake Van basin, Eastern Turkey

The water level in Lake Van has shown alternating rises and decreases in history, causing economical, environmental and social problems over the littoral area. The water level changes were obtained to be in the order of 100 m between 18000 and 1000 B.C., in the order of 10 m between 1000 B.C. and 500 A.D. and relatively stable and fluctuating in the order of a few metres during the past 1500 years. The most recent change of the water level took place between 1987 and 1996, during which the water level increased episodically about 2 m and its altitude changed from approximately 1648.3 m to about 1650.2 m. All these changes were mainly related to climate changes. In this study, the water level changes in the lake after 1860 are compared with the seismic activity of faults lying close to the basin. Temporal correlations of seismicity with the water level changes are very persuasive and dramatic, indicating hydrogeological triggering of the earthquakes. This study shows that 14 M ≥ 5.0 earthquakes and increasing number of 4.0 ≤ M < 5.0 earthquakes accompanied or followed the dramatic (about 1 m or larger) changes of the annual mean of the water level in the lake and that there was a tendency of M ≥ 4 earthquakes to occur between November and February, during which the lake level is low within a year.     

Clustering current climate regions of Turkey by using a multivariate statistical method

In this study, the hierarchical clustering technique, called Ward method, was applied for grouping common features of air temperature series, precipitation total and relative humidity series of 244 stations in Turkey. Results of clustering exhibited the impact of physical geographical features of Turkey, such as topography, orography, land–sea distribution and the high Anatolian peninsula on the geographical variability. Based on the monthly series of nine climatological observations recorded for the period of 1970–2010, 12 and 14 clusters of climate zones are determined. However, from the comparative analyses, it is decided that 14 clusters represent the climate of Turkey more realistically. These clusters are named as (1) Dry Summer Subtropical Semihumid Coastal Aegean Region; (2) Dry-Subhumid Mid-Western Anatolia Region; (3 and 4) Dry Summer Subtropical Humid Coastal Mediterranean region [(3) West coast Mediterranean and (4) Eastern Mediterranean sub-regions]; (5) Semihumid Eastern Marmara Transition Sub-region; (6) Dry Summer Subtropical Semihumid/Semiarid Continental Mediterranean region; (7) Semihumid Cold Continental Eastern Anatolia region; (8) Dry-subhumid/Semiarid Continental Central Anatolia Region; (9 and 10) Mid-latitude Humid Temperate Coastal Black Sea Region [(9) West Coast Black Sea and (10) East Coast Black Sea sub-regions]; (11) Semihumid Western Marmara Transition Sub-region; (12) Semihumid Continental Central to Eastern Anatolia Sub-region; (13) Rainy Summer Semihumid Cold Continental Northeastern Anatolia Sub-region; and (14) Semihumid Continental Mediterranean to Eastern Anatolia Transition Sub-region. We believe that this study can be considered as a reference for the other climate-related researches of Turkey, and can be useful for the detection of Turkish climate regions, which are obtained by a long-term time course dataset having many meteorological variables.     

Dynamics of a complex mass movement triggered by heavy rainfall: a case study from NW Turkey

Following a period of heavy precipitation, a large and complex mass movement, namely the Dagkoy landslide, occurred in the West Black Sea Region of Turkey on May 21, 1998. This paper describes the conditioning factors of the landslide and interprets the mass transport processes in terms of a movement scenario. Geology, geomorphology and vegetation cover were considered as the conditioning factors of the failure. Observations showed that the gently sloping (about 10°) area is mostly covered by dense forest trees at the crown where the motion initiated. Significant intersection of the collapsed slope with dip of the local marls seems to have contributed to the formation and geometry of the landslide. The distance from the crown down to the toe of the landslide measured more than 600 m, with about 0.6 km³ total earth material displaced. The landslide has both a block sliding characteristics in the upper portions and a debris flow/soil flow component around the margins of the sliding blocks in the middle parts and at the toe. The proposed scenario for the landslide reveals that the movement was initiated near crown as a result of the excess water content in the marls at the end of 3 days of heavy rainfall. The early perturbations (transverse cracks, ridges, etc.) lasted for 6–7 h, after which the central part of the zone started to move as a soil flow in which very large intact blocks were transported. Even though the movement was very rapid (1.2 m/min), there was no loss of life. However, the movement destroyed 38 houses, one mosque and a considerable amount of farmland.     

Systematic development of a new hysteretic damper based on torsional yielding: part I—design and development

Analytical and experimental studies into the behavior of a new hysteretic damper, designed for seismic protection of structures is presented in two papers. Although the subject matter of the papers is a specific system, they are also intended as an illustration of practical application of diverse engineering tools in systematic development of an anti‐seismic product. The Multi‐directional Torsional Hysteretic Damper (MTHD) is a recently patented invention in which a symmetrical arrangement of identical cylindrical steel energy dissipaters is configured to yield in torsion while the structure experiences planar movements due to earthquake shakings. The device has gone through many stages of design refinement, prototype verification tests and development of design guidelines and computer codes to facilitate its implementation in practice. The first of this two‐part paper summarizes the development stages of the new system, conceptual and analytical. The experimental phase of the research is the focus of the accompanying paper. The new device has certain desirable properties. Notably, it is characterized by a variable and controllable‐via‐design or adaptive post‐elastic stiffness. This feature gives the isolated structure the capability to evade the dominant period of the ground motion leading to reduced displacements while having force levels comparable to regular bilinear isolation systems. The device has already been applied to four major bridges. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.