Die Geologie auf der Deutschen Atlantischen Expedition

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Coupling of boundary and finite elements for soil-structure interaction problems

The investigation of complex soil-structure interaction problems is usually carried out with numerical solution procedures such as the finite element or the boundary element method. It must be noted, however, that the choice of one or the other of these approaches is not just a matter of preferences; depending on the type of the problem under consideration, either boundary or finite elements may be more advantageous. A considerable expansion in the computational power can be obtained, on the other hand, if one resorts to hybrid schemes which retain the main advantages of the two methods and eliminate their respective disadvantages. This paper presents results obtained with a boundary element-finite element coupling procedure, and discusses its applicability to some representative soil-structure interaction problems. The structures considered are elastic systems, such as foundations, tunnels and filled trenches (modelled by finite elements), which are coupled with homogeneous elastic halfspaces (modelled by boundary elements). The examples demonstrate the importance of using a model that includes wave radiation effects. The coupling approach is formulated entirely in the time domain so that an extension of the algorithm to non-linear analyses seems to present no further difficulties.     

DIE TECHNISCHE UND WIRTSCHAFTLICHE BEDEUTUNG DER GLETSCHER / The Role of Glaciers in the Economy and Technical Development of Alpine Countries

English Summary

In former times the inhabitants of alpine regions looked upon glaciers as an uncanny and dangerous realm which they avoided as far as possible. It was only around the middle of the 18th Century that man became gradually aware of the beauty of the mountains, and approximately at the same time science started to take an interest in glaciers. Most of the questions raised in this field have been solved since. However, even in our times it is not sufficiently well known that glaciers, which are responsible for the characteristics of the regime of alpine rivers, are interesting not only from the point of view of physical geography, but are also of great importance for the economy and technical development of alpine countries.

Torrents which are fed by the melted ice, carry great quantities of water at periods when other streams frequently run dry. Nevertheless, in the terms of hydraulic power economy, it would be an over simplification to consider glaciers as reservoirs. It must not be forgotten, that in the Alps precipitation is highest during the summer months, and consequently that rivers carry more water during that season than during any other period of the year. The presence of glaciers adds to the extreme situation, and therefore the equalisation of seasonal differences in the runoff of glaciers necessary for power economy requires more storage capacity than is needed for catchment areas without glaciers.

On the other hand, there are also arid zones in the Alps, where conditions are entirely different. I am thinking of the deep valleys, running east to west, which are screened from rain by high mountain ranges, as for instance in the Wallis, the Vintschgau, parts of Western Tyrol and the Engadine. In these valleys it is particularly the slopes open to the south and exposed to constant insolation which show the typical characteristics and vegetation of arid zones. Precipitation during the growing season is often far less than the 600mm which is considered as the minimum needed for most types of cultivation, so much so that artificial irrigation has been practised for many generations. Whenever possible, the aqueducts, often very primitive, are fed by the glacier runoff of the large mountain massifs which never run dry. In some parts of the Wallis and in the South and West Tyrol, the water had to be conducted long distances and across difficult terrain; the construction of these primitive aqueducts was therefore a truly difficult task, as financial and technical resources available for that purpose were very inadequate.

This additional water-supply produced by glaciers in summer has a very definite effect on the large rivers rising in the Alps and flowing down in all directions, to name a few of them, the Rhine, the Inn, the Drave, the Rhône, the Adige etc. Not a single one of them has a low water level record in summer equal to that of the Weser or the Elbe and many other rivers of Central Europe which are not fed by glaciers. This low water level in summer has naturally a very detrimental effect on the navigation of rivers, and also on their capacity to replenish ground-water resources. The abundance of glacier runoff assures a fairly steady supply of water to the first mentioned rivers even in their lower courses, a fact which is of special importance for hydraulic economy in general and for hydraulic energy economy in particular. The rich potential of hydraulic energy in Jugoslavia, for instance, suffers from the fact that the quantity of water carried by the karst-rivers is considerably smaller in summer than it is in winter. The river Drave with its tributaries fed by glacier runoff from the Alps in Carynthia and East Tyrol, is practically the only river in Jugoslavia used to a considerable extent for the production of hydraulic power. It carries even more water in summer than during other seasons. This river, which serves to equalise the seasonal production of energy is therefore most valuable for the power economy of the country.

Short-term changes in the size of glaciers which are the subject of our present symposium, are causing the development of glacier lakes of which there exist several types. Most dangerous are those in larger valleys, caused by the tongue of a side glacier forming a dam, for instance here in the Ötztal Alps, at the Gurgler and at the Rofener Eissee near Vent. Other lakes develop in the basins left behind by the tongues of former glaciers. Water suddenly released from glacier lakes due to a breach of the ice or moraine dam, has frequently been the cause of terrible catastrophes. Attempts have therefore been made to protect the valleys against floods by the construction of flood reservoirs suitably situated below the glacier. An example of this type is the reservoir dam which the Austrian torrent-control authorities constructed in the Martellvalley (South Tyrol) in 1898/99 to prevent damage from an eventual breach in the banks of a glacier lake which had developed. Nowadays the large reservoirs constructed for hydro-electric power provide even greater protection.

Reservoirs for power plants in the Alps, which are created by the construction of large dams, require the existence of basins hollowed out by former glaciers during a long geological period. Outside of the glaciated areas, such basins can generally be created only by artificially blocking up a river-valley. This type of reservoir can be easily distinguished from that described above by its entirely different outline.

It must finally be remembered that the large load of sediment carried by glacial rivers has its economic and technical problems. Although it will probably take centuries to fill up the largest hydro-electric reservoirs, or even to considerably reduce their storage capacity, there are many smaller lakes in which this development will take no more than decades. Deposits of mud, for instance in the reservoir of the Margaritze, in the “Tauernfraftwerke” area had, after a mere decade accumulated to the extent that the power-plant administration had to install a floating suction dredger to remove at least part of the sediment. In this connection it was, however, important not to overload the river downstream with mud to such a degree as to cause damage to the fish population. Careful observation was needed to find out to what extent the river was able to cope with the artificial inflow of mud, and to follow the dispersion of the peak values of the suspesion load.

Nowadays waters destined for the generation of hydro-electric power are collected at the highest possible altitudes. An interesting example of the application of modern methods of this type is the collection of the runoff from beneath the Brandner Ferner in the Silvretta from where it is conveyed to the Lünersee. As a water intake on the surface was impossible due to the difficult terrain, a tunnel had to be driven through the rock bed of the glacier and there, immediately underneath it, in an ice cave, the water flows into a cage consisting of strong steel girders. This cage retains the large bolders, while the water from the bottom of the glacier runs off into the tunnel.     

Kriegsjahrgänge ausländischer Zeitschriften

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Über Flächen- und Achsengefüge in den Triebwasserstollen des Rodundwerkes (Montafon)

Ohne ZusammenfassungMit 1 Textabbildung und 12 Diagrammen.     

Characterisation of the hydrogeology of the Augustus River catchment,Western Australia

Understanding the hydrogeology of weathered rock catchments is integral for the management of various problems related to increased salinity within the many towns of Western Australia. This paper presents the results of site characterisation investigations aimed at improving the overall understanding of the hydrogeology of the southern portion of the Augustus River catchment, an example of a weathered rock catchment. Site data have highlighted the presence of both porous media aquifers within the weathered profile and fractured rock aquifers within the basement rocks. Geophysical airborne surveys and other drilling data have identified a large number of dolerite dykes which crosscut the site. Fractured quartz veins have been found along the margins of these dolerite dykes. Detailed groundwater-level measurements and barometric efficiency estimates indicate that these dolerite dykes and fractured quartz veins are affecting groundwater flow directions, promoting a strong hydraulic connection between all aquifers, and also influencing recharge mechanisms. The hydrogeological significance of the dolerite dykes and fractured quartz veins has been assessed using a combination of high-frequency groundwater-level measurements (30-min sampling interval), rainfall measurements (5-min sampling interval) and barometric pressure fluctuations (30-min sampling interval). A conceptual model was developed for describing various hydrogeological features of the study area. The model indicates that fractured quartz veins along the margins of dolerite dykes are an important component of the hydrogeology of the weathered rock catchments.

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Resumen Entender la hidrogeología de cuencas con rocas meteorizadas es esencial para gestionar diversos problemas relacionados con el incremento de salinidad en muchas ciudades de Australia Occidental. Este artículo presenta los resultados obtenidos en la caracterización de varios emplazamientos con el fin de mejorar el conocimiento general de la hidrogeología en la zona sur de la cuenca del Río Augustus, que sirve como ejemplo de cuenca en rocas meteorizadas. Los datos de campo resaltan la presencia tanto de medios acuíferos porosos dentro del perfil meteorizado como de acuíferos en rocas fracturadas dentro de la roca fresca. Los registros geofísicos aéreos y datos de las perforaciones han identificado un gran número de diques de dolerita que intersectan el emplazamiento. Se ha hallado venas de cuarzo fracturado a lo largo de los márgenes de los diques de dolerita. Medidas detalladas del nivel piezométrico y estimaciones de la eficiencia barométrica indican que los diques de dolerita y las venas de cuarzo fracturado afectan las direcciones del flujo de las aguas subterráneas, originando una fuerte conexión hidráulica entre todos los acuíferos e influenciando también a los mecanismos de recarga. Se ha establecido la importancia hidrogeológica de los diques de dolerita y de las venas de cuarzo fracturado mediante una combinación de medidas muy frecuentes del nivel piezométrico (cada 30 min), de la precipitación (cada 5 min) y de las fluctuaciones de la presión barométrica (cada 30 min). Se ha desarrollado un modelo conceptual para describir varias características hidrogeológicas del área de estudio. El modelo indica que las venas de cuarzo fracturado en los márgenes de los diques de dolerita constituyen un componente importante de la hidrogeología de cuencas con rocas meteorizadas.

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Résumé Comprendre lhydrogéologie des bassins en roches altérées est essentiel pour la gestion de différents problèmes liés à laugmentation de la salinité dans de nombreuses villes dAustralie occidentale. Cet article présente les résultats détudes de caractérisation de sites conduites pour améliorer la compréhension de lhydrogéologie de la partie sud du bassin de la rivière Augustus, exemple de bassin en roches altérées. Les données concernant le site ont mis en évidence la présence simultanée daquifères poreux dans le profil daltération et daquifères de roches fracturées dans le socle. Des campagnes de géophysique aéroportée et dautres données de forages ont identifié de très nombreux dykes de dolérite traversant le site. Des veines de quartz fracturées ont été trouvées aux marges de ces dykes de dolérite. Des mesures détaillées de niveau des nappes et des estimations des effets barométriques indiquent que ces dykes de dolérite et les veines de quartz fracturées affectent les directions découlement souterrain, favorisant une forte connexion hydraulique entre tous ces aquifères, et influençant également les mécanismes de recharge. La signification hydrogéologique des dykes de dolérite et des veines de quartz fracturées a été analysée en combinant des mesures à haute fréquence du niveau des nappes (toutes les 30 min), de la pluie (toutes les 5 min) et des variations de la pression barométrique (toutes les 30 min). Un modèle conceptuel a été établi pour décrire les différents phénomènes hydrogéologiques de la région étudiée. Ce modèle indique que les veines de quartz aux marges des dykes de dolérite sont une importante composante de lhydrogéologie des bassins en roches altérées.

     

Zur Deutung der Hornsteinbrekzien des Sonnwendgebirges im Unterinntal

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