Synthesis and stability of iron nanoparticles for lunar environment studies

Abstract– Simulants of lunar dust are needed when researching the lunar environment. However, unlike the true lunar dust, today’s simulants do not contain nanophase iron. Two different processes have been developed to fabricate nanophase iron to be used as part of a lunar dust simulant. (1) The first is to sequentially treat a mixture of ferric chloride, fluorinated carbon, and soda lime glass beads at about 300 °C in nitrogen, at room temperature in air, and then at 1050 °C in nitrogen. The product includes glass beads that are gray in color, can be attracted by a magnet, and contains α‐iron nanoparticles (which seem to slowly lose their lattice structure in ambient air during a period of 12 months). This product may have some similarity to the lunar glassy agglutinate, which contains FeO. (2) The second is to heat a mixture of carbon black and a lunar simulant (a mixed metal oxide that includes iron oxide) at 1050 °C in nitrogen. This process simulates lunar dust reactions with the carbon in a micrometeorite at the time of impact. The product contains a chemically modified simulant that can be attracted by a magnet and has a surface layer whose iron concentration increased during the reaction. The iron was found to be α‐iron and Fe₃O₄ nanoparticles, which appear to grow after the fabrication process. This growth became undetectable after 6 months of ambient air storage, but may last for several years or longer.     

Interaction of a negatively buoyant line plume with a density interface

Laboratory experiments were carried out to investigate the interaction between turbulent line buoyant plumes and sharp density interfaces, with the aim of using the results to interpret oceanic observations pertinent to crack openings in the polar ice-cap (leads). These openings take the form of long narrow channels, and are often modeled as line bouyant plumes. The plumes descend as in a homogenoous fluid, impinge on the density interface, and then spread horizontally as gravity currents. Depending on the Richardson number , where Δb is the buoyancy jump across the interface, l_D is the half-width of the plume before the impingement and q₀is the buoyancy flux per unit length of the source, different flow patterns were identified. When Ri < 0.5, the plumes penetrate deep into the bottom layer, deflect horizontally and then spread while showing little vertical rise. When 0.6 < Ri < 5, the penetration is significant, but the fluid bounces back after entraining heavy fluid from the lower layer and then spreads horizontally above the interface as a gravity current. Appreciable mixing between this current and the lower layer was detected when Ri <1. When Ri > 10, the penetration was small and a sharp-nosed gravity current emerged some time after the impact. Measurements were made on the penetration depth, the velocities of the gravity current and the subsurface flow towards the plume, the entrainment rate and other wave parameters. Possible implications of the results for oceanic cases are also discussed.     

四川省雅安多营坪─攀枝花市田房公路选线工程地质遥感图像综合解译

分析公路工程地质遥感的技术优势和实际作用；介绍“雅安-攀枝花市公路送线工程地质遥感图像综合解译”的技术思路及取得的主要成果；归纳在公路工程地质评价和论证中遥感图像综合解译的独特效果；指出遥感技术应用在公路勘察中越来越占据着无可替代的重要位置，也是当前公路工程地质勘察中不可缺少的技术手段之一。     

Computer simulation and modelling of mechanical properties of particulates

The mechanical properties of particulate systems are studied from a micromechanics point of view. Two approaches, namely, computer simulation and micro-structural continuum modelling are used. The computer simulation method is used to study the uniformity of the strain field and effect of particle rotations. These results are then used to evaluate the applicability of the micro-structural continuum model. Potential applications of the micro-structural continuum model in the study of mechanical properties of soils are discussed.     

Spatial variation of the evolution and structure of the urban boundary layer

The spatial variation of the nocturnal urban boundary-layer structure is described and the time variation of the mixing height, and the nocturnal inversion top and strength after sunrise is presented for urban sites located upwind, downwind, and near the center of the heat island, and at an upwind rural site. Observations were derived from high resolution temperature profiles obtained by a helicopter during 35 intensive morning experiments in St. Louis, Missouri.The nocturnal urban boundary layer increased in depth from the upwind edge of the urban area. Far downwind, in suburban and rural areas, a remnant of the urban boundary layer existed between a stable surface-based layer and an upper inversion that resembled the upwind rural inversion.The mixing height (base of the inversion) evolved in a parabolic manner after sunrise at the urban locations. A rise in the inversion top after sunrise at the urban locations is believed to be due to low-level convergence which caused the entire inversion layer to be lifted. Due to large horizontal temperature gradients associated with the urban heat island, cold air advection tended to counteract the urban-induced lifting effect by inhibiting mixing-height growth at urban locations upwind of the heat-island center. Advection also caused the maximum height and fastest growth rate of the urban mixed layer to be shifted downwind of the urban area with time. However, mean mixing-height growth rates at various urban locations did not differ significantly. The rural mixing-height growth rate was about twice as large as urban values for up to 3 hr after sunrise. Spatial differences in the mixing height became small near the time of inversion dissipation, which appeared to occur at about the same time at all locations.On assignment from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce.     

成都市土地利用现状遥感调查研究

利用美国陆地卫星TM遥感图像资料，对成都市土地利用现状进行调查研究，全面系统地查明了成都市土地利用状况及其分布规律，分析与评价了土地利用的合理程度，揭示了土地利用中存在的主要问题，并提出了土地资源可持续利用的对策与建议，可为政府有关部门合理利用土地资源，制定国土整治规划提供科学依据。     

四川省遥感地质20年巡礼

在简述四川省遥感地质工作２０ 年发展情况之后,展示出我省现已积累了丰富的遥感信息源,较高的计算机图形图像处理技术和遥感应用技术水平,形成了一支强大的遥感应用专业队伍,并已取得了丰硕的遥感地质成果。综合运用遥感、地理信息系统、全球卫星定位系统,在未来的国土资源与生态地学调查中,遥感地学工作必将取得更大的发展。     

Cyclic tests of steel plate shear walls using box‐shape vertical boundary elements with or without infill concrete

The steel plate shear wall (SPSW) is an effective lateral force resisting system in which unstiffened steel infill plates are connected to the horizontal and vertical boundary elements (VBEs) on all sides of the plates. The boundary elements must be designed to resist the tension field force of the infill panels. When the VBEs are made from a steel box section, the flange of each box VBE connected with the infill panels can be pulled out‐of‐plane by significant panel forces, called pull‐out action. This study investigates capacity design methods for box VBEs in SPSWs. Simplified fixed beam and portal frame models aim to estimate the pull‐out responses of the flange of the box sections with and without infill concrete, respectively. In this study, cyclic tests of three full‐scale two‐story SPSWs using box VBEs with or without the infill concrete are conducted. Inelastic pushover analyses of the finite element models are conducted. The tests and analytical results confirm that the proposed design methods, which aimed to prevent the full yield of the flange under the pull‐out action, are applicable. Furthermore, the test and analytical results suggest that the initial yielding of the flange of box VBEs under the collective effects of the pull‐out action on the flange, the gravity load, and the sway action on the SPSW represents a local yielding. A strict prohibition of the initial yielding on the flange under the aforementioned collective effects is not recommended for pursuing a cost‐effective design. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Non‐uniqueness of critical state line in compression and extension conditions

Experimental evidence has indicated that the critical state line determined from undrained compression tests is not identical to that determined from undrained extension tests. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a modelling method that accounts for the non‐uniqueness of critical state lines in the compression and the extension testing conditions. Conventional elastic–plastic cap models can predict only a unique critical state line for the compression and the extension tests. A new micromechanical stress–strain model is developed considering explicitly the location of critical state line. The model is then used to simulate undrained triaxial compression and extension tests performed on isotropically consolidated samples with different over‐consolidated ratios. The predictions are compared with experimental results as well as that predicted by models with kinematic hardening of yield surface. All simulations demonstrate that the proposed micromechanical approach is capable of modelling the undrained compression and the undrained extension tests. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Estimating inelastic sediment deformation from local site response simulations

Significant insight into the dynamic local site response of a horizontally layered sediment deposit to seismic excitation can be gained from numerical simulations. In this paper we use a nonlinear local site response analysis code SPECTRA to estimate the coseismic sediment deformation at a seismically active site in Lotung, Taiwan. We address some basic issues relevant for interpreting the simulation results, including the impact of noise and baseline offsets present in the input ground motion. We also consider the sensitivity of the predicted deformation responses to statistical variations of sediment constitutive properties. Finally, we apply a suite of hypothetical strong ground motions to the base of the sediment deposit to better understand the pattern of inelastic deformation likely to result from strong seismic shaking.