Vulnerability of ordinary moment resistant concrete frames

The effects of structural modeling (bar slip in lap splice), ground motion selection process (epsilon effect) and size of a structure (number of bays and stories) on the fragility of reinforced concrete ordinary moment resisting frames are investigated. An analytical model is developed to account for bar slip in lap splice, which exhibits good correlation with existing experimental data. Then, incremental dynamic analysis is used to derive the fragility curves for four model structures. The model structures simulate frames with a different number of bays and stories. Finally, the fragility curves are corrected for the epsilon effect. The results show that slip in the lap splice can significantly increase the failure probability, especially for the collapse prevention limit state. At the same time, it is found that spectral shape has a significant impact on the fragility curves. It is also found that accounting for or ignoring bar slip or epsilon effects increases the probability of failure for larger structures. This indicates an unconservative bias in the safety of larger structures.     

Solving land-use suitability analysis and planning problem by a hybrid meta-heuristic algorithm

The aim of Land-use Suitability Analysis and Planning Problem (LSAPP) is to identify the most suitable parcels of land for future land-uses considering several conflicting criteria. LSAPP can be modeled using a variant of a well-known combinatorial optimization problem called Quadratic Assignment Problem (QAP). In this paper, a multi-objective mathematical model is developed for LSAPP based on QAP modeling. The large-size instances of the proposed multi-objective mathematical model are difficult to solve in a reasonable CPU time using exact algorithms. So, an efficient three-phase hybrid solution procedure is proposed. In the first phase, the compensatory objectives are integrated using Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Decision-Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory. Then, based on the aforementioned suitability objective function and other spatial objectives and constraints, a multi-objective LSAPP is constructed. Finally, a hybrid multiple objective meta-heuristic algorithm is proposed to solve the LSAPP. The core of the proposed algorithm is based on Scatter Search while Tabu Search and Variable Neighborhood Search are also utilized. The proposed algorithm is equipped with the concepts of Pareto optimality and Veto Threshold, which improve its efficacy. The proposed algorithm is applied on a real LSAPP case study, in ‘Persian Gulf Knowledge Village’, wherein its performance is compared with a well-known evolutionary computation algorithm called Vector Evaluated Genetic Algorithm (VEGA) using comprehensive statistical analysis. A survey on time complexity of the proposed algorithm is also accomplished. The results show that MOSVNS is significantly superior to VEGA both in single and in multi-objective modes. Furthermore, analysis of time complexity of the proposed algorithm shows that it is of polynomial time and can be applied to significantly larger problems with multiple compensatory and non-compensatory objectives.     

Analysis of recharge conceptualization in inverse groundwater modelling

ABSTRACT

This study presents a systematic illustration quantifying how misleading the calibration results of a groundwater simulation model can be when recharge rates are considered as the model parameters to be estimated by inverse modelling. Three approaches to recharge estimation are compared: autocalibration (Model 1), the empirical return coefficient method (Model 2), and distributed hydrological modelling using the Soil and Water Assessment Tool, SWAT (Model 3). The methodology was applied in the Dehloran Plain, western Iran, using the MODFLOW modular flow simulator and the PEST method for autocalibration. The results indicate that, although Model 1 performed the best in simulating water levels at observation wells in the calibration stage, it did not perform satisfactorily in real future scenarios. Model 3, with SWAT-based recharge rates, performed better than the other models in the validation stage. By not evaluating the model performance solely on calibration results, we demonstrate the relative significance of using more accurate recharge estimates when calibrating groundwater simulation models.

EDITOR D. Koutsoyiannis; ASSOCIATE EDITOR M. Besbes     

The plurality effect of topographical irregularities on site seismic response

Topography can have significant effects on seismic ground response during an earthquake because topographic irregularities cause considerable differences between the seismic waves emitted by the source and the waves reaching the ground surface. When a seismic motion happens in a topographically irregular area, seismic waves are trapped and reflected between the topographic features. Therefore, the interaction between topographies can amplify seismic ground response. In order to reveal how interaction between topographies influences seismic response, several numerical finite element studies have been performed by using the ABAQUS program. The results show that topographic features a greater distance between the seismic source and the site would cause greater seismic motion amplification and is perceptible for the hills far away from the source and the ridges. Also, site acceleration response is impacted by surrounding topography further than site velocity and displacement response.     

Chemical stabilization of sabkha soils at high moisture contents

Vast expanses of arid, saline soils that occur along the Arabian Gulf seaboard and elsewhere possess a very low density and strength that necessitate improvement before any actual construction takesplace. For large-scale constructions, several field improvement techniques have recently been implemented with various degrees of success. In surficial, small-scale applications, chemical stabilization provides a potential technique to improve the inferior properties of these soils, known locally as sabkha. A literature search indicates that chemical stabilization of soils usingasphalt, lime and cement is usually conducted at lower moisture contents than the optimum. Such moisture contents are also much lower than the natural moisture content of sabkha, and if applied to sabkha in the field, this wouldrequire lowering the moisture content before any stabilization commenced; whichwould be neither feasible nor economical.

In this investigation, an eastern Saudi sabkha soil was chemically stabilized at its natural moisture level, which varies from 16% to 22%. In addition to the characterization of the soil and standard compaction tests, cement and lime sabkha mixtures were prepared at five additions and cured for up to 90 days in plastic wrap. Results indicate that cement-stabilized sabkha gained high strength with time and proved to have a potential use in construction.     

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Nonaqueous Phase Liquid Distribution in Unconsolidated Soils Using Discriminatory Freezing

Organic contaminants present as nonaqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the subsurface often pose a long-term risk to human health and the environment. Investigating the distribution of NAPLs in porous media remains a major challenge in risk assessment and management of contaminated sites. Conventional soil coring and monitoring wells have been widely used over past decades as the primary means of subsurface investigation to determine NAPL extent. Known limitations of conventional approaches have led us to explore an alternative or a complementary technique to provide high-quality information of NAPL source zone architecture. This work advances an imaging tool for a variety of organic NAPL contaminants in unconsolidated soils through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of frozen cores. Using trichloroethylene (TCE) and o-xylene as model species, we illustrate that discriminatory freezing of water, while keeping the NAPL in a liquid state, enables high-resolution qualitative delineation of NAPL distribution within porous media. This novel approach may help improve site conceptual models and consequentially lead to highly tailored, more efficient remedial measures.     

Timing of Late Neoproterozoic glaciation on Baltica constrained by detrital zircon geochronology in the Hedmark Group, south-east Norway

The Moelv Tillite is the Late Neoproterozoic Varanger glacial deposit recorded in the Hedmark Group, SE Norway. Paired U–Pb and Lu–Hf data collected on detrital zircons in the Rendalen Formation underlying the Moelv Tillite have identified an uncommon 677 ± 15 to 620 ± 14 Ma population, that constrain the deposition of the Moelv Tillite to be younger than 620 ± 14 Ma. The youngest detrital zircons may be derived from granite magmatism related to the 616 ± 3 Ma Egersund dolerite magmatism, situated in the western part of the Sveconorwegian orogen. The Moelv Tillite, which is not overlain by a cap carbonate, possibly correlates with the c. 580 Ma Squantum-Gaskiers glacial deposits of Avalonia. Available palaeomagnetic data for the Late Neoproterozoic suggest that Baltica was located at intermediate to high latitude between 620 and 555 Ma.     

Lithostratigraphic subdivision of the Kuhlan Formation in Yemen

The lithostratigraphic subdivision of the Kuhlan Formation in Yemen is reviewed based on the previous literature and new examination of five widely spaced outcrops in the Kuhlan Affar, Jabal Maswar, Jabal Salab, Wadi Hajar, and Ras Falanj areas. Following the guidelines set by the North American Commission on Stratigraphic Nomenclature, Kuhlan Formation, with an age as latest Triassic to the Middle Jurassic, includes three members, Azzan, Souq, and Hesn, in an ascending order. Azzan member consists mainly of about 40 m of whitish coarse grained sandstone with many conglomeratic horizons. The Souq member is characterized by its reddish to brownish sandstones as well as the presence of polygonal structures at in the central part of this member, with a thickness of about 70 m. The Hesn member consists dominantly (80 m) of whitish sandstones with some marl intercalations at its topmost part. The Kuhlan Formation was deposited in a fluviatile environment.