Seismic-response-controlled structure with active mass driver system. Part 1: Design

An Active Mass Driver (AMD) system is proposed to suppress actively the response of a building to irregular external excitations such as earthquakes and typhoons. This system has been introduced to an actual ten-storey office building for the first time in the world. The system controls the motions of a structure by means of an external energy supply. It consists of an auxiliary mass installed in a building and an actuator that operates the mass and produces a control force which counters disturbances to the building. The design method of the AMD system, including the location of the installation and the capacity and stability of the system, is proposed. Simplification of the control algorithm is also described.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary oils derived from siliceous sources in Japan, Russia and U.S.A.

Siliceous sourced Tertiary oils from the Circum-Pacific area of Japan, Russia and the U.S.A. have a heavy carbon isotope composition, monomodal n-alkane distributions, and nearly identical regular sterane compositions with a predominance of C₂₇ homologues. These are consistent with open marine depositional environments dominated by diatomaceous organic matter. However, a number of alkane and biomarker parameters such as Pr/Ph, CPI, relative concentration of 28,30-bisnorhopane, and the C₃₅/C₃₄ homohopane ratio indicate more oxic depositional environments for the source rocks of Japan and Russia. In contrast to the California Monterey Formation sourced oils, petroleums with low maturity levels from the North Sakhalin basin, Russia and the Akita basin, Japan have lower concentrations of asphaltenes and sulphur and are characterized by higher API gravities. A correlation of extractable organic matter from source rocks vs the least matured petroleums demonstrates that oil expulsion in siliceous shales of the Akita basin occurs at a maturity level corresponding to R_o≥0.65%, which is in the range of the conventional oil window (R_o = 0.6−1.1%).     

Significance of High-Frequency Wind Forcing in Modelling the Kuroshio

Motivated by an analysis of a satellite sea surface temperature image suggesting that a train of extra-tropical cyclones induces amplification of the Kuroshio meander, a regional Kuroshio/Oyashio general circulation model was used to investigate the impact of high-frequency wind on the Kuroshio path variations. Near Japan, the standard deviation of the wind stress curl can be 10 times larger than the monthly mean, so the synoptic variations of the wind stress curl cannot be neglected. With the bimodal Kuroshio case realized in the model, sensitivity tests were conducted using monthly and daily mean QuikSCAT-derived wind stress forcings. The comparison showed that the high-frequency local wind perturbed the Shikoku recirculation gyre (SRG) and caused a transition of the path from straight to meander. The strong anticyclonic eddy within the SRG triggered the meander in the latter case. The high-frequency wind perturbed the motion of the eddy that would have otherwise detached from the Kuroshio, migrated south and terminated the meandering state. The result reinforces the suggestion from previous studies that the anticyclonic eddy within the SRG plays an active role in controlling the Kuroshio path variations.     

Performance‐based design with semi‐active structural control technique

The recent spate of large earthquakes has triggered diverse performance requirements for structures. This has led to increasing worldwide interest in performance‐based design methods. To establish such methods, however, it is necessary to evaluate structure conditions after defining the loads, and this is difficult to accomplish. On the other hand, there has been steady progress on research and development of structural control techniques for improving structural performance. These technological innovations need to be rationally incorporated into structural design. In particular, semi‐active structural control techniques are effective in improving structural performance during large earthquakes. By effectively incorporating them into the design, it is possible to meet the various structural performance requirements. This paper first outlines the various structural control methods and focuses on the semi‐active structural control technique as the main topic. It then describes an example to verify the effectiveness of the semi‐active structural control technique in high‐rise buildings. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Meteor Orbit Determinations with Multistatic Receivers Using the MU Radar

The MU radar of RISH (Research Institute for Sustainable Humanosphere, Kyoto University), which is a MST radar (46.5 MHz, 1 MW peak power), has been successfully applied to meteor studies by using its very high versatility. The system has recently renewed with 25 channel digital receivers which significantly improved the sensitivity and precision of interferometer used in meteor observation. The transmission is now synchronized to GPS signals, and two external receiving sites with a ranging capability has additionally been operated in order to determine the trajectories and speeds of meteoroids.     

Geochemical contrast between the Sanbagawa psammitic schists (Oboke unit) and the Cretaceous Shimanto sandstones in Shikoku, Southwest Japan and its geologic significance

Abstract A systematic geochemical study of sandstones from the Cretaceous Shimanto Supergroup and psammitic schists from the Oboke unit in Shikoku has been carried out in order to clarify the depositional age of the protoliths of the Oboke psammitic schists. The geochemical data, together with chronological and geologic data, led to the following conclusions. (i) It is inferred that Oboke psammitic schists are metamorphically equivalent to sandstones in the Hiwasa Formation of the Shimanto accretionary complex, deposited in a trench area during the Campanian, in eastern Shikoku. (ii) The protolith attained to maximum metamorphic conditions within 20 million years after the deposition. (iii) The accumulation of a large amount of coarse-grained clastic sediments in the trench area induced offscraping and underplating of the sediments in the subduction zone, forming the Hiwasa Formation and Oboke unit, respectively.     

Evidence of subsurface anaerobic biodegradation of hydrocarbons and potential secondary methanogenesis in terrestrial mud volcanoes

The assessment of gas origin in mud volcanoes and related petroleum systems must consider post-genetic processes which may alter the original molecular and isotopic composition of reservoir gas. Beyond eventual molecular and isotopic fractionation due to gas migration and microbial oxidation, investigated in previous studies, we now demonstrate that mud volcanoes can show signals of anaerobic biodegradation of natural gas and oil in the subsurface. A large set of gas geochemical data from more than 150 terrestrial mud volcanoes worldwide has been examined. Due to the very low amount of C₂₊ in mud volcanoes, isotopic ratios of ethane, propane and butane (generally the best tracers of anaerobic biodegradation) are only available in a few cases. However, it is observed that ¹³C-enriched propane is always associated with positive δ¹³C_CO2 values, which are known indicators of secondary methanogenesis following anaerobic biodegradation of petroleum. Data from carbon isotopic ratio of CO₂ are available for 134 onshore mud volcanoes from 9 countries (Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Russia, Turkmenistan, Trinidad, Italy, Japan and Taiwan). Exactly 50% of mud volcanoes, all releasing thermogenic or mixed methane, show at least one sample with δ¹³C_CO2 > +5‰ (PDB). Thermogenic CH₄ associated with positive carbon isotopic ratio of CO₂ generally maintains its δ¹³C-enriched signature, which is therefore not perturbed by the lighter secondary microbial gas. There is, however, high variability in the δ¹³C_CO2 values within the same mud volcanoes, so that positive δ¹³C_CO2 values can be found in some vents and not in others, or not continuously in the same vent. This can be due to high sensitivity of δ¹³C_CO2 to gas–water–rock interactions or to the presence of differently biodegraded seepage systems in the same mud volcano. However, finding a positive δ¹³C_CO2 value should be considered highly indicative of anaerobic biodegradation and further analyses should be made, especially if mud volcanoes are to be used as pathfinders of the conditions indicative of subsurface hydrocarbon accumulations in unexplored areas.     

Actual seismic response controlled building with semi-active damper system

This paper presents the first application of a semi-active damper system to an actual building. The Semi-active Hydraulic Damper (SHD) can produce a maximum damping force of 1000 kN with an electric power of 70 W. It is compact, so a large number of them can be installed in a single building. It is thus possible to control the building's response during a severe earthquake, because a large control force is obtained in comparison with a conventional active control system. This paper outlines the building, the control system configuration, the SHD, the control method using a Linear Quadratic Regulator, the response analysis results of the controlled building, and the dynamic loading test results of the actual SHD. The simulation analysis shows that damage to buildings can be prevented in a severe earthquake by SHD control. The dynamic loading test results of the SHD are reported, which show that the specified design values were obtained in the basic characteristic test. The control performance test using simulated response time histories, also shows that the damping force agrees well with the command. Finally, it is confirmed that the semi-active damper system applied to an actual building effectively controls its response in severe earthquakes. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.