Engineering behaviour of MICP treated marine clays

Abstract

In the present scenario, with much focus on sustainable development worldwide, Microbially Induced Calcite Precipitation (MICP) is a promising biological soil improvement technology. However, only very limited research is reported on the effectiveness of this technique in marine clays. This paper presents the salient features of an experimental study conducted on two typical marine clays stabilised by MICP. Effectiveness of the technique was evaluated through a series of one-dimensional consolidation tests, unconfined compression tests, and index property determinations. It is found that biostimulation approach is not effective in marine clay; bio-augmentation is needed for soil improvement. Bio-augmentation results in the reduction of liquid limit and plasticity index to about 29% and 47%, respectively for the marine clays. A comparable improvement in volume change behaviour is also observed. There is a marked increase in undrained shear strength, upto about 148%, of MICP treated marine clays at toughness limit water content. Curing is also found to have a significant role in soil improvement. The observed transition in the nature of the tested marine clays from that of fat clay to elastic silt suggests the potential of the proposed approach. An empirical equation is also proposed to predict compression index of MICP treated marine clays.     

Regional variations in the female age at marriage in India: an analysis by agro-climatic zones

"The effect of agro-climatic factors on female age at marriage [in India] is studied by carrying out areal analysis of the 1981 Census data. The study found a close association between agricultural and climatic conditions in an area and corresponding female age at marriage. In general, women in Himalayan regions and coastal areas have higher age at marriage than most hinterland regions. Rainfall, altitude, forest area, land availability and productivity are observed to be associated with female age at marriage. In addition, female age at marriage in rural areas is found to be more sensitive to the agro-climatic conditions. It is hypothesized that with socio-economic and technological development, the agricultural and climatic factors are losing their grip on female age at marriage in India."     

Effect of alcohol and polyglycol ether frothers on foam stability,bubble size and coal flotation

The frothers of alcohol family (MIBC and Alpha-terpineol) were compared with polyglycol ethers (DF-1012) in terms of two phase characterization parameters like foamability, foam stability, surface activity and bubble size distribution. In this research, fundamental two phase frother characterization parameters were linked with three phase coal flotation behavior.     

A modified permeameter for determination of unsaturated coefficient of permeability

The design details of a modified permeameter used for determining the unsaturated coefficient of permeability of tailings are presented in this Paper. This permeameter can accommodate a large tailings specimen, 200 × 200 × 400 mm high, and uses the Instantaneous Profile Method (IPM) to determine the variation of unsaturated coefficient of permeability with respect to soil suction using a single specimen. The soil-water characteristic curve data can also be simultaneously determined from the modified permeameter. The key design features in comparison to a conventional permeameter include the provision of adjustable sensors that move along with the tailings as it settles due to desaturation during the testing period. The advantages of using a modified permeameter in the determination of the coefficient of permeability of unsaturated tailings are also discussed in this paper. Tests were carried out by providing suction using hanging column technique in the suction range of 0–10 kPa. Such an apparatus can easily be modified to accommodate higher suction values.     

Alluvial Fan-lacustrine Sedimentation and its Tectonic Implications in the Cretaceous Athgarh Gondwana Basin, Orissa, India

The Athgarh Formation is the northernmost extension of the east coast Upper Gondwana sediments of Peninsular India. The formation of the present area is a clastic succession of 700 m thick and was built against an upland scarp along the north and northwestern boundary of the basin marked by an E-W-ENE-WSW boundary fault. A regular variation in the dominant facies types and association of lithofacies from the basin margin to the basin centre reveals deposition of the succession in an alluvial fan environment with the development of proximal, mid and distal fan subenvironments with the distal part of the fan merging into a lake. Several fans coalesced along the basin margin, forming a southeasterly sloping, broad and extensive alluvial plain terminating to a lake in the centre of the basin. Aggradation of fans along the subsiding margin of the basin resulted in the Athgarh succession showing remarkable lateral facies change in the down-dip direction. The proximal fan conglomerates pass into the sandstone-dominated mid-fan deposits, which, in turn, grade into the cyclic sequences of sandstone-mudstone of the distal fan origin. Further downslope, thick sequence of lacustrine shales occur. The faulted boundary condition of the basin and a thick pile of lacustrine sediments at the centre of the basin suggest that tectonism both in the source area and depositional site has played an important role throughout the deposition of the Athgarh succession of the present area. The vertical succession fines upward with the coarse proximal deposits at the base and fine distal deposits at the top, suggesting deposition of the succession during progressive reduction of the source area relief after a single rapid uplift related to a boundary fault movement.The NW-SE trending fault defining the Son-Mahanadi basin of Lower Gondwana sediments are shear zones of great antiquity and these were rejuvenated under neo-tensional stress during Lower Gondwana sedimentation. The E-W-ENE-WSW trending fault of the Athgarh basin, on the other hand, define tensional rupture of much younger date. In the Early Cretaceous period, there was a reversal of palaeoslope in the Athgarh basin (southward slope) with respect to the Son-Mahanadi basin (northward slope). During the phase drifting of the Indian continent and with the evolution of Indian Ocean in the Early Cretaceous period, the tectonic events in the plate interior was manifested by formation of new grabens like the Athgarh graben.     

Orbits of a Charged Particle in a Skew Uniform Magnetic Field on Kerr Back Ground Geometry

In this paper we discuss the particle trajectories in a uniform magnetic field superimposed on Kerr geometry. The rotation axis of the Kerr black hole makes an angle with the asymptotic magnetic field. We find that the particle is trapped for suitable initial conditions.     

Wheat crop classification using multidate IRS LISS-I data

Multi temporal dat acquired at different growth stages increases the dimensionality information content and have advantage over single date data for crop classification. Attempt was made to select suitable single date and combination of multidate data for wheat crop classification in Nalanda district of Bihar state where pulses and other crops are also grown in rabi season. Amongst the single date data February data was found to be better for wheat classification in comparison to November. January, March and April data. Combination of first two principal components each derived from IRS LISS-I four band data acquired in January and February was found to be the best set. Wheat classification accuracy achieved was 94.54 percent.     

Possible extensions of the Narmada-Son lineament towards Murray Ridge (Arabian Sea) and the eastern syntaxial bend of the Himalayas

Geophysical data contiguous with the Narmada-Son lineament suggests its possible extension westward into the Arabian Sea and eastward up to the Shillong Plateau. The airborne magnetic anomaly map of the north Arabian Sea delineates a linear trend of magnetic anomalies in line with the Narmada-Son lineament. This group of magnetic anomalies, spreading over 20°N to 22°N, starts near the west coast of India at 21°N, 69°30′E and extends to the Murray Ridge. The tectonic feature represented by this group of magnetic anomalies is buried by a thick layer of sediments. This westward extension of the lineament is also reflected in the average Bouguer gravity anomaly map of the Indian Ocean. Towards the east, the gravity and magnetic data delineate a subsurface linear tectonic feature which extends in line with this lineament to the eastern syntaxial bend. These various geophysical signatures further suggest the lineament to be a typical rift-like structure. The tectonic implications of the lineament, which extends from the western to the eastern margins of the Indian plate, is discussed.