Deformation mechanism of strain localization in 2D numerical interface tests

Heterogeneity arises in soil subjected to interface shearing, with the strain gradually localizing into a band area. How the strain localization accumulates and develops to form the structure is crucial in explaining some significant constitutive behaviors of the soil–structural interface during shearing, for example, stress hardening, softening, and shear-dilatancy. Using DEM simulation, interface shear tests with a periodic boundary condition are performed to investigate the strain localization process in densely and loosely packed granular soils. Based on the velocity field given by grains’ translational and rotational velocities, several kinematic quantities are analyzed during the loading history to demonstrate the evolution of strain localization. Results suggest that tiny concentrations in the shear deformation have already been observed in the very early stage of the shear test. The degree of the strain localization, quantified by a proposed new indicator, α, steadily ascends during the stress-hardening regime, dramatically jumps prior to the stress peak, and stabilizes at the stress steady state. Loose specimen does not develop a steady pattern at the large strain, as the deformation pattern transforms between localized and diffused failure modes. During the stress steady state of both specimens, remarkable correlations are observed between α and the shear stress, as well as between α and the volumetric strain rate.     

Cyclic degradation and non-coaxiality of soft clay subjected to pure rotation of principal stress directions

Foundation soils are often under non-proportional cyclic loadings. The deformation behaviour and the mechanism of non-coaxiality under continuous pure principal stress rotation for clays are not clearly investigated up to now. In order to study the effect of pure principal stress rotation, a series of cyclic undrained tests on Shanghai soft clay subjected to cyclic rotation of principal stress directions keeping the deviatoric stress constant under the pure rotation condition were conducted using hollow cylinder apparatus. Based on this, the evolutions of excess pore pressure and strains during cyclic loading were investigated, together with the effects of the intermediate principal stress parameter and the deviatoric stress level on stress–strain stiffness and non-coaxiality. The result can provide an experimental basis for constitutive modelling of clays describing the behaviour under non-proportional loadings.     

A simple approach to evaluating leakage through thin impervious element of high embankment dams

Internal erosion is the most common reason which induces failure of embankment dams besides overtopping. Relatively large leakage is frequently concentrated at defects of impervious element, and this will lead to eventual failure. The amount of leakage depends not only on integrity of impervious element, but also on dam height, shape of valley, shape of impervious element and water level in reservoir. The integrity of impervious element, which represents the relative level of seepage safety, is not easy to be determined quantitatively. A simple method for generalization of steady seepage state of embankment dams with thin impervious element is proposed in this paper. The apparent overall value of permeability coefficient for impervious element can be obtained by this method with reasonable accuracy and efficiency. A defect parameter of impervious element is defined as an index to characterize seepage safety of embankment dams. It equals the ratio of the apparent overall value of permeability coefficient to the measured value in laboratory for intact materials. Subsequently, seepage safety of three dams is evaluated and the evolution of defect level of impervious element of dams is investigated. It is proved that the newly proposed method in this paper is feasible in the evaluation of relative seepage safety level of embankment dams with thin impervious element.     

Advances and Trends in Atmospheric Measurement by Smartphones*

With the development and popularization of smartphones and embedded sensors, a non-professional atmospheric measurement method by using smartphones carried by the public has been proposed recently. Without extra dedicated instrument, this method has many advantages, such as low hardware cost, high spatio-temporal resolution, and wide coverage, and it can supplement the professional atmospheric measurement methods, which has broad applications in the meteorological operation, scientific research, public service, and other fields. At present, the research on the non-professional atmospheric measurement in China is limited. In order to make full use of this method, this paper briefly outlined the states of existing smartphones and embedded sensors, highlighted the measurement of precipitation, air temperature, pressure, aerosols, and radiation by smartphones. To promote the development of smartphones for atmospheric measurement, future research should focus on mechanism study, available sources exploration, data quality control, big data processing, joining and matching with operation, research and service, etc.     

Geochronology,Geochemistry and Petrogenesis of the Pungco Ophiolite,TibetEI北大核心CSCD

Although the middle section of the Bangong-Nujiang suture zone has been intensively investigated, its tectonic framework and evolution is still controversy. The Pungco ophiolite has a relative complete ophiolitic complex, which is an ideal specimen for studying this tricky problem. LA-ICP-MS U-Pb dating of zircons from the diabasic rock yielded an age of 159.0±2.1 Ma. This age suggests that the Pungco ophiolite was formed in the Late Jurassic, indicating the development of the Late Jurassic ophiolite in the third ophiolitic subzone. The whole-rock major and trace element compositions of diabasic and basaltic rocks exhibit mixed arc and N-MORB geochemical characteristics. Two diabasic samples have (87Sr/86Sr)i values of 0.7055 and 0.7063 and εNd(t) values of 11.28 and 11.84, respectively. The geochemical signatures and formation age of the Pungco ophiolite suggest that this ophiolite was probably produced in an active continental fore-arc setting. It originated from a N-MORB-like depleted mantle source with the involvement of subducted-slab fluids. Considering the regional geological background, the Pungco ophiolite was likely generated during the southward subduction of the Bangong-Nujiang Tethyan oceanic lithosphere beneath the Lhasa terrane, and belongs to a regional archipelagic arc-basin system together with the other Early Jurassic-Early Cretaceous ophiolites from the northern Tibet Lake district. © 2018, Science Press. All right reserved.     

四川盆地下古生界硅质页岩层系中硅质来源及其对有机质保存的影响初探

四川盆地下古生界两套硅质页岩层系是其重要的页岩气产层,五峰组—龙马溪组硅质含量与TOC及含气量呈正相关性,暗示硅质矿物对该地区页岩气的生成具有重要意义。但硅质来源复杂,且存在后期硅质流体的注入。因此,本文在总结前人的研究成果基础上,对四川盆地寒武系底部硅质岩系与五峰组—龙马溪组硅质岩系的硅质特征进行了详细的岩石学分析,揭示了3种硅质来源特征：①同沉积无机硅质流体;②生物硅;③后期无机硅质流体。其中寒武系底部以同沉积无机硅质流体与生物硅来源为主,同沉积硅质流体导致有机质快速石化埋藏,有机质内部结构及形态保存较好;五峰组—龙马溪组硅质来源以后期无机硅质流体与生物硅来源为主,有机质在保存过程中受硅质流体的影响很小,有机质腐泥化作用充分,内部结构和形态多数保存较差。该研究初步揭示了两套页岩层系的硅质发育岩石学特征,及其对有机质保存的影响,期望能为四川盆地两套页岩气储层差异性提供新的思路与基础地质数据。     

黑龙江通河县曙光石场地区土壤地球化学特征与成矿预测

为查明曙光石场地区各成矿元素和矿(化)体的分布特征,在1∶2万土壤地球化学测量的基础上,对研究区多种成矿元素进行聚类分析和因子分析。研究表明:区内Ag、Pb、Zn、Bi、Sn单元素异常个数多、变异系数值较高,具有较强的成矿潜力;区内Ag-Pb-Zn元素组合异常套和极好,异常强度较强,与岩浆热液型成矿作用相关,具有较好的找矿前景;根据单元素异常的套合情况及元素共生组合规律圈定组合异常六处并进行了槽探工程验证,在Ht-4组合异常处发现一铅锌银矿点,矿体、矿化体产于上石炭统唐家屯组流纹质凝灰岩中。     

甘肃通渭“9·14”常河滑坡成因机理

2019年9月14日11时,受多日降雨影响,甘肃省定西市通渭县常家河镇小庄村发生大规模黄土滑坡,体积约800万m³。滑坡造成部分农田、公路及阳坡大桥损毁,直接经济损失约2 347.2万元。在对滑坡现场进行大量地面调查的基础上,通过无人机航拍、现场测绘、走访调查和数值模拟等手段对滑坡的变形破坏特征进行了分析,并在此基础上探讨了其成因机制。结果表明:斜坡体是在震裂、蠕变、软化、水动力等多种条件下按照一定的先后顺序由稳态逐步演化至失稳;该滑坡的失稳演化过程和灾变机制可以概括为原始斜坡(黄土、泥岩二元层状结构)-地震触发(滑坡堆积体、坡体震裂损伤)-蠕变弱化(层间剪切带、裂缝和落水洞扩展)-降雨激发(滑带软化、泥化,水压力作用)-失稳滑动(滑面贯通)5个阶段;由于长期的蠕变和雨水的渗透冲蚀,坡体上的落水洞和地下暗河十分发育,且是控制本次滑坡边界的关键因素;滑坡后缘和前缘变形剧烈,中部变形相对稍弱,推断该滑坡为受地形及地下水作用控制明显的牵引-推移式复合滑坡。     

甘肃天水地区强降雨诱发黄土-泥岩滑坡机理实验研究

在甘肃天水地区每年由降雨诱发的黄土-泥岩滑坡灾害事故很多,给当地人民生命财产造成巨大损失。为探索该类斜坡的滑动破坏过程与机理,在野外地质调查、工程地质钻探及岩土体力学测试的基础上,通过室内大型物理模型实验,研究“上部黄土+下部泥岩”二元结构类型斜坡在强降雨作用下的动态变形演化过程,揭示该类斜坡的破坏机理和破坏模式。结果表明:强降雨作用下斜坡变形破坏以滑动破坏为主,水分的作用主要表现为增加土体自重、引起土体强度降低、降低结构面的抗滑力、产生孔隙水压力及降低有效应力等几个方面,斜坡的破坏模式则主要表现为坡肩侵蚀→微裂隙产生、发展、贯通→斜坡局部滑动破坏→斜坡整体滑动破坏。研究结果对天水地区该类滑坡的早期识别有重要的参考意义,可为该类滑坡的防灾减灾提供科学依据。     

Effect of the Dry Ashing Method on Cadmium Isotope Measurements in Soil and Plant Samples

A dry ashing method is commonly used to remove organic material from samples prior to geochemical analysis. In the course of this study, the Cd isotope ratios of a series of soil and plant reference materials and samples were studied to evaluate the effect of the dry ashing method on measurement results of Cd isotope ratios. The samples were pre‐treated using the dry ashing method and high‐pressure bomb for comparison. The results show that the digestion using high‐pressure bombs did not lead to Cd loss, but using the dry ashing method would cause different proportions of Cd loss. The whole range of Cd isotope difference between two methods was from ?0.07‰ to 3.01‰. There was also an obvious difference in measured Cd isotope ratios from the same leaf sample pre‐treated independently by the dry ashing method, indicating that the amount of Cd loss and the effect on Cd isotope measurement during dry ashing is related to the properties of the samples. Therefore, dry ashing may not be appropriate for the removal of organic material in Cd isotope ratio measurement, especially for samples with high organic contents. The δ^114/110Cd values of reference materials NIST SRM 1573a and GSD‐30 are reported for the first time in this study.