The stiffness degradation and damping ratio evolution of Taipei Silty Clay under cyclic straining

The non-linear behavior of Taipei Silty Clay under cyclic strain loading was investigated through a series of undrained cyclic strain-controlled tests. The Ramberg–Osgood equation was used with our proposed stiffness degradation model to calculate degraded secant moduli. The proposed degradation model is simple in that it has only one more component than Idriss's model, the modulus ratio for the first cycle, which reflects the effects of the previous cyclic strain history and the current level of the cyclic strain amplitude, and can be used to describe softening and hardening behavior under irregular cyclic straining. It was found that the Ramberg–Osgood equation successfully predicts the damping ratio for small to medium strains. However, it overestimates the damping ratio for larger strains, so we suggest it can be corrected with a damping ratio index. In addition, the proposed equation for describing the evolution of the damping ratio provides the means to assess the variation for Taipei Silty Clay in the measured damping ratio with both the number of cycles and the strain amplitude.     

Determination of vertical displacements over the coastal area of Korea due to the ocean tide loading using GPS observations

This paper describes the GPS applicability for detecting the vertical displacements of ground stations caused by ocean tide loading effects. An experiment was carried out using 12 permanent GPS stations located in the coastal area of Korea using data in the period 1 July until 26 August 2003. The relative height differences were calculated from hourly DGPS data processing based on the carrier-phase observation. The power spectra of the M₂ and N₂ constituents of ocean tide loading were derived using the CLEAN algorithm. The differential vertical displacements generated by the ocean tide loading effect are typically 3–25 mm in coastal area of the Korea. We compared the results from GPS with those of the ocean tide models, NAO.99Jb regional model and GOT00.2, FES99 global models. The M₂ (N₂) amplitude differences of vertical displacements between GPS and GOT00.2 is 1.22 ± 3.61 mm (1.01 ± 1.48 mm), and that of the M₂ (N₂) amplitude difference between GPS and FES99 is 0.04 ± 4.64 mm (0.64 ± 1.75 mm), whereas the M₂ (N₂) amplitude difference between GPS and NAO.99Jb are 0.05 ± 1.03 mm (0.86 ± 1.18 mm). The highest vertical displacements at the PALM station are found for 24.5 ± 0.7 mm from GPS observation, and 22.9 mm from the regional model NAO.99Jb and 13.17 and 10.00 mm from the global models GOT00.2 and FES99, respectively. These values show that the vertical displacements derived from GPS are in good agreement with those of the regional model NAO.99Jb around Korea, more than with the global models. This result indicated that GPS is an effective tool to measure the vertical displacement caused by the ocean tide loading effect in the coastal area, and we need to use the NAO.99Jb ocean tide model rather than the global ocean tide models in and around the Korean peninsula for position determination with permanent GPS installations. This work demonstrates that vertical displacement caused by the M₂ and N₂ constituents of ocean tide loading can be measured by carrier-phase DGPS.     

NUMERICAL STUDY ON THE MIXING OF UNSORTED SEDIMENT PARTICLES DISCHARGED INTO A CROSS-FLOW BY MULTIPHASE PARTICLE-IN-CELL （MP-PIC） METHOD

The mixing characteristics of dredged sediments of variable size discharged into cross-flow are studied by an Eulerian-Lagrangian method. A three-dimensional (3D) numerical model has been developed by using the modified k-ε parameterization for the turbulence in fluid phase/water and a Lagrangian method for the solid phase/sediments. In the model the wake turbulence induced by sediments has been included as additional source and sink terms in the k-ε model; and the trajectories of the sediments are tracked by the Lagrangian method in which the sediment drift velocities in cross-flow are computed by a multiphase particle-in-cell (MP-PIC) method and the diffusion process is approximated by a random walk model. The hydrodynamic behavior of dumped sediment cloud is governed by the total buoyancy on the cloud, the drag force on each particle and velocity of cross-flow. The cross-flow destroys more or less the double vortices occurred in stagnant ambience and dominates the longitudinal movement of sediment cloud. The computed results suggest satisfactory agreement by comparison with the experimental results of laboratory.     

气枪震源激发模式及应用

气枪震源是一种重要的人工地震震源。气枪阵列理论的提出,使得气枪阵列设计技术日趋成熟,并能够在石油勘探和地球物理探测中得到更加广泛的运用。气枪震源在不同领域中应用时,需要不同的组合和激发模式,以适应不同的探测要求。加强主脉冲和加强气泡脉冲,是目前两种主要的气枪激发模式。通过比较研究两种气枪激发模式,讨论各种激发模式在激发时间、气枪间距、频率、分辨率等方面的差异,为气枪震源的广泛运用提供依据。     

由井-含水层系统的水位动态反演含水层体应变

以孔隙弹性理论和水文地质学原理为基础,给出井水位波动与含水层介质体应变变化关系的数学表达式,结合固体潮理论分析了井—含水层系统水位潮汐波动对体应变固体潮的响应特征,用水位潮汐波来反演含水层体应变的变化,将反演结果与体应变实测资料得到的结果进行对比,发现二者有较好的一致性,说明用水位潮汐波来反演含水层体应变的方法是可行的,它为了解含水层的水文地质特性、体应变的变化及探索地震前兆提供了借鉴。     

Coal facies evolution of the main minable coal-bed in the Heidaigou Mine,Jungar Coalfield,Inner Mongolia,northern China

The No. 6 Coal-bed from the Heidaigou Mine, Jungar Coalfield, Inner Mongolia is a super-large Ga deposit. The dominant carrier of Ga is boehmite in coal. The study of coal facies may provide genetic enrichment information of Ga and its carrier (boehmite) in the Ga deposit. On the basis of study on coal petrology and mineralogy, it was found that the No. 6 Coal-bed from the Heidaigou Mine of Jungar was enriched in inertinites and the microlitho-types were dominated by clarodurite. The maceral morphological features and association indicate that the coal-bed was formed in a dry sedimentary environment or in a periodic dry sedimentary environment caused by the alternating variations of groundwater level. The optimum conditions for the enrichment of Ga and its particular carrier (boehmite) were dominated by four transitional conditions: (1) the upper delta plain which was the transitional zone between alluvial and lower delta plains, (2) the transitional zone between the dry and wet forest swamps, being slightly apt to the dry one, (3) the transitional tree density between the thick and loose ones, and (4) the low moor that was the transitional zone between two high moors during peat accumulation.     

Identification of modal parameters of non‐classically damped linear structures under multi‐component earthquake loading

A method for parametric system identification of classically damped linear system in frequency domain is adopted and extended for non‐classically damped linear systems subjected up to six components of earthquake ground motions. This method is able to work in multi‐input/multi‐output (MIMO) case. The response of a two‐degree‐of‐freedom model with non‐classical damping, excited by one‐component earthquake ground motion, is simulated and used to verify the proposed system identification method in the single‐input/multi‐output case. Also, the records of a 10 storey real building during the Northridge earthquake is used to verify the proposed system identification method in the MIMO case. In this case, at first, a single‐input/multi‐output assumption is considered for the system and modal parameters are identified, then other components of earthquake ground motions are added, respectively, and the modal parameters are identified again. This procedure is repeated until all four components of earthquake ground motions which are measured at the base level of the building are included in the identification process. The results of identification of real building show that consideration of non‐classical damping and inclusion of the multi‐components effect of earthquake ground motions can improve the least‐squares match between the finite Fourier transforms of recorded and calculated acceleration responses. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Energy demands for seismic design against low‐cycle fatigue

A seismic design procedure that does not take into account the maximum and cumulative plastic deformation demands that a structure is likely to undergo during severe ground motion could lead to unsatisfactory performance. In spite of this, current design procedures do not take into account explicitly the effect of low‐cycle fatigue. Based on the high correlation that exists between the strength reduction factor and the energy demand in earthquake‐resistant structures, simple procedures can be formulated to estimate the cumulative plastic deformation demands for design purposes. Several issues should be addressed during the use of plastic energy within a practical performance‐based seismic design methodology. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A new approach of selecting real input ground motions for seismic design: The most unfavourable real seismic design ground motions

This paper presents a new way of selecting real input ground motions for seismic design and analysis of structures based on a comprehensive method for estimating the damage potential of ground motions, which takes into consideration of various ground motion parameters and structural seismic damage criteria in terms of strength, deformation, hysteretic energy and dual damage of Park & Ang damage index. The proposed comprehensive method fully involves the effects of the intensity, frequency content and duration of ground motions and the dynamic characteristics of structures. Then, the concept of the most unfavourable real seismic design ground motion is introduced. Based on the concept, the most unfavourable real seismic design ground motions for rock, stiff soil, medium soil and soft soil site conditions are selected in terms of three typical period ranges of structures. The selected real strong motion records are suitable for seismic analysis of important structures whose failure or collapse will be avoided at a higher level of confidence during the strong earthquake, as they can cause the greatest damage to structures and thereby result in the highest damage potential from an extended real ground motion database for a given site. In addition, this paper also presents the real input design ground motions with medium damage potential, which can be used for the seismic analysis of structures located at the area with low and moderate seismicity. The most unfavourable real seismic design ground motions are verified by analysing the seismic response of structures. It is concluded that the most unfavourable real seismic design ground motion approach can select the real ground motions that can result in the highest damage potential for a given structure and site condition, and the real ground motions can be mainly used for structures whose failure or collapse will be avoided at a higher level of confidence during the strong earthquake. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.