Small-Strain Shear Modulus of Cement-Admixed Kaolinite

An experimental study is conducted to measure small-strain shear modulus of clay-cement mixture using bender element apparatus setup in a triaxial cell. Bender element tests were conducted on cement-treated soils and the results were analyzed to study the variation of shear modulus properties of soil specimens at different cement contents, confining pressures, curing times, and compaction moisture contents. Based on the obtained results increasing the cement ratio has a significant effect on the small-strain shear modulus of the treated soils, and this effect signifies with increasing the moisture content and curing time. Rates of shear modulus enhancements due to cement content, curing time, and compaction moisture content are quantified and presented. In this study, a clay–cement–water ratio formulation is proposed that enables one to calculate cement and water contents required to obtain specific small-strain shear modulus.     

Two-dimensional data-space joint inversion of magnetotelluric,gravity, magnetic and seismic data with cross-gradient constraints

In recent years, joint inversion has been widely used for integrated geological interpretation. We extended a data-space joint inversion algorithm of magnetotelluric, gravity and magnetic data to include first-arrival seismic travel-time and normalized cross-gradient constraints. We describe the main features of the algorithm and apply it to synthetic data generated for hypothetical models. For the synthetic data, we find that the joint inversion with multiple parameters is superior to the joint inversion with two or even three parameters, which can reduce the multisolution of inversion results more effectively. Furthermore, data-space joint inversion involves fewer memory requirements and better calculation speeds than traditional model-space joint inversion. The normalized cross-gradient constraints can better couple model parameters of different magnitudes compared with traditional unnormalized cross-gradient constraints, resulting in higher levels of structural similarity among resistivity, density, magnetic susceptibility and velocity models.     

Can a slowly rotating neutron star be a radio pulsar?

It is shown that the radius of curvature of magnetic field lines in the polar region of a rotating magnetized neutron star can be significantly less than the usual radius of curvature of the dipole magnetic field. The magnetic field in the polar cap is distorted by toroidal electric currents flowing in the neutron star crust. These currents close up the magnetospheric currents driven by the electron–positron plasma generation process in the pulsar magnetosphere. Owing to the decrease in the radius of curvature, electron–positron plasma generation becomes possible even for slowly rotating neutron stars, with   PB ^−2/3₁₂ < 10 s  , where P is the period of star rotation and   B ₁₂= B /10¹² G  is the magnitude of the magnetic field on the star surface.     

A comparison of two methods to create tracks of moving objects: linear weighted distance and constrained random walk

As an object moves through space, it creates a track (or path) representing the object's past and present position and associated attributes. If data capture fails, then positions along the tracks are unknown. The particular problem we address in this paper is to create tracks of moving objects with missing data. We implement and test two techniques that create continuous tracks of two primate species (Ateles geoffroyi, the red spider monkey, and Cebus capucinus, the white-faced capuchin). Continuous tracks were needed to calculate home range and to analyze daily ranging patterns for each species. Establishing continuous tracks of primates through field data alone, however, was impossible due to challenging field conditions. The results of the analysis using tracks with interpolated positions helped establish that Ateles tend to move directly to their destination while Cebus tended to follow a more wandering track.     

Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology Earth System Model and Its Simulation Characteristics

Ocean Science Journal - We document the performance of a new earth system model developed at Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, called the KIOST-ESM, based on a low-resolution...     

A two-dimensional study for cooling and self-gravitating accretion discs

A solution to the coincidence and Big Rip problems on the bases of an anisotropic space-time is proposed. To do so, we study the interaction between viscous dark energy and dark matter in the scope of the Bianchi type-I Universe. We parameterize the viscosity and the interaction between the two fluids by constants ζ ₀ and σ respectively. A detailed investigation on the cosmological implications of this parametrization has been made. We have also performed a geometrical diagnostic by using the statefinder pairs {s,r} and {q,r} in order to differentiate between different dark energy models. Moreover, we fit the coupling parameter σ as well as the Hubble’s parameter H ₀ of our model by minimizing the χ ² through the age differential method, involving a direct measurement of H.     

Comparisons of Net Heat Flux Data Sets Over the Western North Pacific

Ocean Science Journal - This study focuses on the intercomparisons of 22 net heat flux (NHF) data sets in terms of mean, linear trend, and interannual variability during 1993–2007 over the...     

Geotechnical Characteristics of Copper Mine Tailings: A Case Study

Waste management issue in mining industry has become increasingly important. In this regard, construction of tailings dams plays a major role. Most of the tailings dams require some kinds of remedial actions during their operational lifetime, among which heightening is the most common. In the first stage of the remedial provisions for Sarcheshmeh Copper Complex tailings dam in Iran, it has been decided to use hydrocyclone method to provide suitable construction material due to the high cost associated with using borrow materials for heightening of the dam. To undertake this project a series of laboratory experiments was performed to determine the copper ‘original tailings’ and ‘cycloned materials’ geotechnical characteristics to evaluate the applicability of the cycloned materials for construction purposes. Different laboratory experiments were conducted to determine the grain-size distribution, Atterberg limits, specific gravity, maximum density, shear strength parameters, consolidation coefficient, and hydraulic conductivity. The results were compared with those of similar mines to check whether they follow the trends observed in other copper tailing materials elsewhere. Variation of the cohesion and internal friction angle versus different compaction ratios were studied in order to determine realistic shear strength parameters for tailing dam stability analysis. In this study, using oedometer test, a mild linear relation between void ratio and the consolidation coefficient has been found for tailings materials. By considering the effects of void ratio and weight of passing sieve #200 materials, a new relationship is proposed that can be used for estimating the copper slimes hydraulic conductivity in seepage analysis of tailings dams.     

A fully coupled element‐free Galerkin model for hydro‐mechanical analysis of advancement of fluid‐driven fractures in porous media

Hydraulic fracturing (HF) of underground formations has widely been used in different fields of engineering. Despite the technological advances in techniques of in situ HF, the industry uses semi‐analytical tools to design HF treatment. This is due to the complex interaction among various mechanisms involved in this process, so that for thorough simulations of HF operations a fully coupled numerical model is required. In this study, using element‐free Galerkin (EFG) mesh‐less method, a new formulation for numerical modeling of hydraulic fracture propagation in porous media is developed. This numerical approach, which is based on the simultaneous solution of equilibrium and continuity equations, considers the hydro‐mechanical coupling between the crack and its surrounding porous medium. Therefore, the developed EFG model is capable of simulating fluid leak‐off and fluid lag phenomena. To create the discrete equation system, the Galerkin technique is applied, and the essential boundary conditions are imposed via penalty method. Then, the resultant constrained integral equations are discretized in space using EFG shape functions. For temporal discretization, a fully implicit scheme is employed. The final set of algebraic equations that forms a non‐linear equation system is solved using the direct iterative procedure. Modeling of cracks is performed on the basis of linear elastic fracture mechanics, and for this purpose, the so‐called diffraction method is employed. For verification of the model, a number of problems are solved. According to the obtained results, the developed EFG computer program can successfully be applied for simulating the complex process of hydraulic fracture propagation in porous media. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.