Using an inerter‐based device for structural vibration suppression

This paper proposes the use of a novel type of passive vibration control system to reduce vibrations in civil engineering structures subject to base excitation. The new system is based on the inerter, a device that was initially developed for high‐performance suspensions in Formula 1 racing cars. The principal advantage of the inerter is that a high level of vibration isolation can be achieved with low amounts of added mass. This feature makes it an attractive potential alternative to traditional tuned mass dampers (TMDs). In this paper, the inerter system is modelled inside a multi‐storey building and is located on braces between adjacent storeys. Numerical results show that an excellent level of vibration reduction is achieved, potentially offering improvement over TMDs. The inerter‐based system is compared to a TMD system by using a range of base excitation inputs, including an earthquake signal, to demonstrate how the performance could potentially be improved by using an inerter instead of a TMD. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geodynamic evolution of crust accretion at the axis of the Reykjanes Ridge,Atlantic Ocean

The results of analysis of the anomalous magnetic field of the Reykjanes Ridge and the adjacent basins are presented, including a new series of detailed reconstructions for magnetic anomalies 1–6 in combination with a summary of the previous geological and geophysical investigations. We furnish evidence for three stages of evolution of the Reykjanes Ridge, each characterized by a special regime of crustal accretion related to the effect of the Iceland hotspot. The time interval of each stage and the causes of the variation in the accretion regime are considered. During the first, Eocene stage (54–40 Ma) and the third, Miocene-Holocene stage (24 Ma-present time at the northern Reykjanes Ridge north of 59° N and 17–11 Ma-present time at the southern Reykjanes Ridge south of 59° N), the spreading axis of the Reykjanes Ridge resembled the present-day configuration, without segmentation, with oblique orientation relative to the direction of ocean floor opening (at the third stage), and directed toward the hotspot. These attributes are consistent with a model that assumes asthenospheric flow from the hotspot toward the ridge axis. Decompression beneath the spreading axis facilitates this flow. Thus, the crustal accretion during the first and the third stages was markedly affected by interaction of the spreading axis with the hotspot. During the second, late Eocene-Oligocene to early Miocene stage (40–24 Ma at the northern Reykjanes Ridge and 40 to 17–11 Ma at the southern Reykjanes Ridge), the ridge axis was broken by numerous transform fracture zones and nontransform offsets into segments 30–80 km long, which were oriented orthogonal to the direction of ocean floor opening, as is typical of many slow-spreading ridges. The plate-tectonic reconstructions of the oceanic floor accommodating magnetic anomalies of the second stage testify to recurrent rearrangements of the ridge axis geometry related to changing kinematics of the adjacent plates. The obvious contrast in the mode of crustal accretion during the second stage in comparison with the first and the third stages is interpreted as evidence for the decreasing effect of the Iceland hotspot on the Reykjanes Ridge, or the complete cessation of this effect. The detailed geochronology of magnetic anomalies 1–6 (from 20 Ma to present) has allowed us to depict with a high accuracy the isochrons of the oceanic bottom spaced at 1 Ma. The variable effect of the hotspot on the accretion of oceanic crust along the axes of the Reykjanes Ridge and the Kolbeinsey and Mid-Atlantic ridges adjoining the former in the north and the south was estimated from the changing obliquity of spreading. The spreading rate tends to increase with reinforcing of the effect of the Iceland hotspot on the Reykjanes Ridge.     

Seismotectonic deformations related to the 2010 Maule earthquake at different stages of the seismic cycle from satellite geodetic observations

Doklady Earth Sciences - The interpretation of multiannual satellite geodetic observations after the 2010 Maule earthquake is given on the basis of the keyboard concept of the subduction region...     

Conceptual models for carbonate aquifers. 1969

The very diverse types of ground‐water behavior in carbonate terrains can be classified by relating the flow type to a particular hydrogeologic environment each exhibiting a characteristic cave morphology. The ground water may move by diffuse flow, by retarded flow, or by free flow. Diffuse flow occurs in less soluble rocks such as extremely shaley limestones or crystalline dolomites. Integrated conduits are rare. Caves tend to be small, irregular, and often little more than solutionally widened joints. Retarded flows occur in artesian environments and in situations where unfavorable stratigraphy forces ground water to be confined to relatively thin beds. Network cave patterns are characteristic since hydrodynamic forces are damped by the external controls. Solution occurs along many available joints. Free flowing aquifers are those in which solution has developed a subsurface drainage system logically regarded as an underground extension of surface streams. These streams may have fully developed surface tributaries as well as recharge from sinkholes and general infiltration. Characteristic cave patterns are those of integrated conduit systems which are often truncated into linear, angulate, and branchwork caves. Free Flow aquifers may be further subdivided into Open aquifers lying beneath karst plains and Capped aquifers in which significant parts of the drainage net lie beneath an insoluble cap rock. Other geologic factors such as structure, detailed lithology, relief, and locations of major streams, control the details of cave morphology and orientation of the drainage network.     

Performance assessment of three convective parameterization schemes in WRF for downscaling summer rainfall over South Africa

Austral summer rainfall over the period 1991/1992 to 2010/2011 was dynamically downscaled by the weather research and forecasting (WRF) model at 9 km resolution for South Africa. Lateral boundary conditions for WRF were provided from the European Centre for medium-range weather (ECMWF) reanalysis (ERA) interim data. The model biases for the rainfall were evaluated over the South Africa as a whole and its nine provinces separately by employing three different convective parameterization schemes, namely the (1) Kain–Fritsch (KF), (2) Betts–Miller–Janjic (BMJ) and (3) Grell–Devenyi ensemble (GDE) schemes. All three schemes have generated positive rainfall biases over South Africa, with the KF scheme producing the largest biases and mean absolute errors. Only the BMJ scheme could reproduce the intensity of rainfall anomalies, and also exhibited the highest correlation with observed interannual summer rainfall variability. In the KF scheme, a significantly high amount of moisture was transported from the tropics into South Africa. The vertical thermodynamic profiles show that the KF scheme has caused low level moisture convergence, due to the highly unstable atmosphere, and hence contributed to the widespread positive biases of rainfall. The negative bias in moisture, along with a stable atmosphere and negative biases of vertical velocity simulated by the GDE scheme resulted in negative rainfall biases, especially over the Limpopo Province. In terms of rain rate, the KF scheme generated the lowest number of low rain rates and the maximum number of moderate to high rain rates associated with more convective unstable environment. KF and GDE schemes overestimated the convective rain and underestimated the stratiform rain. However, the simulated convective and stratiform rain with BMJ scheme is in more agreement with the observations. This study also documents the performance of regional model in downscaling the large scale climate mode such as El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and subtropical dipole modes. The correlations between the simulated area averaged rainfalls over South Africa and Nino3.4 index were ?0.66, ?0.69 and ?0.49 with KF, BMJ and GDE scheme respectively as compared to the observed correlation of ?0.57. The model could reproduce the observed ENSO-South Africa rainfall relationship and could successfully simulate three wet (dry) years that are associated with La Niña (El Niño) and the BMJ scheme is closest to the observed variability. Also, the model showed good skill in simulating the excess rainfall over South Africa that is associated with positive subtropical Indian Ocean Dipole for the DJF season 2005/2006.     

Composition of hydrous melts in equilibrium with quartz eclogites

Summary Compositions of the hydrous melts in equilibrium with garnet, omphacitic clinopyroxene and quartz have been investigated experimentally at 28.5 and 35 kbar. They are represented by silica-rich liquids (> 70% SiO₂) with low MgO, FeO and CaO contents. The removal of ca 10–15% of the magma of this composition may be sufficient to convert quartz eclogite formed after subduction of altered MORB into a quartz-free bimineralic eclogite assemblage, which is a common type of xenoliths in kimberlites.At 28.5 kbar the solidus temperature is between 700 and 750° C in the system quartz eclogite—water, and the high pressure amphibole-out boundary lies at ca 25 kbar in accord with the previous studies.

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Die Zusammensetzung wasserhältiger Schmelzen im Gleichgewicht mit Quarz-Eklogiten

Zusammenfassung Um Prozesse zu simulieren, die bei der Subduktion von Ozeanbodenbasalten durch partielle Anatexis im Stabilitätsfeld von Eklogiten ablaufen, wurde die Zusammensetzung wasserhältiger Schmelzen in Gleichgewicht mit Granat, Omphacit und Quarz bei 28.5 und 35 Kbar experimentell untersucht. Diese Schmelzen sind reich an SiO₂ (> 70 Gew%) und arm an Mg0, Fe0 and CaO. Die Extraktion von ca. 10–15% derartiger Schmelzen würde genügen, um quarzführende Eklogite, die durch die Subduktion von alteriertem MORB Material entstanden sind, in quarzfreie bimineralische Eklogite umzuwandeln wie sie häufig als Xenolithe in Kimberliten beobachtet werden.Im System Quarz-Eklogit-Wasser liegt die Solidustemperatur bei 28.5 Kbar zwischen 700 und 750°C. Die obere Stabilitätsgrenze von Amphibol liegt in diesem Temperaturbereich bei ca. 25 Kbar.

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Rockfalls and rockfall inventory data: Some observations from surprise valley,Jasper National Park,Canada

The major controls of rockfall activity are divided into two interacting groups. (a)Climatic factors which, through their control of temperatures and the availability and state of water, are primary controls of rockfall trigger mechanisms. (b) Geologic factors which, via cliff form (plan, profile, dissection etc.) and the character and availability of materials, influence the type, spatial distribution and intensity of rockfall activity. Detailed examination of these controls suggest that both seasonal and daily patterns of rockfall activity can vary markedly over a very small area. The implications of this variability for the design and interpretation of rockfall inventories are discussed using sample data from Surprise Valley, Jasper National Park, for the period from May-October 1969. On a seasonal basis rockfall activity showed a major spring peak with secondary maxima in the fall and associated with major summer storms. Two sites of differing aspect and morphology were studied in more detail revealing marked differences in the mean hourly frequency (0·94:0·20), mean hourly probability (0·40:0·16, hours with rockfall/hours observed) and daily pattern of rockfall activity. The west facing site showed equal hourly probability of rockfalls from 10⁰⁰ to 20⁰⁰ hr whereas the east facing slope had a greater hourly probability when it was in the sun (11⁰⁰ 14⁰⁰hr) than in the shade (14⁰⁰-19⁰⁰hr). The differences in rockfall frequency and probabilities reflect the physical characteristics of the individual sites whereas the daily pattern of rockfalls is related to microclimate. These results suggest that if future inventory studies are to make a significant contribution, they must be carefully designed field experiments in which. (i) Data are restricted to the study or comparison of single continuously observed sites. (ii) Study sites and/or data periods are carefully selected to isolate and investigate specific controls e.g. the influence of cliff form, aspect, periods of rainfall etc. on rockfall patterns. (iii) Good on-site microclimate data are available. Also comparison of frequency measures based on the arithmetic mean should be avoided since the distribution of rockfalls per hour closely follows a Poisson distribution with occasional high values which unduly influence the value of the arithmetic mean. It is suggested that rockfall probabilities, based on the binary decision of whether or not a rockfall occurs in a given period, are a more useful measure for daily patterns of rockfall activity.     

Comparison of three oxidation methods used for the analysis of the dissolved organic carbon in seawater

Three methods for the determination of dissolved organic carbon in seawater were compared. Samples were analysed using persulphate oxidation, high-temperature combustion, and ultraviolet photo-oxidation. The dissolved organic carbon content of the seawater samples ranged from 0.6 to 1.6 mg C/I. This study shows that results of high-temperature oxidation and photo-oxidation procedures differ by less than 5%, whereas results with persulphate oxidation are about 15% less than those obtained with the high-temperature oxidation. The relative merits of each of the oxidation techniques for the determination of organic matter in seawater are discussed.