Analysis of pile subjected to torsion in multi‐layered soil

A new method of analysis of piles in multi‐layered elastic soil subjected to a torque at the head is developed. The differential equation governing the angle of twist in the pile is derived using the variational principles of mechanics. The method of initial parameters is used to obtain closed‐form solutions of the angle of twist and torque in the pile as a function of depth. The inputs required for the analysis are shear moduli of pile and soil, pile geometry and thickness of soil layers. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Spectroscopic study of rocks of Hutti-Maski schist belt,Karnataka

Recent developments in sensor technology have given an onset for studying the earth surface features based on the detailed spectroscopic observation of different rocks and minerals. The spectroscopic profiles of the rocks are always quite different than their constituent minerals however, the spectral profile of a rock can be broadly reconstituted from the spectral profile of each constituent minerals. Interpretation of rock spectra using the spectra of constituent minerals based on relative spectral matching can bring out interesting information on the rock. Present study is an effort toward this and it highlights how visible-near infrared-shortwave-infrared (VNIR-SWIR) rock spectroscopy acts as an useful tool for understanding the rock-mineralogy in indirect and rapid way. It has also been observed that spectral signatures of rocks; studied in present case, are related to spectral signatures of constituent minerals although absorption features of constituent mineral in the rock are also modified by the other minerals juxtaposed in the rock fabric. However, each rock of the study area has their significant absorption features, but many of the absorption signatures are closely spaced, as altered rock has significant absorption at 2305 nm whereas amphibolite has its important absorption signature in 2385 nm and metabasalt has its significant absorption at 2342 nm. Therefore spectral measurement of high spectral resolution with appreciable signal to noise ratio (SNR) only can detect rocks from each other based on the absorption signatures mentioned above (each of which is 10 to 20 nm apart from the other) and therefore spectroscopy of rock is an innovative technique to map rocks and minerals based on the spectral signatures.     

A Tiered Approach to Evaluating Salinity Sources in Water at Oil and Gas Production Sites

A suspected increase in the salinity of fresh water resources can trigger a site investigation to identify the source(s) of salinity and the extent of any impacts. These investigations can be complicated by the presence of naturally elevated total dissolved solids or chlorides concentrations, multiple potential sources of salinity, and incomplete data and information on both naturally occurring conditions and the characteristics of potential sources. As a result, data evaluation techniques that are effective at one site may not be effective at another. In order to match the complexity of the evaluation effort to the complexity of the specific site, this paper presents a strategic tiered approach that utilizes established techniques for evaluating and identifying the source(s) of salinity in an efficient step‐by‐step manner. The tiered approach includes: (1) a simple screening process to evaluate whether an impact has occurred and if the source is readily apparent; (2) basic geochemical characterization of the impacted water resource(s) and potential salinity sources coupled with simple visual and statistical data evaluation methods to determine the source(s); and (3) advanced laboratory analyses (e.g., isotopes) and data evaluation methods to identify the source(s) and the extent of salinity impacts where it was not otherwise conclusive. A case study from the U.S. Gulf Coast is presented to illustrate the application of this tiered approach.     

Propagation of plane relativistic shock waves in a slowly moving medium

Similarity solutions for the propagation of plane relativistic shock waves in a slowly moving medium, where the nucleon number density obeys an exponential law ofx/t, is obtained in this paper. The shock surface moves with constant velocity and the total energy of the disturbance is dependent on time. The solutions are applicable only to an isothermal medium.     

Inflationary solution in higher dimensions

In this Letter the five-dimensional Kaluza-Klein cosmological model is studied in the presence of a massless scalar field, whose potential has a flat part. By use of the polynomial relation between the two scale factors, inflationary solutions are obtained. The results show that the scale factor corresponding to the extra dimension is either constant or varies inversely as some power of the usual scale factor.     

A study on Bianchi-IX cosmological model

In this paper the inflationary solutions are studied for the Bianchi-IX space-time in presence of a massless scalar field with a flat potential. Also a class of cosmological solutions of massive strings are obtained following the techniques used by Letelier and Stachel. Some solutions are calculated for pure massive strings following the Takabayashi equation of state =(1+w).     

Environmental Health Injustice: Exposure to Air Toxics and Children's Respiratory Hospital Admissions in El Paso,Texas

Although much environmental justice research tacitly assumes that unequal environmental exposures produce geographic disparities in adverse health outcomes, very few empirical environmental justice studies have tested that assumption. This article does so by using estimates of exposure to air toxics disaggregated by emission source (point and mobile) to predict children's hospitalization rates for both asthma and respiratory infections in El Paso, Texas. Air toxics emissions from most source categories were found to be significant predictors of children's respiratory infection hospitalization rates, but not asthma hospitalization rates, at the census tract level. Findings suggest that sociospatial disparities in respiratory infection rates might be linked to environmental inequalities.     

Ripple/dune to upper stage plane bed transition: Some observations from the ancient record

In two Proterozoic sandstones, of the Indian shield cross-stratification and cross-lamination are observed to grade continuously into parallel-laminations often bearing parting lineations. These are interpreted as having resulted from a gradual transition from ripple/dune to upper stage plane bed structures. During the transition the inclination of the cross-strata diminishes and their shape changes from concave-up to sigmoidal. The sigmoidal cross-strata are characterized by well defined topsets, foresets and toesets and the topsets bear parting lineations. In the course of the transition sigmoidal cross-strata may give way either to horizontal parallel-lamination or inclined parallel-lamination. In the former the toesets of the successive sigmoidal cross-strata thicken and the thickness of the cross-strata beyond the brink point (the junction between the topset and foreset) tends to become uniform until a plane-bed state is reached and horizontal parallel-laminations are formed. In the latter the topset of the successive sigmoidal cross-strata increases in length at the expense of the foreset and toeset until the brink point ceases to exist so that only the topset laminations prevail and appear as inclined parallel-laminations. These transitions presumably result from a gradual increase in flow intensity beyond the stability limits of ripples/dunes. The progressive morphological changes of the cross-stratification over the transition are attributed to changing fallout patterns on the lee face of the bedforms in response to increasing flow intensity. Preservation of the records of such transitions suggests an abundant supply of sand grade sediments from suspension during the transition, shaping the sediment concentration profile over the bedforms and facilitating turbulence suppression. The variation in the pattern of transition from sigmoidal cross-stratification to parallel-lamination may be the result of different rates of sediment feed from the prevailing suspended sediment load in the two instances.     

Disturbances in a viscoelastic medium due to impulsive forces on a spherical cavity

Summary The disturbances produced in a visco-elastic medium by impulsive forces on the surface of a spherical cavity inside the medium have been studied.