Influence of grain size gradation of sand impurities on strength behaviour of cement-treated clay

In nature, soils are often composed of varying amounts of clay, silt and sand. Variation of the percentage of these compositions can affect the final strength of the soils when stabilised with cement. In this study, focus was placed on clayey soils with different gradation of sand impurities up to 40% in mass. An extensive study of such clayey soils treated with cement was investigated. For the results, it is noted that water:cement ratio was a major influence of strength development of cement-treated clayey soils. In contrast, the soil:cement ratio was found to have minor effects on the strength development. The presence of sand impurities has a significant reduction on the strength development of the cement-treated clayey soil mixture due to more free water available for hydration. The use of free-water:cement ratio is adopted which was shown to be capable of adjusting for such change in amount of free water and water holding capacity of the clay which is determined with Atterberg’s liquid limit tests. The effects of gradation (fine, coarse and well-graded) of the sand impurities were found to affect strength development minimally, owing to similarities in their liquid limits when mixed with clay. Ordinary Portland cement (OPC)-treated clayey soils produced a more rapid gain in strength but lower final strength at 28 days of curing as compared with Portland blast furnace cement (PBFC). This is found to be persistent for different gradation of sand impurities. A linear correlation can be established based on the log of the unconfined compressive strengths developed at different curing age, with slopes of these linear trends found to be similar for PBFC and OPC-treated clayey soil specimens. Finally, a strength prediction model comprising of these findings is developed. The parameters adopted in this model coincide with values proposed by past studies, thereby validating the robustness of the model. The practical benefits from this study offer a quality control scheme to forecast long-term performance of cement-treated clayey soils as well as optimise cement dosage in cement stabilisation to produce a more cost-effective and less environmental-invasive usage of the technology in geotechnical applications.

     

Size distribution of free particles in soils: a geometric modelling approach

Acta Geotechnica - Suffusion is a typical form of internal erosion for gravel soils in which fine particles are detached by seepage and transport by water through pores. The prediction of erodible...     

Understanding the dynamical-microphysical-electrical processes associated with severe thunderstorms over the Beijing metropolitan region

The Dynamical-microphysical-electrical Processes in Severe Thunderstorms and Lightning Hazards(STORM973)project conducted coordinated comprehensive field observations of thunderstorms in the Beijing metropolitan region(BMR)during the warm season from 2014 to 2018.The aim of the project was to understand how dynamical,microphysical and electrical processes interact in severe thunderstorms in the BMR,and how to assimilate lightning data in numerical weather prediction models to improve severe thunderstorm forecasts.The platforms used in the field campaign included the Beijing Lightning Network(BLNET,consisting of 16 stations),2 X-band dual linear polarimetric Doppler radars,and 4 laser raindrop spectrometers.The collaboration also made use of the China Meteorological Administration’s mesoscale meteorological observation network in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region.Although diverse thunderstorm types were documented,it was found that squall lines and multicell storms were the two major categories of severe thunderstorms with frequent lightning activity and extreme rainfall or unexpected local short-duration heavy rainfall resulting in inundations in the central urban area,influenced by the terrain and environmental conditions.The flash density maximums were found in eastern Changping District,central and eastern Shunyi District,and the central urban area of Beijing,suggesting that the urban heat island effect has a crucial role in the intensification of thunderstorms over Beijing.In addition,the flash rate associated with super thunderstorms can reach hundreds of flashes per minute in the central city regions.The super(5%of the total),strong(35%),and weak(60%)thunderstorms contributed about 37%,56%,and 7%to the total flashes in the BMR,respectively.Owing to the close connection between lightning activity and the thermodynamic and microphysical characteristics of the thunderstorms,the lightning flash rate can be used as an indicator of severe weather events,such as hail and short-duration heavy rainfall.Lightning data can also be assimilated into numerical weather prediction models to help improve the forecasting of severe convection and precipitation at the cloud-resolved scale,through adjusting or correcting the thermodynamic and microphysical parameters of the model.     

中国省域广播电视业发展水平的空间计量研究

以2008~2014年中国31个省域的统计数据为基础,采用空间计量经济学方法对中国广播电视业发展水平的空间格局及其影响因素进行测算与分析。研究发现,中国省域广播电视业发展水平最高的集聚分布于东部沿海地区,部分东部地区和中部地区发展一般,西北、西南地区发展水平较低,总体呈现从东向西递减的梯度变化,但全国整体发展水平呈现显著上升趋势。经济发展水平、消费需求、财政投入和信息技术水平与中国广播电视产业呈现正相关,而产业结构与广播电视产业呈现负相关,且各省地理空间的邻接上未表现出溢出效应。     

Improved Priority‐Flood method for depression filling by redundant calculation optimization in local micro‐relief areas

Depression filling is a critical step in distributed hydrological modeling using digital elevation models (DEMs). The traditional Priority‐Flood (PF) approach is widely used due to its relatively high efficiency when dealing with a small‐sized DEM. However, it seems inadequate and inefficient when dealing with large high‐resolution DEMs. In this work, we examined the relationship between the PF algorithm calculation process and the topographical characteristics of depressions, and found significant redundant calculations in the local micro‐relief areas in the conventional PF algorithm. As such calculations require more time when dealing with large DEMs, we thus propose a new variant of the PF algorithm, wherein redundant points and calculations are recognized and eliminated based on the local micro‐relief water‐flow characteristics of the depression‐filling process. In addition, depressions and flatlands were optimally processed by a quick queue to improve the efficiency of the process. The proposed method was applied and validated in eight case areas using the Shuttle Radar Topography Mission digital elevation model (SRTM‐DEM) with 1 arc‐second resolution. These selected areas have different data sizes. A comparative analysis among the proposed method, the Wang and Liu‐based PF, the improved Barnes‐based PF, the improved Zhou‐based PF, and the Planchon and Darboux (P&D) algorithms was conducted to evaluate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed algorithm. The results showed that the proposed algorithm is 43.2% (maximum) faster than Wang and Liu's variant of the PF method, with an average of 31.8%. In addition, the proposed algorithm achieved similar performance to the improved Zhou‐based PF algorithm, though our algorithm has the advantage of being simpler. The optimal strategies using the proposed algorithm can be employed in various landforms with high efficiency. The proposed method can also achieve good depression filling, even with large amounts of DEM data.     

Preliminary results of 4-D water vapor tomography in the troposphere using GPS

Slant-path water vapor amounts (SWV) from a station to all the GPS (Global Positioning System) satellites in view can be estimated by using a ground-based GPS receiver. In this paper, a tomographic method was utilized to retrieve the local horizontal and vertical structure of water vapor over a local GPS receiver network using SWV amounts as observables in the tomography. The method of obtaining SWV using ground-based GPS is described first, and then the theory of tomography using GPS is presented. A water vapor tomography experiment was made using a small GPS network in the Beijing region. The tomographic results were analyzed in two ways: (1) a pure GPS method, i.e., only using GPS observables as input to the tomography; (2) combining GPS observables with vertical constraints or a priori information, which come from average radiosonde measurements over three days. It is shown that the vertical structure of water vapor is well resolved with a priori information. Comparisons of profiles between radiosondes and GPS show that the RMS error of the tomography is about 1–2mm. It is demonstrated that the tomography can monitor the evolution of tropospheric water vapor in space and time. The vertical resolution of the tomography is tested with layer thicknesses of 600 m, 800 m and 1000 m. Comparisons with radiosondes show that the result from a resolution of 800m is slightly better than results from the other two resolutions in the experiment. Water vapor amounts recreated from the tomography field agree well with precipitable water vapor (PWV) calculated using GPS delays. Hourly tomographic results are also shown using the resolution of 800 m. Water vapor characteristics under the background of heavy rainfall development are analyzed using these tomographic results. The water vapor spatio-temporal structures derived from the GPS network show a great potential in the investigation of weather disasters.     

兰州市空中水汽含量和水汽通量变化研究

利用历年的高空和地面资料,深入分析了兰州市空中水汽含量和水汽通量的变化特征。结果表明:(1)夏季空中水汽含量和水汽输送相对较多,冬季相对较少;2~7月是水汽含量的增长期,9~1月是递减期,8月与7月持平;97%的水汽集中在400 hPa以下;(2)兰州市空中水汽变化与降水量、降水日数、气温的变化有明显的一致性,也存在一定的差别;(3)兰州市空中水汽输送强度中心接近500hPa高度;冬季水汽日变化最大层位于700~600 hPa,这与我国东部地区空中水汽输送高度和边界层水汽日变化特征有明显的区别。     

Numerical modeling of hyperpycnal flows in an idealized river mouth

Numerical experiments in an idealized river mouth are conducted using a three-dimensional hydrodynamics model (EFDC model) to examine the impacts of suspended sediment concentration (SSC), settling velocity of sediment and tidal mixing on the formation and maintenance of estuarine hyperpycnal flows. The standard experiment presents an illustrative view of hyperpycnal flows that carry high-concentrated sediment and low-salinity water in the bottom layer (>1.0 m in thickness) along the subaqueous slope. The structure and intra-tidal variation of the simulated hyperpycnal flows are quite similar to those previously observed off the Huanghe (Yellow River) mouth. Results from the three control experiments show that SSC of river effluents is the most important parameter to the formation of hyperpycnal flows. High SSC will increase the bulk density of river effluents and thus offset the density difference between freshwater and seawater. Low SSC of river effluents will produce a surface river plume, as commonly observed in most large estuaries. Both the settling velocity of sediment particles and the tidal mixing play an important role in maintaining the hyperpycnal flows. Increasing settling velocity enhances the deposition of sediment from the hyperpycnal layer and thus accelerates the attenuation of hyperpycnal flows, whereas increasing tidal mixing destroys the stratification of water column and therefore makes the hyperpycnal flows less evident. Our results from numerical experiments are of importance to understand the initiation and maintenance of hyperpycnal flows in estuaries and provide a reference to the rapidly decaying hyperpycnal flows off the Huanghe river mouth due to climatic and anthropogenic forcing over the past several decades.     

北大西洋秋季“三极子”海温结构对冬季大气环流场的影响

利用NCEP再分析资料、Hadley中心的海表面温度(SST)资料等,从北大西洋秋季海表面温度异常(SSTA)变化入手,对其影响后期冬季大气环流场的机制进行了分析。研究结果如下:(1)北大西洋SST异常与大气环流异常之间存在着相互作用;(2)秋季北大西洋SSTA具有较好的持续性,"正负正"海温异常空间分布导致12月巴伦支海上空500hPa位势高度异常偏高;(3)异常环流形势对应的海表面风异常场(SSWA)通过阶段性风-蒸发-SST异常反馈机制(WES机制)利于海温异常分布的持续及对上空异常大气环流的反馈;(4)三极子海温结构中负异常海温自10月份开始有自西向东的移动,风作用下蒸发加大,伴随上升运动自欧洲西部爱尔兰群岛出现自西向东移动的降水正异常区,潜热释放有利于冬季巴伦支海上空的异常高压脊发展。研究表明,北大西洋秋季SSTA通过阶段性海气相互作用机制影响海洋温度分布和大气环流异常,对后期冬季中国东北部的气候变化产生影响。     

Binary Star Fractions from the LAMOST DR4

Stellar systems composed of single, double, triple or higher-order systems are rightfully regarded as the fundamental building blocks of the Milky Way. Binary stars play an important role in formation and evolution of the Galaxy. Through comparing the radial velocity variations from multiepoch observations, we analyze the binary fraction of dwarf stars observed with LAMOST. Effects of different model assumptions, such as orbital period distributions on the estimate of binary fractions,are investigated. The results based on log-normal distribution of orbital periods reproduce the previous complete analyses better than the power-law distribution. We find that the binary fraction increases with Teff and decreases with [Fe/H]. We first investigate the relation between α-elements and binary fraction in such a large sample as provided by LAMOST. The old stars with high [α/Fe] dominate with a higher binary fraction than young stars with low [α/Fe]. At the same mass, earlier forming stars possess a higher binary fraction than newly forming ones, which may be related with evolution of the Galaxy.