Discrete crack modelling for dynamically loaded,unreinforced concrete structures

The dynamic response of unreinforced concrete structures is studied taking account of initiation, extension, closing and reopening of so-called discrete cracks. The computational procedure is based on the finite-element method and is at present restricted to two-dimensional situations. The discrete cracks are simulated by separation of originally adjacent finite elements. An equivalent tensile-strength criterion is used for the initiation and extension of the cracks which are assumed to propagate perpendicularly to the principal tensile stress. If this direction does not coincide with the interelement boundaries of the finite-element mesh, the latter is automatically altered. Between elements being separated by a crack special ‘crack elements’ are introduced, which take account of the stress transfer by aggregate interlock. The equations of motion are integrated numerically using an explicit formulation. The procedures outlined are demonstrated on a simplified cross-section of a concrete gravity dam subjected to horizontal earthquake excitation.     

The turnaround in Australia: some first observations from the 1991 census

"The aim of this paper is to utilise recently released census results to examine patterns of population change in non-metropolitan Australia during the 1986-91 period, focusing particularly upon the net migration component of that change. The paper presents an overview of recent trends in population change in non-metropolitan areas and then moves to an analysis of net migration patterns in non-metropolitan local government areas during the late 1980s using a Life Table Survival Ratio technique to estimate net migration. It appears that the trends observed in the early 1980s have continued into the late 1980s and early 1990s, and that overall the 'turnaround' is slowing down and becoming more diversified, more complex, and much less predictable in the 1990s."     

Pliensbachian magnetostratigraphy: new data from Paris Basin (France)

Sampling of an industrial drill string from the northeastern Paris Basin (Montcornet, France) provides early Jurassic magnetostratigraphic data coupled with biochronological control. About 375 paleomagnetic samples were obtained from a 145 m thick series of Pliensbachian rocks. A composite demagnetization thermal up to 300°C and an alternating field up to 80 mT were used to separate the magnetic components. A low unblocking temperature component (<250°C) with an inclination of about 64° is interpreted as a present-day field overprint. The characteristic remanent component with both normal and reversed antipodal directions was isolated between 5 and 50 mT. Twenty-nine polarity intervals were recognized. Correlation of these new results from the Paris Basin with data from the Breggia Gorge section (Ticino, southern Alps, Switzerland), which is generally considered as the reference section for Pliensbachian magnetostratigraphy, reveals almost identical patterns of magnetic polarity reversals. However, the correlation implies significant paleontological age discrepancies. Revised age assignments of biostratigraphic data of Breggia as well as an objective evaluation of the uncertainties on zonal boundaries in both Breggia and Moncornet resolve the initial discrepancies between magnetostratigraphic correlations and biostratigraphic ages. Hence, the sequence of magnetic reversals is significantly strengthened and the age calibration is notably improved for the Pliensbachian, a stage for which sections combining adequate magnetic signal and biostratigraphic constraints are still very few.     

Late Jurassic tectonics and sedimentation: breccias in the Unken syncline,central Northern Calcareous Alps

This study analyses and discusses well preserved examples of Late Jurassic structures in the Northern Calcareous Alps, located at the Loferer Alm, about 35 km southwest of Salzburg. A detailed sedimentary and structural study of the area was carried out for a better understanding of the local Late Jurassic evolution. The Grubhörndl and Schwarzenbergklamm breccias are chaotic, coarse-grained and locally sourced breccias with mountain-sized and hotel-sized clasts, respectively. Both breccias belong to one single body of breccias, the Grubhörndl breccia representing its more proximal and the Schwarzenbergklamm breccia its more distal part, respectively. Breccia deposition occurred during the time of deposition of the Ruhpolding Radiolarite since the Schwarzenbergklamm breccia is underlain and overlain by these radiolarites. Formation of the breccias was related to a major, presumably north-south trending normal fault scarp. It was accompanied and post-dated by west-directed gravitational sliding of the Upper Triassic limestone (“Oberrhätkalk”), which was extended by about 6% on top of a glide plane in underlying marls. The breccia and slide-related structures are sealed and blanketed by Upper Jurassic and Lower Cretaceous sediments. The normal fault scarp, along which the breccia formed, was probably part of a pull-apart basin associated with strike slip movements. On a regional scale, however, we consider this Late Jurassic strike-slip activity in the western part of the Northern Calcareous Alps to be synchronous with gravitational emplacement of “exotic” slides and breccias (Hallstatt mélange), triggered by Late Jurassic shortening in the eastern part of the Northern Calcareous Alps. Hence, two competing processes affected one and the same continental margin.     

Near-bed mass flux profiles in aeolian sand transport: high-resolution measurements in a wind tunnel

Vertical profiles of the streamwise mass flux of blown sand in the near-bed (< 17 mm) region are analysed from high-resolution measurements made using an optical sensor in a wind tunnel. This analysis is complemented by detailed measurements of mass flux and mean velocity profiles throughout the boundary layer depth (0·17 m) using passive, chambered sand traps of small dimensions and armoured thermal anemometers, respectively. The data permit a preliminary analysis of the relations between the observed forms of the profiles of near-bed fluid stress and horizontal mass flux within a carefully conditioned boundary layer. Profiles of mass flux density are found to be characterized by three regions of differing gradient with transitions at about 2 mm and 19 mm above the bed. The exponential decay of mass flux with height is confirmed for elevations above 19 mm, and when plotted as a function of u_*²/g (a parameter of mean vertical trajectory height in saltation), the gradient of mass flux in this region scales with the wake-corrected friction velocity (u), where u > 0·30 m s⁻¹. A separate near-bed region of more intense transport below 19 mm is identified which carries 80 per cent of the total mass flux. This region is evident in some previous field and wind tunnel data but not in profiles simulated by numerical models. Ventilated passive sand traps underestimate mass flux in this region by 37 per cent. At slow or moderate wind speeds a third significant region below 2 mm is observed. These regions are likely to be related to grain populations in successive saltation, low-energy ejections and intermittent bed contact, respectively. Optical measurements reveal locally high grain concentrations at some elevations below 5 mm; these heights scale with transport rate, mass flux gradient and wind speed. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Which way do you lean? Using slope aspect variations to understand Critical Zone processes and feedbacks

Soil‐mantled pole‐facing hillslopes on Earth tend to be steeper, wetter, and have more vegetation cover compared with adjacent equator‐facing hillslopes. These and other slope aspect controls are often the consequence of feedbacks among hydrologic, ecologic, pedogenic, and geomorphic processes triggered by spatial variations in mean annual insolation. In this paper we review the state of knowledge on slope aspect controls of Critical Zone (CZ) processes using the latitudinal and elevational dependence of topographic asymmetry as a motivating observation. At relatively low latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to be steeper. At higher latitudes and elevations this pattern reverses. We reproduce this pattern using an empirical model based on parsimonious functions of latitude, an aridity index, mean‐annual temperature, and slope gradient. Using this empirical model and the literature as guides, we present a conceptual model for the slope‐aspect‐driven CZ feedbacks that generate asymmetry in water‐limited and temperature‐limited end‐member cases. In this conceptual model the dominant factor driving slope aspect differences at relatively low latitudes and elevations is the difference in mean‐annual soil moisture. The dominant factor at higher latitudes and elevations is temperature limitation on vegetation growth. In water‐limited cases, we propose that higher mean‐annual soil moisture on pole‐facing hillslopes drives higher soil production rates, higher water storage potential, more vegetation cover, faster dust deposition, and lower erosional efficiency in a positive feedback. At higher latitudes and elevations, pole‐facing hillslopes tend to have less vegetation cover, greater erosional efficiency, and gentler slopes, thus reversing the pattern of asymmetry found at lower latitudes and elevations. Our conceptual model emphasizes the linkages among short‐ and long‐timescale processes and across CZ sub‐disciplines; it also points to opportunities to further understand how CZ processes interact. We also demonstrate the importance of paleoclimatic conditions and non‐climatic factors in influencing slope aspect variations. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Ground temperature changes in eastern Canada: borehole temperature evidence compared with proxy data

Borehole temperature logs have been inverted to infer ground temperature histories (GTH) in eastern and central Canada. Regional ground temperature histories were obtained by simultaneous inversion of several temperature profiles from the same areas. Simultaneous inversion of 21 temperature logs sampled across all of eastern and central Canada yielded an average solution for this region. All but three of the studied sites show signs of warming in the last 150 years. This period of warming, which started after 1800 AD, was found throughout this part of Canada. The warming followed a cooler period corresponding to the little Ice Age. The inferred ground temperature histories exhibit long-term trends similar to those obtained from treering growth indices in nearby regions and stable isotope data in the southern hemisphere. The modern warming appears correlated with the atmospheric concentration of CO₂ as measured in ice cores.     

Orbital structure of self-consistent triaxial stellar systems

We used a multipolar code to create, through the dissipationless collapses of systems of 1,000,000 particles, three self-consistent triaxial stellar systems with axial ratios corresponding to those of E4, E5 and E6 galaxies. The E5 and E6 models have small, but significant, rotational velocities although their total angular momenta are zero, that is, they exhibit figure rotation; the rotational velocity decreases with decreasing flattening of the models and for the E4 model it is essentially zero. Except for minor changes, probably caused by unavoidable relaxation effects, the systems are highly stable. The potential of each system was subsequently approximated with interpolating formulae yielding smooth potentials, stationary for the non-rotating model and stationary in the rotating frame for the rotating ones. The Lyapunov exponents could then be computed for randomly selected samples of the bodies that make up the different systems, allowing the recognition of regular and partially and fully chaotic orbits. Finally, the regular orbits were Fourier analyzed and classified using their locations on the frequency map. As it could be expected, the percentages of chaotic orbits increase with the flattening of the system. As one goes from E6 through E4, the fraction of partially chaotic orbits relative to that of fully chaotic ones increases, with the former surpassing the latter in model E4; the likely cause of this behavior is that triaxiality diminishes from E6 through E4, the latter system being almost axially symmetric. We especulate that some of the partially chaotic orbits may obey a global integral akin to the long axis component of angular momentum. Our results show that is perfectly possible to have highly stable triaxial models with large fractions of chaotic orbits, but such systems cannot have constant axial ratios from center to border: a slightly flattened reservoir of highly chaotic orbits seems to be mandatory for those systems.