Study of vibrating foundations considering soil-pile-structure interaction for practical applications

An investigation of soil-pile-structure interaction is carried out, based on a large reciprocating compressor installed on an elevated concrete foundation （table top structure）. A practical method is described for the dynamic analysis, and compared with a 3D finite element （FE） model. Two commercial software packages are used for dynamic analysis considering the soilpile-structure interaction （SPSI）. Stiffness and damping of the pile foundation are generated from a computer program, and then input into the FE model. To examine the SPSI thoroughly, three cases for the soil, piles and superstructure are considered and compared. In the first case, the interaction is fully taken into account, that is, both the superstructure and soil-pile system are flexible. In the second case, the superstructure is flexible but fixed to a rigid base, with no deformation in the base （no SSI）. In the third case, the dynamic soil-pile interaction is taken into account, but the table top structure is assumed to be rigid. From the comparison beteen the results of these three cases some conclusions are made, which could be helpful for engineering practice.     

Damage investigation of girder bridges under the Wenchuan earthquake and corresponding seismic design recommendations

An investigation of girder bridges on National Highway 213 and the Doujiangyan-Wenchuan expressway after the Wenchuan earthquake showed that typical types of damage included： span collapses due to unseating at expansion joints; shear key failure; and damage of the expansion joint due to the slide-induced large relative displacement between the bottom of the girder and the top of the laminated-rubber bearing. This slide, however, can actually act as a form of isolation for the substructure, and as a result, the piers and foundation of most of the bridges on state route 213 suffered minor damage. The exception was the Baihua Bridge, which suffered severe damage. Corresponding seismic design recommendations are presented based on this investigation.     

Simulating the effect of hydrate dissociation on wellhead stability during oil and gas development in deepwater

It is well known that methane hydrate has been identified as an alternative resource due to its massive reserves and clean property. However, hydrate dissociation during oil and gas development (OGD) process in deep water can affect the stability of subsea equipment and formation. Currently, there is a serious lack of studies over quantitative assessment on the effects of hydrate dissociation on wellhead stability. In order to solve this problem, ABAQUS finite element software was used to develop a model and to evaluate the behavior of wellhead caused by hydrate dissociation. The factors that affect the wellhead stability include dissociation range, depth of hydrate formation and mechanical properties of dissociated hydrate region. Based on these, series of simulations were carried out to determine the wellhead displacement. The results revealed that, continuous dissociation of hydrate in homogeneous and isotropic formations can causes the non-linear increment in vertical displacement of wellhead. The displacement of wellhead showed good agreement with the settlement of overlying formations under the same conditions. In addition, the shallower and thicker hydrate formation can aggravate the influence of hydrate dissociation on the wellhead stability. Further, it was observed that with the declining elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio, the wellhead displacement increases. Hence, these findings not only confirm the effect of hydrate dissociation on the wellhead stability, but also lend support to the actions, such as cooling the drilling fluid, which can reduce the hydrate dissociation range and further make deepwater operations safer and more efficient.     

Post-Newtonian effect on the variation of time of periastron passage of binary stars in three gravitational theories

The equation for the variation of the time of a periastron passage of binary stars has been solved by using the perturbation approach. The post-Newtonian effect on the variation of the time of a periastron passage has been examined within three gravitational theories. The results clearly show that the periastron passage of a binary star occurs earlier (advances) at each revolution. This effect has been calculated and discussed for ten binary stars.     

An overview of dry-wet climate variability among monsoon-westerly regions and the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone in China

Climate in mainland China can be divided into the monsoon region in the southeast and the westerly region in the northwest as well as the intercross zone, i.e., the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone that is oriented from Southwest China to the upper Yellow River, North China, and Northeast China. In the three regions, dry-wet climate changes are directly linked to the interaction of the southerly monsoon flow on the east side of the Tibetan Plateau and the westerly flow on the north side of the Plateau from the inter-annual to inter-decadal timescales. Some basic features of climate variability in the three regions for the last half century and the historical hundreds of years are reviewed in this paper. In the last half century, an increasing trend of summer precipitation associated with the enhancing westerly flow is found in the westerly region from Xinjiang to northern parts of North China and Northeast China. On the other hand, an increasing trend of summer precipitation along the Yangtze River and a decreasing trend of summer precipitation along the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone are associated with the weakening monsoon flow in East Asia. Historical documents are widely distributed in the monsoon region for hundreds of years and natural climate proxies are constructed in the non-monsoon region, while two types of climate proxies can be commonly found over the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone. In the monsoon region, dry-wet variation centers are altered among North China, the lower Yangtze River, and South China from one century to another. Dry or wet anomalies are firstly observed along the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone and shifted southward or southeastward to the Yangtze River valley and South China in about a 70-year timescale. Severe drought events are experienced along the monsoon northernmost marginal active zone during the last 5 centuries. Inter-decadal dry-wet variations are depicted by natural proxies for the last 4--5 centuries in several areas over the non-monsoon region. Some questions, such as the impact of global warming on dry-wet regime changes in China, complex interactions between the monsoon and westerly flows in Northeast China, and the integrated multi-proxy analysis throughout all of China, are proposed.     

Vertical atmospheric structure of the late summer clear days over the east Gansu loess plateau in China

In this paper, by using the sounding data collected in LOPEX05, we have analyzed the vertical atmospheric structure and boundary layer characteristics of temperature and humidity in the late summer over the east Gansu loess plateau. The results show that the bottom of the stratosphere is at about 16 500 m and varies between 14 000 m and 18 000 m above the ground. The center of the westerly jet is located between 8300 m and 14 300 m above the ground and its direction moves between 260° and 305°. There is an ...     

A synergic algorithm for retrieval of aerosol optical depth over land

In this paper, a novel algorithm for aerosol optical depth(AOD) retrieval with a 1 km spatial resolution over land is presented using the Advanced Along Track Scanning Radiometer (AATSR) dual-view capability at 0.55, 0.66 and 0.87 μm, in combination with the Bi-directional Reflectance Distribution Function (BRDF) model, a product of the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS). The BRDF characteristics of the land surface, i.e. prior input parameters for this algorithm, are computed by extracti...     

Regional Distribution of Perceived Temperatures Estimated by the Human Heat Budget Model （the Klima-Michel Model） in South Korea

The regional distribution of perceived temperatures (PT) for 28 major weather stations in South Korea during the past 22 years (1983–2004) was investigated by employing a human heat budget model, the Klima-Michel model. The frequencies of a cold stress and a heat load by each region were compared. The sensitivity of PT in terms of the input of synoptic meteorological variables were successfully tested. Seogwipo in Jeju Island appears to be the most comfortable city in Korea. Busan also shows a high frequenc...     

A Note on Reviving the Goddard Satellite-Based Surface Turbulent Fluxes （GSSTF） Dataset

Accurate sea surface flux measurements are crucial for understanding the global water and energy cycles. The oceanic evaporation, which is a major component of the global oceanic fresh water flux, is useful for predicting oceanic circulation and transport. The global Goddard Satellite-based Surface Turbulent Fluxes Version-2 (GSSTF2; July 1987--December 2000) dateset that was officially released in 2001 has been widely used by scientific community for global energy and water cycle research, and regional and short period data analyses. We have recently been funded by NASA to resume processing the GSSTF dataset with an objective of continually producing a uniform dataset of sea surface turbulent fluxes, derived from remote sensing data. The dataset is to be reprocessed and brought up-to-date (GSSTF2b) using improved input datasets such as a recently upgraded NCEP/DOE sea surface temperature reanalysis, and an upgraded surface wind and microwave brightness temperature V6 dataset (Version 6) from the Special Sensor Microwave Imager (SSM/I) produced by Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). A second new product (GSSTF3) is further proposed with a finer temporal (12-h) and spatial (0.25^ox0.25^o) resolution. GSSTF2b (July 1987--December 2008) and GSSTF3 (July 1999--December 2009) will be released for the research community to use by late 2009 and early 2011, respectively.