A new approach to time-load-deformation-stress hypersurface of rocks to stability analysis of underground openings

The most important developments in rock engineering are about time-dependent deformation behavior of rocks under different loads. Many studies have been done for the purpose of identifying mathematically time-load-deformation (TLD) characteristics of the rocks. These studies have made an important contribution to the research on the stability of constructions built in rock masses, and rock material is the main part of the rock mass in which the engineering constructions. When considered from this point of view, the time-dependent deformation behavior of the rocks under different loads is important to determine unstable conditions of the rock constructions in the long term. Researches in rock masses use surfaces based on TLD data. On the other hand, the strength of the rock is also part of these analyzes. The new model developed in this study has four variables such as time, load, deformation, and strength. Therefore, TLD surfaces developed for time-load-deformation has been associated with another variable and three-component (TLD) surfaces eventually transformed into four-component (time-load-deformation-strength; TLDS) hypersurfaces. Hypersurfaces, which illustrate new TLDS behaviors of the rocks, developed in underground openings in different rock constructions in different areas. It is thought that the TLDS hypersurfaces will especially be contributed to the numerical modeling studies of rock construction analysis.     

Spatial and temporal characterization of standard duration-maximum precipitation over Black Sea Region in Turkey

Natural Hazards - This study characterises the spatial and temporal behaviours of maximum precipitation over the Black Sea Region in northern Turkey. Maximum precipitation data of 14 standard...     

Prediction of soil loss differences and sediment accumulation at the Nilufer creek watershed,Turkey, using multiyear satellite data in a GIS

This study integrates the RUSLE, remote sensing and GIS to assess soil loss and identify sensitive areas to soil erosion in the Nilufer creek watershed in Bursa province, Turkey. The annual average soil loss was generated separately for years 1984 and 2011, in order to expose possible soil loss differences occurred in 27 years. In addition, sediment accumulation and sediment yield of the studied watershed was also predicted and discussed. The results indicated that very severe erosion risk areas in 1984 was 13.4% of the area, but it was increased to 15.3% by the year 2011, which needs immediate attention from soil conservation point of view. Furthermore, the estimated annual sediment yield of the Nilufer creek watershed was increased from 903 to 979 Mg km^?2 y^?1 in 27 years period. The study also provides useful information for decision-makers and planners to take appropriate land management practices in the area.     

Derivation of earthquake-induced landslide distribution using aerial photogrammetry: the January 24, 2020, Elazig (Turkey) earthquake

Landslides - On January 24, 2020, an earthquake with the Mw of 6.8 occurred on the East Anatolian Fault Zone in Elazig Province, Turkey, and triggered many landslides. Even though Turkey is in a...     

Microbial Quality in Coastal Waters of Dardanelles in Relation to the Pollution Sources and Transport Pathways

The coastal water quality of Çanakkale Dardanelles (Turkey) was assessed based on bacteriological data and physical–chemical parameters. Total coliform (TC), fecal coliform (FC), and enterococci (ENT) bacteria along with physicochemical parameters were measured monthly up to a year at 12 different sampling sites located through both coastal lines of the strait. The fecal bacteria were abounded at several sampling sites such as B1, B3, G3, and G4 due to direct wastewater discharges and septic leakages or overloading. Storm water runoff and sediment resuspension were important pathways for the transport of coliform and ENT bacteria to the Dardanelles, as the region receives high precipitation and strong winds for most part of the year. The values of pH, temperature, and salinity were in typical ranges for the studied area. The microbiological and physicochemical data were correlated individually and in combination. The best fit correlations for bacterial data were attained between TC and FC or TC and ENT (R = 0.67 or ?0.68), while those for the combined data were obtained for TC with temperature (R = 0.94) and TC with salinity (R = ? 0.70).     

Recovery of Phosphate Sludge as Concrete Supplementary Material

The automotive industry plays a major role in the worldwide economy and represents an opportunity to increase the performance of the Turkish economy. Phosphating units in the automotive manufacturing plants generate phosphate sludge as waste, which is classified as hazardous waste in the European Waste Catalogue. Phosphate sludge must be disposed of in licensed disposal plants according to the current environmental regulations. Solidification/stabilization (S/S) is a widely used treatment technology for the disposal of hazardous wastes. Portland cement is used for the solidification and stabilization processes to immobilize Ni and Zn in the phosphate sludge as well as to create construction material to be used as cobble stone for pavement. Examination of products obtained by S/S processes is performed for two points: to determine the quality and to assess the environmental impacts. The phosphate sludge samples are subjected to chemical characterization and a size distribution analysis leaching test. Concrete for cobble stone was produced by the S/S process with the addition of phosphate sludge to replace sand. Tests for the quality of the product were carried out to determine compressive strength, permeability, and elasticity. At the end of the leaching test, elution concentrations of Zn and Ni while using water with pH values of 4.0, 5.4, and 9.0 were determined to be under the limit of inert material properties. Use of phosphate sludge should be considered as a sand replacement in the proportion of 1% of phosphate sludge to cement in concrete production, such as for cobble stone for pavement, without any adverse environmental impacts.     

An entropy-based investigation into the variability of precipitation

Employing the entropy concept spatial and temporal variability of precipitation time series were investigated for the State of Texas, USA. Marginal entropy was used to investigate the variability associated with monthly, seasonal and annual time series. Also, apportionment entropy and intensity entropy were used for investigating the intra-annual and decadal distributions of monthly and annual precipitation amounts and numbers of rainy days within a year and decade respectively. Finally, the Hurst exponent and the Mann–Kendall test were used to evaluate the long-term persistence and trend in the variability of precipitation. Distinct spatial patterns in annual series and different seasons were observed. The variability of precipitation amount as well as number of rainy days within a year increased from east to west of Texas. The results also indicated that highly disorderliness in the amount of precipitation and number of rainy days caused severe droughts during the 1950’s in whole of Texas.     

The QuakeSim Project: Web Services for Managing Geophysical Data and Applications

We describe our distributed systems research efforts to build the “cyberinfrastructure” components that constitute a geophysical Grid, or more accurately, a Grid of Grids. Service-oriented computing principles are used to build a distributed infrastructure of Web accessible components for accessing data and scientific applications. Our data services fall into two major categories: Archival, database-backed services based around Geographical Information System (GIS) standards from the Open Geospatial Consortium, and streaming services that can be used to filter and route real-time data sources such as Global Positioning System data streams. Execution support services include application execution management services and services for transferring remote files. These data and execution service families are bound together through metadata information and workflow services for service orchestration. Users may access the system through the QuakeSim scientific Web portal, which is built using a portlet component approach.     

Optimal cost‐effective topology of column bearings for reducing vertical acceleration demands in multistory base‐isolated buildings

Base‐isolation is regarded as one of the most effective methods for protecting the structural and nonstructural building elements from design level horizontal earthquake ground shaking. However, base‐isolation as currently practiced does not offer unlimited protection for these buildings, especially when the ground shaking includes a strong vertical component. The vulnerability of nonstructural systems in a base‐isolated building was made evident during recent shake table testing of a full‐scale five‐story base‐isolated steel moment frame where nonstructural system damage was observed following tests including vertical excitation. Past research efforts have attempted to achieve 3D isolation of buildings and nuclear structures by concentrating both the horizontal and vertical flexibility at the base of the building that are either quite limited or not economically viable. An approach whereby the vertical flexibility is distributed up the height of the building superstructure to passively reduce vertical acceleration demands in base‐isolated buildings is presented. The vertical flexibility is achieved by placing laterally restrained elastomeric ‘column’ bearings at one or more floor levels along the height of the building. To broadly investigate the efficacy of the vertically distributed flexibility concept and the trade‐off between mitigation and cost, a multi‐objective optimization study was conducted considering 3‐story, 9‐story, and 20‐story archetype buildings that aimed to minimize the median peak vertical floor acceleration demands and to minimize the direct cost of column bearings. Based on the results of the optimization study, a practical rule for determining the number of levels and locations of column bearings is proposed and evaluated. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.