McGill algorithm for precipitation nowcasting by lagrangian extrapolation (MAPLE) applied to the South Korean radar network. Part I: Sensitivity studies of the Variational Echo Tracking (VET) technique

A Variational Echo Tracking (VET) technique has been applied to four months of archived data from the South Korean radar network in order to examine the influence of the various user-selectable parameters on the skill of the resulting 20-min to 4-h nowcasts. The latter are computed over a (512 × 512) array at 2-km resolution. After correcting the original algorithm to take into account the motion of precipitation across the boundaries of such a smaller radar network, we concluded that the set of default input parameters initially assumed is very close to the optimum combination. Decreasing to (5 sx 5) or increasing to (50 × 50) the default vector density of (25 × 25), using two or three maps for velocity determination, varying the relative weights for the constraints of conservation of reflectivity and of the smoothing of the velocity vectors, and finally the application of temporal smoothing all had only marginal effects on the skill of the forecasts. The relatively small sensitivity to significant variations of the VET default parameters is a direct consequence of the fact that the major source of the loss in forecast skill cannot be attributed to errors in the forecast motion, but to the unpredictable nature of the storm growth and decay. Changing the time interval between maps, from 20 to 10 minutes, and significantly increasing the reflectivity threshold from 15 to 30 dBZ had a more noticeable reduction on the forecast skill. Comparisons with the Eulerian “zero velocity“ forecast and with a “single“ vector forecast have also been performed in order to determine the accrued skill of the VET algorithm. Because of the extensive stratiform nature of the precipitation areas affecting the Korean peninsula, the increased skill is not as large as may have been anticipated. This can be explained by the greater extent of the precipitation systems relative to the size of the radar coverage domain.     

Centrifuge modeling of single pile response due to lateral cyclic loading in kaolin clay

In offshore engineering, pile foundations are commonly constructed in marine deposits to support various structures such as offshore platforms. These piles are subjected to lateral cyclic loading due to wind, wave action, and drag load from ships. In this paper, centrifuge model tests are conducted to investigate the response of the existing single piles due to lateral cyclic loading. The cyclic loading was simulated by a hydraulic actuator. It is found that the residual lateral movement and bending strain are induced in the existing pile after each loading–unloading cycle. This is because plastic deformation is induced in the soil surrounding the existing pile during each loading–unloading cycle. By increasing the applied loads during cyclic loading–unloading process, the lateral movements and bending strains induced in the pile head increase simultaneously. As the cyclic loading varies from 10 to 50 kN, the residual pile head movement increases from 40 to 154?mm, and the residual bending strain of the existing pile varies from 100 to 260 με. The ratio of residual to the maximum pile head movements varies from 0.17 to 0.22, while the ratio of residual to the maximum bending strains is in a range of 0.12–0.55.     

Effects of the roots of Cynodon dactylon and Schefflera heptaphylla on water infiltration rate and soil hydraulic conductivity

Water infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity in vegetated soil are two vital hydrological parameters for agriculturists to determine availability of soil moisture for assessing crop growths and yields, and also for engineers to carry out stability calculations of vegetated slopes. However, any effects of roots on these two parameters are not well‐understood. This study aims to quantify the effects of a grass species, Cynodon dactylon, and a tree species, Schefflera heptaphylla, on infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity in relation to their root characteristics and suction responses. The two selected species are commonly used for ecological restoration and rehabilitation in many parts of the world and South China, respectively. A series of in‐situ double‐ring infiltration tests was conducted during a wet summer, while the responses of soil suction were monitored by tensiometers. When compared to bare soil, the vegetated soil has lower infiltration rate and hydraulic conductivity. This results in at least 50% higher suction retained in the vegetated soil. It is revealed that the effects of root‐water uptake by the selected species on suction were insignificant because of the small evapotranspiration (<0.2 mm) when the tests were conducted under the wet climate. There appears to have no significant difference (less than 10%) of infiltration rates, hydraulic conductivity and suction retained between the grass‐covered and the tree‐covered soil. However, the grass and tree species having deeper root depth and greater Root Area Index (RAI) retained higher suction. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

循环温度场作用下PCC能量桩热力学特性模型试验研究

PCC能量桩是河海大学岩土所开发的一种新型能量桩技术。在常规桩基静载荷模型试验基础上,将PCC能量桩放置在南京典型砂土中,并通过导热管内水体的循环对模型桩体施加温度场,以模拟PCC能量桩在实际运行过程中的承载力特性与受力机制,PCC能量桩先加载至工作荷载（极限荷载的一半）,再施加热-冷循环一次,最后加载至极限荷载,测得不同温度下PCC能量桩的荷载-位移关系曲线、桩身应力-应变关系曲线等变化规律。试验结果表明,能量桩换热过程中,热量更容易从桩体传向土体（即夏季模式的热循环）;热循环及制冷循环都明显改变了桩顶位移值,且往复循环作用下产生的塑性变形不能完全恢复,其积累变形可能危害上部结构安全;桩身受温度场作用产生的热应力相对较大,且不同约束条件下其变化值有所差异;在制冷循环下,桩底部甚至可能产生较大拉应力。     

Stress relaxation of grouted entirely large diameter B-GFRP soil nail

One of the potential solutions to steel-corrosion-related problems is the usage of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) as a replacement of steel bars. In the past few decades, researchers have conducted a large number of experimental and theoretical studies on the behavior of small size glass fiber reinforce polymer (GFRP) bars (diameter smaller than 20 mm). However, the behavior of large size GFRP bar is still not well understood. Particularly, few studies were conducted on the stress relaxation of grouted entirely large diameter GFRP soil nail. This paper investigates the effect of stress levels on the relaxation behavior of GFRP soil nail under sustained deformation ranging from 30% to 60% of its ultimate strain. In order to study the behavior of stress relaxation, two B-GFRP soil nail element specimens were developed and instrumented with fiber Bragg grating (FBG) strain sensors which were used to measure strains along the B-GFRP bars. The test results reveal that the behavior of stress relaxation of B-GFRP soil nail element subjected to pre-stress is significantly related to the elapsed time and the initial stress of relaxation procedure. The newly proposed model for evaluating stress relaxation ratio can substantially reflect the influences of the nature of B-GFRP bar and the property of grip body. The strain on the nail body can be redistributed automatically. Modulus reduction is not the single reason for the stress degradation.     

Estimation of undrained shear strength in moderately OC clays based on field vane test data

The undrained shear strength (s _u) of cohesive soils is a crucial parameter for many geotechnical engineering applications. Due to the complexities and uncertainties associated with laboratory and in situ tests, it is a challenging task to obtain the undrained shear strength in a reliable and economical manner. In this study, a probabilistic model for the s _u of moderately overconsolidated clays is developed using the Bayesian model class selection approach. The model is based on a comprehensive geotechnical database compiled for this study with field measurements of field vane strength (s _u), plastic limit (PL), natural water content (W _n), liquid limit (LL), vertical effective overburden stress (\(\sigma_{\nu }^{\prime }\)), preconsolidation pressure (\(\sigma_{\text{p}}^{\prime }\)) and overconsolidated ratio (OCR). Comparison study shows that the proposed model is superior to some well-known empirical relationships for OC clays. The proposed probabilistic model not only provides reliable and economical estimation of s _u but also facilitates reliability-based analysis and design for performance-based engineering applications.     

Assessment of three interface elements and modification of the interface element in CRISP90

To model the interaction between a buried pipeline and the surrounding soil either special interface elements or thin conventional elements may be used. In this study the CRISP90 interface element, the DRCRISP interface element and a conventional 8-noded quadrilateral element have been examined and their behaviour compared for a variety of loading conditions. Initial studies reveal that all these elements have limitations and are only suitable for monotonic loading and situations where tensile conditions do not occur across the interface. In the light of these findings the CRISP90 interface element has been modified by introducing a limiting adhesive strength in the normal direction; a flag system has also been introduced to track the various conditions of separation and closure for any gap that is formed. The results of single element and other benchmark tests show that the modified element can satisfactorily model the different modes of deformation relevant to soil–structure interface problems.     

AN INVESTIGATION OF THE ACCURACY OF PARALLAX BAR HEIGHTING BY MEANS OF NUMERICAL SIMULATION

Previous assessments of the accuracy of parallax bar heighting were handicapped by small sample sizes. Numerical simulation was avoided due to the difficulty of obtaining co-ordinates for the conjugate principal points. This problem has been overcome, however, and all required photograph coordinates have been rigorously computed following the generation of fictitious data for ground points and exposure stations. The parallax bar heighting process has additionally been simulated in order to investigate both external factors, such as image errors, tilts and ground relief, and also influences intrinsic in the heighting process, for example estimation of flying height, baselining, control configuration and error surface model.     

Mapping land subsidence over the eastern Beijing city using satellite radar interferometry*

Beijing City has suffered from groundwater-induced subsidence since the late 1930s and the over-exploration of groundwater could lead to subsidence as much as ?12.0 cm?yr^?1. Previous studies on the ground deformation at Beijing City mainly focused on the period before the year of 2014 when a mega-engineering project was launched to reduce water shortage in Beijing. To study the most recent ground deformation, 19 L-band ALOS-1 PALSAR images (June 2007–January 2011), 24 C-band Sentinel-1 SAR images (June 2015–November 2016) together with 9 ALOS-2 PALSAR acquisitions (September 2014–February 2017) were analysed in this work. Levelling measurements were exploited to verify the ALOS-1-based time series InSAR (TS-InSAR) result while Sentinel-1 and ALOS-2 result were cross-verified with each other. Furthermore, the whole study area was divided into four sub-zones, and the result indicated that the subsidence rates over five townships, Cuigezhuan, Jinzhan, Liyuan, Songzhuang and Yanjiao were accelerating and more attentions should be paid. On the contrary, the town centre of Douge Zhuang township experienced a decreasing trend between these two temporal-periods. Additionally, the time series measurements with respect to five selected measurement points and the profile line along the subsidence hot spots were analysed.     

Enhancement of polysulfone membrane with integrated ZnO nanoparticles for the clarification of sweetwater

Clarification is one of the main steps in producing glycerin from glycerin–rich solution (namely sweetwater) in oleo-chemical industry. In this study, ZnO nanoparticles (9–12 nm in diameter) were incorporated into polysulfone (PSf) membranes to improve the membrane antifouling properties toward the fatty acids in sweetwater. The hybrid membranes were fabricated through wet phase inversion method. The modified membranes exhibited better water permeability, membrane surface hydrophilicity (improvement from 82° to 62.1°) and resistance toward fouling by fatty acids. In this study, the best membrane was obtained in the presence of 3% of ZnO nanoparticles, which showed good fouling resistance, high solution flux and a very high rejection of fatty acids (≥80%) in comparison with the pure PSf membranes, at the same experimental conditions. The enhanced membrane performances during the clarification of sweetwater were attributed to the unique properties of ZnO nanoparticles that were uniformly dispersed in the PSf structures.