Secondary turbidity maximum in a partially mixed microtidal estuary

Data from a two-year period of monthly slackwater surveys reveal that in addition to the classical estuary turbidity maximum (ETM), another peak of bottom total suspended sediment (TSS) concentration, or a so-called secondary turbidity maximum (STM), often exists in the middle part of the York River estuary, Virginia. This STM, observed in most (but not all) of the slackwater surveys, moves back and forth in the region of about 20 to 40 km from the York River mouth where the mud percentage of bottom sediment is very high. The distribution of the potential energy anomaly, which was calculated using salinity data, indicates that the STM usually resides in the transition zone between the upstream well mixed and the downstream more stratified water columns. An analysis using the conservation equation of suspended sediment concentration in the water column reveals that four processes may contribute to the formation of the STM: convergence of bottom residual flow, tidal asymmetry, inhibition of turbulent diffusion by stratification, and bottom resuspension. The along-channel variations of the strength of bottom residual flow, the effect of tidal asymmetry, and the stratification patterns are probably due to the geometric features of the York River estuary.     

The study of wave pressure and uplift force on a submerged plate

Boundary element method (BEM) is used to study wave pressure acting on a vertical quay, as well as the uplift forces on a submerged plate. The plate, placed in front of the quay, is bored with holes. The results are then compared with the case of a plate without any perforation.The results showed that: for q/h = 0.45, where q is the depth of submergence of the plate and h is water depth, wave pressure acting on the vertical quay is very similar for plates with or without borings. However, with q/h = 0.20, wave pressure on the quay is changed according to wave periods, widths of the plate, the distance of the plate away from the quay, as well as the ratio of the holes to the plates. Uplift forces exerted on the plate are indeed smaller for plates with borings than without, and decrease with increasing porous ratio. Furthermore, the uplift forces will be the same for the same porous ratios, regardless of these ratios being caused by a single or a double perforation.     

An investigation on internal solitary waves in a two-layer fluid: Propagation and reflection from steep slopes

Experimental investigations on internal solitary wave (ISW) propagation and their reflection from a smooth uniform slope were conducted in a two-layered fluid system with a free surface. A 12-meter-long wave flume was in use which incorporated with: (1) a movable vertical gate for generating ISW; (2) six ultrasonic probes for measuring the fluctuation of an ISW; and (3) a steep uniform slope (from one of θ=30°, 50°, 60°, 90°, 120° and 130°) much greater than those ever published in the literature. This paper presents the wave profile properties of the ISW recorded in the flume and their nonlinear features in comparison with the existing Korteweg de Vries (KdV) and modified Korteweg-de Vries (MKdV) theories. Experimental results show that the KdV theory is suitable for most small-amplituded ISWs and MKdV theory is appropriate for the reflected ISWs from various uniform slopes. In addition, both the amplitude-based reflection coefficient and reflected energy approach a constant value asymptotically when plotted against the slope and the characteristic length ratio, respectively. The reflected wave amplitudes calculated from experimental data agree well with those reported elsewhere. The optimum reflection coefficient is found within the limit of 0.85 for wave amplitude, among the test runs from steep normal slope of 30° to inverse angle of 130°, and around 0.75 for the reflected wave energy, produced by an ISW on a vertical wall.     

0505号台风"海棠"特殊移动路径的分析

“海棠”台风在弱环境场引导气流中，受台湾东南面生成的次生低压的吸引作用，产生了打转效应．台风形成的不对称结构影响其移向和降水分布，路径突转时极易产生短时强降水．食指状和“人”字形的外螺旋雨带、螺旋雨带最大回波强度区的移动与台风前进方向一致．在台风停滞打转期间台风上下层的正负速度中心极值有一个调整过程，螺旋雨带都很接近同心圆，是台风风力最大的时候．多普勒雷达提供的风廓线产品资料能够较好地反映出垂直风场的连续变化，同时也给台风定位工作提供了有价值的参考资料．     

An improved capacity spectrum method for ATC‐40

In order to account for the non‐linear behavior of structures via non‐linear static procedure, the capacity spectrum method has been adopted by ATC‐40 for evaluation and retrofit of reinforced concrete buildings. For elastic‐perfectly‐plastic SDOF systems, the accuracy of the capacity spectrum method depends only on the acceleration response spectrum chosen to form the demand spectrum and the adopted model for calculating the equivalent viscous damping ratios. According to this method, the pseudo‐acceleration response spectrum (PS_a) is used to create the demand diagram. It is found that the ATC‐40 procedure, using its Type A hysteretic model, may be inaccurate especially for systems with damping ratios greater than 10% and periods longer than 0.15sec. In order to improve the accuracy of the capacity spectrum method, this study proposes to use the real absolute acceleration response spectrum (S0._a) instead of the PS_a to establish the demand diagram. The step‐by‐step procedure of the improved method and examples are implemented in this paper to illustrate the calculations of earthquake‐induced deformations. In addition, three selected models of equivalent viscous damping are also compared in this paper to assess the accuracy of the model used in the ATC‐40 procedure. Results show that the WJE damping model may be used by the capacity spectrum method to reasonably predict the inelastic displacements when the ductility demand (μ) of the structures is less than 4, whereas the damping model proposed by Kowalsky can be implemented when μ>4.0. Alternatively, the damping model proposed by Kowalsky may be used to calculate the equivalent viscous damping for the entire range of ductility. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

利用重力资料反演京津唐张地区震质中

流动重力观测结果显示，地震孕育过程中重力变化最大处往往不与震中重合，美国科学家J.T.Kuo（郭宗汾）提出了孕震体质量变化中心震质源(hypocentroid)和其在地表的投影震质中(epicentroid)的概念．本文采用球、椭球和圆柱体等3种旋转体模型模拟孕震体，分别计算孕震体均匀膨胀引起的表面重力变化模型，并利用最小二乘法对1981～2000年发生在京津唐张测网内16次M>4.0地震进行震质中迭代反演. 计算精度表明，圆柱体模型为三者中的最隹模型．研究了震中、震质中与断层之间的位置关系，发现京津唐张地区M4~5地震震质中与震中的距离在0~40 km之间，震中一般发生在断层末端，或断层交汇处；而震质中大都发生在断层间的块体内，且成丛分布．这意味着区域内存在小范围的构造——地震孵化区，一次次地震在孵化区内孵化，但却在其周围发生．其间，断层的存在起着重要的控制作用．      

Comparison of displacement coefficient method and capacity spectrum method with experimental results of RC columns

For the performance‐based seismic design of buildings, both the displacement coefficient method used by FEMA‐273 and the capacity spectrum method adopted by ATC‐40 are non‐linear static procedures. The pushover curves of structures need to be established during processing of these two methods. They are applied to evaluation and rehabilitation of existing structures. This paper is concerned with experimental studies on the accuracy of both methods. Through carrying out the pseudo‐dynamic tests, cyclic loading tests and pushover tests on three reinforced concrete (RC) columns, the maximum inelastic deformation demands (target displacements) determined by the coefficient method of FEMA‐273 and the capacity spectrum method of ATC‐40 are compared. In addition, a modified capacity spectrum method which is based on the use of inelastic design response spectra is also included in this study. It is shown from the test specimens that the coefficient method overestimates the peak test displacements with an average error of +28% while the capacity spectrum method underestimates them with an average error of ‐20%. If the Kowalsky hysteretic damping model is used in the capacity spectrum method instead of the original damping model, the average errors become ‐11% by ignoring the effect of stiffness degrading and ‐1.2% by slightly including the effect of stiffness degrading. Furthermore, if the Newmark–Hall inelastic design spectrum is implemented in the capacity spectrum method instead of the elastic design spectrum, the average error decreases to ‐6.6% which undervalues, but is close to, the experimental results. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A mathematical basis for the convergence of the capacity spectrum method

The capacity spectrum method is adopted by the ATC‐40 document for evaluating the inelastic deformation demands of reinforced concrete structures. Several studies have shown that the iterative procedure needed in the method may not give convergent outcomes in some cases. This paper focuses on the convergence of the capacity spectrum method in the constant velocity region of the response spectrum. The results obtained from the examples discussed in this study show that the convergent characteristics of this method depend on the elastic period, the hysteretic damping model, the yield displacement and the ductility ratio of the system analyzed. The capacity spectrum method can converge only for the case that the absolute value of the first derivative of the government equation derived from the demand and capacity diagrams of structures is smaller than 1.0. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.