Study of the interaction between dry granular flows and rigid barriers with an SPH model

This study uses an incompressible smoothed‐particle hydrodynamics model to investigate the interaction between dry granular material flows and rigid barriers. The primary aim is to summarise some practical guidelines for the design of debris‐resisting barriers. The granular materials are modelled as a rigid‐perfectly plastic material where the plastic flow corresponds to the critical state. The coupled continuity equation and momentum equation are solved by a semi‐implicit algorithm. Compared with flows in controlled flume experiments, the model adequately reproduces both the kinetic of the flows and the impact force under various conditions. Then the numerical simulations are used to study the detailed interaction process. It is illustrated quantitatively that the interaction force consists of two parts, ie, the earth pressure force caused by the weight of the soil and a dynamic force caused by the internal deformation (flowing mass on top of a dead zone). For the estimation of impact load, this study suggests that an increased earth pressure coefficient depending on the Froude number should be incorporated into the hydrostatic model.     

Ion chemistry of groundwater and the possible controls within Lhasa River Basin,SW Tibetan Plateau

In order to study the major ion chemistry and controls of groundwater, 65 groundwater samples were collected and their major ions measured from wells within Lhasa River Basin. Groundwater has the characteristics of slightly alkaline and moderate total dissolved solid (TDS). TDS concentration ranged from 122.0 to 489.9 mg/L with a median value of 271.2 mg/L. Almost all the groundwater samples suited for drinking and irrigation. The major cations of groundwater are Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, accounting for 59.6 and 31.3% of the cations, respectively. Meanwhile, HCO₃^? and SO₄^2? constituted about 56.7 and 36.9% of the anions, respectively, in Lhasa River Basin. The hydrochemical type of groundwater is HCO₃-SO₄-Ca-Mg. The chemical composition of groundwater samples located in the middle of Gibbs model, which indicates that the major chemical process of groundwater is controlled by rock weathering. Carbonate weathering was the dominant hydro-geochemical process controlling the concentration of major ions in groundwater within Lhasa River Basin, but silicate weathering also plays an important role.     

Geochemistry of organic matter and elements of black shale during weathering in Northern Guizhou,Southwestern China: Their mobilization and inter-connection

Different from previous studies on effect of weathering upon geochemical variation along a single weathered profile, this paper provides a new methodology validated by comparing a weathered outcrop samples and their stratigraphic counterpart un-weathered core samples in a nearby shallow borehole. This outcrop and borehole penetrated the Ordovician-Silurian Wufeng–Longmaxi shales, located in the same anticline structure in the northern part of Guizhou Province, Southern China. The mineral composition, major, trace and rare earth elements (REEs) composition and Rock-Eval parameters of outcrop and core samples were analyzed and compared. Organic matter (OM) was observed in the microscope and extracted for elements analysis. The results show that short-term weathering still has significant influence on OM, mineral and elemental composition of black shales. The elements composition shows the outcrop profile was moderately weathered. The REEs compositions do not alter much during weathering process and the REEs composition and their relative ratios still are valid for rock origin determination. The OM, mainly composed by graptolite and bitumen, even entering the highly-over thermal maturity, is still sensitive to the weathering with a systematic loss 30–50% of TOC along the outcrop profile, which suggests that the OM consumption is predominantly controlled by weathering duration and the distance from the weathering surface. In turn, OM has significant influence on the trace elements transportation behavior during weathering. Some trace elements associated with the OM such as V, Cr, Th, U, Ni and Co, change significantly in their absolute concentration during weathering, but their relative ratios do not necessarily change too much and might be still reliable proxies for paleo-environmental determination. The mobility of shale minerals during weathering is in the following order: plagioclase?>?potassium feldspar and dolomite >pyrite and OM. Short-term weathering can also result in considerable transportation of elements and significant variation of minerals content in black shale, which may pose potentially high environmental and engineering risk in the regions rich in black shale.     

Delineation of groundwater prospective zones from a delta region of India,using geoelectrical and water quality approach

Geoelectrical survey was carried out in the western delta region of River Vasista Godavari, Andhra Pradesh, India, for delineation of groundwater prospective zones due to acute shortage of water supply for various purposes. Forty-six vertical electrical soundings (VES) were done, employing the Schlumberger configuration with a maximum AB/2 of 160 m. The interpreted results of VES show four to five layers with variable thicknesses, such as topsoil zone (1.5–3 m), clay zone (0.84–32 m), finer sand zone (2–72 m), medium to coarse sand zone (4 to 28.8 m) and clay zone (1.2–∞ m), indicating a multi-aquifer system. These results are corroborated with the known lithologs of the study area. Further, the resistivity is also compared with electrical conductivity (EC) of groundwater observed nearby shallow wells representing buried channel (BC), flood plain (FP) and coastal (C) zones, which indicate slightly brackish to brackish water (EC: 1470–6010 µS/cm), whereas the groundwater observed from deep wells shows the fresh (EC: 726–1380 µS/cm), fresh to brackish (EC: 1010 to 3250 µS/cm), and brackish water (EC: 3020 to 4170 µS/cm) located in BC, FP and C zones, respectively. This survey reveals the prospective aquifer zones with potable water at VES locations of 4–6, 8, 10, 11, 14, 16–28, 33–36, 39 and 42–44, where the resistivity values vary from 10 to 40 Ω m. The slightly brackish and brackish water zones are also observed from the resistivity of less than 10 Ω m at shallow depth in BC (VES-22, 37, 38 and 46), FP (VES-1, 2, 7, 29, 30 and 40) and C (VES-3, 4, 9, 12, 13, 15, 31, 32, 41 and 45) zones. As a result, the present investigation has delineated the freshwater zones at shallow (<?12 m) and also at deeper depths (30–45 m) as prospective areas, where BC zone occurs. Freshwater pockets also identified in FP (VES-8 and 39) and C (VES-11, 14 and 15) zones. Thus, this study helps to solve the drinking and irrigation water problems.     

Semi-analytical solutions for vertically and laterally loaded piles in multilayered soil deposits

In geotechnical practice, it is of considerable importance to assess the behavior of vertical–lateral coupled loading piles in multilayered soil deposits. This study deals with a semi-analytical formulation for the performance of a pile suffering from combined vertical and lateral loads. The emphasis is on quantifying the mobilization of the subgrade reaction provided by the layered soil stratums. In the proposed method, subgrade reactions, correlated with both the accumulative axial load transfer and side resistances depending upon the pile–soil interaction, are abstracted as a series of nonlinear springs in both vertical and lateral directions. On account of this, an alternative transfer matrix method is applied to characterize the pile reaction along the depth under the identified boundary conditions atop the pile; meanwhile, the condition of static equilibrium, between two specific pile segments located at the border of soil layers, is also essential. On this basis, validation of the solution is conducted by comparing with observations from experiments and predictions obtained from other existing methods. In addition, the influence of properties in shallow soil layer and the vertical load on the lateral response of the pile is also discussed. The results indicate a reduction in the lateral displacement and the maximum bending moment within the pile with the increase in the shallow soil stiffness, but a growth with the increase in vertical load due to the “P-Δ effect.”     

Application of a unified linear yield criterion in plane strain to study the strength theory effect in geotechnical engineering

The plane strain condition is a common, but polyaxial stress state for geotechnical structure designs, in which the selection of an appropriate yield or failure criterion is crucial to reasonably account for the intermediate principal stress. Under plane strain condition, a unified linear yield criterion for seven commonly used geotechnical yield criteria is presented in conjunction with the inductive method. These seven yield criteria considered in this study are the Mohr–Coulomb, Tresca, Drucker–Prager, Mogi–Coulomb, Extended Matsuoka–Nakai, Extended Lade–Duncan criteria, and the Unified Strength Theory. The generalized analytical solutions for earth pressure of retaining walls, critical load of strip foundations as well as stress and displacement of circular tunnels are derived on the basis of the proposed unified yield criterion, and their respective theoretical significance is analyzed. Thereafter, the critical load of strip foundations obtained herein is compared with two numerical results from the literature. Furthermore, the effect of strength theory on result differences of the three typical geotechnical problems by simply selecting constants, which conform to different yield criteria, is explored through a parametric study. It is found that the proposed unified yield criterion is convenient for investigating analytical solutions of the aforementioned geotechnical structures. The strength theory effect due to adopting different yield criteria is considerably significant, which cannot be ignored. Additionally, recommendations are provided on how to make use of these seven yield criteria for an optimum design.     

均质土岸坡崩塌与河床冲淤交互过程试验

在弯道水槽中展开系列试验,研究水力冲刷过程中均质土岸坡冲刷崩塌输移与河床冲淤过程及其影响因素。该过程及变化特征可描述为:水下坡面侵蚀及坡脚淘刷导致岸坡失稳崩塌;暂时堆积在凹岸坡脚处的崩塌体加剧附近水流紊动程度利于其输运与分解;分解后较粗的颗粒随弯道螺旋流以推移质形式被输移至下游凸岸落淤,较细的颗粒大部分都随水流以悬移质形式被携带至下游出口;水流结构随岸坡及河床变形而调整;如此循环往复。试验成果进一步表明:冲刷状态下,试验材料黏性越小、近岸流速越大、作用时间越长,岸坡冲刷崩塌量及河床冲刷量都越大;同条件下岸坡冲刷崩塌总量大于河床冲刷总量,且河床相对冲刷率随岸坡冲刷崩塌量的增大而减小,数值范围为0.40~0.92。     

粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决试验

为研究粉质黏土堤防漫溢溃决破坏过程及其对水流要素和土体性质的响应规律,以河道流量、筑堤土体含水率和孔隙率为变量,在弯道水槽中开展了9组堤防漫溢溃决概化试验.通过试验发现,粉质黏土堤漫溢溃决溃口发展过程可分为垂向侵蚀和横向扩宽两个阶段,垂向侵蚀阶段以"陡坎"后退为主要形式;筑堤土体含水率与孔隙率不仅影响了溃口垂向侵蚀以及横向扩宽速度,而且决定了溃口最终形态,河道流量主要影响堤防溃口的横向扩宽速度;溃口处流速以及下游水位变化受溃口高度的制约.拟合得到土体黏聚力与土体含水率、孔隙率的相关关系式;通过试验数据提出了由土体黏聚力和水流参数表达的"陡坎"侵蚀后退速度计算公式,证明具有一定合理性.     

珠江口西部海域表层沉积物重金属元素多尺度空间变化特征

笔者应用因子克里格分析方法,研究了珠江口西部海域388个表层沉积物中7种重金属元素Cd, Ni,Cu,Zn,Pb,Cr和As的空间结构特征,识别并分离了重金属元素不同尺度的空间主成分及其分布特征,探讨了不同空间尺度重金属的物源及控制因素。结果显示,研究区7种重金属元素在空间上存在块金尺度、局部尺度(变程为60 km的球状结构)和区域尺度(变程为160 km的球状结构)3种尺度的空间变化。以迭代算法模拟了研究区重金属元素线性协同区域化模型。根据不同尺度上区域化因子的主成分得分分布特征可知:局部尺度上,F₁因子(Zn,Cr,Ni,Cu)和F₂因子(As)的高值区表现为"牛眼"状局部特征,并分布在陆地沿海的河口或者港湾区,指示了可能受人为污染成分影响的重金属区域。其中,雷州半岛东部沿海是最可能的重金属污染区,其空间分布主要受控于局部的地形、海流等因素。F₂因子不同于F₁的空间分布,主要在于As不同于Zn,Cr,Ni,Cu等的地球化学行为。区域尺度上,F₁(Zn,Cr,Ni)和F₂(As)因子主要反映了不同陆源母岩物质的影响。Zn,Cr,Ni等主要源于华南大陆陆源母岩物质,而As主要受到海南岛陆源母岩物质的控制。F₁和F₂因子得分高值区整体上表现为NNE向自陆地向较深海域延伸的"片状"分布特征,推测其主要受到海平面变化及NNE向区域性海洋环流的控制。     

水平井和大斜度井中阵列侧向测井响应数值模拟

针对水平井和大斜度井中阵列侧向电极系的工作原理,利用多电场叠加方式进行电场合成,采用三维有限元方法模拟仿真各个分电场的场分布,进而利用电场线性叠加原理得到阵列侧向测井响应。在基于计算机仿真的基础上,得到阵列侧向五条测井曲线的径向探测深度,阵列侧向径向探测深度要小于深侧向探测深度。考察了三维地层模型下井斜和侵入深度变化对阵列侧向测井响应的影响,分析了水平井和大斜度井中阵列侧向测井响应特征。模拟结果表明,在井斜小于15°时,阵列侧向测井响应受井斜影响小,可以不进行井斜校正;井斜超过60°的大斜度井以及水平井中,阵列侧向测井响应视地层厚度逐渐增大,测井响应值与直井条件下响应值差别较大,必须进行井斜校正。