A time‐domain seismic SSI analysis method for inelastic bridge structures through the use of a frequency‐dependent lumped parameter model

It is highlighted in the past that the soil–structure interaction phenomenon can produce a significant alteration on the response of a bridge structure. A variety of approaches has been developed in the past, which is capable of tackling the soil–structure interaction problem from different perspectives. The popular approach of a discretized truncated finite element model of the soil domain is not always a numerically viable solution, especially for computationally demanding simulations such as the probabilistic fragility analysis of a bridge structure or the real time hybrid simulation. This paper aims to develop a complete modeling procedure that is capable of coping with the soil–structure interaction problem of inelastic bridge structures through the use of a frequency dependent lumped parameter assembly. The proposed procedure encounters accuracy and global stability issues observed on past methods while maintaining the broad applicability of the method by any commercial FEM software. A case study of an overpass bridge structure under earthquake excitations is illustrated in order to verify the proposed method. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Model updating method for substructure pseudo‐dynamic hybrid simulation

Substructure hybrid simulation has been actively investigated and applied to evaluate the seismic performance of structural systems in recent years. The method allows simulation of structures by representing critical components with physically tested specimens and the rest of the structure with numerical models. However, the number of physical specimens is limited by available experimental equipment. Hence, the benefit of the hybrid simulation diminishes when only a few components in a large system can be realistically represented. The objective of the paper is to overcome the limitation through a novel model updating method. The model updating is carried out by applying calibrated weighting factors at each time step to the alternative numerical models, which encompasses the possible variation in the experimental specimen properties. The concept is proposed and implemented in the hybrid simulation framework, UI‐SimCor. Numerical verification is carried out using two‐DOF systems. The method is also applied to an experimental testing, which proves the concept of the proposed model updating method. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Geostatistical integration of MT and borehole data for RMR evaluation

The geostatistical approach was applied to integrate MT (Magneto-telluric) resistivity data and borehole information for the spatial RMR (Rock Mass Rating) evaluation. Generally, resistivity of the subsurface is believed to be positively related to the RMR, thus the resistivity and borehole RMR information was combined in a geostatistical approach. To relate the two different sets of data, the MT resistivity data were used as secondary information and the RMR mean values were estimated at unsampled points by identification of the resistivity to the borehole data. Two types of approach are performed for the estimation of RMR mean values. Then the residuals of the RMR values around the borehole sites are geostatistically modeled to infer the spatial structure of difference between real RMR values and estimated mean values. Finally, this geostatistical estimation is added to the previous means. The result applied to a real situation shows prominent improvements to reflect the subsurface structure and spatial resolution of RMR information.     

Combined analysis of electrical resistivity and geotechnical SPT blow counts for the safety assessment of fill dam

Electrical resistivity survey and the geotechnical SPT blow counts (N value) method were simultaneously analyzed to investigate the stability of a center-core type earth-fill dam against the seepage phenomenon. The coupling of these heterogeneous field methods provided a chance to understand the status of underground material by comparing the geophysical and geotechnical view. The analysis shows that the zones with low resistivity value generally have low N value, which means low stiffness. However, some zones with a high resistivity pattern are not accompanied by an increase of its N value, and are even showing a lower N value. These results imply that one should be careful to directly correlate resistivity value with the real status of the core material of a fill dam. And a highly resistive zone may be in poor status due to the effect of increase of resistivity value as a result of the piping condition. Additional laboratory tests show that there is a deficiency of fine soil particles believed as the clay at the troubled region, which means an increase in resistivity value. Therefore, multiple explorations should be planned to reduce the uncertainty in application of geophysical methods to dam safety evaluation in order to compensate the resistivity information of core material.     

Genetic Environment of the Intrusion-related Yuryang Au-Te Deposit in the Cheonan Metallogenic Province, Korea

Abstract. The Yuryang gold deposit, comprising a Te‐bearing Au‐Ag vein mineralization, is located in the Cheonan area of the Republic of Korea. The deposit is hosted in Precambrian gneiss and closely related to pegmatite. The mineralized veins display massive quartz textures, with weak alteration adjacent to the veins. The ore mineralization is simple, with a low Ag/Au ratio of 1.5:1, due to the paucity of Ag‐phases. Ore mineralization took place in two different mineral assemblages with paragenetic time; early Fe‐sulfide mineralization and late Fe‐sulfide and Au‐Te mineralization. The early Fe‐sulfide mineralization (pyrite + sphalerite) occurred typically along the vein margins, and the subsequent Au‐Te mineralization is characterized by fracture fillings of galena, sphalerite, pyrrhotite, Te‐bearing minerals (petzite, altaite, hessite and Bi‐Te mineral) and electrum. Fluid inclusions characteristically contain CO₂ and can be classified into four types (Ia, Ib, IIa and IIb) according to the phase behavior. The pressure corrected temperatures (≥500d?C) indicate that the deposit was formed at a distinctively high temperature from fluids with moderate to low salinity (<12 wt% equiv. NaCl) and CH₄ (1?22 mole %). The sphalerite geo‐barometry yield an estimated pressure about 3.5 ?2.1 kbar. The dominant ore‐deposition mechanisms were CO₂ effervescence and concomitant H₂S volatilization, which triggered sulfidation and gold mineralization. The measured and calculated isotopic compositions of fluids (δ¹⁸O_H2^O = 10.3 to 12.4 %o; δD_H2^O = ‐52 to ‐77 %o) may indicate that the gold deposition originated from S‐type magmatic waters. The physicochemical conditions observed in the Yuryang gold deposit indicate that the Jurassic gold deposits in the Cheonan area, including the Yuryang gold deposit are compatible with deposition of the intrusion‐related Au‐Te veins from deeply sourced fluids generated by the late Jurassic Daebo magmatism.     

Pilot-scale field model tests for detecting landfill leachate intrusion into the subsurface using a grid-net electrical conductivity measurement system

The grid-net electrical conductivity measurement system for detecting exact locations of landfill leachate intrusion in the subsurface was developed in this study. Laboratory and pilot-scale field model tests were performed to evaluate the direct application of a grid-net electrical conductivity measurement system for the detection of landfill leachate. A significant increase in electrical conductivity of soil was observed by adding landfill leachate. This can be explained as an increase in electrical conductivity of pore fluid due to an increase in leachate constituents as charge carriers. In pilot-scale field model tests, leachate intrusion locations were accurately identified at the initial stage of landfill leachate release by the grid-net electrical conductivity measurement system. The electrical conductivity of the subsurface before leachate injection lay within a small range of 24.8–43.0 S/cm. The electrical conductivity values in detected points were approximately ten times more than the conductivity values of the subsurface without landfill leachate intrusion. The results in this study indicate that the grid-net electrical conductivity measurement method has a possible application for detecting locations of landfill leachate intrusion into the subsurface at the initial stage, and thus has great potential in monitoring leachate leakage at waste landfills.     

Genetic Implications of Two Different Ultramafic Rocks from Hongseong Area in the Southwestern Gyeonggi Massif, South Korea

Two distinct ultramafic bodies occur in Baekdong and Bibong in the Hongseong area within Gyeonggi massif of South Korea. The Hongseong area is now extensively documented as an extension of the Dabie-Sulu collision belt in China. The Baekdong ultramafic body has a NWW elongation direction. This elongation trend is similar to the general trend of the Dabie-Sulu collision belt. The Bibong ultramafic body is elongated in a NNE direction and runs parallel to the direction of the main fault in the study area. The Baekdong ultramafic bodies show porphyroclastic and mylonitic textures while those at Bibong exhibit a mosaic texture. Both were grouped into peridotite and serpentinite based on their modal abundance of serpentine. In the olivine (Fo) vs. spinel [Cr# = Cr/ (Cr+Al)] diagram, both ultramafic rocks fall with in olivine spinel mantle array. The compositions of olivine, orthopyroxene and spinel indicate that the Baekdong ultramafic rock formed in deeper parts of the upper-mantle under passive margin tectonic setting. The SREE content of Baekdong ultramafic rock vary from 0.19 to 5.7, exhibits a flat REE pattern in the chondrite-normalized diagram, and underwent 5% partial melting. Conversely, large variation in SREE (0.5 21.53) was observed for Bibong ultramafic rocks with an enrichment of LREE with a negative slope and underwent 17 24% partial melting. The Baekdong ultramafic rocks experienced three stages of metamorphism after a high pressure residual mantle stage. The first stage of metamorphism occurred under the eclogite-granulite transitional facies (1123 911°C, >16.3 kb) the second under the granulite facies (825 740°C, 16.3 11.8 kb) and the third is the retrogressive metamorphism under amphibolite facies (782 718°C, 8.2 8.7 kb) metamorphism. The Baekdong ultramafic rocks had undergone high-P/T metamorphism during subduction of the South China Block, and experienced a fast isothermal uplift, and finally cooled down isobarically. Evidences for metamorphism were not identified in Bibong ultramafic rocks. Hence, the Baekdong ultramafic rocks with in the Hongseong area may indicate a link on the Korean counterpart of Dabie-Sulu collision belt between North and South China Blocks.     

Sr, Nd and Pb Isotopic Systematics of the Cenozoic Basalts of the Korean Peninsula and Their Implications for the Permo-Triassic Continental Collision Boundary

Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions of the Cenozoic basalts were analyzed from Baengnyeongdo Island, Jeongok, Ganseong, and Jejudo Island of Korea. They reveal relatively enriched Sr and Nd isotopic compositions (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr = 0.703300.70555, ¹⁴³Nd/¹⁴⁴Nd = 0.512980.51256) compared with MORB.²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb values of all the analyzed Korean basalts lie above the Northern Hemisphere Reference Line (NHRL) defined by Hart (1984). Pb isotopic compositions of basalts from Jejudo Islands (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 18.6119.12, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.5415.69, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 38.9839.72) are significantly more radiogenic than the rest (²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 17.7218.03, ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 15.4415.58, ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb = 37.7738.64). The Cenozoic Korean basalts thus can be divided into two groups based on their Sr, Nd and Pb isotopic compositions. The north group reveals mixing between DMM and EM1 while the south group displays DMM-EM2 mixing. Such a distribution is the same as Chinese Cenozoic basalts and it can be interpreted that the subcontinental lithospheric mantle under Korea represents simple lateral continuation of the South and North China Blocks. We suggest that Korean continental collision zone cross the Korean Peninsula through the region between the north and south basalt groups of Korea.     

Effect of boundary element details on the seismic deformation capacity of structural walls

The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of boundary element details of structural walls on their deformation capacities. Structural walls considered in this study have different sectional shapes and/or transverse reinforcement content at the boundaries of the walls (called boundary element details hereafter). Four full‐scale wall specimens (3000mm (h_w)×1500mm (l_w)×200mm (T)) were fabricated and tested. Three specimens are rectangular in section and the other specimen has a barbell‐shaped cross‐section (a wall with boundary columns). The rectangular wall specimens are reinforced according to the common practice used for reinforced concrete residence buildings in Korea and Chile. In this study, the primary variable for these rectangular specimens is the content of transverse reinforcement to confine the boundary elements of a wall. The barbell‐shaped specimen was designed in compliance with ACI 318‐95. The response of the barbell‐shaped specimen is compared with those of other rectangular specimens. The effective aspect ratio of the specimens is set to two in this study. Based on the experimental results, it is found that the deformation capacities of walls, which are represented by displacement ductility, drift ratio and energy dissipation capacities, are affected by the boundary element details. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.