Experimental study and constitutive modelling of elasto‐plastic damage in heat‐treated mortar

This study investigates the effect of a heat‐treatment upon the thermo‐mechanical behaviour of a model cement‐based material, i.e. a normalized mortar, with a (w/c) ratio of 0.5. First, a whole set of varied experimental results is provided, in order to either identify or validate a thermo‐mechanical constitutive model, presented in the second paper part. Experimental responses of both hydraulic and mechanical behaviour are given after different heating/cooling cycling levels (105, 200, 300, 400^°C). The reference state, used for comparison purposes, is taken after mass stabilization at 60^°C. Typical uniaxial compression tests are provided, and original triaxial deviatoric compressive test responses are also given. Hydraulic behaviour is identified simultaneously to triaxial deviatoric compressive loading through gas permeability K_gas assessment. K_gas is well correlated with volumetric strain evolution: gas permeability increases hugely when ε_v testifies of a dilatant material behaviour, instead of contractile from the test start. Finally, the thermo‐mechanical model, based on a thermodynamics approach, is identified using the experimental results on uniaxial and triaxial deviatoric compression. It is also positively validated at residual state for triaxial deviatoric compression, but also by using a different stress path in lateral extension, which is at the origin of noticeable plasticity. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Homogenization‐based analysis of anisotropic damage in brittle materials with unilateral effect and interactions between microcracks

This paper is devoted to micromechanical modeling of induced anisotropic damage in brittle geomaterials. The formulation of the model is based on a proper homogenization procedure by taking into account unilateral effects and interactions between microcracks. The homogenization procedure is developed in the framework of Eshelby's inclusion solution and Ponte‐Castaneda and Willis (J. Mech. Phys. Solids 1995; 43 :1919–1951) estimate. The homogenization technique is combined with the thermodynamics framework at microscopic level for the determination of damage evolution law. A rigorous crack opening–closure transition condition is established and an energy‐release‐rate‐based damage criterion is proposed. Computational aspects on the implementation of micromechanical model are also discussed. The proposed model is evaluated by comparing numerical predictions with experimental data for various laboratory tests on concrete. Parametric studies on unilateral effects and influences of microcracks interactions are finally performed and analyzed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Impact of sea spray on upper ocean temperature during typhoon passage: simulation with a 1-D turbulent model

At the interface between the lower atmosphere and sea surface, sea spray might significantly influence air-sea heat fluxes and subsequently, modulate upper ocean temperature during a typhoon passage. The effects of sea spray were introduced into the parameterization of sea surface roughness in a 1-D turbulent model, to investigate the effects of sea spray on upper ocean temperature in the Kuroshio Extension area, for the cases of two real typhoons from 2006, Yagi and Soulik. Model output was compared with data from the Kuroshio Extension Observatory (KEO), and Reynolds and AMSRE satellite remote sensing sea surface temperatures. The results indicate drag coefficients that include the spray effect are closer to observations than those without, and that sea spray can enhance the heat fluxes (especially latent heat flux) considerably during a typhoon passage. Consequently, the model results with heat fluxes enhanced by sea spray simulate better the cooling process of the SST and upper-layer temperature profiles. Additionally, results from the simulation of the passage of typhoon Soulik (that passed KEO quickly), which included the sea spray effect, were better than for the simulated passage of typhoon Yagi (that crossed KEO slowly). These promising 1-D results could provide insight into the application of sea spray in general circulation models for typhoon studies.     

Petrology,mineralogy, and oxygen isotope compositions of aluminum‐rich chondrules from CV3 chondrites

Bulk major element composition, petrography, mineralogy, and oxygen isotope compositions of twenty Al‐rich chondrules (ARCs) from five CV3 chondrites (Northwest Africa [NWA] 989, NWA 2086, NWA 2140, NWA 2697, NWA 3118) and the Ningqiang carbonaceous chondrite were studied and compared with those of ferromagnesian chondrules and refractory inclusions. Most ARCs are marginally Al‐richer than ferromagnesian chondrules with bulk Al₂O₃ of 10–15 wt%. ARCs are texturally similar to ferromagnesian chondrules, composed primarily of olivine, pyroxene, plagioclase, spinel, Al‐rich glass, and metallic phases. Minerals in ARCs have intermediate compositions. Low‐Ca pyroxene (Fs_0.6–8.8Wo_0.7–9.3) has much higher Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ contents (up to 12.5 and 2.3 wt%, respectively) than that in ferromagnesian chondrules. High‐Ca pyroxene (Fs_0.3–2.0Wo_33–54) contains less Al₂O₃ and TiO₂ than that in Ca,Al‐rich inclusions (CAIs). Plagioclase (An_77–99Ab_1–23) is much more sodic than that in CAIs. Spinel is enriched in moderately volatile element Cr (up to 6.7 wt%) compared to that in CAIs. Al‐rich enstatite coexists with anorthite and spinel in a glass‐free chondrule, implying that the formation of Al‐enstatite was not due to kinetic reasons but is likely due to the high Al₂O₃/CaO ratio (7.4) of the bulk chondrule. Three ARCs contain relict CAIs. Oxygen isotope compositions of ARCs are also intermediate between those of ferromagnesian chondrules and CAIs. They vary from ?39.4‰ to 13.9‰ in δ¹⁸O and yield a best fit line (slope = 0.88) close to the carbonaceous chondrite anhydrous mineral (CCAM) line. Chondrules with 5–10 wt% bulk Al₂O₃ have a slightly more narrow range in δ¹⁸O (?32.5 to 5.9‰) along the CCAM line. Except for the ARCs with relict phases, however, most ARCs have oxygen isotope compositions (>?20‰ in δ¹⁸O) similar to those of typical ferromagnesian chondrules. ARCs are genetically related to both ferromagnesian chondrules and CAIs, but the relationship between ARCs and ferromagnesian chondrules is closer. Most ARCs were formed during flash heating and rapid cooling processes like normal chondrules, only from chemically evolved precursors. ARCs extremely enriched in Al and those with relict phases could have had a hybrid origin (Krot et al. 2002) which incorporated refractory inclusions as part of the precursors in addition to ferromagnesian materials. The occurrence of melilite in ARCs indicates that melilite‐rich CAIs might be present in the precursor materials of ARCs. The absence of melilite in most ARCs is possibly due to high‐temperature interactions between a chondrule melt and the solar nebula.     

A trophic model for the Danshuei River Estuary, a hypoxic estuary in northern Taiwan

The estuary of the Danshuei River, a hypoxic subtropical estuary, receives a high rate of untreated sewage effluent. The Ecopath with Ecosim software system was used to construct a mass-balanced trophic model for the estuary, and network analysis was used to characterize the structure and matter flow in the food web. The estuary model was comprised of 16 compartments, and the trophic levels varied from 1.0 for primary producers and detritus to 3.0 for carnivorous and piscivorous fishes. The large organic nutrient loading from the upper reaches has resulted in detritivory being more important than herbivory in the food web. The food-chain length of the estuary was relatively short when compared with other tropical/subtropical coastal systems. The shortness of food-chain length in the estuary could be attributed to the low biomass of the top predators. Consequently, the trophic efficiencies declined sharply for higher trophic levels due to low fractions of flows to the top predators and then high fractions to detritus. The low biomass of the top predators in the estuary was likely subject to over-exploitation and/or hypoxic water. Summation of individual rate measurements for primary production and respiration yielded an estimate of −1791 g WW m⁻² year⁻¹, or −95 g C m⁻² year⁻¹, suggesting a heterotrophic ecosystem, which implies that more organic matter was consumed than was produced in the estuary.     

The Triassic age for oceanic eclogites in the Dabie orogen: Entrainment of oceanic fragments in the continental subduction

Low-temperature and high-pressure eclogites with an oceanic affinity in the western part of the Dabie orogen have been investigated with combined Lu–Hf and U–Pb geochronology. These eclogites formed over a range of temperatures (482–565 °C and 1.9–2.2 GPa). Three eclogites, which were sampled from the Gaoqiao country, yielded Lu–Hf ages of 240.7 ± 1.2 Ma, 243.3 ± 4.1 Ma and 238.3 ± 1.2 Ma, with a corresponding lower-intercept U–Pb zircon age of 232 ± 26 Ma. Despite the well-preserved prograde major- and trace-element zoning in garnets, these Lu–Hf ages mostly reflect the high-pressure eclogite-facies metamorphism instead of representing the early phase of garnet growth due to the occurrence of omphacite inclusions from core to rim and the shell effect. An upper-intercept zircon U–Pb age of 765 ± 24 Ma is defined for the Gaoqiao eclogite, which is consistent with the weighted-mean age of 768 ± 21 Ma for the country gneiss. However, the gneiss has not been subjected to successive high-pressure metamorphism. The new Triassic ages are likely an estimate of the involvement of oceanic fragments in the continental subduction.     

Glacial paleoceanography off the mouth of the Mekong River, southern South China Sea, during the last 500 ka

We have analyzed core MD01-2392, ∼ 360 km east of the Mekong River mouth in the South China Sea (SCS). Over the past 500 ka, planktonic foraminiferal oxygen-isotopic values are consistently lighter than northern SCS and open-ocean records by up to 0.5‰, indicating the influence of run-off from the Mekong River during both glacial and interglacial periods. Carbonate content is higher during interglacials; sedimentation rates were higher during glacials. Increased sedimentation rates since 30 ka imply increased run-off during the last glacial maximum and Holocene Period. Contrary to general experience, in which it is classed as a warm species for temperature estimates, the thermocline-dwelling species Pulleniatina obliquiloculata increased its numbers during glacial periods. This implies an estuarine circulation and even brackish-water caps during glacial periods, reinforcing the sense of strong run-off. In an overall decline of warm water, the thermocline shoaled stepwise, with rapid rises across the glacial terminations. We infer that the southern SCS was opened to an influx of Indian Ocean waters through southern passages at those times of rising sea levels.     

中国硼矿主要矿集区及其资源潜力探讨

在分析中国硼矿床成因类型的基础上,将中国硼矿床划分沉积变质、现代盐湖沉积、矽卡岩和地下卤水4个矿床类型8个矿床式,最为重要的矿床类型为沉积变质型硼矿和现代盐湖型沉积硼矿床。在硼矿成矿区带划分方案的基础上,综合成矿规律、地质构造背景等因素划分出辽-吉沉积变质型、川-鄂地下卤水型、湘-桂矽卡岩型、西藏现代盐湖型和青海柴达木现代盐湖型5个硼矿矿集区。其中辽-吉老矿区深部和外围、川鄂区的地下卤水及盐湖硼矿的综合利用等方向尚有较大潜力。