Viscoelastic damage model for asphalt concrete

The strain rate-dependent mechanical behavior of asphalt concrete was characterized using unconfined compression tests carried out at different loading rates. It was shown that at high strain rates, the elastic deformation and peak axial stress are highly sensitive to strain rate. Both increase as the strain rate increases. At very low strain rates, elastic response and unconfined compressive strength are relatively independent of the loading rate. Based on the experimental observations, a simple viscoelastic damage model is proposed for the strain rate-dependent unconfined compression behavior of asphalt concrete. In the model, strain rate response is modeled by a two-component viscoelastic model consisting of a constant elastic modulus and a viscous modulus that is related by a power-law function to the axial strain rate. Failure and strain softening are modeled via a damage formulation where damage evolution in the asphalt concrete is given by a simple form of the Weibull distribution function. The model was shown to be capable of describing the strain rate-dependent deformation, compressive strength, strain-softening and creep behavior of asphalt concrete. The model is relatively simple and requires only five material parameters.     

Temporal changes in the phytoplankton community of the southern basin of Lake Baikal over the last 24,000 years recorded by photosynthetic pigments in a sediment core

Photosynthetic pigments and other indicators of phytoplankton were analyzed in a dated undisturbed sediment core obtained from the southern basin of Lake Baikal to reveal temporal changes in the phytoplankton community in the lake through the last glacial/post-glacial transition. The sedimentation age of the core spans the last 24 ¹⁴C ka. Chlorophyll a, its derivatives, carotenoids and total organic carbon (TOC) started to increase after 15 ¹⁴C ka, and the onset of biogenic silica occurred at 10 ¹⁴C ka. This indicated that the post-glacial growth of diatoms was preceded by that of other phytoplankton groups. In the record of the pigments and TOC, a temporary decrease was observed in the period 11.5–10.5 ¹⁴C ka, corresponding to the Younger Dryas cold period. The similarity found between the depth profiles of pyropheophytin a and steryl chlorin esters formed through predation of phytoplankton by zooplankton and that of TOC suggested the important contribution of fecal pellets to sedimentary organic matter in the lake.     

Effect of human activity on Lake Saroma (Japan) during the past 150 years: Evidence by variation of diatom assemblages

Diatom assemblages of the surface and in core sediment samples from Lake Saroma (Japan) were examined for the purpose of evaluating anthropogenic effect on the coastal environmental changes. Before the first inlet excavation, the lake's water quality and ecology were controlled by water exchange with the Okhotsk Sea as well as lake-level variation. However, large-scale ecological modification occurred, mainly due to artificial excavation and shellfish industrial farms. A distinct record of the succession of the dominant diatom taxa was preserved in core sediments. Low-oxygen water was prevalent in the lake in 1929, before the first inlet excavation. Immediately after the first inlet excavation, the low-oxygen water in the western basin of the lake began to disappear, in a trend that became increasing transparent, which has been attributed to an increasing rate of water exchange. However, the lacustrine environment of bottom sediments resumes deterioration 20 years after since the first artificial excavation: the resultant deposition of river-mouth materials into the deep basin caused eutrophication and environmental disturbance of the lake bottom. At the same time, the eutrophication of surface water became intensified with the onset of intense scallop culturing beginning in 1966. Increasing organic loads deposited onto the bottom layer in the form of excreta from the scallop nursery led to more oxygen deficiency and the elution of nitrogen and phosphorus from the sediment, which again brought about eutrophication of the surface layer. Such environmental change was reflected in a decrease of benthic diatom taxa and an increase of planktonic taxa, trends which have continued until today. Particularly, the numbers of diatom assemblage have been decreasing all over the lake during the last 10 years, which suggests that Lake Saroma's present-day deterioration and eutrophication will continue or become even worse.     

Age gap between the intrusion of gneissose granitoids and regional high‐temperature metamorphism in the Ryoke belt (Mikawa area), central Japan

The relationships between the intrusion of gneissose granitoids and the attainment of regional high‐T conditions recorded in metamorphic rocks from the Ryoke belt of the Mikawa area, central Japan, are explored. Seven gneissose granitoid samples (tonalite, granodiorite, granite) were collected from three distinct plutonic bodies that are mapped as the so‐called “Older Ryoke granitoids.” Based on bulk‐rock compositions and U–Pb zircon ages obtained by laser ablation inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry, the analyzed granitoids can be separated into two groups. Gneissose granitoids from the northern part of the area give weighted mean ²⁰⁶Pb/²³⁸U ages of 99 ±1 Ma (two samples) and 95 ±1 Ma (one sample), whereas those from the southern part yield 81 ±1 Ma (two samples) and 78–77 ±1 Ma (two samples). Regional comparisons allow correlation of the northern granitoids (99–95 Ma) with the Kiyosaki granodiorite, and mostly with the Kamihara tonalite found to the east. The southern granitoids are tentatively renamed as “78–75 Ma (Hbl)?Bt granite” and “81–75 Ma Hbl?Bt tonalite” (Hbl, hornblende; Bt, biotite). and seem to be broadly coeval members of the same magmatic suite. With respect to available age data, no gneissose granitoid from the Mikawa area shows a U–Pb zircon age which matches that of high‐T metamorphism (ca 87 Ma). The southern gneissose granitoids (81–75 Ma), although they occur in the highest‐grade metamorphic zone, do not seem to represent the heat source which produced the metamorphic field gradient with a low dP/dT slope.     

Holocene salinity fluctuations of the East Korean lagoon related to sea level and precipitation changes

Detailed diatom records within core sediments from Maeho Lagoon along the Eastern coast of South Korea revealed that the ecological dynamics of the lagoon during the Holocene were associated with relative sea level and regional precipitation. Accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) ¹⁴C dating indicates that sediment accumulation began prior to 8300 cal. year BP, and that the lagoon formed around 8000 cal. year BP. The salinity level of the lagoon increased until 5000 cal. year BP, and then decreased. Long‐term trends in salinity were dependent upon changes in sea level: periods of high salinity in the lagoon were generally coincident with periods of high sea levels along the east coasts of Korea and Japan. On the other hand, multicentennial‐scale fluctuations in diatom assemblages and magnetic susceptibility (MS) suggest that a 400 year fluctuation in salinity was regulated by changes in precipitation in the area of this lagoon. Changes in the westerly jet stream, controlled by variation in solar irradiance, had an important influence on precipitation volume in South Korea, suggesting that the patterns of the westerly jet stream fluctuate on a 400 year cycle.     

Crack growth in Westerly granite during a cyclic loading test

To examine the fatigue process of granite, cylindrical Westerly granite specimens, 10 mm in diameter and 20 mm in length, were subjected to a cyclic loading test under uniaxial compression with a maximum of 140 MPa at room temperature, and crack growth patterns within them were analyzed by microscopic observation and image analysis techniques. The fatigue process is divided into three characteristic stages; a primary stage in which the upper peak strain increases at a decelerating rate (stage I), a second stage with linearly slight increasing rate of strain following stage I (stage II), and the third and final stage in which the upper peak strain increases at an accelerating rate and culminates in specimen failure (stage III). A series of prefailure specimens, of which the stage in the fatigue process was decided by monitoring the strain behavior during the test, were retrieved. In addition, these specimens were compared with specimens stressed to close to the breaking strength by monotonic compression to examine the characteristic features of fatigue. The fluorescent method was applied to identify microcracks within the specimens. The advantage of this method is to provide quick and accurate identification of microcracks with an optical microscope. Microcracks are detected based on a marked difference in brightness under ultraviolet light irradiation because they are fully filled with acrylic resin mixed with a fluorescent substance in advance. Thin sections, including the axis of the specimen, 10 × 20 mm, were prepared for detailed observation after the pretreatment of the method.The results were as follows. At the initial degradation stage, distinguishing crack growth was identified in quartz grains. It is estimated that the slowdown of the strain growth rate at this stage was caused by the decrease in crack growth, that is, the portions with cracking potentiality were damaged at the first or early loading, and no further damage occurred immediately following the first damage. At the second stage, no significant crack growth in quartz grains was identified. On the other hand, in feldspar grains, development of cracks in a preferential direction, parallel to the loading direction, was observed. However, they did not grow into intergranular cracks by cutting across the grain boundaries during this stage. Consequently, it was found that a gradual progress of microcracks within feldspar grains was dominant during the second stage, and this is because the strain growth rate was in a steady and long state. At the final accelerated stage, many intergranular cracks running parallel to the loading direction were identified. It is obvious that these long cracks were formed mainly by the linking and growth of the intragranular cracks in feldspars, which were generated during the former stages. Their formation takes the fatigue process from the second stage to the final stage with a sharp increase in strain, and their further development seemed to lead the whole specimen to ultimate fatigue failure.     

Holocene climate and environmental changes inferred from sediment characteristics and diatom assemblages in a core from Hwajinpo Lagoon,Korea

Hwajinpo is the largest lagoon in Korea and is located along the east coast of the country. It possesses Holocene sediments that provide an important record of past climate change. We studied the evolution of Hwajinpo Lagoon using grain size data and diatom assemblages in an 11.0-m core (HJ02), which was obtained at the mouth of a small river that drains into the lagoon. Core chronology was established with accelerator mass spectrometry ¹⁴C dates and optically stimulated luminescence dates. Diatom assemblages and grain size analysis revealed that estuarine conditions in the inner lagoon area transitioned to an open embayment ca. 8 ka as a result of sea-level rise. Around 7.8 ka, the open bay became a semi-closed bay as a consequence of development of a sand barrier. After the bay was semi-closed, marine water inflow was increasingly restricted as the sand barrier developed, and the semi-closed bay became a completely enclosed, low-salinity, brackish lagoon around 6 ka. There was an erosional hiatus between 5.5 and 1.7 ka (7.0 m depth), likely caused by river flooding and a switch in the location of drainage along the delta. The lagoon became oligohaline around 1.6 ka, likely because of increasing precipitation associated with an intensified Asian summer monsoon. This increase in precipitation resulted in expansion of the sand bar by sediment inflow, driven by agricultural development in the area. About 1000 years ago, the diatom assemblage was similar to the modern assemblage, suggesting the lagoon’s current geomorphic conditions had been established.