Soil–pile–structure interaction under SH wave excitation

A continuum model for the interaction analysis of a fully coupled soil–pile–structure system under seismic excitation is presented in this paper. Only horizontal shaking induced by harmonic SH waves is considered so that the soil–pile–structure system is under anti‐plane deformation. The soil mass, pile and superstructure were all considered as elastic with hysteretic damping, while geometrically both pile and structures were simplified as a beam model. Buildings of various heights in Hong Kong designed to resist wind load were analysed using the present model. It was discovered that the acceleration of the piled‐structures at ground level can, in general, be larger than that of a free‐field shaking of the soil site, depending on the excitation frequency. For typical piled‐structures in Hong Kong, the amplification factor of shaking at the ground level does not show simple trends with the number of storeys of the superstructure, the thickness and the stiffness of soil, and the stiffness of the superstructure if number of storeys is fixed. The effect of pile stiffness on the amplification factor of shaking is, however, insignificant. Thus, simply increasing the pile size or the superstructure stiffness does not necessarily improve the seismic resistance of the soil–pile–structure system; on the contrary, it may lead to excessive amplification of shaking for the whole system. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A meteoroid stream survey using the Canadian Meteor Orbit Radar: I. Methodology and radiant catalogue

Using a meteor orbit radar, a total of more than 2.5 million meteoroids with masses ∼10⁻⁷ kg have had orbits measured in the interval 2002-2006. From these data, a total of 45 meteoroid streams have been identified using a wavelet transform approach to isolate enhancements in radiant density in geocentric coordinates. Of the recorded streams, 12 are previously unreported or unrecognized. The survey finds >90% of all meteoroids at this size range are part of the sporadic meteoroid background. A large fraction of the radar detected streams have q<0.15 AU suggestive of a strong contribution from sungrazing comets to the meteoroid stream population currently intersecting the Earth. We find a remarkably long period of activity for the Taurid shower (almost half the year as a clearly definable radiant) and several streams notable for a high proportion of small meteoroids only, among these a strong new shower in January at the time of the Quadrantids (January Leonids). A new shower (Epsilon Perseids) has also been identified with orbital elements almost identical to Comet 96P/Machholz.     

Experimental investigation of three-dimensional propagation process from surface fault

Experimental study of the formation and propagation of three-dimensional (3D) faults is of great sig- nificance in the understanding of the propagation process developing from initial natural faults. In the study described in this paper, experimental investigations of 3D propagation processes of a type of surface fault are carried out under biaxial compression. The strain field near the surface fault is dy- namically measured and fully analyzed with a high-density Multi-Channel Digital Strain Gauge (MCDSG) and Digital Speckle Correlation Method (DSCM) based on the white-light image analysis. Simultane- ously the micro-fracture process involved in fault formation is observed by a 3D acoustic emission (AE) location system with a set of multi-channel whole-wave record equipment. The experimental results show that the 3D propagation process of surface fault differs greatly from that of the two-dimensional (2D) state and that a new more complicated type of 3D morphological characters and deformation mechanisms are produced. The 3D propagation process of surface faults may be divided into three stages: 1) the first stage of crack propagation initiated by wing cracks; 2) the conversion stage propa- gated by petal cracks; and 3) the second stage of crack propagation formed by shell-shaped fracture surface. The primary propagation patterns of the three stages are different. The corresponding defor- mation fields and micro-fracture distributions are likewise different. The fracture activities from petal cracks especially are of vital importance during surface fault propagation. This is also a key conversion state and marks an intrinsic difference between 2D-like and the 3D state in fault development.     

Experimental studies of groundwater pipe flow network characteristics in gravelly soil slopes

Piping flow networks have often been identified in hydrogeological field studies of gravelly soil slopes in the southern part of China. The present experimental studies have shown that under long-term groundwater seepage, piping flow networks gradually develop in the slope. Factors affecting the development of flow pipe seepage network included the grain size distribution, the degree of soil compaction, and soil depth. Piping seepage networks favorably form if the content of the gravel was high, the soil cohesion was low, the degree of the soil compaction was low, or the soil depth was shallow. Due to the enhanced permeability associated with the presence of flow pipe seepage network in gravelly soil slopes, groundwater can be effectively drained away. This can beneficially prevent the rise of groundwater level in the slope during raining seasons, hence reducing pore water pressure along the potential failure surface and increasing slope stability. Once the flow pipe seepage network was disturbed or damaged, the water level in the upper portion of the slope experienced a great rise, hence reducing the slope stability. Therefore, slope toe excavation and excessive loading at the slope crest should be avoided for slopes with well-developed flow pipe seepage network in order to preserve it.     

Sea flux of trace metals in Saanich Inlet

The sea fluxes of trace metals, POC, and settled material were studied in anoxic seawater, Saanich Inlet, B. C., Canada with sediment traps. This paper discusses the change of mass fluxes of sediment, trace metals and POC for various seasons and depths. The annual mean of settled material is 1.56 g.m⁻².a⁻¹, 84.6 mg. m⁻².a⁻¹ for POC, 60.0 mg. m⁻².a⁻¹ for Cu, 16.5 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Pb, 189 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Zn, 2.20 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Cd, 699 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Fe, 38.8 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Co, and 84.6 mg.m⁻².a⁻¹ for Ni. The relations between the average fluxes of trace metals and POC, the fluxes of trace metals and settled matter, and the sea fluxes of trace metals and Fe are in linear progression. The resident times of elements as calculated from sea flux, are 1.1 a. for Cu, 0.014 a. for Pb, 0.50 a. for Zn, 3.8 a. for Cd, 0.16 a. for Fe, 0.39 a. for Co, and 1.14 a. for Ni. The order of resident times is as follows: Pb−Fe−Co−Zn−Cu−Ni−Cd. The metal resident times in Saanich Inlet are shorter than the values estimated for the open ocean. It illustrates that the biochemical processes in shallow Saanich Inlet are faster than those in the open ocean, and that debries of plankton and fecal pellets of zooplankton play an important role in vertical transport of organic carbons. Contribution No. 1650 from the Institute of Oceanology, Academia Sinica.     

Tidal flushing time of marine fish culture zones in Hong Kong

Accurate determination of flushing time is crucial for maintaining sustainable production in fish culture zones(FCZs),as it represents the physical self-purification capability via tidal exchange with clean water in the outer sea.However,owing to the temporal and spatial complexity of the coastal flushing process,existing methods for determining flushing time may not be generally applicable.In this paper,a systematic method for determining the flushing time in FCZs is presented,in which bathymetry,runoff,tidal range and stratification are properly accounted for.We determine the flushing time via numerical tracer experiments,using robust 3D hydrodynamic and mass transport models.For FCZs located in sheltered and land-locked tidal inlets,the system boundary can be naturally defined at the connection with the open sea.For FCZs located in open waters,hydrodynamic tracking is first used to assess the extent of tidal excursion and thus delimit the initial boundary between clean water and polluted water.This general method is applied to all designated marine FCZs in Hong Kong for both the dry and wet seasons,including 20 sheltered FCZs(in semi-enclosed waters of Tolo Harbour,Mirs Bay,and Port Shelter) and 6 FCZs in open waters.Our results show that flushing time is the longest in inner Port Shelter(about 40 days in dry season),and the shortest for the FCZs in open waters(less than one week in dry season).In addition,the flushing time in dry season is commonly longer than that in wet season:20%~40% for most well-sheltered FCZs;2.6~4 times for the others.Our results indicate a positive correlation between the flushing time and distance to open boundary,supporting the view that the flushing time of a FCZ is closely related to its location.This study provides a solid basis for mariculture management such as the determination of carrying capacity of FCZs.     

Shock waves in a dusty plasma having q-nonextensive electron velocity distribution

The dust-acoustic shock waves have been theoretically investigated using reductive perturbation technique. An unmagnetized four-component dusty plasma system consisting of nonextensive q-distributed electrons, Boltzmann distributed ions, and negatively as well as positively charged dust particles has been considered. The solution of Burgers equation in planar geometry is numerically analyzed. It has been observed that the nonextensive q-distribution of electrons has a significant role in the formation of shock waves. The relevance of our results to astrophysics as well as laboratory plasmas are briefly discussed.