Development of a ten-element hybrid simulation platform and an adjustable yielding brace for performance evaluation of multi-story braced frames subjected to earthquakes

This paper presents a ten-element hybrid (experimental-numerical) simulation platform, referred to as UT10, which was developed for running hybrid simulations of braced frames with up to ten large-capacity physical brace specimens. This paper presents the details of the development of different components of UT10 and an adjustable yielding brace (AYB) specimen, which was designed to perform hybrid simulations with UT10. As the first application of UT10, a five-story buckling-restrained braced frame and a special concentrically braced frame (BRBF and SCBF) were designed and tested with AYB specimens and buckling specimens representing the braces. Cyclic tests of the AYB, one- and three-element hybrid simulations of the BRBF, and four-element hybrid simulations of the SCBF inside the UT10 confirmed the functionality of UT10 for running hybrid simulations on multiple specimens. The tests also indicated that AYB was capable of producing a stable hysteretic response with characteristics similar to BRBs. Comparison of the results of the hybrid simulations of the BRBF and SCBF with their fully numerical models showed that the modeling inaccuracies of the yielding braces could potentially affect the global response of the multi-story braced frames further emphasizing the need for experimental calibration or hybrid simulation for achieving more accurate response predictions. UT10 provides a simple and reconfigurable platform that can be used to achieve a realistic understanding of the seismic response of multi-story frames with yielding braces, distinguish their modeling limitations, and improve different modeling techniques available for their seismic response prediction.     

High-resolution seismic imaging of crooked two-dimensional profiles in greenstone belts of the Canadian shield: results from the Swayze area,Ontario, Canada

In 2017, the Metal Earth multi-disciplinary exploration project acquired a total of 921 km of regional deep seismic reflection profiles and 184 km of high-resolution seismic reflection profiles in the Abitibi and Wabigoon greenstone belts of the Superior province of Canada. The Abitibi belt hosts several world-class mineral deposits, whereas the Wabigoon has sparse economic mineral deposits. Two high-resolution surveys in the Swayze area, a poorly endowed part of the western Abitibi greenstone belt, served as pioneer surveys with which to better understand subsurface geology and design a strategy to process other surveys in the near future. Swayze seismic data were acquired with crooked survey geometries along roads. Designing an effective seismic processing flow to address these geometries and complex geology required straight common midpoint lines along which both two-dimensional prestack dip-moveout correction and poststack migration processing were applied. The resulting seismic sections revealed steeply dipping and subhorizontal reflections; some correlate with folded surface rocks. An interpreted fault/deformation zone imaged in Swayze north would be a target for metal endowment if it extends the Porcupine–Destor structure. Because of the crooked line geometry of the surveys, two-dimensional /three-dimensional prestack time migration and swath three-dimensional processing were tested. The prestack time migration algorithm confirmed reflections at the interpreted base of the Abitibi greenstone belt. The swath three-dimensional images provided additional spatial details about the geometries of some reflections, but also had less resolution and did not detect many reflectors observed in two dimensions. Geological contacts between felsic, mafic and ultramafic greenstone rock layers are thought the main cause of reflectivity in the Swayze area.     

Regionalization of potential evapotranspiration using a modified region of influence

Theoretical and Applied Climatology - This study examined the effect of different attributes on regionalization of potential evapotranspiration (ETp) in Urmia Lake Basin (ULB), Iran, using the...     

Evaluation of Carcinogenic Risk Due to Accidental Ingestion of PAHs in Contaminated Soils

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are types of hazardous contaminants, which their ingestion could cause severe consequences on human health. Leakages from storage tanks, underground pipelines, and evaporation ponds are the main sources of soil and groundwater contaminations at the Tehran Oil Refinery area (TOR site), located in south of Tehran, Iran. In this study, soil samples were collected from different locations at and adjacent to a polluted stream in the south of the refinery. The samples were analyzed for two hazardous PAH compounds, namely benzo[a]anthracene and acenaphthene. The clean up levels due to the accidental ingestion of contaminated soils at the site were also investigated in accordance to the U.S.EPA guidelines. Comparing the soil analysis results indicated that the benzo[a]anthracene concentrations in the samples varied from 53 to 299 mg/kg, which were higher than the clean up level of 1.17 mg/kg. Thus, soil remediation is required for this contaminant. The acenaphthene analysis results denoted that the average concentration of this contaminant was below the clean up level of 116.67 mg/kg, indicating that no treatment for this contaminant is necessary at the TOR site. Also, because the slope of the ground extends to the south of the stream, which stimulates the migration of the contaminants in this direction due to advection and dispersion mechanisms, the average of benzo[a]anthracene concentrations in south samples was higher than north samples (i.e., C_avg(S) = 160 ppm, C_avg(N) = 113 ppm). Various treatment techniques such as thermal desorption, soil vapor extraction (SVE), and solidification/stabilization (S/S) were investigated for this site. Due to moderate to high plasticity and relatively low permeability of the soil and low volatility of benzo[a]anthracene, however S/S method is recommended as a practical approach for the remediation of the soil at the site.     

Precision rectification of high resolution satellite imagery without ephemeris data

The huge capability of high resolution satellite imageries (HRSI), that includes spatial, spectral, temporal and radiometric resolutions as well as stereoscopic vision introduces them as a powerful new source for the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and GIS communities. High resolution data increases the need for higher accuracy of data modeling. The satellite orbit, position, attitude angles and interior orientation parameters have to be adjusted in the geometrical model to achieve optimal accuracy with the use of a minimum number of Ground Control Points (GCPs). But most high resolution satellite vendors do not intend to publish their sensor models and ephemeris data. There is consequently a need for a range of alternative, practical approaches for extracting accurate 2D and 3D terrain information from HRSI. The flexibility and good accuracy of the alternative models demonstrated with KFA-1000 and the well-known SPOT level 1A images. A block of eight KFA-1000 space photos in two strips with 60% longitudinal overlap and 15% lateral sidelap and SPOT image with rational function, DLT, 2D projective, polynomials, affine, conformal, multiquadric and finite element methods were used in the test. The test areas cover parts of South and West of Iran. Considering the quality of GCPs, the best result was found with the DLT method with a RMSE of 8.44 m for the KFA-1000 space photos.     

Comprehensive modeling of monthly mean soil temperature using multivariate adaptive regression splines and support vector machine

Soil temperature (T _s) and its thermal regime are the most important factors in plant growth, biological activities, and water movement in soil. Due to scarcity of the T _s data, estimation of soil temperature is an important issue in different fields of sciences. The main objective of the present study is to investigate the accuracy of multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) and support vector machine (SVM) methods for estimating the T _s. For this aim, the monthly mean data of the T _s (at depths of 5, 10, 50, and 100 cm) and meteorological parameters of 30 synoptic stations in Iran were utilized. To develop the MARS and SVM models, various combinations of minimum, maximum, and mean air temperatures (T _min, T _max, T); actual and maximum possible sunshine duration; sunshine duration ratio (n, N, n/N); actual, net, and extraterrestrial solar radiation data (R _s, R _n, R _a); precipitation (P); relative humidity (RH); wind speed at 2 m height (u ₂); and water vapor pressure (V_p) were used as input variables. Three error statistics including root-mean-square-error (RMSE), mean absolute error (MAE), and determination coefficient (R ²) were used to check the performance of MARS and SVM models. The results indicated that the MARS was superior to the SVM at different depths. In the test and validation phases, the most accurate estimations for the MARS were obtained at the depth of 10 cm for T _max, T _min, T inputs (RMSE = 0.71 °C, MAE = 0.54 °C, and R ² = 0.995) and for RH, V _p, P, and u ₂ inputs (RMSE = 0.80 °C, MAE = 0.61 °C, and R ² = 0.996), respectively.     

Simulation of Power Production from Dry Geothermal Well Using Down-hole Heat Exchanger in Sabalan Field,Northwest Iran

In this research, a simulation was performed for evaluating power production from an abandoned geothermal well as an enhanced geothermal system by injecting a secondary fluid. Abandoned wells, due to lack of fluid or very low transmissivity, are regarded among the low-to moderate-temperature resources that have the potential for heat production without any cost for deep drilling. Accordingly, they are taken as suitable sources of energy. In the present paper, an abandoned geothermal well at Meshkinshahr geothermal field in Sabalan district, northwestern Iran, with 3176 m depth was simulated. The bottom-hole temperature of 148 °C, as well as well casing size, and real thermal gradient for well were applied in the model. A 3D heat transfer simulation model was designed by considering a coaxial pipe as a down-hole heat exchanger between surrounding rocks of the well and injected fluid. Injected fluid to the well with specified pressure and temperature receives heat from rocks surrounding the well, until it reaches the bottom of the well and converts to vapor. The vapor returns to the surface from inner pipe with very low heat loss during its return. The inner pipe is isolated by a thin layer having a low heat conductivity to prevent heat loss from the returned fluid. It was observed that obtained heat in the well depends on temperature profile of the well, injection velocity, and fluid mass flow rate. The model results were optimized by selecting suitable parameters such as inlet injection speed and fluid flow rate to achieve the highest temperature of the fluid returned from the well. A binary power plant was also modeled to determine the extractable power using returned fluid as input using ammonia and isobutene, as working fluids in binary cycle. Finally, electric power of 270 kW was generated from well NWS3 using designed down-hole heat exchanger.     

Geochemical evidence of microbial activity within ooids

Ooid formation remains elusive despite their importance as palaeoclimatic indicators and important contributors to global carbonate budget. Based on stable isotopes, nutrient and elemental analyses on solid components and ooidal leachates, this study supports the notion of microbial involvement in the development of ooids from Great Bahama Bank. Carbon and nitrogen isotopic analyses on organic fractions identified geochemical signatures of microbial activity. The δ¹³C values for organic carbon in the bulk (?11·9 to ?16·9‰); intercrystalline/intracrystalline (?11·9 to 16·7‰); and intracrystalline phases (?12·4 to ?17·7‰) were similar and, except for the more enriched values of ooids from Butterfly Beach, were within the range of photosynthesisers. The δ¹⁵N values for the bulk (+0·5 to ?0·2‰); intercrystalline/intracrystalline (?0·3‰ to ?0·7‰) and intracrystalline organic matter (?0·3 to ?1·7‰) showed a narrow range consistent with nitrogen fixation. While positive δ¹⁵N and δ¹⁸O values of the leached from the ooids provided evidence of denitrification, the carbonate associated sulphate δ³⁴S_CAS of the bulk sediments (+19·2 to +19·6‰) and δ³⁴S of the leachates (+16·6 to +18·3‰) provided weak indication of sulphate reduction, suggesting either that high concentrations of isotopically enriched S are overriding bio‐signatures of sulphate reduction or that microbes are preferentially using as an electron acceptor. In contrast, the elevated sulphate concentrations of the leachates suggest the occurrence of microbial sulphide oxidation within ooids. The high Mg/Ca of the leachates and scanning electron microscope analyses provide putative evidence of amorphous calcium carbonate and a formative role in CaCO₃ precipitation. Together, these findings indicate that a redox dependent microbial consortium may influence CaCO₃ precipitation in the form of ooid accretion, cementation and micritization. It is also inferred that ooid deposits are not suitable indicators of palaeoclimate because ooids are affected throughout their life by a complex chain of abiotic and biological processes which can lead to large geochemical offsets.     

Steel rings as seismic fuses for enhancing ductility of cross braced frames

A new remedy is proposed in this study to increase the ductility of cross-braced frames to a level comparable with ductile moment frames. The suggested system consists of one or two concentric steel rings installed in the cross-braced bay vertically. The steel rings are designed such that they fail in bending sooner than failure of the braces in compression. Then the rings act as seismic fuses with multiple bending plastic hinges. Using nonlinear static analysis, it is shown that the proposed system can be designed to behave like cross-braced frames with regard to stiffness and strength, and like special moment frames with regard to ductility. Seismic design factors for the proposed system are recommended based on nonlinear pushover and cyclic analysis studies.

     

Conceptual study of X-braced frames with different steel grades using cyclic half-scale tests

In this paper,an experimental and analytical study of two half-scale steel X-braced frames with equal nominal shear strength under cyclic loading is described.In these tests,all members except the braces are similar.The braces are made of various steel grades to monitor the effects of seismic excitation.Internal stiffeners are employed to limit the local buckling and increase the fracture life of the steel bracing.A heavy central core is introduced at the intersection of the braces to decrease their effective length.Recent seismic specifications are considered in the design of the X-braced frame members to verify their efficiency.The failure modes of the X-braced frames are also illustrated.It is observed that the energy dissipation capacity,ultimate load capacity and ductility of the system increase considerably by using lower grade steel and proposed detailing.Analytical modeling of the specimens using nonlinear finite element software supports the experimental findings.