Evaluation of a passive gap damper to control displacements in a shaking test of a seismically isolated three‐story frame

Recent studies have indicated uncertainty about the performance limit states of seismically isolated buildings in very large earthquakes, especially if the isolator displacement demands exceed the seismic gap and induce pounding. Previous research has shown the benefit of providing phased supplemental damping that does not affect the isolation system response in a design event. A phased passive control device, or gap damper, was designed, fabricated, and experimentally evaluated during shake table testing of a quarter scale base‐isolated three‐story steel frame building. Identical input motions were applied to system configurations without a gap damper and with a gap damper, to directly assess the influence of the gap damper on displacement and acceleration demands. The gap damper was observed to reduce displacement demands by up to 15% relative to the isolated system without the gap damper. Superstructure floor accelerations increased substantially because of damper activation, but were limited to a peak of about 1.18 g. The gap damper reduces displacement most effectively if the ground motion contains one or more of the following characteristics: the spectral displacement increases with increasing period near the effective period of the isolation system, the motion is dominated by a single large pulse rather than multiple cycles at a consistent intensity, and the motion has a dominant component aligned with a major axis of the structure. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical Modelling Investigation of Wave Interaction on Composite Berm Breakwater

China Ocean Engineering - The breakwaters have experienced many changes during their construction history. These changes have been considered to improve their performance, depending on their...     

Petrogenesis of granitic unit of Naqadeh complex, Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone, NW Iran

The granitic unit is a component of the Naqadeh plutonic complex, NW of Sanandaj–Sirjan Zone (NW Iran). This unit is composed of high-K calc-alkaline, slightly peraluminous (ASI?=?1.12–1.17) evolved monzogranites. These monzogranites have 41.85?±?0.81 Ma (zircon U–Pb sensitive, high-resolution ion microprobe (SHRIMP) age) with two inherited zircon ages of 98.5?±?1.7 and 586.6?±?13.1 Ma, respectively. The only enclave type consists of quartz-amphibolite enclaves indicating residual parental rocks. Chemical and isotopic (⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr_40Ma?=?0.708638; εNd_40Ma?=??4.26) characteristics of monzogranites suggest that they could be derived by partial melting of crustal mafic rocks followed by some assimilation of metasedimentary rocks. With regards to inherited zircon age and quartz-amphibolite composition of Naqadeh granite, the old mafic rocks of this complex (Naqadeh dioritic rocks with ~100 Ma) can be considered as parental rocks, and their partial melting under high water content, and assimilation of produced melt by metasedimentary rocks, would lead to the generation of a Naqadeh granitic unit.     

The effects of incubation on phosphorus desorption properties, phosphorus availability, and salinity of biosolids-amended soils

Phosphorus (P) desorption characteristics may be altered due to the biosolids decomposition during the incubation period. In our previous work we studied the phosphorus release kinetics in biosolids-amended calcareous soils with no prior incubation. The objectives of this work were (1) to assess the phosphorus desorption behavior in soils as influenced by biosolids after 5 months of incubation and (2) to evaluate the influences of six levels of the biosolids on phosphorus availability and salinity of soil. The results showed that the biosolids addition significantly increased the soil available P and salinity. The P availability and salinity of the soils increased as level of the biosolids application increased. However, there was no significant difference between some application rates for some soils. The results indicated that the incubation can affect the factors controlling the P release rate. Also, the results showed that the soil organic matter negatively affected the P desorption rate in the biosolids-treated soils.     

Distribution of total petroleum hydrocarbons in Dezful aquifer,Southwest of Iran

Determination of total petroleum hydrocarbon distribution (TPH) in groundwater of Dezful aquifer was the main purpose of this study. The study area, which is located between latitudes 32°00′ and 32°35′?N and longitudes 48°10′ and 49°35′?E, covers about 1,920 km² in the north of Khuzestan Province, Iran. Hydrocarbon pollutants in the area were being released into the aquifer, from a variety of sources. An oil pipe crash accident, which occurred on 19 Feb. 2009 in the vicinity of the northern part of the study area, released about 6,000 barrels of crude oil to the Karkhe River. Other possible sources of TPH in the region are asphalt factories, gas stations, and the Sabzab oil pump station. Since the main source of drinking water in the Dezful area is groundwater reservoirs, this study would be very crucial, especially when there is considerable agricultural activity in the area as well. In order to determine the presence of TPH and heavy metals in the groundwater, samples were taken from wells with different usage within two periods, i.e., in Nov. 2008 and May 2009. The second sampling operation was carried out to determine the effect of the accident in the water resources. In situ groundwater parameter measurements including pH, dissolved oxygen, temperature, and electrical conductivity were also carried out in the field. Based on the results, there are four zones in the study area which were contaminated with TPH from different origins: (1) southeast of Dezful City, which was contaminated by Shokati gas station; (2) southeast of Shush City, which was contaminated by an asphalt factory; (3) southwest of Dezful City, which was contaminated by Sabzab oil pump station; and (4) the shores of Karkhe River which were contaminated due to the pipeline crash accident. This could be a serious threat to the environment and human health because TPH concentration was higher than the EPA standard in the study area. Heavy metals were not distributed in a uniform pattern in the aquifer. The concentrations were lower than the contamination level based on the EPA drinking standard, and there was no meaningful relation between concentrations of TPH and the heavy metals. It was recommended that a monitoring network should be designed to monitor oil contaminants in the ground and surface water monthly because of importance of the water resources and presence of potential oil contaminant sources.