Relaxation base seismic isolator

This paper deals with the use, for seismic applications, of a Maxwell element in parallel with a low damping isolator. The study of the properties of the frequency response function shows that this isolator is capable to reduce the base displacement of isolated structures with no considerable amplification of the non‐isolated modes. This is, also, confirmed by the floor response spectra under earthquake excitations. Hence, the previously mentioned isolator does not present the drawbacks met when base displacement is reduced by increasing damping. Moreover, it seems that its performance is comparable with that of more elaborated and expensive techniques combining passive and semi‐active devices. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

大地电磁三维反演方法综述

大地电磁测深（MT）资料的三维正、反演问题,已成为国际地球内部电磁感应领域研究的前沿课题.文中从算法思想方面简要地介绍了当前国内外MT三维反演的几种主要方法,探讨了今后MT三维反演研究的方向.     

On the application of the maximum entropy meshfree method for elastoplastic geotechnical analysis

In this study, the Maximum Entropy Meshfree (MEM) method is employed for analysing geotechnical problems involving material nonlinearity, assuming small strains. The efficiency of the MEM method is evaluated through several solution schemes for the global governing equations as well as the local constitutive equations. The conventional implicit approach involving the Newton-Raphson method and an explicit adaptive dynamic relaxation technique are employed for solving the governing equations, while local constitutive equations are solved numerically as well as analytically. Two- and three-dimensional numerical experiments are performed to study the efficiency of different configurations of the solution scheme, which leads to some important conclusions about application of the MEM method in geotechnical problems.     

Reliability and redundancy of the internal stability of reinforced soil walls

In the present study, a new methodology for reliability assessment of the internal stability of reinforced soil walls, taking into account the highly strength-redundant character of these structures, is suggested. Internal stability is probabilistically modeled as a series configuration and as an r-out-of-m configuration. Consideration of redundancy is formulated based on transitional probabilities and Markov stochastic processes. Following the suggested framework, the updated reliability of the structure, as failure propagates among the different layers of reinforcement, can be quantified. As an illustration of the developed methodology, an example of a reinforced soil wall is analyzed and results are discussed.     

Impact of sample size on geotechnical probabilistic model identification

This paper aims to investigate the impact of sample size on geotechnical probabilistic model identification. First, the copula approach is presented to model the bivariate distribution of geotechnical parameters. Thereafter, the AIC scores are adopted to identify the best-fit marginal distribution and copula. Second, the variation of AIC scores because of small sample size is investigated using simulated data. Finally, the impact of the variation of AIC scores on identification of the best-fit marginal distribution and copula is examined. The minimum sample sizes for geotechnical data are also suggested to obtain a correct identification of the probabilistic models. The results indicate that the AIC scores estimated from a small sample exhibit large variation. The variation of the AIC scores has a significant impact on probabilistic model identification. The marginal distributions and copulas have a low percentage of correct identification when sample size is small. The percentages of correct identification for the marginal distributions and copulas increase with increasing sample size. The correlation coefficient between geotechnical parameters has a much larger impact on probabilistic model identification than the COV of geotechnical parameters. The suggested minimum sample sizes for geotechnical data are useful for guiding practical geotechnical site investigation.     

Simplified method for generating slope seismic deformation hazard curve

A simplified method for generating slope deformation hazard curve that takes into account the variations of input parameters is presented in this paper. The main assumption in the new approach is that the occurrence of peak slope deformation is Poisson׳s process. The procedure is based on logic tree analysis, commercial software and routines programmed by the authors for generating sets of input files, and forming slope performance curve. The methodology was applied to a real landslide in order to demonstrate the advantages and limitations of the proposed approach. The results of the analysis showed the influence of the certain input factors on sliding displacement as well as the advantages of employing continuum mechanics approach.     

Rheological characteristics and one-dimensional isotache modelling of marine soft clays

Abstract

This paper presents a novel elasto-viscoplastic constitutive formulation based on the isotache concepts and the Nishihara model. Incorporating a novel viscoelastic body to include the delay elastic deformation of marine soft clays under the external load, the proposed model is used to evaluate the theories of consolidation-creep coupling, strain rate dependency and stress relaxation of saturated marine soft clays, and hence, the methodology used to determine the parameters of the model is discussed. Ningbo marine soft clay is selected as an example to interpret the determination of the model parameters on a field scale. A series of conventional oedometer tests are conducted as well. Eventually, we utilize the model to simulate several kinds of rheological tests, including one-dimensional (1-D) long-term compression tests on Ningbo marine soft clays, 1-D constant rate of strain (CRS) tests on Batiscan clays and 1-D stress relaxation tests on Hong Kong marine deposits. These findings indicate good agreement between the computational and experimental results, suggesting the given model can provide reliable forecasts for the rheological characteristics of marine soft clays.     

New Viscoplastic Model for Design Analysis of Tunnels in Squeezing Conditions

Summary  This paper is intended to describe the SHELVIP (Stress Hardening ELastic VIscous Plastic) model, a new viscoplastic constitutive law which has been developed to incorporate the most important features of behaviour observed in tunnels excavated in severe to very severe squeezing conditions. This model couples the elastoplastic and time-dependent behaviour by using a plastic yield surface, as frequently adopted in tunnel design analysis, and the definition of a state of overstress referred to a viscoplastic yield surface. The model is formulated in all its detailed aspects. The related analytical closed-form solution for representing triaxial creep deformations is developed. Also developed is an incremental numerical solution for describing the triaxial stress–strain behaviour under constant strain rate conditions. The model is shown to fit very satisfactorily the results of creep tests on clay shales and relaxation tests on coal specimens, as recently performed for design analysis of tunnels in squeezing conditions. Correspondence: D. Debernardi, Department of Structural and Geotechnical Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Torino, Italy