Structural stability of gravity dams: a progressive assessment considering uncertainties in shear strength parameters

Structural sliding stability of gravity dams is generally quantified using deterministic factor of safety, FS_det. Large FS_det (e.g. 3 in normal condition), are used in existing guidelines to guard against material and load uncertainties. Some guidelines allow an arbitrary reduction in FS_det (e.g. 2) when the knowledge in strength parameters increases from material test data. Yet, those reduced FS_det are not based on a rational consideration of uncertainties. Propagation of uncertainties could be done using probabilistic analyses, such as Monte-Carlo simulations (MC) which are complex and challenging for practical use. There is thus a need to develop simplified reliability based safety assessment procedures that could rationalise the adjustment of FS_det. This paper presents a progressive analysis methodology using four safety evaluation formats of increasing complexity: (i) deterministic, (ii) semi-probabilistic (partial coefficient), (iii) reliability based Adjustable Factor of Safety (AFS), and (iv) probabilistic. Comprehensive comparisons are made for the sliding safety evaluation of a 80 m gravity dam. Results are presented in terms of sliding factors of safety, allowable water levels, and demand/capacity ratios. It is shown that the AFS formulation, using direct integration, is simple and practical to use in complement to existing dam safety guidelines before undertaking MC simulations.     

The Swedish Geotechnical Society’s methodology for risk management: a tool for engineers in their everyday work

The Swedish Geotechnical Society has adopted a general methodology for risk management in geotechnical engineering projects to reduce the costs related to negative outcomes of geotechnical risks. This technical note highlights the main features of the methodology and strives to inspire the international geotechnical community to apply sensible risk management methods. In the authors’ opinion, a successful geotechnical risk management needs to be structured, be tailored to the project, and permeate the engineers’ everyday work. Then, sufficient quality can be achieved in the project with larger probability.     

Rainfall flood hazard at nuclear power plants in India

Flood hazard evaluation is an important input for Nuclear Power Plants external events safety studies. In the present study, flood hazard at various nuclear sites in India due to rainfall has been evaluated. Hazard estimation is a statistical procedure by which rainfall intensity versus occurrence frequency is estimated from historical records of rainfall data and extrapolated with asymptotic extreme value distribution. Rainfall data needed for flood hazard assessment are daily annual maximum rainfall (24?h data). The observed data points have been fitted using Gumbel, power law and exponential distribution, and return period has been estimated. To study the stationarity of rainfall data, a moving window estimate of the parameters has been performed. The rainfall pattern is stationary in both coastal and inland regions over the period of observation. The coastal regions show intense rainfall and higher variability than inland regions. Based on the plant layout, catchment area and drainage capacity, the prototype fast breeder reactor (PFBR) site is unlikely to be flooded.     

Landfill site selection based on reliability concepts using the DRASTIC method and AHP integrated with GIS – a case study of Bengaluru city,India

The selection of landfill sites for municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal involves consideration of geological, hydrological and environmental parameters which exhibit large spatial variability. Therefore, it is necessary to define, to what extent the chosen sites are reliable such that the probability of environmental pollution and health risks to population is minimal. In the present study, groundwater vulnerability to contamination has been assessed using the standard DRASTIC method. The results showed that the study region has 9.45% of very less, 32.94% of less, 25.47% of moderate, 22.79% of high and 9.35% of very high vulnerable zones. The study also revealed that none of the landfills are located in safe zones. This suggests that it requires proper remedial measures to avoid environmental pollution. A landfill site selection process has been carried out using the Analytical Hierarchy Process integrated with Geographical Information System tools. The obtained results showed that only 3.59?km² (0.08%) of the total area is suitable for landfills. The reliability analysis of the site suitability revealed that landfills are located at unreliable locations where the probability of risk to environmental pollution is high. The presented approach assists decision-makers in selecting reliable locations for the safe disposal of MSW.     

Multi-factor sensitivity analysis on the stability of submarine hydrate-bearing slope

There are many factors affecting the instability of the submarine hydrate-bearing slope (SHBS), and the interaction with hydrate is very complicated. In this paper, the mechanical mechanism of the static liquefaction and instability of submarine slope caused by the dissociation of natural gas hydrate (NGH) resulting in the rapid increase of pore pressure of gas hydrate-bearing sediments (GHBS) and the decrease of effective stress are analyzed based on the time series and type of SHBS. Then, taking the typical submarine slope in the northern South China Sea as an example, four important factors affecting the stability of SHBS are selected, such as the degree of hydrate dissociation, the depth of hydrate burial, the thickness of hydrate, and the depth of seawater. According to the principle of orthogonal method, 25 orthogonal test schemes with 4 factors and 5 levels are designed and the safety factors of submarine slope stability of each scheme are calculated by using the strength reduction finite element method. By means of the orthogonal design range analysis and the variance analysis, sensitivity of influential factors on stability of SHBS are obtained. The results show that the degree of hydrate dissociation is the most sensitive, followed by hydrate burial depth, the thickness of hydrate and the depth of seawater. Finally, the concept of gas hydrate critical burial depth is put forward according to the influence law of gas hydrate burial depth, and the numerical simulation for specific submarine slope is carried out, which indicates the existence of critical burial depth.     

Hydrochemical characterization of groundwater in Balad district,Salah Al-Din Governorate,Iraq

The assessment of hydrochemical quality of groundwater is very important to explore its nature and usefulness. In this paper, groundwater quality evaluation is carried out in the Balad district, Salah Al-Din Governorate, Iraq. A total of 28 groundwater samples are collected from shallow tube wells and analyzed for various physicochemical parameters. Groundwater suitability for drinking is evaluated based on the World Health Organization (WHO) and Iraqi standards, and suitability of groundwater for irrigation is assessed based on various hydrochemical parameters. The results reveal that the dominant types of groundwater based on piper diagram are mixed CaMgCl and CaCl. Gibbs ratio indicates that the groundwater in the studied area is affected by the evaporation process. The cation-anion exchange reaction in the studied area demonstrates that 54% of the groundwater samples indicate a direct base (cation-anion) exchange reaction, while 46% of the groundwater samples indicating the chloro-alkaline disequilibrium. Furthermore, generally all of the groundwater samples are unsuitable for drinking and irrigation. Cluster analysis reveals two different groups of similarities between the groundwater samples, reflecting different pollution levels in the studied area.     

安徽省东源斑岩型钨矿床白钨矿原位微量元素特征及其指示意义

新兴的白钨矿面扫描技术对于解释矿物微量元素特征具有重要的指示意义。文章选择皖南地区东源斑岩型钨矿床中白钨矿为研究对象,利用面扫描和阴极发光图像技术对矿物微区结构和原位微量元素特征进行系统研究。分析结果显示,白钨矿具有核边结构且微量元素特征具有明显的分带性,同一白钨矿颗粒核部亏损Mo、Nb、Ta元素,富集REEs,而边部相反。在此基础上,文章通过系统的白钨矿单点微量元素分析,反演了成矿流体性质和演化过程,提出东源钨矿床成矿流体氧逸度逐渐增高,成矿流体富集F挥发分且F含量逐渐增加,成矿物质很可能有幔源组分加入。通过白钨矿面扫描和阴极发光图像查明矿物微区结构,进而开展了白钨矿微区微量元素单点分析,有可能对成矿流体和矿质来源作出合理的解释。     

渝东南地区下寒武统牛蹄塘组页岩孔径分布测试方法研究

低温氮气吸附法已普遍用于评价页岩的孔隙结构,但是文献中报道的脱气温度和脱气时间等测试条件不尽相同,此外测试结果中经常出现滞后环不闭合的情况,严重影响了孔径分布等结构参数测试的准确性。为了评价和探索有效的页岩孔径分布测试方法,本文选取渝科1井下寒武统牛蹄塘组黑色页岩,重点研究应用低温氮气吸附法分析其孔径分布的测试条件,系统探讨了样品质量、脱气温度、升温速率和脱气时间对测试结果的影响,通过进一步优化参数建立了可靠的孔径分布测试方法,并成功用于测定其他页岩样品。结果表明:吸附-脱附等温线呈反C型,属于Brunauer等提出的BDDT等温吸附曲线分类中的V型,滞后环完全闭合,属于IUPAC分类中的H4型,对应狭窄的狭缝型孔隙,说明此类页岩中除了含有峰值孔径主要集中在3.5~4.5 nm的中孔和一定数量的大孔外,还存在大量微孔。研究认为脱气温度是影响测试结果的主要因素。该研究是页岩孔径分布测试方法的一项补充,为我国页岩气的深入研究提供了关键参数支持。     

Effect of loading duration on uncertainty in creep analysis of clay

Some studies suggest that creep parameters should be determined using a greater quantity of creep test data to provide more reliable prediction regarding the deformation of soft soils. This study aims to investigate the effect of loading duration on model updating. One‐dimensional consolidation data of intact Vanttila clay under different loading durations collected from the literature is used for demonstration. The Bayesian probabilistic method is used to identify all unknown parameters based on the consolidation data during the entire consolidation process, and their uncertainty can be quantified through the obtained posterior probability density functions. Additionally, the optimal models are also determined from among 9 model candidates. The analyses indicate that the optimal models can describe the creep behavior of intact soft soils under different loading durations, and the adopted method can evaluate the effect of loading duration on uncertainty in the creep analysis. The uncertainty of a specific model and its model parameters decreases as more creep data are involved in the updating process, and the updated models that use more creep data can better capture the deformation behavior of an intact sample. The proposed method can provide quantified uncertainty in the process of model updating and assist engineers to decide whether the creep test data are sufficient for the creep analysis.     

基于断层滑动数据古应力反演的影响因素及其误差分析

古构造应力场是构造动力学研究中的一个重要内容,且断层滑动数据古应力反演已经成为古构造应力场恢复研究中比较常用的重要方法之一。近年来,断层滑动数据古应力反演方法研究和应用取得了一系列重要进展,但有关反演结果的解释仍存歧义,反演结果的影响因素及其误差范围等并未得到深入研究与定量分析。本文总结指出,影响断层滑动数据古应力反演结果的主要因素包括变形体制、剪切破裂面类型、断层面的形态以及地质体内薄弱面的存在等。在此基础上,分别对新生断层和先存薄弱面滑动数据的古应力反演综合误差进行了定量分析。研究指出,在可以大致厘定变形体制或误差在允许范围内的前提下,将断层滑动数据反演结果解释为应力状态是合理可行的。各种因素导致的反演误差定量分析表明,同一期构造应力场形成的破裂面滑动数据的古应力方位反演误差最大不超过35°。换言之,在没有证据表明存在不同期次的应力作用情况下,主应力方位变化小于35° 的应力状态,可以划归同一期应力场。