Sediment-charged flash floods on Montserrat: The influence of synchronous tephra fall and varying extent of vegetation damage

On 20th May 2006 the Soufrière Hills Volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat experienced a large dome collapse and intense rainfall generated flash floods. The floods had very high loads of volcanic debris derived both from this and previous eruptions and can thus be classified as lahars. The floods reached unusually high water levels and caused substantial geomorphic change in the Belham Valley. Detailed rainfall and geomorphological data, coupled with the precise timing of events and yewitness accounts have facilitated an assessment of the relative importance of rainfall volume and intensity, older volcanic debris, pre- and syn-flood tephra fall and the extent of pre-flood vegetation damage for the behavior of this and subsequent sediment-laden floods in this setting. The change in runoff behavior was controlled by preexisting vegetation damage and synchronous tephra fall and this was critically important in controlling the impact of these flash floods. Although rainfall intensity and volume have some control on flood occurrence they are not the critical control on flash flood impact on the geomorphology in the Belham Valley. A significant conclusion of this study is that the extreme nature of the flash floods was not caused by extreme rainfall (as is commonly believed to be the primary cause of flash floods) but rather it was the result of changed runoff behaviour caused by the widespread syn-flood tephra deposition and importantly the widespread vegetation damage by volcanic-associated acid rain in the preceding weeks.     

列车引起的地基土应力状态变化的三维有限元分析

将列车移动荷载简化为多个移动轮轴荷载,基于列车-轨道-路基解析模型推求的列车运行时不同时刻、不同位置时作用于路基的振动荷载时程,采用多点输入方式实现列车荷载的移动施加方式,建立路(地)基-场地体系三维有限元动力分析模型,基于Abaqus软件的并行计算集群平台,对轨道交通振动荷载下路(地)基-场地体系的动力反应进行数值模拟,研究了列车荷载作用线正下方地基中的动应力特征及土单元应力状态变化,分析了列车轮轴荷载移动过程中不同深度处土单元的应力路径和主应力轴的旋转。     

超高层建筑风荷载计算中的振型函数

在我国高层建筑建筑规范中关于风荷载计算中有一振型函数表达式Φ_z=tan(π(Z/H)~(0.7)/4),这一公式在计算风荷载中被广泛采用。作者在对金茂大厦风振位移的观测和研究中,发现该公式与实际观测的结果不符。本研究给出金茂大厦这样的超高层建筑物的实测振型函数表达式:给出与建筑规范不同的风荷载振型函数,供建筑界参考;积累超高层建筑风振振型函数样本,以便在规范中给出符合实际振型函数的表达式,提高风荷载计算精度,设计出既经济又抗强风的超高层建筑。     

Seismic performance of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete composite frame joints

To investigate the seismic performance of a composite frame comprised of steel reinforced ultra high-strength concrete (SRUHSC) columns and steel reinforced concrete (SRC) beams, six interior frame joint specimens were designed and tested under low cyclically lateral load. The effects of the axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio were studied on the characteristics of the frame joint performance including crack pattern, failure mode, ductility, energy dissipation capacity, strength degradation and rigidity degradation. It was found that all joint specimens behaved in a ductile manner with flexural-shear failure in the joint core region while plastic hinges appeared at the beam ends. The ductility and energy absorption capacity of joints increased as the axial load ratio decreased and the volumetric stirrup ratio increased. The displacement ductility coefficient and equivalent damping coefficient of the joints fell between the corresponding coefficients of the steel reinforced concrete (SRC) frame joint and RC frame joint. The axial load ratio and volumetric stirrup ratio have less influence on the strength degradation and more influence on the stiffness degradation. The stiffness of the joint degrades more significantly for a low volumetric stirrup ratio and high axial load ratio. The characteristics obtained from the SRUHSC composite frame joint specimens with better seismic performance may be a useful reference in future engineering applications.     

Machine Learning Approach to Predict Sediment Load – A Case Study

In this study, a novel machine learning technique called the support vector machine (SVM) method is proposed as a new predictive model to predict sediment loads in three Malaysian rivers. The SVM is employed without any restriction to an extensive database compiled from measurements in the Muda, Langat, and Kurau rivers. The SVM technique demonstrated a superior performance compared to other traditional sediment‐load methods. The coefficient of determination, 0.958, and the mean square error, 0.0698, of the SVM method are higher than those of the traditional method. The performance of the SVM method demonstrates its predictive capability and the possibility of the generalization of the model to nonlinear problems for river engineering applications.     

基于安全性分析电力系统地震功能失效研究

电力系统地震功能失效有两种方式,一是物理功能失效,二是供电流功能失效。对系统供电流功能失效进行了深入的研究。首先用模糊矩阵对受地震干扰的系统进行连通性分析,之后运用灵敏度安全法对系统进行安全性分析。该方法是将因地震引起的电力供应系统线路开断视为系统正常运行的一种扰动,从系统供电流方程的Taylor级数展开式出发,得到灵敏度矩阵,以系统节点注入的功率增量来计算系统运行变量增量,为判断系统运行状态提供依据。最后结合一个实例验证了该方法的实用性,该工作可作为电力系统地震功能失效分析的理论基础,为电力系统地震防灾和工程加固提供理论依据。     

压力分散型锚索锚固段荷载分布特征的现场试验研究

根据压力分散型锚索的设计理念,研究外部荷载作用下锚索锚固段各单元体中的荷载分布特征与有效受压锚固长度,为压力分散型锚索的锚固支护提供设计依据。试验锚索全长为32 m,锚固段长为18 m,各单元体长度均为4.5 m,通过在锚索锚固段安装微型高灵敏度应变传感器的试验方法,得到锚索锚固段的荷载传递规律与分布特征。试验结果表明：依据现有锚索规程中对压力分散型锚索的张拉方法,锚索各单元体并未起到均匀分担外部荷载的作用。随着外部荷载的逐渐增大,位于锚固段中间部位的第2单元体与第3单元体的受荷值要明显高于两端第1单元体与第4单元体的受荷值。锚索锚固段也并不是完全处于轴向受压状态,且各单元体的有效受压锚固长度也并不相等,第1～4单元体有效受压锚固长度分别为1.5、2.9、2.8、4.5 m,有效受压锚固长度整体分布特征表现为第1单元体 第2单元体 第4单元体,而第2单元体与第3单元体的有效受压锚固长度相近。     

冲击碾压改建路面施工对路基动力作用的试验研究

依托冲击碾压破碎旧水泥路面现场施工,沿路面横断面和不同深度位置埋设土动压力传感器,对不同冲击碾压遍数、冲压路线、行驶速度下路基的竖向和侧向动土压力进行了试验研究。研究表明：冲击碾压施工引起的地基振动具有周期瞬态冲击特性,冲击荷载附近动土压力存在叠加增长现象。路基动土压力与冲击荷载位置、行驶速度和碾压遍数密切相关。动土压力随冲击压路机由近及远为先增加再减小,纵向距离30 m以内的路基均受到振动影响,纵向水平距离15 m范围内影响开始显著。不同的冲击遍数下动土压力最大值总体有一个先增大再减小的趋势,由于路面板和基层的荷载扩散作用,冲击碾压改建产生的土动压力相比直接冲击路基下降了1个数量级。在试验工况下,冲击碾压改建对旧路基的实际影响深度比有限元计算的深度范围更大,沿路纵向水平影响距离可取为10 m。     

循环荷载下劲性微型桩单桩模型试验研究

以1/7比例进行室内模型试验,采用荷载控制加载的拟静力试验方法,通过在桩顶施加侧向循环荷载,对劲性微型桩单桩的滞回曲线、骨架曲线和滞回特性进行研究,同时探讨了循环荷载下劲性微型桩的弯矩分布及破坏机制。研究表明,劲性微型桩在循环荷载作用下荷载-位移关系具有稳定的滞回环,且表现出刚度退化的特性;在上部土体范围内产生桩土脱开效应,滞回曲线发生捏拢现象;桩身弯矩主要集中在桩顶下17 d的范围内,最大弯矩位于桩顶下6 d附近