Experimental Study on Complete Consolidation Behavior of Hong Kong Marine Deposits

The time-dependent feature of soft soils has gained intensive attraction in recent years. Due to the high water content and viscous property, the Hong Kong marine deposit (HKMD) frequently poses a challenge to geotechnical practice, particularly to the reclamation in Hong Kong. A key issue related to reclamation design, foundation construction and maintenance is excess settlement/deformation of the ground. Formation of HKMD typically goes through sedimentation and self-weight consolidation. A series of one-dimensional settling column consolidation tests, together with conventional oedometer tests were conducted on the HKMD. By normalizing parameter in settling stage, a unique global relationship of effective stress, σ_z′ and strain, ?_z could be established. Results reveal that the settling curve and settling rate are significantly affected by the sediment concentration in self-weight consolidation. After the primary self-weight consolidation, the settling rate is reduced in the “secondary self-weight consolidation.”     

上海基岩海岛浮山岛的侵蚀现状及保护修复

基于基岩海岛侵蚀研究,利用基岩海岸演变模型,界定浮山岛的海蚀岸类型,估算浮山岛基岩海岸侵蚀后退速率,并结合实地登岛调查分析,提出了浮山岛保护修复方案。建议采用生物屏障的手段达到消浪作用,减少海岸侵蚀,恢复当地生态系统;同时采用生态和工程结合的方式在浮山岛和浮山东岛两岛之间创造潮间带沼泽地,并栽种草本植物来稳定沼泽地,以缓减断裂谷继续发育。     

Since turtles cannot talk: what beak movement sensors can tell us about the feeding ecology of neritic loggerhead turtles,Caretta caretta

Understanding the role that consumers play in an ecosystem requires knowledge about food selection and intake rates. However, such basic data are often difficult to obtain, particularly for marine animals that are not easy to observe. To overcome this problem, a beak movement sensor was employed on a free‐ranging loggerhead turtle in a neritic foraging habitat at the Domitian littoral (SW Italy). In combination with gastrointestinal content analysis from six turtles found dead in the same area we sought to identify which beak movement patterns were associated with which prey type, and to quantify the ingestion of the various prey types. Brachyuran crabs (100% occurrence), in particular Liocarcinus vernalis, and small molluscs (66% occurrence) were found most frequently in the stomach and intestine of the turtles. Beak movements revealed average ingestion rates of (mean ± SE) 0.27 ± 0.13 food items per minute and that feeding occurred predominantly during dives >4 m and during early morning and evening. Interestingly, the time spent feeding amounted to only 2.2% of the total observation time, whereas feeding‐associated dives added up to just above 10% of the total time. We thus established that loggerhead turtles in this area are specialised on brachyuran crabs, on which they prey with high success during the short time dedicated to foraging. This information strengthens our knowledge about turtle–prey and turtle–habitat interactions, which are essential data to delineate the role that turtles play in this and similar marine ecosystems. Moreover, since the same area is also intensively used by the regional bottom trawl fishery, our results have important conservation implications, because they clearly show the time of day and water depths for which fishing activity should be regulated to reduce the number of turtles that are currently being incidentally caught in this area.     

Burrowing behaviour of the paddle crab Ovalipes catharus (White, 1843) (Brachyura: Portunidae)

The burrowing behaviour of Ovalipes catharus (White, 1843) is described and compared with that of some other burrowing crabs. O. catharus is a fast, back burrowing crab which makes temporary burrows in soft sand. The average time from initiation of burrowing to complete submergence was 6.5 s, there was no difference between males and females but burrowing time increased significantly with crab size. Similar morphological adaptations are required for burrowing and swimming: streamlined body shape, smooth lightly constructed exoskeleton, and flattened legs. O. catharus has a reversed respiratory current like O. guadulpensis but it differs in its burrowing behaviour. Compared to some other crabs, burrowing in O. catharus is rapid.     

Behavior of soil plugs in open‐ended model piles driven into sands

Calibration chamber tests were conducted on open‐ended model piles driven into dried siliceous sands with different soil conditions in order to clarify the effect of soil conditions on load transfer mechanism in the soil plug. The model pile used in the test series was devised so that the bearing capacity of an open‐ended pile could be measured as three components: outside shaft resistance, plug resistance, and tip resistance. Under the assumption that the unit shaft resistance due to pile‐soil plug interaction varies linearly near the pile tip, the plug resistance was estimated. The plug capacity, which was defined as the plug resistance at ultimate condition, is mainly dependent on the ambient lateral pressure and relative density. The length of wedged plug that transfers the load decreases with the decrease of relative density, but it is independent of the ambient pressure and penetration depth. Under several assumptions, the value of earth pressure coefficient in the soil plug can be calculated. It gradually reduces with increase in the longitudinal distance from the pile tip. At the bottom of the soil plug, it tends to decrease with increase in the penetration depth and relative density, and to increase with the increase of ambient pressure. This may be attributed to (1) the decrease of friction angle as a result of increase in the effective vertical stress, (2) the difference in the dilation degree of the soil plug during driving with ambient pressures, and (3) the difference in compaction degree of soil plug during driving with relative densities. Based on the test results, an empirical equation was suggested to compute the earth pressure coefficient to be used in the calculation of plug capacity using one‐dimensional analysis, and it produces proper plug capacities for all soil conditions.     

Uniaxial compression and tension tests of anthracite and loading rate dependence of peak strength

The mechanical characteristics of coal under uniaxial compressive stress and uniaxial tensile stress are key factors in investigations of the stability of galleries and coal faces, and are vital considerations for the efficient design of coalmines, disaster prevention, and environmental preservation. These mechanical characteristics have long been a topic of research, but remain insufficiently understood. In this study we performed uniaxial compression tests and uniaxial tension tests on coal, with particular attention to two concerns. The first was to measure the loading rate dependence of the peak strength of coal. Coal shows high sample-to-sample scatter in strength; test methods that are successful in comparatively homogeneous rock types cannot be used for coal. We therefore used an alternative test method that was recently developed by the authors. Anthracite samples were subjected to alternating slow and fast strain rates. Measured variations in stress during this process were used to estimate the loading rate dependence of peak strength. The second objective was to obtain complete stress–strain curves for coal under uniaxial tensile stress. It is difficult to hold samples secure during a tensile test; consequently, such curves have yet to be obtained. This study presents a successful application of the authors' method to the analysis of coal samples, yielding a complete stress–strain curve under tensile stress. The two methods presented here hold promise for application not only to anthracite but also to a wide variety of coals. It is possible to derive the values of the constants used in constitutive equations from the obtained experimental results. Once these equations are determined, they can be incorporated into finite-element software to investigate various time-dependent behaviors of coal and aid in the efficient design of coalmines and the prevention of subsidence and mine disasters.     

几种电法仪器在地质勘查中的应用

文章介绍了几类物探电法仪器的工作原理、技术特点和适用范围,强调了物探资料的合理解释必须与地质认识相结合的重要性,物探工作要做实做细,对物探原始资料要选择合理的方法与参量进行计算处理,结合一些具体的勘测实例,说明各种方法的有效性及其实际应用效果.     

含碎石土壤水分入渗试验研究

采用一维积水垂直入渗法测定含碎石土壤的入渗过程,分析碎石含量和碎石组成对土壤水分运动影响。对试验数据采用Kostiakov入渗公式拟合,得出反映入渗速率的拟合参数比值与土石比成幂函数关系;采用简略的Philip垂直入渗方程幂级数解拟合湿润峰随时间的变化,拟合精度高,并发现拟合参数与土石比仍成幂函数关系。采用简单相关分析碎石粒径对入渗过程影响,得出粒径2~3 mm碎石与入渗过程成显著的负相关关系,而>25 mm碎石有利于入渗。研究结果可为含碎石土壤的水循环提供重要的基础。     

核磁共振测深方法在多年冻土区找水中的应用

通过核磁共振测深( MRS)方法在多年冻土区找水实例的分析、解释,并结合钻孔资料的综合研究,对在多年冻土区利用MRS方法探测地下含水层埋深、厚度及地下水涌水量的计算进行了详细的解析,并取得了良好的应用效果。阐明了该方法在多年冻土区找水具有含水信号反映明显、信噪比高和具唯一性解析结果等的独特技术优势,也指出了该方法在判断含水层岩性、涌水量计算等方面存在的不足,揭示了MRS方法在多年冻土区寻找地下水的良好应用前景,为在多年冻土区寻找地下水提供了一定的借鉴经验。     

纳米镍/铁去除氯代烃影响因素的探讨

氯代烃是地下水中最常检出的有机污染物之一,传统的处理方法去除率很低。近年来随着铁还原技术的发展,纳米铁和纳米双金属也成为一个活跃的研究领域。利用批实验的研究方法以四氯乙烯(PCE)和四氯化碳(CT)为目标污染物,研究纳米镍/铁在去除PCE过程中的影响因素。实验结果表明,在碱性条件下,纳米Ni/Fe对PCE脱氯速率比在酸性和中性条件下脱氯速率更快;纳米Ni/Fe对初始浓度为6·51mg/L的PCE溶液脱氯速率是对初始浓度为20·56mg/L的PCE溶液脱氯速率的1·8倍;对于氯代程度相同的CT和PCE,对CT的脱氯速率明显快于对PCE。