Ar/Ar ages of tephras intercalated in astronomically tuned Neogene sedimentary sequences in the eastern Mediterranean

We present new ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar data for sanidine and biotite derived from volcanic ash layers that are intercalated in Pliocene and late Miocene astronomically dated sequences in the Mediterranean with the aim to solve existing inconsistencies in the intercalibration between the two independent absolute dating methods. ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar sanidine ages are systematically younger by 0.7-2.3% than the astronomical ages for the same ash layers. The significance of the discrepancy disappears except for the upper Ptolemais ashes, which reveal the largest difference, if an improved full error propagation method is applied to calculate the absolute error in the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages. The total variance is dominated by that of the activity of the decay of ⁴⁰K to ⁴⁰Ar (∼70%) and that the amount of radiogenic ⁴⁰Ar_p in the primary standard GA1550 biotite (∼15%). If the ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar ages are calculated relative to an astronomically dated standard, the influence of these parameters is greatly reduced, resulting in a more reliable age and in a significant reduction of the error in ⁴⁰Ar/³⁹Ar dating.Astronomically calibrated ages for Taylor Creek Rhyolite (TCR) and Fish Canyon Tuff (FCT) sanidine are 28.53±0.02 and 28.21±0.04 Ma (±1 S.E.), respectively, if we start from the more reliable results of the Cretan A1 ash layer. The most likely explanation for the large discrepancy found for the younger Ptolemais ash layers (equivalent to FCT of 28.61 Ma) is an error in the tuning of this part of the sequence.     

Strain field measurements of rubber by image analysis and design criteria for laminated rubber bearings (LRB)

Although seismic isolation rubber bearings in bridges and buildings have proven to be a very effective passive method for reducing earthquake‐induced forces, a detailed mechanical modeling of the rubber that is used in bearings under large strains has not been established. Therefore, a 3D model of failure behavior and the design criteria for the safety evaluation of seismic isolation bearings have not yet been developed. This paper presents: (1) correlation‐based template‐matching algorithms to measure large strain fields of continua; (2) a failure criterion for rubber; and (3) the design criteria for the safety evaluation of laminated algorithms, data‐validation algorithms were developed and implemented to eliminate possible unrealistic displacement vectors present in the measured displacement field. The algorithms were successfully employed in the strain field measurement of LRB and rubber materials that are subjected to failure. The measured local strains for rubber material at failure were used to develop a failure criterion for rubber. The validity of the proposed criterion was evaluated by applying it to the LRB; the criterion was introduced into a 3D finite element model of LRB, compared with the experimental results of bearings failure, and verified. Finally, design criteria are proposed for LRB for the safety evaluation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

非静力中尺度模式的现状及发展趋势

随着高性能计算机与大气探测技术的发展 ,使得非静力中尺度数值预报模式的业务化成为可能 ,世界上主要的气象中心最近几年纷纷发展非静力中尺度模式 ,并取得了重要进展 ,这其中尤以英国气象局新发展的非静力通用模式最为突出。基于此 ,介绍了近年来国际上发达国家的非静力中尺度预报模式的现状及发展方向 ,并对该类模式设计中应注意的一些问题进行了阐述     

水质大涡模拟数学模型研究

建立了基于弱可压缩流基础上的水质大涡模拟数学模型及污染物质扩散系数与平均运动的关系。数值计算采用有限体积法和预测校正法,固壁边界条件采用"部分滑移条件"。并应用该模型对重庆嘉陵江、长江两江交汇段的流场,污染物质浓度分布进行了计算,计算结果与实测值比较吻合。研究表明,横向扩散与流动状态有关,当支流流量相对较小时,横向扩散较弱,形成岸边污染带,当支流流量相对较大时,横向扩散较强,污染带向江心移动。     

金丽温高速公路K81高边坡变形动态数值分析

对金丽温高速公路K81高边坡进行接触大变形有限元动态数值分析.结果表明,路堑边坡开挖,导致滑面的法向应力减小、抗滑力下降,是引起古滑坡复活的根本原因.研究结果也说明了接触大变形有限元分析方法可以较好地分析潜在滑面的力学作用,是研究滑坡的滑动机理的有效方法.     

A furrow runs through it: An example of sustainable traditional irrigation in Western Cape Province,South Africa

Water and water related matters are important issues in water scarce countries like the Republic of South Africa. This is especially true for the agricultural sector that relies heavily on the availability of water for irrigation to ensure a secure food supply. In South Africa, present day irrigation projects rely on government subsidies and are usually large undertakings beyond the reach of individuals or small communities. The sustainability of such large irrigation projects is still a matter of debate. A 100 years ago a different set of rules applied. Irrigation could only be achieved by hand-dug furrows that supplied water in relatively small quantities to small farming communities. This paper investigated such a small community, the Leeukloof farming community in the Western Cape Province of the Republic of South Africa. For the past 93 years this community has maintained a furrow that supplies water not only to farms bordering the Perdeberg River, which supplies the furrow with water, but also to farms not bordering the river. The authors try to reconstruct the changes in agricultural practices brought about by the furrow, methods of water extraction during each phase, as well as the development and role of the furrow system. The perception by the community of the necessity of this method of water extraction from the river system is also investigated. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Weathering: Toward a Fractal Quantifying

Weathering occurs over a wide range of scales. To link features through these scales is a major challenge for interdisciplinary weathering studies. Fractal approach seems to be specially useful for this purpose. We introduce a multistep fractal weathering assessment scheme devoted to extract fractal weathering classifiers from texture analysis of the mineral's image. Our scheme enables to quantitatively estimate the global and local information about the geometry of the weathering pattern. This information is basic to develop geometrical indices of weathering, which can significantly enrich the common qualitative and semiquantitative weathering assessment schemes. To justify the fractal approach, a strong statistical self-similarity has been documented for both the weathering and fresh features of two common silica minerals: quartz and biogenic A-opal (phytolith) over four orders of length scales. The procedure is fast, drastically reduces thresholding bias, promises to be universal, it is valid for genetically different minerals and rock types, scale independent, and specially useful for monitoring the changes in the mineral's roughness during the alteration. Two of the proposed classifiers seem to be potentially useful for direct application in the field and be used by nonspecialist.     

温州世贸中心大厦超深大直径钻孔灌注桩施工技术

介绍了超深大直径钻孔灌注桩在温州世贸中心大厦桩基工程中的应用情况，对其施工中出现的主要问题进行了分析和处理，并提出了解决措施。     

利用现有重力场模型求定CHAMP卫星加速度计修正参数

CHAMP卫星加速度计数据的标定是通过确定其尺度因子和偏差参数来完成的.本文基于能量守恒方程,给出利用现有重力场模型标定CHAMP卫星加速度数据的基本原理和数学模型;提出相邻历元间差分算法,大大简化了观测方程,同时避免积分常量的计算.该算法既能同时解算尺度因子和偏差参数,也可任意求解其中之一.基于实测的CHAMP卫星加速度数据,利用EGM96模型和最新公布的EIGEN-2模型进行计算与比较,验证该方法的有效性.