Inelastic buildings with tuned mass dampers under moderate ground motions from distant earthquakes

The effectiveness of tuned mass dampers (TMD) in vibration control of buildings was investigated under moderate ground shaking caused by long‐distance earthquakes with frequency contents resembling the 1985 Mexico City (SCT) or the 1995 Bangkok ground motion. The elastic–perfectly plastic material behaviour was assumed for the main structure, with linear TMDs employed by virtue of their simplicity and robustness. The accumulated hysteretic energy dissipation affected by TMD was examined, and the ratio of the hysteretic energy absorption in the structure with TMD to that without it is proposed to be used, in conjunction with the peak displacement ratio, as a supplementary TMD performance index since it gives an indication of the accumulated damage induced in the inelastic structures. For the ground motions considered, TMD would be effective in reducing the hysteretic energy absorption demand in the critical storeys for buildings in the 1.8–2.8 s range. The consequence is reduction in damage of the buildings which would otherwise suffer heavy damage in the absence of TMD, resulting in economical restorability in the damage control limit state. This is of practical significance in view of the current trend toward performance‐based design. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Structure and compressibility of synthetic ZnAl2O4 (gahnite) under high-pressure conditions, from synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction

 The structural behavior of synthetic gahnite (ZnAl₂O₄) has been investigated by X-ray powder diffraction at high pressure (0–43 GPa) and room temperature, on the ID9 beamline at ESRF. The equation of state of gahnite has been derived using the models of Birch–Murnaghan, Vinet and Poirier–Tarantola, and the results have been mutually compared (the elastic bulk modulus and its derivatives versus P determined by the third-order Birch–Murnaghan equation of state are K ₀=201.7(±0.9) GPa, K ^′ ₀=7.62(±0.09) and K ^″ ₀=−0.1022 GPa⁻¹ (implied value). The compressibilities of the tetrahedral and octahedral bond lengths [0.00188(8) and 0.00142(5) GPa⁻¹ at P=0, respectively], and the␣polyhedral volume compressibilities of the four-␣and␣sixfold coordination sites [0.0057(2) and 0.0041(2) GPa⁻¹ at P=0, respectively] are discussed. Received: 15 January 2001 / Accepted: 23 April 2001     

陕西商县蔷薇辉石玉石矿床地质、工艺性质及成因

陕西商县蔷薇辉石(粉翠)矿床是陕西省首次发现并评价的玉石矿床。蔷薇辉石产于宽坪群四岔口组中段下部二云石英片岩所夹的含锰石英白云石大理岩、含锰石英岩等含锰岩中。矿体既成层分布又相对集中。粉翠玉料质优且加工工艺性能良好。蔷薇辉石矿床的形成主要经历了沉积期和区域变质期两大阶段。成因类型属变质岩型低温变质相蔷薇辉石矿床。     

Silica fume stabilization of an expansive clay subgrade and the effect of silica fume-stabilised soil cushion on its CBR

ABSTRACT

Expansive soil subgrades, which are subjected to dual swell-shrink problem consequent upon absorption and evaporation of water, need to be improved by chemical stabilization or compacted cushion or geosynthetic reinforcement in order that pavements constructed over them are even, stable and safe. This paper presents extensive experimental data on plasticity, free swell index (FSI) and compaction characteristics of a highly swelling expansive clay stabilized with varying silica fume contents. In another series of tests on a laterite soil to be used as a cushion over the expansive clay subgrade, plasticity properties, compaction characteristics and strength characteristics were determined at varied silica fume contents. Further, CBR of the expansive clay subgrade was determined in the laboratory stabilizing it with varied silica fume contents and providing a cushion of 50 mm thickness of silica fume-stabilized lateritic soil. Liquid limit (LL), plasticity index (PI) and free swell index (FSI) of the expansive clay decreased with increasing silica fume contents. The compaction and strength characteristics of both the soils improved with silica fume stabilization. The CBR of the expansive clay provided with silica fume-stabilized cushion improved significantly.     

P–Y Curves for Piles Under Seismic Lateral Loads

This paper describes an experimentally based procedure for building dynamic P–Y curves for clays from the Campeche sound in the Gulf of Mexico and for Mexico City clays. Cyclic triaxial and resonant column tests were used to derive hyperbolic stiffness–strain and damping–strain functions that depend on soil plasticity and on relative consistency. The dynamic P–Y curves incorporate these functions and also include hysteretical and geometrical damping characteristics of the pile–soil system; they can be used directly in dynamic interaction analyses of structure–pile–soil systems in the time or the frequency domains. Usual practice relies on pseudo static formulations and a simplified alternative to include P–Y curves in this kind of analysis is also proposed, which is essentially the same as the dynamic ones but does not include radiation or hysteretical damping.     

软岩的强度—变形—时间之间关系的试验分析

对软岩和有不连续面的软岩试样进行一系列固结不排水三轴压缩和蠕变试验,测定并分析了它们在正常固结和超固结状态下的应变软化性状、蠕变特性和残余强度的变化规律。探讨了软岩中存在的不连续面对应力－应变关系、残余强度特性和蠕变应变速率的影响。     

The impact of the parking situation in shopping centres on store choice behaviour

The article discusses the effects of changing the parking situation in the surrounding of shopping centres on consumers store choice behaviour. To get insight into these effects a hierarchical logit model of parking lot and store choice behaviour is estimated and validated. The research is based on before-and-after data of supermarket visitors collected in a major regional shopping centre in a suburban area in The Netherlands. The model is estimated using the before data. At the level of the supermarkets the estimated hierarchical logit model performs very well. The model is less accurate at the level of parking lots but still performs satisfactory. Significant attributes are a constant representing the characteristics of the supermarket, the distance between supermarket and parking lot, the number of parking spaces per parking lot, the location of the parking lot vis-à-vis the origin of the consumer, and the availability of supermarket trolley facilities at the parking lot. Validating the model by reproducing the after data yields less satisfactory results. Especially the model does not perform very well on predicting parking lot choice. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Spatial dynamics of retail structure and the venerable retail hierarchy

The retail system is continuously adapting itself to changing demographic conditions, consumer behavior and economic conditions. Existing retail units, getting larger in order to achieve economics of scale, and new forms of large-scale retailing do not fit easily in the traditional spatial pattern of retail concentrations. Neverteless the spatial distribution of retailing in urban areas, as schematized by Berry thirty-five years ago, still has its value. Through an upward hierarchical movement the retail system has adapted itself to an inflexible spatial system, in which downtown has still a dominant position. Future developments, however, may weaken the position of central shopping areas in favour of peripheral locations. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

GY-15型全液压动力头工程钻机的研制

GY-15型全液压动力头工程钻机是我所根据市场需求,结合自己多年研制全液压动力头钻机的优势开发的一种新型基础桩钻孔设备,本文着重对该钻机的结构特点、试验情况、主要技术参数等作了简要的介绍.     

Drainage density changes during rainfall

Observations of stream behaviour during rainfall indicate that previous notions of a simple expanding and contracting network need review and refinement. In a small rural catchment near Armidale, N.S.W. changes in flowing stream length during rainfall have been depicted on flow length graphs which indicate a varied network response to similar rainfall amounts. Channel flow phenomena include discontinuous flow, the generation of flow points within the channel and movement of water downslope from saturated depression sources. Localized physical controls have a significant effect on stream growth which is a sensitive indicator of the catchment response to rainfall. During rapid changes in stream length total flowing length and discharge are highly correlated. A model of the pattern of network expansion and contraction involves several phases of flow contraction.