Stress–strain behaviour of a loosely compacted volcanic-derived soil and its significance to rainfall-induced fill slope failures

The stress–strain behaviour of a soil is crucial to the recognition of the mechanism of slope failure. Triaxial tests, composed of isotropically consolidated drained (ICD) and undrained compression (ICU) tests and anisotropically consolidated constant deviatoric stress path (CQD) tests, were carried out with the aim of investigating the stress–strain behaviour of loosely compacted volcanic-derived soils. The fact that the critical states are the same for ICU, ICD and CQD tests may show that the critical state is independent of the above three stress paths. The critical state line, as defined in critical state soil mechanics, is obtained from the e–log p′ and q–p′ plots based on the results of the above tests. The initial state of the consolidated specimens at initiation of failure may be classified as dilative or contractive in the light of the locations of the soil state relative to the critical state line. For contractional soils, the increased pore water pressure generated by rainfall infiltration leads to a contractive failure in a drained manner, giving rise to high excess pore water pressure. The excess pore water pressure caused by contraction cannot be dissipated instantly, resulting in a decrease in the shear resistance of the soil. The failure process is rapid. The failed soil mass is prone to flow after failure under the action of gravity due to its high moisture content and inflow of surface runoff and rainwater. For dilational soils, the increased pore water pressure resulting from infiltration leads to dilation, which reduces pore water pressure and thus increases the shear resistance of the soil. However, continued rainfall infiltration may be able to equilibrate the reduction in pore water pressure caused by dilation and, therefore, the dilation or displacement can continue. In Hong Kong, volcanic-derived soil is characterized by high permeability. Both the high permeability of volcanic-derived soil and a shallow failure surface make it possible for the reduction in pore pressure to equilibrate relatively quickly. Therefore, the failure is also rapid, at least for poorly compacted fill slopes.     

Assessment of Erythemal UV Level in Nepal Based on Solar UV Estimates from Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer

Nepal lies on the southern slope of Himalaya in Asia. In a width ranging between 150 and 250 km, the altitude varies greatly from about 100 m at its southern border to a maximum of 8848 min the northern part. Like the variation in altitude, climatic condition varies quite a lot. Long-term monthly mean erythemal UV daily dose values for Nepal are evaluated using Total Ozone Mapping Spectrometer (TOMS) estimation from the time of its overpass between 1996 and 2003. The results are presented as summer and winter maps of mean UV levels in each satellite grid. The mean winter erythemal UV daily dose ranges between 2.1 and 3.6 kJ m-2 whereas summer values are found to lie between 4.6 and 9.7 kJ m-2. The altitude variation increases the UV levels by about 0.2 kJ km-1 in winter months, and 0.9 kJ km-1 in summer. A multiyear monthly average erythemal daily dose in most of the areas shows that the summer value is about three times higher than that in winter. Although year-to-year variation is not pronounced in high- and mid-elevation regions, UV levels seemed to decrease from 1997 to 2002 in the southern part of the country in the low elevation region by about 5.35%. Due to the combined effects of the altitude, low ozone concentration in the troposphere, and thin air, surface UV radiation at higher altitudes is found to be higher than in the surrounding regions.     

鲜水河断裂带古构造残余应力场对大地震的控制

以岩体正交异性弹性理论为基础,用X射线法,在鲜水河断裂带测区沿7条测线,测量了岩体三维残余应力,绘成区域残余应力等值线图、主应力线图及其应变能密度等值线图,探讨了其对带内大地震的控制作用     

Energy approach for earthquake induced slope failure evaluation

Earthquake-induced slope stability is evaluated by the force-equilibrium method in engineering practice. This method provides a safety factor against initiating failure or displacement according to the Newmark model along a fixed slip surface but it cannot evaluate failure deformations after failure occurs. An energy approach is proposed as an alternative means for evaluating slope failures and subsequent flow deformations. The driving energy for slope displacement is considered to be the earthquake energy and the gravitational potential energy. As a first step in the research, an energy balance is formulated for the model of a rigid block resting on an inclined plane. Then, an innovative model test is developed, in which the energy balance in a sliding slope is measured on a shake table. The earthquake energy used for the slope failure can be successfully quantified in the test and its contribution to displacement is discussed in the light of the energy balance established for the block model.     

应用最小二乘法建立钾长石释光测年标准生长曲线

标准生长曲线（Standardised Growth Curve,SGC）法的提出为高效快速地测定释光样品的等效剂量（D_e）值提供了可能。不同实验室的放射源剂量率、操作流程、仪器误差等的不同会导致SGC参数的不同。运用最小二乘法标准化实验剂量校正后的信号L_ri/T_ri*D_e得到一条本实验室的标准生长曲线,用来快速得到等效剂量值。通过R软件实现了最小二乘法标准化过程,建立了50、100、150、200、250℃激发温度下的钾长石的标准生长曲线,分析发现250℃下的SGC收敛性最好,由于此温度下的信号衰退率可忽略不计,因此,我们用250℃激发温度下的SGC方程来估计样品的等效剂量。比较250℃ SGC D_e和250℃ MET-pIRIR D_e的一致性,发现在0~500 Gy范围内用SGC法估计的D_e和MET-pIRIR法估计的D_e非常接近,表明了此范围内SGC法的可靠性,而在>600 Gy范围内出现较大差别。一方面,此范围内用于拟合SGC的数据点较少导致高剂量区域内拟合的方程参数不够准确;另一方面,600 Gy与SGC对应的饱和剂量水平值844.5 Gy已经接近,所以在>600 Gy区域测出的D_e很可能出现较大偏差。因此需在今后工作中逐步积累更多样品,完善SGC参数,使其也能胜任较老年龄样品。     

70 kV超低管电压低对比剂用量冠状动脉CTA研究

目的：探讨采用基于AI的新迭代重建算法与低管电压在降低肥胖患者冠状动脉CTA辐射剂量的可行性。方法：选取行冠状动脉CTA检查的肥胖患者40例,随机分为两组。常规剂量组（A组）和低管电压剂量组（B组）各20例。常规剂量组采用管电压120 kV,管电流200 mAS扫描,低剂量组采用管电压80 kV,管电流200 mAS。采集数据传输到后处理工作站后,分别采用常规迭代重建算法和基于AI的新迭代重建算法的图像重建,对比分析两组的主动脉平均CT值、主动脉及左冠状动脉的信噪比、对比噪声比和右冠状动脉的噪声、信噪比。结果：B组主动脉的平均CT值、主动脉及左冠状动脉的信噪比、对比噪声比和右冠状动脉的噪声、信噪比、对比噪声比与A组无明显统计学差异;两组冠状动脉主观图像质量评分无明显差异;但B组的辐射剂量较A组降低68.2％。结论：新迭代重建算法能够显著性提高重建的图像质量,在新迭代重建算法的加持下,用80 kVp的管电压可以明显降低辐射剂量,同时获得与常规剂量图像质量相当的冠状动脉CTA图像。

     

Optical Dating Equivalent Dose (De) Comparison of Global Standardised Growth Curve (gSGC) and Single-aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) Methods for Quartz Grains

Optical dating is a method of measuring the time since the sample was buried from last thermal event or light exposure. Samples such as quartz and feldspar grains are the most commonly used sediment of measurement. Single-Aliquot Regenerative-dose (SAR) method has become the most acceptable procedure for obtaining the equivalent Dose (D_e) of a sample. The Standardised Growth Curve (SGC) method provides a possible procedure for measuring a large number of samples; the limitation is that the growth curve fitted by different samples or even different aliquots is divergent. The global Standardised Growth Curve (gSGC) method improves the shortage by normalizing the dose response curves using one regenerative dose OSL signal. The gSGC provides a possible method for obtaining the D_e value of the sample efficiently and quickly. However, due to the radiation dose rate, operating procedures and instrument error and the selected regenerative-dose normalized dose value, etc., each laboratory should develop their own gSGC which has unique parameters. This study established the gSGC curve and measurement process of our laboratory, and then compared the consistency of the equivalent Dose (D_e) values from gSGC and SAR methods. In gSGC procedure, the D_e value of an aliquot can be estimated from the nature signal, one regenerative dose signal and their corresponding test dose signal. It will speed up the optical dating measurement rate of our laboratory and provide reference to establish gSGC in other laboratories. It is found that in the low dose range (0~100 Gy) the obtained D_e values were well consistent by gSGC and SAR methods. There were obviously differences in the higher dose range (>100 Gy) compared to the SAR results. It may be due to the insufficient number of older samples used to fit gSGC in this study. It is necessary to gradually accumulate more samples to improve the gSGC parameters in the future work. For some aliquots, individual quartz grains do not follow the global standardised growth curve, which leads to some deviations of D_e from gSGC. However, these two methods could obtain the similar average De value when multiple aliquots measuring.     

正常震群和前兆震群的判定指标

本文采用大森公式ｎ（ｔ）＝Ｋ／（ｔ＋ｃ）＾ｐ求解Ｋ、ｃ、ｐ三个参数，对云南１９６５年以来７１个地震序列进行研究。确定Ｐ＝０．８为前兆震群和正常震群的判定指标。利用Ｋ、ｃ、ｐ三参数计算序列理论曲线得到晚期强余震前差残曲线超出两倍均方差的结果。     

OSL测年中CGC法求D_e均值的计算方法之比较分析

光释光测年中等效剂量是计算样品埋藏年龄的一个重要参数,一般通过求多个实验测量值的均值得出。标准生长曲线法是求等效剂量的一种常用且有效的方法,分析讨论了此法计算的等效剂量存在小幅度的系统性的偏大及其原因,提出了改进的方法;展望了CGC法求De均值更优的估计——极大似然估计。     

Residual strength of slip zones of large landslides in the Three Gorges area, China

Slip zones of the large landslides in the Three Gorges area are commonly composed of fine-grained soils with substantial amount of coarse-grained particles, particularly gravel-sized particles. In this study, residual strength of the soils from slip zones of these landslides were examined in relation to their index properties based on a survey of 170 landslides. It was found that laboratory-determined residual friction angle using gravel-free fraction of the disturbed soils from the slip zones was closely related to clay content, liquid limit and plasticity index. On the other hand, in-situ residual friction angle of these soils (i.e. including gravel fraction) showed very weak correlations with clay content and Atterberg limits, but was largely dependent on gravel and fines (clays + silts) contents, increasing with gravels and decreasing with fines, and displayed strong linear correlation with the ratio of gravel to fines contents. These observations indicate that among the index properties, clay content and Atterberg limits can be used to estimate residual strength of the soils finer than 2 mm, but they are not appropriate evaluate the residual strength of the soils containing considerable amount of gravel-sized particles. For the latter, particle size distribution (particularly the ratio of gravel to fines contents) appears to be a useful index. Additionally, it was found that there was no identifiable correlation between relative abundance of individual major clay minerals and residual friction angles of both gravel-free fraction of disturbed and in-situ soils, suggesting that influence of clay minerals on residual strength of these soils can not be simply evaluated based on their abundance.