上海地区单桩水平承载力的若干影响因素研究

结合上海软土地区12个场地57根单桩水平静载荷试验,研究建筑桩基单桩在水平荷载作用下的受力特点。根据试验实测数据,探讨不同桩径、不同试验加载方法及灌芯对预应力空心桩受力性状影响等因素,认为建筑工程中,可选择桩径较大或者采用在桩顶一定范围内扩大桩径的做法进行单桩水平承载力优化设计,试验加载方式建议可采用单向单循环恒速水平加载法,预应力空心桩顶部灌芯可作为水平承载力的安全储备,为软土地区类似工程的单桩水平承载力的设计和理论研究提供参考。     

考虑二期荷载的高填明洞加筋减载土压力计算

随着城市建设的迅速发展,既有高填明洞填土顶面将不可避免地出现新增结构物等二期荷载的情况。为了明确明洞回填完成后新增二期荷载对其顶部垂直土压力的影响,在已有明洞减载结构土压力计算公式的基础上,利用土体沉降弹性理论计算公式建立了土工格栅变形与土体沉降变形的关系,并考虑二期荷载作用,进一步完善了高填明洞减载前后的洞顶垂直土压力计算公式。建立数值分析模型,将数值分析结果与文中公式计算结果进行了对比。结果表明：公式计算与数值分析结果较为接近,表现出相同的规律性;有无减载措施对明洞回填土压力影响较大,填土越高,减载越显著,实际作用在明洞顶土压力越小。新增二期荷载作用下的明洞顶垂直土压力计算,应考虑其对土体沉降变形的影响,而非简单叠加。     

PTC管桩复合地基应力扩散效应研究

预应力混凝土薄壁（PTC）管桩复合地基作为常见的基础型式在软土地区具有良好的实用价值和应用前景。在实际工程中,复合地基下卧层附加应力的确定一直是重点和难点,因此对PTC管桩复合地基应力扩散效应的研究具有十分重要的意义。针对天津软土地区进行了3组不同垫层厚度的复合地基现场静载试验,基于现场试验建立并验证了数值模拟方法,对比研究了该型式复合地基的承载特性;通过已建立的数值模拟方法研究了不同工况下PTC管桩复合地基的应力扩散现象,结合复合地基应力扩散理论确定了扩散角的取值范围,分析了土质、加固深度和外荷载对扩散角的影响规律。计算结果可为工程设计提供依据。     

被动桩水平位移荷载施加位置的探讨

被动桩是指一种由于土体水平位移而发生挠曲变形的桩。目前不论是室内试验还是数值计算,常在模型边界对土体施加水平位移荷载（位移边界条件）形成土体的位移场,用来研究被动桩的变形特征,但不同研究者采用的水平位移施加位置（边界位置）与被动桩的距离存在较大差异。结合一个工程案例,采用有限单元法对水平位移加载位置进行了单变量参数分析。研究表明,随着水平位移加载位置与被动桩距离的增加,桩身变形显著减小。这表明了施加位移边界后地基中存在明显的应力扩散。当该距离小于5.5倍桩径时,在模型边界施加同等大小的水平位移所需应力显著增加。同时讨论了水平荷载加载位置与被动桩距离的合理范围,认为应在5～8倍桩径范围之内。     

分级循环荷载下岩石动力学行为试验研究

利用WDT-1500多功能材料试验机,对砂岩、砾岩和砂砾岩进行了分级循环荷载试验,研究了岩石的动弹性模量对应力幅值和应力水平的响应特性,得到了动弹性模量和耗散能随应力幅值、应力水平及含水率的变化规律。试验结果表明,分级循环荷载下岩石的能量耗散越多,动弹性模量越小;应力水平越高,动弹性模量和耗散能越大;含水率和应力幅值越大,动弹性模量越小,耗散能越大。讨论了邓肯-张模型能够描述分级循环荷载作用下岩石的应力-应变关系,构建了动弹性模量随应力水平、应力幅值及含水率变化的演化模型,探讨了模型参数的确定方法。根据能量耗散的经验法则,建立了耗散能演化模型,结果表明,该模型能够描述分级循环荷载过程中能量耗散行为。     

Out‐of‐plane stability of buckling‐restrained braces including moment transfer capacity

Buckling‐restrained braces (BRBs) are widely used as ductile seismic‐resistant and energy‐dissipating structural members in seismic regions. Although BRBs are expected to exhibit stable hysteresis under cyclic axial loading, one of the key limit states is global flexural buckling, which can produce an undesirable response. Many prior studies have indicated the possibility of global buckling of a BRB before its core yields owing to connection failure. In this paper, BRB stability concepts are presented, including their bending‐moment transfer capacity at restrainer ends for various connection stiffness values with initial out‐of‐plane drifts, and a unified simple equation set for ensuring BRB stability is proposed. Moreover, a series of cyclic loading tests with initial out‐of‐plane drifts are conducted, and the results are compared with those of the proposed equations. © 2013 The Authors. Earthquake Engineering & Structural Dynamics published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

An advanced numerical model of elastomeric seismic isolation bearings

The nuclear accident at Fukushima Daiichi in March 2011 has led the nuclear community to consider seismic isolation for new large light water and small modular reactors to withstand the effects of beyond design basis loadings, including extreme earthquakes. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission is sponsoring a research project that will quantify the response of low damping rubber (LDR) and lead rubber (LR) bearings under loadings associated with extreme earthquakes. Under design basis loadings, the response of an elastomeric bearing is not expected to deviate from well‐established numerical models, and bearings are not expected to experience net tension. However, under extended or beyond design basis shaking, elastomer shear strains may exceed 300% in regions of high seismic hazard, bearings may experience net tension, the compression and tension stiffness will be affected by isolator lateral displacement, and the properties of the lead core in LR bearings will degrade in the short‐term because of substantial energy dissipation. New mathematical models of LDR and LR bearings are presented for the analysis of base isolated structures under design and beyond design basis shaking, explicitly considering both the effects of lateral displacement and cyclic vertical and horizontal loading. These mathematical models extend the available formulations in shear and compression. Phenomenological models are presented to describe the behavior of elastomeric isolation bearings in tension, including the cavitation and post‐cavitation behavior. The elastic mechanical properties make use of the two‐spring model. Strength degradation of LR bearing under cyclic shear loading due to heating of lead core is incorporated. The bilinear area reduction method is used to include variation of critical buckling load capacity with lateral displacement. The numerical models are coded in OpenSees, and the results of numerical analysis are compared with test data. The effect of different parameters on the response is investigated through a series of analyses. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Simulating stiffness degradation and damping in soils via a simple visco-elastic–plastic model

Stiffness degradation and damping represent some of the most well-known aspects of cyclic soil behavior. While standard equivalent linear approaches reproduce these features by (separately) prescribing stiffness reduction and damping curves, in this paper a multiaxial, 3D, viscoelastic – plastic model is developed for the simultaneous simulation of both cyclic curves over a wide cyclic shear strain range.The proposed constitutive relationship is based on two parallel resisting/dissipative mechanisms, purely frictional (elastic–plastic) and viscous. The frictional mechanism is formulated as a bounding surface plasticity model with vanishing elastic domain, including pressure-sensitive failure locus and non-associative plastic flow – which are essential for effective stress analysis. At the same time, the use of the parallel viscous mechanism is shown to be especially beneficial to improve the simulation of the overall dissipative performance.In order to enable model calibration from stiffness degradation ($G/G_{\mathit{max}}$) and damping curves, the constitutive equations are purposely kept as simple as possible with a low number of material parameters. Although the model performance is here explored with reference to pure shear cyclic tests, the 3D, multiaxial formulation is appropriate for general loading conditions.     

Full-scale model testing on a ballastless high-speed railway under simulated train moving loads

Model testing in laboratory, as an effective alternative to field measurement, provides valuable data to understand railway׳s dynamic behaviors under train moving loads. This paper presents comprehensive experimental results on track vibration and soil response of a ballastless high-speed railway from a full-scale model testing with simulated train moving loads at various speeds. A portion of a realistic ballastless railway comprising slab track, roadbed, subgrade, and subsoil was constructed in a larger steel box. A computer-controlled sequential loading system was developed to generate equivalent vertical loadings at the track structure for simulating the dynamic excitations due to train׳s movements. Comparisons with the field measurements show that the proposed model testing can accurately reproduce dynamic behaviors of the track structure and underlying soils under train moving loads. The attenuation characteristics of dynamic soil stresses in a ballastless slab track is found to have distinct differences from that in a ballasted track. The model testing results provide better understanding of the influence of dynamic soil–structure interaction and train speed on the response of track structure and soils.     

Spatial–temporal variability in water quality and macro-invertebrate assemblages in the Upper Mara River basin,Kenya

Tropical rivers display profound temporal and spatial heterogeneity in terms of environmental conditions. This aspect needs to be considered when designing a monitoring program for water quality in rivers. Therefore, the physico-chemical composition and the nutrient loading of the Upper Mara River and its two main tributaries, the Amala and Nyangores were monitored. Initial daily, and later a weekly monitoring schedule for 4 months spanning through the wet and dry seasons was adopted. Benthic macro-invertebrates were also collected during the initial sampling to be used as indicators of water quality. The aim of the current study was to investigate the physico-chemical status and biological integrity of the Upper Mara River basin. This was achieved by examining trends in nutrient concentrations and analyzing the structure, diversity and abundance of benthic macro-invertebrates in relation to varying land use patterns. Sampling sites were selected based on catchment land use and the level of human disturbance, and using historical records of previous water quality studies. River water pH, dissolved oxygen, electrical conductivity (EC), temperature, and turbidity were determined in situ. All investigated parameters except iron and manganese had concentration values within allowable limits according to Kenyan and international standards for drinking water. The Amala tributary is more mineralized and also shows higher levels of pH and EC than water from the Nyangores tributary. The latter, however, has a higher variability in both the total phosphorus (TP) and total nitrogen (TN) concentrations. The variability in TP and TN concentrations increases downstream for both tributaries and is more pronounced for TN than for TP. Macro-invertebrate assemblages responded to the changes in land use and water quality in terms of community composition and diversity. The study recommends detailed continuous monitoring of the water quality at shorter time intervals and to identify key macro-invertebrate taxa that can be used to monitor changes of the water quality in rivers of the Mara basin as a result of anthropogenic changes.