Climate extremes in Loess of China coupled with the strength of deep-water formation in the North Atlantic

The loess-paleosol sequences of the last 1.2 Ma in China have recorded two kinds of climate extremes: the strongly developed S4, S5-1 and S5-3 soils (corresponding to the marine δ¹⁸O stages 11, 13, and 15, respectively) as evidence of three episodes of great warmth and two coarse-grained loess units (L9 and L15, corresponding to the marine δ¹⁸O stages 22, 23, 24 and 38, respectively) which indicate severest glacial conditions. The climatic and geographical significance of these events are still unclear, and their cause remains a puzzle.Paleopedological, geochemical and magnetic susceptibility data from three loess sections (Xifeng, Changwu and Weinan) suggest that the S4, S5-1 and S5-3 soils were formed under sub-tropical semi-humid climates with a tentatively estimated mean annual temperature (MAT) of at least 4–6°C higher and a mean annual precipitation (MAP) of 200–300 mm higher than for the present-day, indicating a much strengthened summer monsoon. The annual rainfall was particularly accentuated for the southern-most part of the Loess Plateau, suggesting that the monsoon rain belt (the contact of the monsoonal northward warm-humid air mass with the dry-cold southward one) might have stood at the southern part of the Plateau for a relatively long period each year. The loess units L9 and L15 were deposited under semi-desertic environments with a tentatively estimated MAT and MAP of only about 1.5–3°C and 150–250 mm, indicating a much strengthened winter monsoon, and that the summer monsoon front could rarely penetrate into the Loess Plateau region.Correlation with marine carbon isotope records suggests that these climate extremes have large regional, even global, significance rather than being local phenomena in China. They match the periods with greatest/smallest Atlantic–Pacific δ¹³C gradients, respectively, indicating their relationships with the strength of Deep Water (NADW) production in the North Atlantic. These results suggest that the monsoon climate in the Loess Plateau region was significantly linked with the North Atlantic thermohaline circulation on timescales of 10⁴ years.     

应力路径对黄土结构性的影响

利用SLB–1型应力应变控制式三轴剪切渗透试验仪,对陕西杨凌黄土进行了应力控制的常规三轴压缩、减压三轴压缩和等p应力路径的各向等压固结不排水三轴试验,探讨和分析应力路径对黄土结构性的影响。试验结果表明：不同应力路径下,随着初始围压的增大,黄土的结构性参数并不是一味地不断增大,而是在300 kPa时有一个峰值,且当黄土的含水率较高时,其结构性参数相对较小。     

黄土陡坡降雨冲刷试验及其三维颗粒流流-固耦合模拟

针对坡角为70°的黄土边坡,进行2.7 mm/min降雨强度下的室内坡面冲刷试验。根据边坡冲刷破坏的过程特征,将边坡侵蚀方式演变过程归纳为试验初期的片蚀、中期的细沟侵蚀、到后期的切沟侵蚀和坍塌。试验中坡顶处侵蚀强度大于其他部位,当坡面形成上下贯通的切沟之后,水流开始掏蚀沟槽底部土体,随着冲刷的持续,切沟两侧土体强度降低,坡顶土体发生坍塌。以此为基础利用三维颗粒流软件PFC3D对边坡降雨冲刷过程进行流-固耦合模拟,在模拟颗粒大变形的同时得到颗粒运动轨迹、孔隙率、流体单元内流速等重要参数,这些参数的定量变化过程反映了降雨过程中边坡遭受侵蚀程度及水流侵蚀能力的分布规律:坡顶处侵蚀最为强烈、水流侵蚀能力最强,且两者随高度降低呈减小趋势,与室内试验结果一致。     

黄土地基掏挖扩底基础抗拔试验研究

随着西部电网建设的发展,越来越多的架空输电线路需经过黄土地区。输电线路杆塔基础抗拔能力通常是其设计控制条件。掏挖扩底基础因具有较好的抗拔承载性能而在黄土地区输电线路工程中得到广泛应用。根据甘肃黄土地区2个试验场地12个掏挖扩底基础实测上拔荷载位-移曲线,分别采用Chin双曲线模型以及初始直线斜率法、双直线交点法和L1-L2方法确定了基础抗拔极限承载力及其对应位移,得到了抗拔基础归一化荷载-位移曲线,采用归一化荷载-位移双曲线模型对试验结果进行拟合,给出了不同保证概率下基础荷载-位移预测曲线。结果表明：初始直线斜率法得到的承载力最小,双直线交点法次之,Chin数学模型法最大,宜采用L1-L2方法确定黄土地基掏挖扩底基础抗拔承载性能;荷载-位移曲线归一化处理可显著减小实测荷载-位移曲线的离散性,按双曲线拟合参数a、b均值确定的归一化荷载-位移曲线代表了试验平均值,而试验荷载-位移曲线刚度远大于95％保证概率的预测曲线。     

石碑塬滑坡黄土液化特征及其影响因素研究

石碑塬滑坡是1920年海原地震触发的大型黄土流滑,认识其破坏特征与发生机制对于黄土边坡长距离液化失稳机制的研究非常重要。对石碑塬黄土滑坡的调查和研究表明,饱和黄土或高含水率黄土具有很高的液化势和流态破坏势,在强震作用下,饱和黄土易发生液化或流滑。对石碑塬滑坡的7组原状黄土样品进行振动三轴剪切试验,并结合其微观特征分析,探讨了循环振动荷载作用下的饱和黄土孔隙水压力-应变增长模型,分析了振动液化过程中液化应力比与黄土粒度组成、土体微观结构参数及饱和度之间的关系。结果表明：黏粒含量越低,振动作用下饱和黄土孔隙水压力响应越快,液化应力比越低;黄土孔隙比越大,孔隙结构分形维数越大,液化应力比越低,振动液化后黄土孔隙分形维数降低,结构较液化之前更为致密;饱和度对黄土粒间胶结物质的赋存状态及黄土结构强度影响很大,同一土体饱和度越高,溶滤于孔隙水中的离子浓度越高,土体粒间接触点（或胶结点）越容易发生断裂,使得黄土结构强度降低,液化应力比降低。     

高速铁路大断面黄土隧道二次衬砌施作时机研究

隧道工程二次衬砌施作时机是隧道界普遍关注的问题。依托正在修建的郑州-西安铁路客运专线大断面黄土隧道工程,以围岩及初期支护基本稳定速率作为二次衬砌施作时机判定指标,采用位移断面监测数据回归分析和数值分析相结合,建立基本稳定速率的理论求解方法,从而确定二次衬砌施作时机;同时,选取贺家庄隧道试验段作为工程实例,对高速铁路大断面黄土隧道二次衬砌施作时机进行研究。研究结果表明：当拱顶下沉变形速率值小于0.55 mm/d,边墙水平绝对收敛速率值小于0.11 mm/d时,即可进行二次衬砌施作。此次研究为类似工程的设计和施工提供了参考依据。     

节理型黄土开挖边坡塌滑破坏机理

黄土节理控制着黄土区地下水或者地表水的运输通道,黄土节理的发育致使黄土节理扩张为局部大的拉张裂隙,在拉张力作用下使得黄土高原地区塌滑灾害频繁发生。通过野外调查和分析,提出了黄土开挖边坡塌滑破坏可分为4个阶段:坡脚侵蚀剥落阶段、坡顶拉裂阶段、垂直裂隙扩展阶段、边坡整体塌滑破坏阶段。结合工程实例,通过概化的三维数值分析模型,使用岩土工程软件FLAC3D模拟分析了在3种降雨量条件(40 mm/d、80 mm/d、100 mm/d)下,降雨2 d后概化模型的塌滑破坏情况,这可为工程地质条件相同地区的黄土开挖边坡塌滑变形破坏的分析以及防治提供一种有效分析范例。     

不同温度条件下冻结兰州黄土单轴试验的CT实时动态监测

改进了与CT扫描系统配套使用的三轴仪。改进后三轴仪由控温精度达到±0.1℃的压力罐和加载装置组成,能够实现对冻土力学试验过程真正的CT实时动态监测。对不同温度条件下的冻结兰州黄土单轴压缩过程进行了CT动态扫描, 得到如下结论,应变0～0.7%的阶段,试样发生弹性变形,CT数轻微增大;应变0.7%～6.5%的阶段,开始发生塑性变形,但还没有发生损伤,CT数变化不大;当应变大于6.5%时,试样的CT数明显变小,损伤开始发生,直至应变达到10%时,试样发生破坏,随后CT数也急剧减小。因此,冻结兰州黄土的屈服应变为0.7%,损伤应变临界值为6.5%,破坏应变临界值为10%。另外,温度对试样的CT数也有影响,在-0.6～-1.7 ℃的温度范围内,试样CT数变化具有很明显的规律,即温度越低,CT数越小,在-1.7 ℃和-5 ℃试验条件下CT数变化不大。     

地下爆炸成腔注浆支护的小型实验研究

针对爆扩成腔稳定性差、渗水率高及遇水坍塌等问题，采用注浆抽浆法对爆炸空腔进行了支护，并进行防渗小型实验研究。确定了注浆临界水灰比为0.8:1，分别对重力注浆、压力注浆以及压力注浆加防水剂和无支护的4个空腔进行了支护对比实验。实验表明：重力注浆不足以达到要求，压力注浆是一种解决支护和防渗较为可行的方法，加入防水剂后效果更好。     

Geotechnical Hazards Associated with Desert Environment

The aridity of the Arabian Peninsula's deserts ranges between arid to hyperarid with hot dry climate, scarce precipitation and sparse vegetation. These harsh environmental conditions enhance some geomorphologic processes more than others, cause specific geotechnical problems, and increase desertification.From west to east, the general physiography of Saudi Arabia shows the Red Sea coastal plains and the escarpment foothills called Tihama followed by the Arabian Shield mountains, the Arabian Shelf plateau and finally the Arabian Gulf coastal plains. Sand moves by wind either as drifting sand or migrating dunes in four major sand seas, over the Arabian Shelf, and in the inter-mountain valleys, in the Arabian Shield causing problems of erosion and deposition. Human activities in the deserts may cause more instability to the sand bodies, enlarging the magnitude of the problem. Fine silty soil particles also move by wind, depositing loess mainly in selected areas downwind in the Tihama. These loess deposits subside and may form earth fissures by the process of hydrocompaction upon wetting. The addition of water can be either natural through storms or man-made through human agricultural or civil activities. Extensive sabkhas exist along the coastal plains of both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. The sabkha soil may also heave by salt re-crystallization or collapse by wetting. The shallow groundwater brines present in sabkhas also attack and corrode civil structures. Urbanization and excessive groundwater pumping may also deplete the fresh groundwater resources and may cause subsidence, ground fissuring and surface faulting as observed in some locations in the Arabian Shield. Although the average annual precipitation is very low, rain usually falls in the form of torrential storms, collected by dry valley basins and causing floods to unprotected downstream areas on the coastal plains of the Red Sea.The desert environment, being a fragile echo system, needs to be treated with care. Intercommunications between different national and international agencies and education of the layman should help to keep the system balanced and reduce the resulting environmental hazards. In addition, any suggested remedial measures should be planned with nature and engineered with natural materials.