Trials of an acoustic method of measuring piezometric levels in standpipes

The role of the open standpipe Casagrande piezometer for determining soil pore pressures is still important because of its simplicity and reliability in comparison with transducer type instruments. Such factors are especially relevant when instrumentation is used on remote and inaccessible sites. The limitations of Casagrande type systems relate to poor response times, particularly in soils of low permeability, and the complexity of the normal gas bubbling equipment used to monitor and record data from this type of piezometer. The response can be improved, providing the design of the installation is taken into consideration in terms of the piezometer collection area and standpipe sizes. A simple acoustic technique has been developed by Geotechnical Monitoring Ltd, to monitor and record piezometric levels. This is based on measuring the period for the return echo of a high frequency signal; a technique widely used to focus cameras that has been found to be reliable and accurate. However, trials on landslide sites in Indonesia highlighted problems which related more to a lack of development rather than any fundamental problems in the method of monitoring standpipes. This paper describes such problems and how they might be overcome.     

Long-periodic and secular perturbations to the orbits of Explorer 19 and Lageos due to direct solar radiation pressure

A theory for the long-term variations in the orbit of a spherically symmetric satellite due to direct solar radiation pressure is tested using two satellite orbit analyses. The first of these analyses is in terms of mean elements for the balloon satellite Explorer 19. The results are compared with the expected theoretical variations with short-period terms omitted. The second analysis utilises satellite laser ranging observations of the geodetic satellite, Lageos. A novel long-term analysis technique is developed primarily for laser ranging studies. The technique is tested along with the solar radiation pressure perturbation theory by comparing the results from the theory and the analysis.     

A theory of pressure sensor performance in snow

A theory of pressure sensor response in snow is derived and used to examine the sources of measurement errors in snow water equivalent (SWE) pressure sensors. Measurement errors in SWE are caused by differences in the compressibility of the pressure sensor and the adjacent snow layer, which produces a shear stress along the perimeter of the sensor. When the temperature at the base of the snow cover equals 0 °C, differences in the snowmelt rate between the snow–SWE sensor interface and the adjacent snow–soil interface may also produce a shear stress along the sensor's perimeter. This shear stress perturbs the pressure field over the sensor, producing SWE measurement errors. Snow creep acts to reduce shear stresses along the SWE sensor's perimeter at a rate that is inversely proportional to the snow viscosity. For sustained periods of differential snowmelt, a difference in the mass of snow over the sensor compared with the surrounding soil will develop, producing additional permanent errors in SWE measurements. The theory indicates that SWE pressure sensor performance can be improved by designing a sensor with a high Young's modulus (low compressibility), low aspect ratio, large diameter and thermal properties that match those of the surrounding soil. Simulations of SWE pressure sensor errors using the theory are in close agreement with observed errors and may provide a means to correct historical SWE measurements for use in hydrological hindcast or climate studies. Published in 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Extension of the Griffith's fracture criteria to saturated clays

Inglis [1] has solved the problem of distribution of stress in an elastic plate around an elliptical hole. His works clarify the role of cracks in the failure of an elastic material. However, his solution cannot be applied to saturated clay because he considers only total stresses, while, in saturated clay, the criterion of rupture should be expressed in terms of effective and not total stresses. The solution of Atkinson and Craster [2] using Biot's poroelasticity theory, shows that there is no high pore pressure in the vicinity of the crack tips for saturated clay. The major difference between this approach and the Biot's theory of is that, in saturated clay, strain is a function of the variation of the effective stress [3], while, in poroelastic media, strain is only a function of the variation of the total stress [4, Equation 2.2]. Also in their solution there is continuity between the pore fluid and the inner fluid in the crack. Their solution is valid for poroelastic media involving a movement of the pore fluid. In our solution there is no movement of the pore fluid (Undrained condition). In this paper we have solved the same problem as Inglis [1], but for the particular case of saturated clay obeying elastic law. By solving this problem we obtained the expressions for pore pressure, effective stress, total stress and displacements. The results show that not only the total stress but also the pore pressure and the effective stress are also high in the vicinity of the crack tips. A new failure criterion, based on Griffith's strain energy principle [5] and maximum tensile stress [6], valid for saturated clay is developed in this paper. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A simple method using climatic variables to estimate canopy temperature,sensible and latent heat fluxes in a winter wheat field on the North China Plain

Estimation of evapotranspiration from a crop field is of great importance for detecting crop water status and proper irrigation scheduling. The Penman–Monteith equation is widely viewed as the best method to estimate evapotranspiration but it requires canopy resistance, which is very difficult to determine in practice. This paper presents a simple method simplified from the Penman–Monteith equation for estimating canopy temperature (T_c). The proposed method is a biophysically‐sound extended version of that proposed by Todorovic. The estimated canopy temperature is used to calculate sensible heat flux, and then latent heat flux is calculated as the residual of the surface energy balance. An eddy covariance (EC) system and an infrared thermometer (IRT) were installed in an irrigated winter wheat field on the North China Plain in 2004 and 2005, to measure T_c, and sensible and latent heat fluxes were used to test the modified Todorovic model (MTD). The results indicate that the original Todorovic model (TD) severely underestimates T_c and sensible heat flux, and hence severely overestimates the latent heat flux. However, the MTD model has good capability for estimating T_c, and gives acceptable results for latent heat flux at both half‐hourly and daily scales. The MTD model results also agreed well with the evapotranspiration calculated from the measured T_c. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Phase Equilibria Constraints on the Chemical and Physical Evolution of the Campanian Ignimbrite

The Campanian Ignimbrite is a > 200 km³ trachyte–phonolitepyroclastic deposit that erupted at 39·3 ± 0·1ka within the Campi Flegrei west of Naples, Italy. Here we testthe hypothesis that Campanian Ignimbrite magma was derived byisobaric crystal fractionation of a parental basaltic trachyandesiticmelt that reacted and came into local equilibrium with smallamounts (5–10 wt%) of crustal rock (skarns and foid-syenites)during crystallization. Comparison of observed crystal and magmacompositions with results of phase equilibria assimilation–fractionationsimulations (MELTS) is generally very good. Oxygen fugacitywas approximately buffered along QFM + 1 (where QFM is the quartz–fayalite–magnetitebuffer) during isobaric fractionation at 0·15 GPa ( 6km depth). The parental melt, reconstructed from melt inclusionand host clinopyroxene compositions, is found to be basaltictrachyandesite liquid (51·1 wt% SiO₂, 9·3 wt%MgO, 3 wt% H₂O). A significant feature of phase equilibria simulationsis the existence of a pseudo-invariant temperature, 883 °C,at which the fraction of melt remaining in the system decreasesabruptly from 0·5 to < 0·1. Crystallizationat the pseudo-invariant point leads to abrupt changes in thecomposition, properties (density, dissolved water content),and physical state (viscosity, volume fraction fluid) of meltand magma. A dramatic decrease in melt viscosity (from 1700Pa s to 200 Pa s), coupled with a change in the volume fractionof water in magma (from 0·1 to 0·8) and a dramaticdecrease in melt and magma density acted as a destabilizingeruption trigger. Thermal models suggest a timescale of 200kyr from the beginning of fractionation until eruption, leadingto an apparent rate of evolved magma generation of about 10^–3km³/year. In situ crystallization and crystal settling in density-stratifiedregions, as well as in convectively mixed, less evolved subjacentmagma, operate rapidly enough to match this apparent volumetricrate of evolved magma production. KEY WORDS: assimilation; Campanian Ignimbrite; fractional crystallization; magma dynamics; phase equilibria     

填埋场单井注气气体压力监测试验及预测模型

确定填埋场注气过程中气体压力分布特征可为好氧通风工程提供关键技术和理论支撑。以现场单井注气试验为依托,在渗流力学理论的基础上,开展了不同注气强度条件下气体压力分布监测试验,分析了注气过程中气体压力的径向分布特征,推导了注气条件下垃圾土体内部以解析解形式表达的气体压力预测（analytical gas pressure prediction,简称AGPP）模型;结合现场气体压力监测结果,构建了以注气井压力为核心参数的经验公式形式的气体压力预测（empiricalgaspressure prediction,简称EGPP）模型。试验结果表明：低压注气强度也可以达到良好的注气效果,在较短时间内可以让气体充满注气井周围;通过现场监测数据与AGPP模型、EGPP模型的对比,初步验证了两种模型的可靠性。以上成果为预测和评估好氧通风过程中垃圾填埋场气体压力分布提供了新方法。     

沟谷地形对高填方拱涵涵周土压力影响研究

沟谷地形下高填方涵洞土压力分布规律较为复杂,不同沟谷地形下涵周土压力分布规律与上埋式涵洞差异显著。为探明沟谷地形对高填方拱涵涵周土压力的影响,采用离心模型试验与数值模拟方法,建立了地形-涵洞-填土的相互作用模型,分析了不同沟谷宽度B、沟谷坡度α下的拱涵涵周土压力及涵顶土压集中系数Ks的分布规律,并与最新涵洞设计规范进行了对比,阐述了沟谷地形下高填方拱涵土压力形成机制。研究表明：（1）沟谷宽度B对涵顶土压力集中系数Ks影响显著,沟谷宽度B为4D～6D,D为拱涵的净跨径,涵顶土压力集中系数Ks增幅较大;（2）沟谷宽度B小于4D时,可发挥沟谷地形对涵洞的减载作用;（3）沟谷坡度α在45°～60°时,涵顶土压力及其Ks变化最显著;（4）填土高度为20m,α>70°时,Ks≤1。填土高度为40m,α>50°时,Ks≤1;(5)我国最新涵洞设计规范推荐的Ks与离心模型试验、数值模拟规律存在一定差异,当α=45°时,沟谷宽度B较小时,规范的涵顶土压力集中系数Ks较为保守;（6）沟谷地形下高填方拱涵Ks与拱顶压密区、等压面的形成有关。拱顶压密区可引起拱涵涵顶土压力集中,并引起压密区周边土体...     

卸荷-增孔压条件下花岗岩残积土的力学特性

建（构）筑物因土中孔隙水压力升高而失稳破坏的情形屡见不鲜,常剪应力增孔压试验是相关研究的常用手段,但迄今鲜见考虑施工期开挖卸荷影响的试验研究。为探究初始卸荷对花岗岩残积土增孔压过程力学行为的影响,在常规增孔压试验中增加了初始卸荷阶段,开展了一系列考虑初始卸荷程度和卸荷滞时影响的卸荷-增孔压试验,分析土体变形、屈服和强度特性的初始卸荷效应与卸荷滞时效应,并与常规增孔压试验结果对比以揭示初始应力路径的影响。试验结果表明：增孔压过程的变形发展具有明显的阶段性,土体屈服后因其剪胀潜势和变形迅速而产生负超静孔压增量,有效平均应力转而增大;初始卸荷对增孔压过程土体力学性能具有明显的劣化作用,表现为刚度与屈服强度均随初始卸荷程度的增大而衰减;与被动压缩这种“加荷”式应力路径相比,初始卸荷的不利影响更为显著;土体力学性能的劣化随卸荷滞时的增长而加剧;屈服摩擦角随初始卸荷程度的增大逐渐减小,但始终大于临界状态摩擦角。     

Was the Panzhihua Large Fe-Ti Oxide Deposit,SW China,Formed by Silicate Immiscibility?

The Panzhihua mafic intrusion, which hosts a world-class Fe-Ti-V ore deposit, is in the western Emeishan region, SW China. The formation age(～260 Ma), and Sr and Nd isotopes indicate that the Panzhihua intrusion is part of the Emeishan large igneous province and has little crustal contamination. To assess ore genesis of the Panzhihua Fe-Ti-V ore deposit, two different models have been provided to explain the formation, namely silicate immiscibility and normal fractional crystallization. Silicate...