Loss of energy dissipation capacity from the deadzone in linear and nonlinear viscous damping devices

In a viscous damping device under cyclic loading, after the piston reaches a peak stroke, the reserve movement that follows may sometimes experience a short period of delayed or significantly reduced device force output. A similar delay or reduced device force output may also occur at the damper’s initial stroke as it moves away from its neutral position. This phenomenon is referred to as the effect of “deadzone”. The deadzone can cause a loss of energy dissipation capacity and less efficient vibration control. It is prominent in small amplitude vibrations. Although there are many potential causes of deadzone such as environmental factors, construction, material aging, and manufacture quality, in this paper, its general effect in linear and nonlinear viscous damping devices is analyzed. Based on classical dynamics and damping theory, a simple model is developed to capture the effect of deadzone in terms of the loss of energy dissipation capacity. The model provides several methods to estimate the loss of energy dissipation within the deadzone in linear and sublinear viscous fluid dampers. An empirical equation of loss of energy dissipation capacity versus deadzone size is formulated, and the equivalent reduction of effective damping in SDOF systems has been obtained. A laboratory experimental evaluation is carried out to verify the effect of deadzone and its numerical approximation. Based on the analysis, a modification is suggested to the corresponding formulas in FEMA 356 for calculation of equivalent damping if a deadzone is to be considered.     

Limit states and failure mechanisms of viscous dampers and the implications for large earthquakes

Fluid viscous dampers are used to control story drifts and member forces in structures during earthquake events. These elements provide satisfactory performance at the design‐level or maximum considered earthquake. However, buildings using fluid viscous dampers have not been subjected to very large earthquakes with intensities greater than the design and maximum considered events. Furthermore, an extensive database of viscous damper performance during large seismic events does not exist. To address these issues, a comprehensive analytical and experimental investigation was conducted to determine the performance of damped structures subjected to large earthquakes. A critical component of this research was the development and verification of a detailed viscous damper mathematical model that incorporates limit states. The development of this model and the laboratory and simulation results conclude good correlation with the new model and the damper limit states and provide superior results compared with the typical damper model when considering near collapse evaluation of structures. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A coupled discrete element model for the simulation of soil and water flow through an orifice

Soil erosion around defective underground pipes can cause ground collapses and sinkholes in urban areas. Most of these soil erosion events are caused by fluidization of the surrounding soil with subsequent washing into defective sewer pipes. In this study, this soil erosion process is simplified as the gradual washout of sand particles mixed with water through an orifice. The discrete element method is used to simulate the large deformation behavior of the sand particles, and the Darcy fluid model is coupled with this approach to simulate fluid flow through porous sand media. A coupled 3D discrete element model is developed and implemented based on this scheme. To simulate previous experiments using this coupled model considering the current computing capacity, we incorporated a ‘supply layer’ to study the continuous erosion process. The coupled model can predict the erosion flow rates of sand and water and the shape of erosion void. Thus, the model can be used as an effective and efficient tool to investigate the soil erosion process around defective pipes. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Nb–Ta fractionation induced by fluid‐rock interaction in subduction‐zones: constraints from UHP eclogite‐ and vein‐hosted rutile from the Dabie orogen,Central‐Eastern China

Niobium and Ta concentrations in ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) eclogites and rutile from these eclogites and associated high pressure (HP) veins were used to study the behaviour of Nb–Ta during dehydration and fluid‐rock interaction. Samples were collected through a ～2 km profile at the Bixiling complex in the Dabie orogenic belt, Central‐Eastern China. All but one eclogite away from veins (EAVs) display nearly constant Nb/Ta ratios ranging from 16.1 to 19.2, with an average of 16.9 ± 0.8 (2 SE), similar to that of their gabbroic protolith from the Yangtze Block. Nb/Ta ratios of rutile from the EAVs range from 12.7 to 25.3 among different individual grains, with the average values close to those of the corresponding bulk rocks. These observations show that Nb and Ta were not significantly fractionated by prograde metamorphism up to eclogite facies when no significant fluid‐rock interaction occurs. In contrast, Nb/Ta ratios of rutile from eclogites close to veins (ECVs) are highly variable from 17.8 to 49.8, which are systematically higher (by up to 17) than those of rutile from the veins. These observations demonstrate that Nb and Ta were mobilized and fractionated during localized fluid flow and intensive fluid‐rock interaction. This is strongly supported by Nb/Ta zoning patterns in single rutile grains revealed by in situ LA‐ICP‐MS analysis. Ratios of Nb/Ta in the ECV‐hosted rutile decrease gradually from cores towards rims, whereas those in the EAV‐hosted rutile are nearly invariable. Furthermore, the vein rutile shows Nb/Ta zoning patterns that are complementary to those in rutile from their immediate hosts (ECVs), suggesting an internal origin for the vein‐forming fluids. The Nb/Ta ratios of such fluids evolved from low values at the early stage of subduction to higher values at later supercritical conditions with increased temperature and pressure. Quantitative modelling was conducted to constrain the compositional evolution of metamorphic fluids during dehydration and fluid‐rock interaction focusing on Nb–Ta distribution. The modelling results based on our proposed multistage fluid phase evolution path can essentially reproduce the natural observations reported in the present study.     

Geodynamic modelling of the Century deposit,Mt Isa Province,Queensland

This paper is concerned with an example of quantitative modelling of orebody formation as a guide to reducing the risk for future mineral exploration. Specifically, the paper presents a detailed 3–D numerical model for the formation of the Century zinc deposit in northern Queensland. The model couples fluid flow with deformation, thermal transport and chemical reactions. The emphasis of the study is a systems approach where the holistic mineralising system is considered rather than concentrating solely on the mineral deposit. In so doing the complete plumbing system for mineralisation is considered with a view to specifying the critical conditions responsible for the ore deposit occurring where it does and having the size and metal grades that are observed. The numerical model is based on detailed geological, tectonic, isotopic and mineralogical data collected over the past 20 years. The conclusions are that the Century zinc deposit is located where it is because of the following factors: (i) a thermal anomaly is associated with the Termite Range Fault due to advection of heat from depth by fluid flow up the Termite Range Fault; (ii) bedding‐plane fissility in the shale rocks hosting the Century zinc deposit has controlled the wavelength and nature of D₁ folding in the vicinity of the deposit and has also controlled increases in permeability due to hydrofracture of the shales; such hydrofracture is also associated with the production of hydrocarbons as these shales passed through the ‘oil‐window’; (iii) Pb–Zn leached from crustal rocks in the stratigraphic column migrated up along faults normal to the Termite Range Fault driven by topographic relief associated with inversion at the end of the Isan Orogeny; these fluids mixed with H₂S derived at depth moving up the Termite Range Fault to mix with the crustal fluids to precipitate Pb–Zn in a plume downstream from the point of mixing. Critical factors to be used as exploration guides are high temperatures, carbonaceous fissile shales now folded into relatively tight D₁ folds, fault‐controlled plumbing systems that enable fluid mixing, depletion of metals upstream of the deposit and,in particular,a very wide Fe‐depletion halo upstream of the deposit.     

Silurian and Devonian systems

The Ediacara mineral field is situated 30 km W of Beltana on the western margins of the Flinders Ranges, South Australia, and consists of silver‐lead and copper deposits in lower Cambrian carbonate rocks that contain anomalous base‐metal contents throughout the Adelaide Geosyncline. The lower Cambrian rocks, which consist of the basal Parachilna Formation and overlying Ajax Limestone, rest disconformably on the Precambrian, and at Ediacara occupy a shallow N‐S elongate syncline near the hinge zone of the Adelaide Geosyncline. The main primary ore minerals of the silver‐lead mineralization are galena and pyrite, with very minor chalcopyrite and sphalerite, and rare tetrahedrite and pearceite. The gangue consists mainly of silica (both chalcedony and quartz), with minor dolomite and rare barite. The mineralization is stratabound and occurs in conformable zones, the lowest of which commences about 30–50 m above the base of the Cambrian sequence. The host to the silver‐lead mineralization, the Ajax Limestone, can be subdivided into three units which represent a set of lithologies, structures and organic traces indicative of a shallow near‐shore carbonate environment. The silver‐lead mineralization is mainly present in sandy and laminated dolomites which were deposited in an environment ranging from sub‐tidal to bar and channel and tidal flat, respectively. Four types of mineralization have been recognized; disseminated sulphides of syngenetic and/or diagenetic origin and epigenetic concentrations along stylolites, in veins and as breccia fillings. Post‐depositional solution activity has affected a large proportion of the carbonate sequence. The effects of this activity range from stylolites through stylobreccias to solution collapse breccias. The epigenetic concentrations of mineralizations have apparently been formed by the remobilization of the disseminated sulphides during solution activity. The ore and gangue minerals of the epigenetic mineralization display both euhedral forms and distinct colloform banding, and framboidal textures have also been observed in both pyrite and galena. There is evidence of repeated episodic precipitation and no simple paragenetic sequence can be recognized. Fluid inclusions in silica and dolomite associated with the epigenetic mineralization have homogenization temperatures of 159 to 199°C and freezing temperatures that indicate the fluids to be saline brines containing NaCl with CaCl₂ and/or MgCl₂. Sulphur isotope analyses show a range of 8³⁴S values from ‐12.5 to +8.6 per mil, with no evidence of significant differences between the four types of mineralization. The data suggest deposition of the disseminated sulphides as a result of biological reduction of seawater sulphate in a system partially open with respect to sulphate supply. Subsequent remobilization of sulphides apparently involved little or no sulphur isotope fractionation. The Ediacara silver‐lead deposits have many features in common with Mississippi Valley‐type lead‐zinc deposits and appear to have similarities in terms of genesis, in that the epigenetic mineralization has been formed as a result of post‐depositional solution activity during diagenesis in a sedimentary basin. The scale of transport of the metals deposited as the epigenetic mineralization at Ediacara appears, however, to have been very much less than that of the metals in other Mississippi Valley‐type deposits.     

The role of eddies in solute transport and recovery in rock fractures: Implication for groundwater remediation

A better understanding of solute transport and retention mechanism in rock fractures has been challenging due to difficulty in their direct observations in microscale rough‐walled fractures. Six representative troughs in a rough‐walled fracture were selected for microscale observations of eddy formation with increasing flow velocity and its effect on spatiotemporal changes of solute concentration. This experimental study was enabled by a microscale visualization technique of micro particle image velocimetry. With increasing flow velocity (Re ≤ 2.86), no eddies were generated, and solutes along the main streamlines transported rapidly, whereas those near the wall moved slowly. A larger amount of solutes remained trapped at all troughs at Re = 2.86 than Re < 1. For Re = 8.57, weak eddies started to be developed at the troughs on the lee side, which little contributed to overall solute flushing in the fracture. Accordingly, a large of amount of water was needed for solute flushing. The flow condition of 1 < Re < 10, before a full development of eddies, was least favourable in terms of time and amount of remediation fluid required to reach a target concentration. After large eddies were fully developed at troughs on the lee side for Re = 17.13, solutes were substantially reduced by eddies with less amount of water. Fully developed eddies were found to enhance solute transport and recovery, as opposed to a general consensus that eddies trap and delay solutes. Direct inflow into troughs on the stoss side also made a great contribution to solute flushing out of the troughs. This study indicates that fully developed eddies or strong inflows at troughs are highly possible to form for Re > 10 and this flow range could be favourable for efficient remediation.     

Element mobility during continental collision: insights from polymineralic metamorphic vein within UHP eclogite in the Dabie orogen

Metamorphic dehydration and partial melting are two important processes during continental collision. They have significant bearing on element transport at the slab interface under subduction‐zone P–T conditions. Petrological and geochemical insights into the two processes are provided by a comprehensive study of leucocratic veins in ultrahigh‐pressure (UHP) metamorphic rocks. This is exemplified by this study of a polymineralic vein within phengite‐bearing UHP eclogite in the Dabie orogen. The vein is primarily composed of quartz, kyanite, epidote and phengite, with minor accessory minerals such as garnet, rutile and zircon. Primary multiphase solid inclusions occur in garnet and epidote from the both vein and host eclogite. They are composed of quartz ± K‐feldspar ± plagioclase ± K‐bearing glass and exhibit irregular to negative crystal shapes that are surrounded by weak radial cracks. This suggests their precipitation from solute‐rich metamorphic fluid/melt that involved the reaction of phengite breakdown. Zircon U–Pb dating for the vein gave two groups of concordant ages at 217 ± 2 and 210 ± 2 Ma, indicating two episodes of zircon growth in the Late Triassic. The same minerals from the two rocks give consistent δ¹⁸O and δD values, suggesting that the vein‐forming fluid was directly derived from the host UHP eclogite. The vein is much richer in phengite and epidote than the host eclogite, suggesting that the fluid is associated with remarkable concentration of such water‐soluble elements as LILE and LREE migration. Garnet and rutile in the vein exhibit much higher contents of HREE (2.2–5.7 times) and Nb–Ta (1.8–2.0 times) than those in the eclogite, indicating that these normally water‐insoluble elements became mobile and then were sunken in the vein minerals. Thus, the vein‐forming agent would be primarily composed of the UHP aqueous fluid with minor amounts of the hydrous melt, which may even become a supercritical fluid to have a capacity to transport not only LILE and LREE but also HREE and HFSE at subduction‐zone metamorphic conditions. Taken together, significant amounts of trace elements were transported by the vein‐forming fluid due to the phengite breakdown inside the UHP eclogite during exhumation of the deeply subducted continental crust.     

利用U—1000型激光拉曼探针测定流体包裹体气体成分的研究

本文利用U－1000型激光拉曼探针成功地测量出单个流体包裹体中H2S、CH4、CO2气体成分，并讨论了包裹体中这些气体的拉曼谱峰位移与包裹体内压的关系，分析了影响激光拉曼探针定量测定包裹体气相成分的取面积和拉曼定量因子因素。     

西藏羊八井地热田水热蚀变

本文对羊八井地热田钻扎ZK-201、ZK-301和ZK-308的岩心进行了较系统的蚀变矿物学、岩石学和流体包体研究。划分出6个蚀变矿物共生组合及蚀变分带,讨论了蚀变过程中岩石化学变化的特点,并推测了蚀变的温度和酸碱度条件。研究表明,热田曾处于极度的活动状态,最高温度达220-240℃,由于冷水的入侵,热田在目前钻探所及范围已冷却了50-70℃。蚀变矿物分布模式表明,目前热田流体主通道位于北部,热田进一步的开发应以寻找北部深部高温流体为主。