Engineering characteristics and uses of duricrusts in Australia

The uses and shortcomings of duricrusts (ferricrete, calcrete and silcrete) in engineering construction (as used for road‐base, aggregate, foundation materials and aquifers) are reviewed. Australian production of these materials represents about one‐third of all unprocessed road‐base and they are especially important as pavement courses for lightly trafficked, low‐cost rural and outback roads. However, duricrusts are regarded as marginal materials at best because of their typically poor grading, particle unsoundness, high fines plasticity, and absorption of water and bitumen. These materials are used because they are available locally in areas that are otherwise lacking in hard rock materials, such as deeply weathered and sedimentary rock terrains. The weathering profiles of which they form part are characterized by high permeability (despite being clay‐rich), variable cementation, low compressibility and a tendency to become weaker with depth. Although the more indurated layers are unrippable, they are also difficult to blast. Pedogenic (nodular) duricrusts were formerly sought for natural road‐base, because they occur widely and require only rudimentary processing. However, well‐cemented groundwater (vadose) duricrusts are now the preferred deposits, even though they require crushing and screening. Ferricrete is the most widely exploited of the duricrusts for engineering purposes, especially in northern and southwestern Australia, although calcrete is important in South Australia and in the Murray Basin. Silcrete is only a minor source of aggregate and road‐base, mainly in western Queensland.     

An averaging procedure for layered materials

In order to model thin‐layered soils a special averaging procedure is proposed. It works with very few restrictions imposed on the constitutive equations used for individual materials. General considerations are followed by an example from open pit mining industry. Geometrical non‐linearity is considered. The proposed method is not necessarily restricted to the problems of soil mechanics. It could also be applied on composite materials. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A study on the bio-hydro mechanical effects of the tree roots on the Agaclı coal reclaimed – forested land

The research area that is in the north of Istanbul (Turkey) and it is a land of open pit coal mining residuals reclaimed and turned to forest in 1988–1989. The materials that are open pit mine spoils are formed by sandy loam, sandy clay loam, heavy loam and clay (noncalcareous Pliocene I sediments). Pseudoacacia (Robinia pseudoacacia), Maritima Pine (Pinus pinaster) and Stone Pine (Pinus pinea) are planted on these materials. The aims of this research were to determine the strength of the material provided by tree roots and evaluate the performance of the forestation practices at lands especially where open pit coal mining spoil (residual) materials piled up. The research has been performed at two stages. The first one was hydro-mechanical effect concerned about material moisture depletion as a result of transpiration and the second one was bio-mechanical effects due to strength parameters of the roots and their growth pattern within the material. All results were evaluated in relation to tensile strength and displacement curves due to pre and post failure behaviors of materials and root systems. The results showed the increase of the displacement of the material was the significant indicator of the bio-mechanics tensile strength of the material provided by the tree roots. The fast growing type of tree roots have stabilized the material up to a depth for 80–100 cm by covering the coal residual materials within 12 years.     

激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱元素微区分析标准物质研究进展

激光剥蚀电感耦合等离子体质谱(LA-ICP-MS)是目前地球科学分析领域的重要技术手段,元素微区分析标准物质研制是该分析技术发展的重要方向。本文对当前LA-ICP-MS元素微区分析标准物质的种类、元素分布以及应用上的优缺点和标准物质的制备方法进行了评述。现有的有证标准物质数量不多、种类不齐全,部分元素浓度较低,定值不确定度较大,应用上受到较大的局限性;研制标准也不成熟,均匀性检验方面尚未有统一的方法。本文参照岩石粉末标准物质均匀性检验方法提出了两步均匀性检验法,同时指出在标准物质种类方面,铂族元素及Au元素浓度适当、Pb-S等不同硫化物基体标准物质,以及化学成分不同的碳酸岩和磷酸岩基体标准物质是当前的迫切需求;在标准物质研制技术方面,纳米岩石粉末压片技术的研发、原位微区分析标准物质(固体)均匀性检验判别标准研究是亟待解决的问题。     

Macroscopic criteria for Green type porous materials with spheroidal voids: application to double porous materials

Combined effects of matrix plastic compressibility and void shape are investigated for ductile porous materials. To this end, a spheroidal volume containing a confocal spheroidal (prolate or oblate) void subjected to uniform strain rate boundary conditions has been first studied. A Green type matrix is chosen as a prototype for investigating effects of plastic compressibility. This is carried out by using a kinematics limit analysis theory from which a closed‐form expression of the macroscopic criterion is established for the considered class of materials. These results are then extended to ductile porous materials made up of a green matrix containing randomly oriented spheroidal voids. In the framework of a two‐step homogenization procedure, the obtained results are implemented to describe the macroscopic behavior of double porous materials involving spherical voids at the microscale and randomly oriented and distributed spheroidal voids at the mesoscale. For validation purpose, the new derived criteria are assessed and validated by comparing their predictions to available upper bounds and numerical data from literature. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Modeling the cyclic swelling pressure of mudrock using artificial neural networks

The stochastic nature of the cyclic swelling behavior of mudrock and its dependence on a large number of interdependent parameters was modeled using Time Delay Neural Networks (TDNNs). This method has facilitated predicting cyclic swelling pressure with an acceptable level of accuracy where developing a general mathematical model is almost impossible. A number of total pressure cells between shotcrete and concrete walls of the powerhouse cavern at Masjed–Soleiman Hydroelectric Powerhouse Project, South of Iran, where mudrock outcrops, confirmed a cyclic swelling pressure on the lining since 1999. In several locations, small cracks are generated which has raised doubts about long term stability of the powerhouse structure. This necessitated a study for predicting future swelling pressure. Considering the complexity of the interdependent parameters in this problem, TDNNs proved to be a powerful tool. The results of this modeling are presented in this paper.     

Determination of High Field Strength Elements, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Tl and Bi at ng g−1 Levels in Geological Reference Materials by Magnetic Sector ICP-MS after HF/HClO4 High Pressure Digestion

Six low abundance rock reference materials (basalt BIR-1, dunite DTS-1, dolerite DNC-1, peridotite PCC-1, serpentine UB-N and basalt TAFAHI) have been analysed for high field strength elements (Zr, Nb, Hf, Ta, Th and U), Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Tl and Bi at ng g⁻¹ levels (in rock) by magnetic sector inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry after HF/HClO₄ high pressure decomposition. The adopted method uses only indium as an internal standard. Detection limits were found to be in the range of 0.08 to 16.2 pg ml⁻¹ in solution (equivalent to 0.08 to 16.2 ng g⁻¹ in rock). Our data for high field strength elements, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Tl and Bi for the six selected low abundance geological reference materials show general agreement with previously published data. Our Ta values in DTS-1 and PCC-1 (1.3 and 0.5 ng g⁻¹) are lower than in previously published studies, providing smooth primitive mantle distribution patterns. Lower values were also found for Tl in BIR-1, DTS-1 and PCC-1 (2, 0.4 and 0.8 ng g⁻¹). Compared with quadrupole ICP-MS studies, the proposed magnetic sector ICP-MS method can generally provide better detection limits, so that the measurement of high field strength elements, Rb, Sr, Mo, Sb, Cs, Tl and Bi at ng g⁻¹ levels can be achieved without pre-concentration, ion exchange separation or other specialised techniques.     

论川西炉霍裂谷微细浸染型金矿的矿质来源

扼要介绍了川西炉霍裂谷微细浸染型金矿的地质特征, 通过地层和岩石中元素丰度特征,稀土元素、同位素、微量金的可化性实验等系统分析, 提出炉霍裂谷微细浸染型金矿的成矿物质来自三叠纪地层中的细碎屑质浊积岩建造和裂谷海底火山作用提供的深源物质。并讨论了矿质初始富集的机制。     

东昆仑祁漫塔格地区滩间山群矽卡岩化成矿作用

祁漫塔格地区滩间山群广泛发育,且与成矿关系密切。在该区已发现的尕林格铁矿床、卡尔却卡铜多金属矿床、肯德可克铁钴铋金矿床、虎头崖Ⅵ铜铅锌多金属带、Ⅱ铜铅锌铁锡多金属矿带等均与滩间山群关系密切。通过对区内成矿与滩间山群关系密切的典型矽卡岩型矿床剖析,得出该地区交代滩间山群的矽卡岩型矿化的成矿物源主要受控于滩间山群。在该区要重视寻找与滩间山群有关的矽卡岩型矿床,特别是滩间山群下岩组发育地段是成矿的有利地段。