The role of climate and vegetation in weathering and clay mineral formation in late Quaternary soils of the Swiss and Italian Alps

Interactions between climate and soil remain ambiguous, particularly when silicate weathering and clay mineral formation and transformation rates are considered in relation to global climate changes. Recent studies suggest that climate affects weathering rates much less than previously thought. Here we show that the climate in the central European Alps has a significant, but indirect, influence on the weathering of soils through vegetation. The pattern of element leaching and mineral transformations is not only due to precipitation and temperature. Element leaching was greatest in subalpine forests near the timberline; weathering is lessened at higher and lower altitudes. Vegetation, therefore, contributes significantly to weathering processes. The highest accumulation of organic matter was found in climatically cooler sites (subalpine range) where the production of organic ligands, which enhance weathering, is greatest. Patterns of smectite formation and distribution had strong similarities to that of the elemental losses of Fe and Al (R = 0.69; P < 0.01) or base cations (R = 0.58; P < 0.05). Higher precipitation rates and the production of organic chelating compounds in the soil promoted the appearance of smectites. The relationship between climate, element leaching (Fe, Al, Ca, Mg, K, Na), and smectite formation is strongly nonlinear and driven by the podzolisation process, which is more pronounced near the timberline because of the bioclimatic constellation. Climate warming will probably, in the future, lead to a decrease in SOM stocks in the subalpine to alpine range because of more favourable conditions for biodegradation that would also affect weathering processes.     

非黏性土泊松比试验研究

土体泊松比是反映土体侧向变形的重要参数,但是目前的研究应用与模型参数的重要性不相符.通过基于局部变形测量的三轴试验,分析了泊松比的变化规律:在相同的成样方法和控制密度条件下,同一种材料的颗粒排列组合结构基本类似,在不同围压条件下的试样变形规律基本保持一致;随主应力比的增加,切线泊松比也随之增加,建立泊松比与主应力比之间的关系更符合泊松比取值规律.     

Stability of an artificially nourished beach,Balaena Bay,Wellington Harbour,New Zealand

Balaena Bay, Wellington Harbour, New Zealand, has a small pocket beach that was covered originally by pebbles and cobbles. In February and October 1982, the beach was nourished with sandy granular gravel, the stability of which was monitored until February 1984. Although isolated from oceanic swell, the new beach readily responded to locally generated wind waves which induced both northwards and southwards longshore drift. The net effect was erosion of the southern beach, aggradation over the central beach, and minor fluctuations at the northern end. Yet despite this mobility nearly all the nourishment sediment was retained in the littoral zone. Beach volumes, calculated for each survey, varied little and sediment distribution patterns revealed negligable transport of nourishment sediment to adjacent beaches and offshore areas. Stability is further confirmed by compositional data which record no preferential loss of the sandstone, argillite, and quartz components. The only compositional changes were the incorporation into the new beach of small (< 10%) quantities of sediment derived from the old beach surface and from biogenic productivity.     

Sample Disturbance in Soft and Sensitive Clays: Analysis and Assessment

Despite the sophisticated methods employed to obtain high quality samples, they are prone to disturbance, due to stress release, let apart, due to sampling tools and techniques adopted. Critical reappraisal of different methods suggest that any method of sample quality assessment involving strength and deformation parameters would enable easier implementation and correct other engineering parameters for estimated sample disturbance. In this technical paper, sample disturbance index, using merely the slopes of compression paths, (representing mechanical response), in the pre- and post-yield stress regimes under odeometric loading conditions is proposed. This method is based on single oedometer test results on samples of unknown degrees of disturbance during sampling and handling. The unique feature of this approach is that the ideal rigid plastic material behavior is taken as reference. This eliminates the need for any additional experimental data or any calculations from the relationships formulated with any set of assumptions.     

Jacked model pile shafts in offshore calcareous soils

Abstract

This paper describes the results of laboratory tests carried out on model pile shafts in a variety of reconstituted calcareous sands and on silica sand. The factors influencing both the skin friction under static loading and the degradation of skin friction under cyclic loading have been investigated. The grading and crushability of the particles appears to have a significant influence on both, with less favourable performance being found for uniformly graded crushable particles. Relative density and overconsolidation ratio also have some influence.

Under cyclic loading, the amplitude of cyclic displacement and, more specifically, the cyclic slip displacement, influence the extent of cyclic degradation of skin friction.     

Numerical analysis of surcharge preloading consolidation of layered soils via distributed sand blankets

Abstract

Surcharge preloading consolidation of soft soils often implements a layer of fully arranged aggregate materials. The volume of drained water is abundant at the early stage of consolidation, but it reduces at middle and later stages, during which the fully arranged sand blanket will be a waste. In this investigation, a concept of distributed sand blankets is proposed to save aggregate materials. A series of finite element analyses have been performed on layered soils with distributed sand blankets. A mixed type of drainage boundary is assigned to a representative model, where a half sand blanket is perfectly pervious and a half width of soil among sand blankets is impervious. From parametric study, it has been found that a pave ratio between sand blankets and the total soil width can be selected in a range of 40%–60%, which will save aggregates by approximately 50% but cause an increase of consolidation time by less than 10%. For a fixed pave ratio, more evenly spaced sand strips with smaller width should be employed to optimize the design. The effectiveness of distributed sand blankets is not influenced by the anisotropy of hydraulic conductivity, elastic modulus, Poisson’s ratio, and thickness in multiple soil layers.     

Using humic acid for remediation of sandy soils contaminated by heavy metal

This paper presents the development of a new remediation technology for contaminated sandy soil using humic acid (HA). Distribution of amount of Cr (VI) in the aqueous or solid system containing humic acid and sandy soil, was studied using batch experiments, es-pecially for effects of reaction time, pH, concentrations, temperature and irradiation on the reduction of Cr (VI), and the optimum reaction conditions. The results indicated a significant increase of the adsorption of Cr (VI) because of the complexion reaction between HA and Cr (VI) that occurred under acidic condition. The reaction mechanisms of HA with chromium on sand surfaces were certified. Thus it came to a conclusion that HA could be used effectively on remediation of Cr (VI)-contaminated soil and groundwater in a wide range of pH, with or without sunlight. These results suggest that the organic-inorganic complex-such as sandy soils coated with humic substances-is important as a metal reservoir in the environment.     

土的综合结构势及结构性参数研究进展

土结构性是决定土力学特性的一个最为根本的内在因素。基于综合结构势理论的土结构性参数研究是土结构性研究的一种行之有效的方法, 它不仅考虑了土颗粒排列的几何特征和土颗粒联结的力学特征,而且对土结构性进行了综合的、整体的、动态的量化。对已提出的结构性参数进行全面的总结和评述,统一了结构性参数的命名。在此基础上,总结了结构性参数与强度和变形的关系、结构性参数本构模型和结构性参数应用方面的研究现状,并进一步分析了土结构性描述的合理途径以及结构性与固结状态对强度和变形的影响,提出了同一结构性条件下研究结构性土强度、变形本构规律的新观点。     

基于能量平衡法的原状冻土Ⅰ型非线性断裂韧度测试研究

基于能量平衡的原理,采用冻土弯曲断裂试验模型,根据不同深度的冻胀量、冻深与时间变化规律,严格控制试样制作及试验时的温度,对原状冻土进行了断裂韧度测试试验。得出Ⅰ型直裂纹试样的 和 值,从而为原状冻土的非线性断裂破坏问题的研究进行了有意义的尝试,拓宽了思路。     

埋地钢塑复合缠绕管管土共同作用数值分析

随着中国污水处理事业的不断发展,钢塑复合缠绕管作为传统水泥排水管的替代产品,具有综合造价低、施工方便、环保效益好、耐久性高等诸多优点,近年来在国内各大城市的污水管网建设中得到了较快地推广。但是作为一种新型结构,这种管道应用的时间尚不长,其管土共同作用机理尚需要人们进行深入研究。本文采用有限元方法对钢塑复合缠绕管的管土共同作用机理进行数值分析,从理论上得出了埋地钢塑复合缠绕管受力后的强度变形特征,可供相关的工程实践参考