Development of site-specific design ground motions in Western and Eastern North America

This paper presents results recently obtained for generating site-specific ground motions needed for design of critical facilities. The general approach followed in developing these ground motions using either deterministic or probabilistic criteria is specification of motions for rock outcrop or very firm soil conditions followed by adjustments for site-specific conditions. Central issues in this process include development of appropriate attenuation relations and their uncertainties, differences in expected motions between Western and Eastern North America, and incorporation of site-specific adjustments that maintain the same hazard level as the control motions, while incorporating uncertainties in local dynamic material properties. For tectonically active regions, such as the Western United States (WUS), sufficient strong motion data exist to constrain empirical attenuation relations for M up to about 7 and for distances greater than about 10–15 km. Motions for larger magnitudes and closer distances are largely driven by extrapolations of empirical relations and uncertainties need to be substantially increased for these cases.

For the Eastern United States (CEUS), due to the paucity of strong motion data for cratonic regions worldwide, estimation of strong ground motions for engineering design is based entirely on calibrated models. The models are usually calibrated and validated in the WUS where sufficient strong motion data are available and then recalibrated for applications to the CEUS. Recalibration generally entails revising parameters based on available CEUS ground motion data as well as indirect inferences through intensity observations. Known differences in model parameters such as crustal structure between WUS and CEUS are generally accommodated as well. These procedures are examined and discussed.     

西藏自治区的土壤理化特性探讨

通过对西藏自治区主要土壤类型的实地踏勘和采样分析,并结合全国土壤普查资料的结果进行分析,揭示了本区土壤具有4点特性:即多砾石性、砂质性、成土幼年性和低矿化的富有机质性。因此,在改良本区土壤时,应重视去石与防治沙漠化措施,加强矿质养分肥料的施用,稳定有机肥的投入。     

应县木塔地基工程地质勘测与分析

对山西应县木塔环境地质进行了研究,弄清了地层年代及存在的断层;通过样品分析、标准贯入及静探等方法试验、测试,得出了塔院区塔基土的工程物理性质和力学性质、承载力;用地学层析成像技术探测了木塔的基础结构及塔院地基的分层结构。     

高速公路下伏某煤矿采空区地质特征及注浆充填法治理研究

煤矿采空区是工程建设中不良地质条件之一，其地质特征评价和如何治理是两个关键问题。笔者结合高速公路建设中某采空区的治理实践，对这两方面进行了探索，对工程建筑中所遇各类采空区的地质特征评价及其治理方法有一定借鉴意义。     

覆盖区地球化学异常特征及甄别方法探讨

覆盖区地球化学异常是由自然和人为因素引起的，在土壤垂直剖面上元素有多种分布类型，它反映了元素在土壤中迁移、演化及人为干扰的分布特征；通过对自然和人为污染的地球化学异常源追踪和评价，为环境污染治理和地区经济可持续发展提供决策依据。     

利用高铁钾长石粉合成13X沸石分子筛的实验研究

对江苏丰县的富钾页岩进行预处理，得到钾长石含量达76．4％的钾长石粉，其Fe2O3含量高达7．52％。以此钾长石粉为原料经过焙烧处理、水热合成实验，在铁含量较高情况下成功合成了13X沸石分子筛，并采用正交实验法确定了优化工艺参数。对实验产物的主要性能测试表明，合成的富铁沸石产品与13X沸石分子筛工业产品相似，吸附量达到国家化学工业产品标准，可用于对含重金属离子废水的吸附处理。     

土壤水力性质确定方法研究进展

介绍了确定土壤水力性质的各种直接方法(包括实验室方法和田间方法两大类)和间接方法如土壤转换函数方法、分形方法、形态学方法、数值反演方法和经验公式法等的研究进展和现状,指出了它们各自的优点和存在的不足.认为要不断地引入新的实验技术和改进测定设备,并把估计土壤水力性质的各种理论方法及实验信息有机地结合起来进行综合研究,以扩大它们的适用范围和提高预测精度.     

Geomechanical Properties of Shear Zones in the Eastern Aar Massif,Switzerland and their Implication on Tunnelling

Summary ¶Rock zones containing a high fracture density and/or soft, low cohesion materials can be highly problematic when encountered during tunnel excavation. For example in the eastern Aar massif of central Switzerland, experiences during the construction of the Gotthard highway tunnel showed that heavily fractured areas within shear zones were responsible for overbreaks in the form of chimneys several metres in height. To understand and estimate the impact of the shear zones on rock mass behaviour, knowledge concerning the rock mass strength and deformation characteristics is fundamental. A series of laboratory triaxial tests, performed on samples from granite- and gneiss-hosted shear zones revealed that with increasing degree of tectonic overprint, sample strength decreases and rock behaviour shows a transition from brittle to ductile deformation. These trends may be explained by increasing fracture densities, increasing foliation intensity, increasing thickness of fine-grained, low cohesion fracture infill, and increasing mica content associated with the increasing degree of tectonic overprint. As fracture density increases and the influence of discrete, persistent discontinuities on rock mass strength decreases, behaviour of the test samples becomes more and more representative of rock mass behaviour, i.e. that of a densely fractured continuum. For the purpose of numerical modeling calculations, the shear zones may be subdivided with respect to an increasing fracture density, foliation intensity and mica content into a strongly foliated zone, a fractured zone and a cohesionless zone, which in turn exhibit brittle, brittle-ductile and ductile rock mass constitutive behaviour, respectively.Received December 17, 2001; accepted January 9, 2003 Published online April 29, 2003     

Wave-influenced deltas: geomorphological implications for facies reconstruction

ABSTRACT A process‐based facies model for asymmetric wave‐influenced deltas predicts significant river‐borne muds with potentially lower quality reservoir facies in prodelta and downdrift areas, and better quality sand in updrift areas. Many ancient barrier‐lagoon systems and ‘offshore bars’ may be better reinterpreted as components of large‐scale asymmetric wave‐influenced deltaic systems. The proposed model is based on a re‐evaluation of several modern examples. An asymmetry index A is defined as the ratio between the net longshore transport rate at the mouth (in m³ year^?1) and river discharge (in 10⁶ m³ month^?1). Symmetry is favoured in deltas with an index below ≈ 200 (e.g. Tiber, lobes of the Godavari delta, Rosetta lobe of the Nile, Ebro), whereas deltas with a higher index are asymmetric (e.g. Danube – Sf. Gheorghe lobe, Brazos, Damietta lobe of the Nile). Periodic deflection of the river mouth for significant distances in the downdrift direction occurs in extreme cases of littoral drift dominance (e.g. Mahanadi), resulting in a series of randomly distributed, quasi‐parallel series of sand spits and channel fills. Asymmetric deltas show variable proportions of river‐, wave‐ and tide‐dominated facies both among and within their lobes. Bayhead deltas, lagoons and barrier islands form naturally in prograding asymmetric deltas and are not necessarily associated with transgressive systems. This complexity underlines the necessity of interpreting ancient depositional systems in a larger palaeogeographic context.     

岩体工程质量分级应用研究

岩体质量评价采用的测试技术包括地质勘察、弹性波检测和室内岩石力学试验。结合水布垭水利枢纽大坝建基岩体工程质量评价实例,对岩体工程质量分级的应用进行了研究。