Limitations of suction‐controlled triaxial tests in the characterization of unsaturated soils

Behavior of unsaturated soils is influenced by many factors, and the influences of these factors are usually coupled together. Suction‐controlled triaxial (SCTX) tests are considered to allow researchers to investigate influences of individual variables on unsaturated soils under specified stress path with controls of stresses, pore water, and air pressures. In the past 50 years, SCTX testing method has been established as a standard approach to characterize constitutive behavior of unsaturated soils. Most important concepts for modern unsaturated soil mechanics were developed upon results from the SCTX tests. Among these, one of the most important contributions in the constitutive modeling of elasto‐plastic behavior for unsaturated soils is the Barcelona basic model (BBM) proposed by Alonso et al. in 1990. The BBM successfully explained many features of unsaturated soils and received extensive acceptance. However, the SCTX tests are designed based upon the divide‐and‐conquer approach in which an implicit assumption is used: soil behavior is stress‐path independent. However, it is well‐established that unsaturated soil behavior is elasto‐plastic and stress‐path dependent. It is found that the SCTX tests in fact cannot control the stress path of an unsaturated soil during loading. This incapability, in combination with complicated loading/collapse behavior of unsaturated soils, makes the SCTX tests for characterizing unsaturated soil questionable. This paper discusses the limitations of the SCTX tests in the characterization of unsaturated soils. A possible solution to the problem was proposed based on a newly developed modified state surface approach. The discussions are limited for isotropic conditions. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Elastoplastic model with loading memory surfaces (LMS) for monotonic and cyclic behaviour of geomaterials

A new elastoplastic model called loading memory surface based on the critical state concept and the multi‐surface framework is proposed for geomaterials. The model uses a hypoelastic formulation and two plastic mechanisms. The formulations of the model are made in three‐dimensional stress–strain space and work under both monotonic and cyclic loadings. A newly introduced formalism makes it possible to obtain the cyclic response directly from the monotonic loading one. This formalism gives a three‐dimensional generalization of the well‐known Masing rule. The model has been validated against test results of Hostun sand under several conditions: monotonic and cyclic, drained and undrained, tests in compression and in extension, and at different confining pressures and different densities. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Higher tritium concentrations measured in permafrost thaw lakes in northern Alberta

Tritium concentrations were measured in a survey of 24 lakes, 15 wetlands, and 133 groundwaters in the oil sands region of northeastern Alberta and compared with both recent precipitation and precipitation sampled during the 1960s tritium peak caused by atmospheric thermonuclear weapons testing. Water samples from lakes included a group of 14 thaw lakes that had higher runoff attributed to melting of permafrost in peat plateaus within their watersheds. While tritium in all lakes was found to be intermediate between recent and 1960s concentrations, the thaw lakes were found to be significantly enriched in tritium compared with other lakes, as were unfrozen wetlands characterized by a thick sequence of low‐hydraulic conductivity peat. The results provide further evidence of different water sources to the thaw lakes and may indicate that melting of modern permafrost in part formed since the 1950s is occurring in these systems. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

顾及拓扑一致性的水系三维曲线化简

鉴于常规曲线化简方法应用于水系曲线化简时难以顾及水系要素的三维特征及其拓扑关系,本文提出了一种顾及拓扑一致性的水系三维曲线化简方法。该方法首先对D-P算法进行三维扩展,实现水系中单条河流三维曲线化简,然后构建水系树结构表达其拓扑关系,最后按照水系树的层次顺序依次进行河流曲线化简和干流与支流的拓扑关系重构。试验结果表明,该方法化简精度高,既能保持水系的三维形态特征,又能保证河流交汇处的拓扑一致性。     

陕北风沙区含砾石工程堆积体坡面产流产沙试验

采用室内人工模拟降雨方法,研究了陕北风沙区含砾石工程堆积体边坡的产流产沙过程。结果表明:①砾石存在改变了坡面入渗速率,径流系数受入渗速率的影响,随砾石含量的增加先线性递减后线性递增,并在10%砾石含量处存在阈值;径流系数随降雨强度的增加线性递增。②含砾石堆积体坡面流速较纯土堆积体降低,且随雨强增大,砾石延缓径流流动的作用越显著;雨强对径流流速的影响随砾石含量增加持续减弱。③土壤剥蚀率在产流24~33 min后显著增加,砾石主要对显著增加后的平均剥蚀率产生影响。④雨强1.0 mm/min时,砾石存在促进降雨侵蚀,产沙量增大;雨强大于1.0 mm/min时,砾石具有显著的减沙效应。     

以钻代槽勘查方法研究与应用

为解决槽、井探等传统地表揭露手段自身局限性问题及减少对环境的破坏,提出以钻代槽勘查方法研究的技术路线,总结归纳出浅钻技术方法与钻孔布孔方案,同时初步探讨了基于钻孔数据的三维地质建模方法。最后将以钻代槽方法成果在西藏等地进行了推广应用,验证了可行性和有效性。     

SoFISHticated policy – social perspectives on the fish conflict in the Northeast Atlantic

Ecosystem changes currently question the traditional allocation of fishing rights and quotas in the fishery of Northeast Atlantic mackerel and Norwegian spring-spawning herring in the Northeast Atlantic. Variability in the distribution of these highly migratory species escalated in a political conflict between member states of the European Union, Iceland, the Faroe Islands and Norway, which is a driving force for unsustainable fishery. The aim of this paper is to investigate this conflict by outlining the social understandings of diverse stakeholders by using the Q methodology. The method reduced the complexity of numerous opinions, detected four distinct perspectives and simultaneously categorised the participating stakeholders. Although the perspectives differ in various elements, the protection of economic interests seems to dominate over the quest for sustainability. The call of all stakeholders in this study to clarify the fishing rights in the Northeast Atlantic reveals a clear deficiency of the current international fishery management in handling abrupt ecological changes and the necessity to acknowledge this as a complex adaptive system.     

集约用海对莱州湾水动力环境影响的数值模拟研究

在考虑水体斜压的基础上利用MIKE3三维数值模型的HD和Ecolab模块,对莱州湾的水动力环境进行了数值模拟,并将验证良好的该模型用于分析预测集约用海工程的实施对莱州湾水动力环境造成的影响。研究结果表明:工程并不会大范围改变莱州湾海域的水动力特征,影响主要集中在工程区附近,距工程新岸线约20 km处,流速变化率在15%左右甚至更小;工程造成海湾纳潮量在大小潮期分别减小0.29%和1.07%,海湾与外海水交换能力被削弱,可能会导致湾内水体污染加剧;工程实施后海湾PO_4-P平均浓度升高,DIN平均浓度降低,N/P比下降,海域磷限制作用被削弱。     

钻孔轨迹参数计算及三维成图方法研究

随着经济发展及矿产资源开发利用程度进一步提高,地质勘探向着深部、复杂地层发展,钻探施工钻孔也向着定向孔、分支孔的方向发展。地质目的对钻探工艺的要求越来越高,在控制钻孔轨迹方面也需越来越精准。本文就钻孔轨迹参数计算及成图作了详细介绍,阐述了钻孔轨迹相关概念及有关参数的计算方法;通过对Excel电子表格相关功能的研究,成功地将其应用到钻孔轨迹参数计算与处理分析中;通过对Solidworks三维制图软件的研究,成功地将其应用到钻孔轨迹监测及成图方面;通过实际工作案例验证了上述方法的可行性。     

3D打印技术在矿床学中的应用研究——以内蒙古乌力吉敖包萤石矿Ⅲ号矿体为例

3D打印(3D printing)是一种以三维模型为样本的快速成形技术,它通过逐层打印或粉末熔铸的方式来构造需要的立体图形。本文从3D打印技术的原理及其发展现状入手,重点列举内蒙古乌力吉敖包萤石矿,利用3D打印机打印具有现实可观性的地质体实体,探讨3D打印技术作为新兴的科技手段应用于矿床学教学与研究的应用价值和发展前景。研究发现,3D打印技术在矿体三维可视化中的应用符合地质图件立体化和3D打印技术多领域化的趋势,未来3D打印技术在地质领域的应用也有助于开拓矿床学教学和研究的新方式与新思路。