Numerical investigation of the failure of a building in Shanghai,China

The overturning failure of a 13 storey residential building in Shanghai, China, has been investigated by plane strain finite element analysis (FEA). The results of the FEA indicate that ultimate failure of the building was probably initiated by the formation of tensile cracking in the reinforced concrete piles located under the side of the building adjacent to an excavation. This eventually led to complete structural failure of the piles located along the excavation side, which probably caused further settlement of the building, leading eventually to a toppling failure resulting in overturning of the entire building. Excessive tensile stress in the piles was probably caused by the combination of excavation of soil at one side of the building and the temporary dumping of the excavated soil on the opposite side of the building. It is likely that the effect of temporary dumping of the excavated soil adjacent to the building was either not considered or not properly taken into account in the foundation design nor the construction operations. A simple but important lesson to be draw from this failure is the need for engineers who design foundations in soft soil regions to consider not only the final loading conditions, but also any temporary and transient loading conditions during the construction process.     

Numerical analysis of seasonal heat storage in an energy pile foundation

The use of concrete geostructures for energy extraction and storage in the ground is an environmentally friendly and easy way of cooling and heating buildings. With such energy geostructures, it is possible to transfer energy from the ground to buildings by means of fluid-filled pipes cast in concrete. By injecting thermal energy in summer and extracting it in winter, the ground in the area of a building’s piles can be used for seasonal energy storage, as long as the underground water flow in the storage remains low. This paper is a contribution to the improvement of the knowledge in the field of energy geostructures. The behaviour of a multi-pile seasonal storage system subjected to thermo-mechanical loading is examined numerically from both thermal and mechanical perspectives. The purpose of this paper is (i) to propose a thermo-hydro-mechanical 2D solution to the 3D problem, (ii) to explore the thermal behaviour of this type of storage and (iii) to evaluate its structural consequences. Coupled multi-physical finite element modelling is conducted. The efficiency of the storage is not dramatically affected by an increase in the annual mean temperature of the storage. It is shown that induced mechanical loads are less important when considering a wholly heated pile structure than when considering a single heated pile in a foundation. The evolution of stresses in the piles and in the soil during heating–cooling cycles also reveals possible critical phenomena.     

深水水下管汇安装方法研究与进展

水下生产系统由于其在开发深水油气田和边际油气田时具有明显的综合经济优势,已被世界上很多国家作为油田开发的一种重要方式广泛研究和应用。基于大量水下生产系统开发方案和工程实例的调研,针对其中水下管汇安装的工程实例,在安装方法的确定、设计和应用方面进行了深入研究,总结了适应不同要求下的多种安装方法,列举和比较各自的优点和限制条件。为油气田开发尤其是深水油气田采用水下生产系统的开发方式时,选择合适的安装方法给出了参考和建议。     

Equilibrium scour depths around piles in noncohesive sediments under currents and waves

A universal formula for the estimation of equilibrium scour depth around a single cylindrical pile under the action of steady currents, tidal and short waves is presented.     

Seismic analysis of infinite pile groups in liquefiable soil

Numerical analysis of an infinite pile group in a liquefiable soil was considered in order to investigate the influence of pile spacing on excess pore pressure distribution and liquefaction potential. It was found that an optimal pile spacing exists resulting in minimal excess pore pressure. It was also found that certain pile group configurations might reduce liquefaction potential, compared to free field conditions. It was observed that for closely spaced piles and low frequency of loading, pile spacing has little influence on the response of the superstructure.     

Verifying adequacy of the seismic deformation method by using real examples of earthquake damage

In a seismic design, the dynamic loads are generally dependent on the inertial interaction caused by earthquake. But for the foundations embedded in soil, the dynamic loads are influenced by both the inertial and kinematic interactions among superstructure, foundation and soil. Especially, when a foundation is embedded in soft surface ground, the effects due to the kinematic interaction increase and should be considered in seismic design. For this reason, a method called seismic deformation method (SDM), which is suitable for an intensive earthquake motion (level 2 earthquake motion), has been stipulated recently in a new design code called Seismic Design Code for railway structures (the Railway Code, drawn up by Railway Technical Research Institute, Japan, 1999) [Railway Technical Research Institute. Seismic Design Code for railway structures. Tokyo: Maruzen; 1999]. In order to grasp the suitability of the SDM to actual structures, pile foundations, which experienced the Hyogoken-Nanbu earthquake, were taken as the objects for investigations. Comparison studies between the SDM analysis and reconnaissance were conducted. As a result, the adequacy of the SDM to actual foundations was confirmed to prove good agreement between the two results from the viewpoint of engineering practice.In addition, determination of indices for seismic-performance evaluation and speculation of damage mechanism of the foundations are also discussed in this paper.     

大型会展中心钢结构安装施工测量经验

对大型会展中心钢结构安装施工测量的经验进行总结,在实际工作中根据现场条件、钢结构安装特点、难点等,采用多种常规测量手段,并结合有效的土办法,完成了钢结构安装施工测量.结果表明:施工测量精度良好,达到了预期的效果,取得了良好的经济效益.     

Effects of the construction of Scroby Sands offshore wind farm on the prey base of Little tern Sternula albifrons at its most important UK colony

Despite widespread interest in the impacts of wind farms upon birds, few researchers have examined the potential for indirect or trophic (predator-prey) effects. Using surface trawls, we monitored prey abundance before and after construction of a 30 turbine offshore wind farm sited close to an internationally important colony of Little terns. Observations confirmed that young-of-the-year clupeids dominated chick diet, which trawl samples suggested were mainly herring. Multivariate modelling indicated a significant reduction in herring abundance from 2004 onwards that could not be explained by environmental factors. Intensely noisy monopile installation during the winter spawning period was suggested to be responsible. Reduced prey abundance corresponded with a significant decline in Little tern foraging success. Unprecedented egg abandonment and lack of chick hatching tentatively suggested a colony-scale response in some years. We urge a precautionary approach to the timing and duration of pile-driving activity supported with long-term targeted monitoring of sensitive receptors.     

Inclination correction of the parallel seismic test for pile length detection

An inclination factor is proposed in this paper to enhance the accuracy of the parallel seismic method for pile length assessment when a borehole is not drilled perfectly parallel with the tested foundation. Three-dimensional axisymmetric finite element models were performed to show the effects of the inclined angles of the borehole. A series of parametric studies, including the pile length, the borehole distance, and the wave propagation velocity of the soil, were also carried out to investigate their effects on the derived modified factor for pile length prediction. The results from the numerical models show that the estimated error (5–20%) of the pile lengths increases with the increasing inclined angles, and can be reduced to less than 5% when the derived inclination factor is considered. In addition, the slope of the top fitted straight line in the first arrival time versus depth plot does not represent the true P-wave velocity of the tested structure if the borehole is not perfectly parallel with the pile foundation and use of this value to determine the quality of the tested pile foundation would be unsuitable. However, this unreasonable value of the P-wave velocity of the tested pile can be used as a guide, representing the inclination of the borehole.     

Improving dynamic soil parameters and advancing the pile signal matching technique

The pile signal matching technique widely used for estimating vertical resistances of piles during construction is highly influenced by the assumed dynamic soil parameters. Due to the lack of understanding and supporting data, constant soil parameters for the entire pile length have been routinely used. This practice is unrealistic and compromises the signal match quality. Using recently completed field tests, this paper develops empirical equations for dynamic soil parameters in terms of measureable soil properties and proposes an improved signal matching technique, thereby allowing for better match quality.