Nonlinear analysis of laterally loaded rigid piles in cohesive soil

This article presents a method for the nonlinear analysis of laterally loaded rigid piles in cohesive soil. The method considers the force and the moment equilibrium to derive the system equations for a rigid pile under a lateral eccentric load. The system equations are then solved using an iteration scheme to obtain the response of the pile. The method considers the nonlinear variation of the ultimate lateral soil resistance with depth and uses a new closed‐form expression proposed in this article to determine the lateral bearing factor. The method also considers the horizontal shear resistance at the pile base, and a bilinear relationship between the shear resistance and the displacement is used. For simplicity, the modulus of horizontal subgrade reaction is assumed to be constant with depth, which is applicable to piles in overconsolidated clay. The nonlinearity of the modulus of horizontal subgrade reaction with pile displacement at ground surface is also considered. The validity of the developed method is demonstrated by comparing its results with those of 3D finite element analysis. The applications of the developed method to analyze five field test piles also show good agreement between the predictions and the experimental results. The developed method offers an alternative approach for simple and effective analysis of laterally loaded rigid piles in cohesive soil. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transient loading-related settlement of a square foundation on geogrid-reinforced sand

Summary Laboratory model test results are presented that determine the effectiveness of using layers of geogrids as reinforcement in sand to reduce the settlement of square surface foundations subjected to transient loading. The model tests were conducted with only one type of geogrid at one relative density of compaction of sand. The maximum intensity of the transient load applied always exceeded the static ultimate bearing capacity of the foundation when supported by unreinforced sand. The settlement reduction factors for various depths of reinforcement have been determined.     

端承桩基础轴向地震反应分析

本文对分层弹性地基中端承桩基础通过特性分析建立了合理的力学模型，通过动力分析，给出了端承桩基础轴向自振特性及在竖向地震载荷作用下强迫反应的解析解。文中的解析公式为分层弹性地基中的端承桩基础轴向动力反应分析提供了一种新的解析方法。     

岩石在动载作用下的破坏与强度

研究岩石的动载性能,在凿岩爆破上有重要意义。分段式霍布金生杆已应用于研究岩石对波动载荷的效应。作者使用改型的霍布金生杆法对岩石试件在动载下的破坏强度作了试验研究。冲击试验台配合微处理机作高速数据显示与处理,借助应力波在弹性杆中的一维理论对数据进行解释。测定了多种岩石静载与动载的强度,并对岩石试件尺寸及加载速率的影响也作了试验。     

循环荷载特征对焊接工字形钢支撑低周疲劳性能的影响

通过14根铰支焊接工字形支撑在不同特征的循环轴向位移荷载下的低周疲劳试验，研究了循环轴向位移荷载的位移幅值、平均位移幅值及加载次序等因素对钢支撑低周疲劳及耗能性能的影响。研究发现，对称循环荷载中幅值越小，支撑翼缘局部屈曲发展越晚，其耗能及承载力退化也越平缓。文中提出了支撑在幅值6δ≤Δδ≤12δy的对称循环荷载下的疲劳寿命经验公式。试验表明，循环荷载的位移幅值是支撑疲劳损伤及耗能退化的最主要影响因素，过载峰效应及适当的平均压位移幅值改善了钢支撑低周疲劳及耗能性能。     

Determination of vertical displacements over the coastal area of Korea due to the ocean tide loading using GPS observations

This paper describes the GPS applicability for detecting the vertical displacements of ground stations caused by ocean tide loading effects. An experiment was carried out using 12 permanent GPS stations located in the coastal area of Korea using data in the period 1 July until 26 August 2003. The relative height differences were calculated from hourly DGPS data processing based on the carrier-phase observation. The power spectra of the M₂ and N₂ constituents of ocean tide loading were derived using the CLEAN algorithm. The differential vertical displacements generated by the ocean tide loading effect are typically 3–25 mm in coastal area of the Korea. We compared the results from GPS with those of the ocean tide models, NAO.99Jb regional model and GOT00.2, FES99 global models. The M₂ (N₂) amplitude differences of vertical displacements between GPS and GOT00.2 is 1.22 ± 3.61 mm (1.01 ± 1.48 mm), and that of the M₂ (N₂) amplitude difference between GPS and FES99 is 0.04 ± 4.64 mm (0.64 ± 1.75 mm), whereas the M₂ (N₂) amplitude difference between GPS and NAO.99Jb are 0.05 ± 1.03 mm (0.86 ± 1.18 mm). The highest vertical displacements at the PALM station are found for 24.5 ± 0.7 mm from GPS observation, and 22.9 mm from the regional model NAO.99Jb and 13.17 and 10.00 mm from the global models GOT00.2 and FES99, respectively. These values show that the vertical displacements derived from GPS are in good agreement with those of the regional model NAO.99Jb around Korea, more than with the global models. This result indicated that GPS is an effective tool to measure the vertical displacement caused by the ocean tide loading effect in the coastal area, and we need to use the NAO.99Jb ocean tide model rather than the global ocean tide models in and around the Korean peninsula for position determination with permanent GPS installations. This work demonstrates that vertical displacement caused by the M₂ and N₂ constituents of ocean tide loading can be measured by carrier-phase DGPS.     

Cyclic strength and deformation of crushable carbonate sand

Cyclic triaxial tests have been carried out on a skeletal carbonate sand from the west coast of Eire. Results are presented for undrained cyclic shear tests on samples with 80% of relative density consolidated under both isotropic and anisotropic conditions. Failure was defined as a 5% double amplitude cyclic strain and a 5% peak axial strain for stress-reversal and non-reversal stress conditions, respectively. Using this definition the cyclic strength for isotropically consolidated samples was affected by the confining pressure although the angular platey nature of the sand resulted in higher cyclic strengths than for a comparable silica sand. For anisotropically consolidated samples the cyclic strength increased with increasing initial static shear stress while on the other hand the cyclic strength normalised in the usual way with respect to the initial confining pressure decreased as this pressure increased.     

A Study of Seismicity and Earthquake Hazard at the Proposed Kalabsha Dam Site,Aswan, Egypt

High and Aswan Dams Authority (HADA) proposed a plan aiming at constructing a rockfill dam in the Kalabsha area, about 60 km south of Aswan High Dam. The aim of this dam is to restrain the overflow of water to the Kalabsha Valley for keeping one billion cubic meters from being lost due to seepage and evaporation. The safety of dams during earthquakes is extremely important because failure of such a structure may have disastrous consequences on life and property. Therefore, different factors were considered as part of a site assessment. Five seismic source zones, close enough to the site to give rise to potentially damaging earthquake ground motions, were identified. Seven active faults that have the potential for producing significant earthquakes and that pass through or near the dam site were also identified. The earthquake loading represented by ground motions at the site was evaluated. Probabilistic seismic hazard procedures were used for assessing the earthquake loading at six individual sites using Area-and Line-Source Models (ASM & LSM). The ASM is based on current observed seismicity, whereas the LSM is based on geological slip rates. The output represents the expected acceleration amplitude with 90 percent probability of not being exceeded in exposure times of 20, 50, and 100 years. The results from the two models appear to be different, the expected ground motions from ASM were twice as high as expected from LSM. This difference is due to the load of the Aswan reservoir (Nasser Lake) triggering earthquakes on those parts of the faults that lie under the lake at Kalabsha area. The hazard at the selected sites is given by the hazard curve that is represented by the relationship between the peak ground acceleration and its annual exceedance probability. By comparing the curves for the six individual sites for the same source model, it can be concluded that the potential ground acceleration level for all the sites is almost the same. Considering the mean results from the two models, the annual exceedance probability of the expected ground acceleration from ASM is approximately ten times higher than the annual exceedance probability from LSM.Since ASM is based on current seismicity, it is more appropriate forrepresenting the actual hazard for the dam site.     

Biological mechanisms driving the seasonal changes in the internal loading of phosphorus in shallow lakes

Because of the obvious importance of P as a nutrient that often accelerates growth of phytoplankton (including toxic cyanobacteria) and therefore worsens water quality, much interest has been devoted to P exchange across the sediment-water interface. Generally, the release mode of P from the sediment differed greatly between shallow and deep lakes, and much of the effort has been focused on iron and oxygen, and also on the relevant environmental factors, for example, turbulence and decomposition, but a large part of the P variation in shallow lakes remains unexplained. This paper reviews experimental and field studies on the mechanisms of P release from the sediment in the shallow temperate (in Europe) and subtropical (in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River in China) lakes, and it is suggested that pH rather than DO might be more important in driving the seasonal dynamics of internal P loading in these shallow lakes, i.e., intense photosynthesis of phytoplankton increases pH of the lake water and thus may increase pH of the surface sediment, leading to enhanced release of P (especially iron-bound P) from the sediment. Based on the selective pump of P (but not N) from the sediment by algal blooms, it is concluded that photosynthesis which is closely related to eutrophication level is the driving force for the seasonal variation of internal P loading in shallow lakes. This is a new finding. Additionally, the selective pump of P from the sediment by algal blooms not only explains satisfactorily why both TP and PO4-P in the hypereutrophic Lake Donghu declined significantly since the mid-1980s when heavy cyanobacterial blooms were eliminated by the nontraditional biomanipulation (massive stocking of the filter-feeding silver and bighead carps), but also explains why TP in European lakes decreased remarkably in the spring clear-water phase with less phytoplankton during the seasonal succession of aquatic communities or when phytoplankton biomass was decreased by traditional biomanipulation. Compared with deep lakes, wax and wane of phytoplankton due to alternations in the ecosystem structure is also able to exert significant influences on the P exchange at the sediment-water interface in shallow lakes. In other words, biological activities are also able to drive P release from sediments, and such a static P release process is especially more prominent in eutrophic shallow lakes with dense phytoplankton.     

Static and dynamic response of massive caisson foundations with soil and interface nonlinearities—validation and results

The static, cyclic, and dynamic response of a massive caisson foundation embedded in nonlinear layered or inhomogeneous soil and loaded at its top is investigated. The caisson is supported against horizontal displacement and rotation by four types of inelastic springs and dashpots, described with the BWGG model that was developed in the preceding companion paper [Gerolymos N, Gazetas G. Development of winkler model for static and dynamic response of caisson foundations with soil and interface nonlinearities. Soil Dyn Earthq Eng, submitted companion paper]. The prediction of the model is satisfactorily compared with results from 3D-finite element analysis. Some experimental corroboration of the method is provided with the help of a 1/3-scale lateral load test that had been conducted in the field by EPRI. An illustrative example of a caisson embedded in linearly-inhomogeneous clay and subjected to static and dynamic loading is analysed. Characteristic results are presented highlighting the role of soil inelasticity and its interplay with the two dominant interface nonlinearities: separation (gapping) of the caisson shaft from the surrounding soil, and uplifting of the base from the underlying soil.