A European digital accelerometric database:statistical analysis of engineering parameters of small to moderate magnitude events

During the NERIES Project, an accelerometric database containing European digital information was developed. Besides event and station metadata, ground motion parameters, computed in a homogeneous manner, were assembled:PGA, PGV, AI, TD, CAV, HI and PSV(f,5%)(19,961 components, 2629 events, 547 stations). Merging small and moderate magnitude events produced a unique database capable of providing important information such as:(i) Correlations between several ground motion parameters follow analogous trends as in previous worldwide datasets, with slight corrections.(ii) Although PGA attenuations with distance show great uncertainties, four recent GMPEs recommended for Europe fit quite well the central 50% data interval for the distance range 10 R 200 km; outside these distances, they do not fit.(iii) Soil amplification ratios indicate that weak motion(low magnitudes and larger distances) shows larger amplification than strong motion(short distances and large magnitudes) as represented in UBC97 for the USA, but not in EC8 for Europe.(iv) Average spectral shapes are smaller than in the EC8.(v) Differences in amplification factors for PGA, PGV and HI for EC8 soil classes B and C, and differences in spectral shapes for these soil classes, indicate that EC8, Type 2 S-coefficient should be frequency dependent, as in UBC97.     

Development of empirical and analytical fragility functions using kernel smoothing methods

Fragility functions that define the probabilistic relationship between structural damage and ground motion intensity are an integral part of performance‐based earthquake engineering or seismic risk analysis. This paper introduces three approaches based on kernel smoothing methods for developing analytical and empirical fragility functions. A kernel assigns a weight to each data that is inversely related to the distance between the data value and the input of the fragility function of interest. The kernel smoothing methods are, therefore, non‐parametric forms of data interpolation. These methods enable the implicit treatment of uncertainty in either or both of ground motion intensity and structural damage without making any assumption about the shape of the resulting fragility functions. They are particularly beneficial for sparse, noisy, or non‐homogeneous data sets. For illustration purposes, two types of data are considered. The first is a set of numerically simulated responses for a four‐story steel moment‐resisting frame, and the second is a set of field observations collected after the 2010 Haiti earthquake. The results demonstrate that these methods can develop continuous representations of fragility functions without specifying their functional forms and treat sparse data sets more efficiently than conventional data binning and parametric curve fitting methods. Moreover, various uncertainty analyses are conducted to address the issues of over‐fitting, bias, and confidence intervals. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Numerical investigation on the hydrodynamic performance of fast SWATHs with optimum canted struts arrangements

Small Waterplane Area Twin Hulls (SWATHs) are known to have superior seakeeping performance but higher resistance compared to equivalent catamarans or mono-hulls. A way to improve their resistance characteristics is to use unconventional hull forms parametrically defined and optimized by CFD methods. This study builds on previous SWATH optimization studies proposing a comprehensive, systematic investigation on the effect of different shapes and canting angles of the struts. For the first time we demonstrate the importance of considering the shape of the strut that is fully parametrized in our study. The effect of the design speed on the best shape is addressed through a multi-objective optimization targeting the minimum total resistance at two very different speeds, namely the cruise and slow transfer speeds. Optimum hull shapes are discussed in terms of maximum resistance reduction, together with the predicted free waves patterns.     

Numerical analysis of bearing capacity of drilled displacement piles with a screw-shaped shaft in sand

Drilled displacement (DD) piles with a screw-shaped shaft (referred to as DD piles) are installed using a continuous full thread hollow rod (without a displacement body) inserted and advanced in the soil by both a vertical force and a torque. As a type of newly developed pile, current understanding of the bearing mechanism of DD piles is unsatisfactory, which restricts their further applications in engineering. The primary aim of this paper is to study the bearing mechanism of this type of pile using a numerical method. First, a numerical model for calculating the bearing capacity of the DD piles was created and validated by a laboratory test. Then, the effects of the parameters of pile–soil interface, soil strength, and pile geometrical parameters on the bearing mechanism of the DD piles were investigated in parametric studies. The results of parametric studies show that the limit shear stress on the pile–soil interface, the friction angle of surrounding sand, screw pitch, and thread width significantly influence the bearing capacity of the DD piles, whereas the friction coefficient at the pile–soil interface and the thread thickness have little effect. Based on the results of the parametric studies, the failure mechanism of the DD piles under vertical load is analyzed. Finally, an equation for predicting the ultimate bearing capacities of helical piles based on cylindrical shear failure was used for estimating the bearing capacity of the DD piles, and the calculated results were verified with the numerical results.     

附有建模误差的曲线不确定性及其可视化

为描述复杂的现实世界对象,在GIS中将地理对象抽象和简化,建模误差必然存在,并且成为不确定性内容中的重要组成部分。本文将建模误差纳入到不确定性模型中,以三维B样条曲线为例,采用误差传播律来评估参数曲线的线位不确定性,充分体现现实世界对象的复杂性和数字表达的抽象简化的差距,进一步完善了不确定性理论。     

气候变化对汉江水华影响评价的参数模型分析方法及其应用研究(英文)

气候变化对河流和湖泊水环境的影响是当前国际国内关注的热点问题和学科前沿问题之一。但是由于其复杂性和不确定性,目前对该问题的科学研究和成果仍然十分有限。本文针对水质污染中的富营养化问题,以中国南水北调中线工程调水区的汉江流域为例,开发和应用了多元线性回归、多元非线性回归、人工神经网络及河流富营养化模型等多种评价方法,建立了与气象要素、水文要素、营养盐负荷相联系的多输入单输出富营养化系统参数模型,深入分析了在人类活动和经济发展所产生的影响以外,气候变化在此基础上对水体富营养化的增益作用。最后本文通过单因子和多因子分析法,甄别出不同情景下各要素对汉江水华的影响。通过计算得出,当其中某一项要素变化而其他两项不变时,其导致河流富营养化的贡献度依次为:污染负荷(14.82%)、水文要素(5.56%)、气象要素(3.7%);当污染负荷和水文要素同时变化时对水华的贡献度最大(20.37%),其次是当污染负荷和气象要素同时变化其贡献度为(15.82%),最后为水文要素和气象要素同时变化时的贡献度为(11.11%)。研究结果表明,对于中国这样的发展中国家来说,当控源和治污不能在短时间内达到良好的效果的时候,气候因素会增加水污染的风险性。即使水体内部污染源稳定,气候变化依然会通过改变水温和水文情势进而影响水体富营养化程度。最后本文通过多种方法比较,根据预测和评估得出的结果制定相应的防治对策,从而对今后的相关研究可起澄清概念和指明方向的作用。     

利用优化方法求算Van Genuchten方程参数

运用单纯形调优法,拟合描述土壤水分运动特征曲线的Van Genuchten参数。该方法可广泛地用于不同弯曲程度Van Genuchten方程曲线的拟合求参,拟合精度高,另一方面也表明Van Genuchten方程的线性选配适当。此外,算法程序用VB语言编写,实现了参数初值实时修改、多种数据格式输入输出和实时图形结果输出等多种友好人机界面功能,方便易用。     

资源勘查信息系统中参数化图形设计方法的 应用框架研究

传统CAD技术的某些不足，影响了计算机辅助资源图件编绘系统的设计效率和在不同部门和不同使用对象中的广泛深入应用，针对这种情况，提出了新的参数化图形设计方法解决方案，在分析了系统特点和参数化设计理论的基础上，指出了参数化设计方法在资源图件编绘系统中模型建立与复用，图形自适应性和参数化图库等几方面的应用途径和实现参数化设计系统的难点和方法，参数化设计方法的实现和应用将显著提高图件编绘系统的灵活性和适应性。