Colloid particle sizes in the Mississippi River and some of its tributaries,from Minneapolis to below New Orleans

An on-board technique was developed that combined discharge-weighted pumping to a high-speed continuous-flow centrifuge for isolation of the particulate-sized material with ultrafiltration for isolation of colloid-sized material. In order to address whether these processes changed the particle sizes during isolation, samples of particles in suspension were collected at various steps in the isolation process to evaluate changes in particle size. Particle sizes were determined using laser light-scattering photon correlation spectroscopy and indicated no change in size during the colloid isolation process. Mississippi River colloid particle sizes from twelve sites from Minneapolis to below New Orleans were compared with sizes from four tributaries and three seasons, and from predominantly autochthonous sources upstream to more allochthonous sources downstream. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

隧道围岩强度不均地段塌方成因及其处理方法

由于地质构造作用以及风化作用,工程场地岩体中多存在围岩强度不均地段.在隧道施工过程中就经常遇到软硬岩石交汇而形成的地质条件复杂地段;给隧道的施工带来了很多不利情况,并且也是导致隧道塌方的原因之一.2006年1月,承德韩郭线二级公路工程,喇嘛梁隧道软硬岩石交汇地段由于地下水作用导致围岩风化程度不均,产生软弱结构面并造成了大面积塌方.基于现场的追踪调查与考察,本文详细描述了利用拱顶架设工字钢梁并配合超前注浆小导管的支护方法来处理这类围岩.     

Geotechnical Aspects of Clayey Sediments Off Badagara on the Kerala Coast,India

Offshore geotechnical surveys form part of an integrated investigation to rejuvenate a decrepit minor port at Badagara, Kerala on the southwestern coast of India. The sediments typify a fluvio-marine milieu ranging from silty clay, sand, silty sand, sandy silt and clayey silt. Geotechnical and sedimentological studies of shallow cores reveal the geotechnical aspects besides the depositional history of the sediments. Downcore geotechnical variations and regressive coefficients based on their inter-relationships highlight diverse factorial inferences. X-Ray Diffraction data indicate the prominent clay type.

A comparative evaluation of the geotechnical characteristics of clayey sediments off Badagara, with similar studies along various sectors of the Kerala coast, both on land as well as in the near shore, is broadly attempted. Geotechnical studies carried out earlier on the uplifted Cochin marine clays provide comparative data for evaluating the possible variations between present day marine clayey sediments occurring along the Kerala coast and uplifted marine clays which, besides their gross variations in levels with respect to the present sea-level, also obviously relate to a much older depositional environment and provenance during probable Holocene times.     

Centrifuge Modeling of Rock Slopes Susceptible to Block Toppling

Summary This paper presents the results of centrifuge tests that were aimed at validating the Goodman-Bray method for rock slope toppling analysis. The Goodman-Bray method was extended by the authors to accommodate non-persistent basal planes of rock columns. Two gypsum column models, with and without anchors were used to represent the failure modes. Measured critical centrifuge accelerations were in agreement with the results obtained from numerical modeling. A background of the toppling slope failures associated with a large hydropower project in China instigated the need for the centrifuge study. The centrifuge model tests used an artificial rock. The observed failure mode did not follow a straight failure plane as proposed by Goodman and Bray. The failures revealed a bi-planar slip surface with a deep-seated portion near the toe of the slope. The outcomes of the centrifuge tests illustrated the need to search for the critical failure surface when performing a toppling analysis. The search technique is similar to that usually performed in a conventional sliding analysis.     

A practical co-simulation approach for multiscale analysis of geotechnical systems

The particulate nature of granular soils can be accurately simulated at a microscale level. However, due to the huge spatial extent of geotechnical systems, a model fully constructed at such a scale is almost impossible with current computing technologies. Hence, continuum-based approaches are considered as the practical scale for modeling the majority of problems. Combining both scales enables benefiting from the advantages of both techniques while trying to overcome their drawbacks. Although a significant number of publications have addressed coupling both scales, only a few provide information regarding implementing the proposed procedures. In this study, an efficient co-simulation framework for conducting multiscale analysis is introduced. The framework is based on integrating existing continuum and micromechanical modeling software packages and therefore benefitting from already existing codes. A computational simulation of a rigid pile in contact with granular soil demonstrating the capabilities of such technique is presented. The near-field zone surrounding the pile is modeled using DEM whereas FEM is utilized to model far-field zones that are not affected by the presence of the pile. Results of conducted simulations resemble those obtained from experimental results. The proposed approach appears to be a very effective and promising tool to model boundary value problems of geotechnical systems.     

Geotechnical Hazards Associated with Desert Environment

The aridity of the Arabian Peninsula's deserts ranges between arid to hyperarid with hot dry climate, scarce precipitation and sparse vegetation. These harsh environmental conditions enhance some geomorphologic processes more than others, cause specific geotechnical problems, and increase desertification.From west to east, the general physiography of Saudi Arabia shows the Red Sea coastal plains and the escarpment foothills called Tihama followed by the Arabian Shield mountains, the Arabian Shelf plateau and finally the Arabian Gulf coastal plains. Sand moves by wind either as drifting sand or migrating dunes in four major sand seas, over the Arabian Shelf, and in the inter-mountain valleys, in the Arabian Shield causing problems of erosion and deposition. Human activities in the deserts may cause more instability to the sand bodies, enlarging the magnitude of the problem. Fine silty soil particles also move by wind, depositing loess mainly in selected areas downwind in the Tihama. These loess deposits subside and may form earth fissures by the process of hydrocompaction upon wetting. The addition of water can be either natural through storms or man-made through human agricultural or civil activities. Extensive sabkhas exist along the coastal plains of both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. The sabkha soil may also heave by salt re-crystallization or collapse by wetting. The shallow groundwater brines present in sabkhas also attack and corrode civil structures. Urbanization and excessive groundwater pumping may also deplete the fresh groundwater resources and may cause subsidence, ground fissuring and surface faulting as observed in some locations in the Arabian Shield. Although the average annual precipitation is very low, rain usually falls in the form of torrential storms, collected by dry valley basins and causing floods to unprotected downstream areas on the coastal plains of the Red Sea.The desert environment, being a fragile echo system, needs to be treated with care. Intercommunications between different national and international agencies and education of the layman should help to keep the system balanced and reduce the resulting environmental hazards. In addition, any suggested remedial measures should be planned with nature and engineered with natural materials.     

沉井下沉阻力离心模型试验研究

如何正确计算沉井的下沉阻力一直是沉井结构设计的难点,为了更加深入地研究沉井下沉阻力及其分布规律,通过离心机模型试验分别对4组不同埋深工况下的沉井进行了下沉模拟,对沉井侧壁土压力、刃脚斜面土压力、刃脚踏面土压力、沉井内外土面沉降进行了分析。研究结果表明：侧壁土压力随入土深度的增加呈先增大后减小的趋势,可采用分段函数形式对其大小及分布形式进行简化计算;刃脚斜面土压力呈三次多项式分布形式;随着刃脚入土深度的增加,刃脚斜面与踏面土阻力均显著增大,而单位投影宽度刃脚斜面与踏面土阻力比基本保持不变;沉井下沉会导致井外土面沉降,井内紧靠沉井内壁的土面沉降,离沉井内壁有一定距离的土面隆起。上述试验与分析成果可为理论研究与工程设计提供参考。     

分形几何在岩土力学研究中的过去、现在与未来

首先简略地介绍了分形几何理论及其方法。从岩土材料结构的定量描述、流体在岩土体中的渗流问题、岩土材料强度的分形模型和分形空间的力学特征四个方面叙述了分形理论在岩土力学研究中取得的成果及应用。指出只有将岩土力学系统在欧氏空间的各种基本变量、原理和方法向分形空间推广和拓展,才能产生对岩土材料非线性力学行为的新认识,这也是分形理论在岩土力学研究中进一步深化的基础。