Three dimensional numerical simulation of residential building on shrink–swell soils in response to climatic conditions

Shrink–swell soils can cause distresses in buildings, and every year, the economic loss associated with this problem is huge. This paper presents a comprehensive system for simulating the soil–foundation–building system and its response to daily weather conditions. Weather data include rainfall, solar radiation, air temperature, relative humidity, and wind speed, all of which are readily available from a local weather station or the Internet. These data are used to determine simulation flux boundary conditions. Different methods are proposed to simulate different boundary conditions: bare soil, trees, and vegetation. A coupled hydro‐mechanical stress analysis is used to simulate the volume change of shrink–swell soils due to both mechanical stress and water content variations. Coupled hydro‐mechanical stress‐jointed elements are used to simulate the interaction between the soil and the slab, and general shell elements are used to simulate structural behavior. All the models are combined into one finite element program to predict the entire system's behavior. This paper first described the theory for the simulations. A site in Arlington, Texas, is then selected to demonstrate the application of the proposed system. Simulation results are shown, and a comparison between measured and predicted movements for four footings in Arlington, Texas, over a 2‐year period is presented. Finally, a three‐dimensional simulation is made for a virtual residential building on shrink–swell soils to identify the influence of various factors. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Late Quaternary sea‐level change and evolution of Belfast Lough,Northern Ireland: new offshore evidence and implications for sea‐level reconstruction

The interplay of eustatic and isostatic factors causes complex relative sea‐level (RSL) histories, particularly in paraglacial settings. In this context the past record of RSL is important in understanding ice‐sheet history, earth rheology and resulting glacio‐isostatic adjustment. Field data to develop sea‐level reconstructions are often limited to shallow depths and uncertainty exists as to the veracity of modelled sea‐level curves. We use seismic stratigraphy, 39 vibrocores and 26 radiocarbon dates to investigate the deglacial history of Belfast Lough, Northern Ireland, and reconstruct past RSL. A typical sequence of till, glacimarine and Holocene sediments is preserved. Two sea‐level lowstands (both max. ?40 m) are recorded at c. 13.5 and 11.5k cal a bp . Each is followed by a rapid transgression and subsequent periods of RSL stability. The first transgression coincides temporally with a late stage of Meltwater Pulse 1a and the RSL stability occurred between c. 13.0 and c. 12.2k cal a bp (Younger Dryas). The second still/slowstand occurred between c. 10.3 and c. 11.5k cal a bp . Our data provide constraints on the direction and timing of RSL change during deglaciation. Application of the Depth of Closure concept adds an error term to sea‐level reconstructions based on seismic stratigraphic reconstructions.     

Diagnosing snow accumulation errors in a rain‐snow transitional environment with snow board observations

Diagnosing the source of errors in snow models requires intensive observations, a flexible model framework to test competing hypotheses, and a methodology to systematically test the dominant snow processes. We present a novel process‐based approach to diagnose model errors through an example that focuses on snow accumulation processes (precipitation partitioning, new snow density, and snow compaction). Twelve years of meteorological and snow board measurements were used to identify the main source of model error on each snow accumulation day. Results show that modeled values of new snow density were outside observational uncertainties in 52% of days available for evaluation, while precipitation partitioning and compaction were in error 45% and 16% of the time, respectively. Precipitation partitioning errors mattered more for total winter accumulation during the anomalously warm winter of 2014–2015, when a higher fraction of precipitation fell within the temperature range where partition methods had the largest error. These results demonstrate how isolating individual model processes can identify the primary source(s) of model error, which helps prioritize future research.     

地面三维激光扫描仪测量误差检定

在利用三维激光扫描仪进行测量工作前,我们首先应了解其实际测量精度是否符合标称精度,而可靠的评价方式对得到精确的数据结果至关重要。本文利用北京卓立汉光TSA50-C型电动位移台作为评价标准,通过其精确的位移功能,准确地评价了RIGEL VZ-400三维激光扫描仪在测量单点位移时的误差,从而得到了其最佳工作距离。     

GPS精密卫星钟差估计研究

随着精密单点定位技术的发展,对于精确的卫星坐标以及卫星钟差改正精度的要求越来越高,精密卫星星历以及精密卫星钟差的求解成为制约精密单点定位技术发展的瓶颈。本文基于修复周跳的载波相位观测值与相位平滑伪距观测值,采用无电离层延迟星间单差精密卫星钟差估计模型,在先估计出整周模糊度后,进行了精密卫星钟差的估计,并采用与IGS事后精密钟差作二次差的方法进行精度分析,这对于提高精密单点定位精度具有一定的意义。     

AEKF在星敏感器低频误差补偿中的应用

高分辨率对地观测卫星需要精确的姿态信息来满足后续对地定位等工作,因此姿态确定精度十分重要。星敏感器的低频误差是影响卫星姿态确定精度的重要因素之一,主要是由空间周期性的热环境变化引起的。为进一步提高卫星姿态确定精度,对星敏感器的低频误差产生机理即星敏感器主光轴做周期性扰动进行了分析,设计了星敏感器低频误差补偿方案,建立了考虑星敏感器低频误差在内的组合定姿模型,利用拓维卡尔曼滤波(AEKF)对低频误差进行补偿,并引入RTS平滑滤波进一步提高姿态确定精度。仿真实验表明,设计的星敏感器低频误差补偿方案能有效对其进行补偿,提高卫星姿态确定精度。     

History of faulting in the Northern Hastings Block,southern New England Orogen

Brittle failure is common in the Devonian to Permian rocks in the Northern Hastings Block (NHB) and is manifested by faults of different orientation and kinematic histories, but the timing of fault movement is not well defined. In this study, faults in the NHB were analysed with the map pattern of cross-cutting faults used to estimate the relative time of movement and relationship to other faults. We defined five episodes of faulting or fault reactivation that affected the NHB. The Yarras Fault System on the southwestern side of the NHB and the Parrabel Fault and related faults on the eastern side of the NHB are the two major fault systems responsible for transporting and rotating the NHB in the late Carboniferous. Faults on the eastern, northeastern and northern part of Parrabel Dome started and stopped moving after emplacement of the Hastings Block and before the intrusion of the Werrikimbe Triassic granitoids. We suggested that the movement on the major bounding faults is related to the accommodation of the NHB to the folding and cleavage development in the adjoining Nambucca Block, and is associated with the earliest part of the Hunter–Bowen Orogeny. Limited dextral movement on the extensions of the Taylors Arm Fault System caused minor displacements in the northeastern part of the NHB during the Late Triassic. Some small faults cut the Triassic granitoids or Triassic Lorne Basin sediments indicating tectonic activity continued post-Triassic.     

Possible sources of forecast errors generated by the global/regional assimilation and prediction system for landfalling tropical cyclones. Part I: Initial uncertainties

This paper investigates the possible sources of errors associated with tropical cyclone (TC) tracks forecasted using the Global/Regional Assimilation and Prediction System (GRAPES). The GRAPES forecasts were made for 16 landfalling TCs in the western North Pacific basin during the 2008 and 2009 seasons, with a forecast length of 72 hours, and using the default initial conditions (“initials”, hereafter), which are from the NCEP-FNL dataset, as well as ECMWF initials. The forecasts are compared with ECMWF forecasts. The results show that in most TCs, the GRAPES forecasts are improved when using the ECMWF initials compared with the default initials. Compared with the ECMWF initials, the default initials produce lower intensity TCs and a lower intensity subtropical high, but a higher intensity South Asia high and monsoon trough, as well as a higher temperature but lower specific humidity at the TC center. Replacement of the geopotential height and wind fields with the ECMWF initials in and around the TC center at the initial time was found to be the most efficient way to improve the forecasts. In addition, TCs that showed the greatest improvement in forecast accuracy usually had the largest initial uncertainties in TC intensity and were usually in the intensifying phase. The results demonstrate the importance of the initial intensity for TC track forecasts made using GRAPES, and indicate the model is better in describing the intensifying phase than the decaying phase of TCs. Finally, the limit of the improvement indicates that the model error associated with GRAPES forecasts may be the main cause of poor forecasts of landfalling TCs. Thus, further examinations of the model errors are required.     

变分同化框架通过背景误差协方差构建动力平衡约束的研究进展

通过背景误差协方差构建动力平衡约束是变分同化框架设计的重要环节。它不仅帮助实现变量间的协同分析,提高观测使用效率,还能改善变分极小化问题的性状。本文在系统梳理通过背景误差协方差引入动力平衡约束的方式、流程的基础上,对求解目前全球和有限区域变分同化系统普遍采用的准地转平衡和静力平衡约束的共性问题和存在的不足作了归纳总结。分析了求解准地转平衡约束的三类方案:动力平衡方程方案、统计方案和动力-统计相结合方案的优缺点。对照比较了不同垂直离散方案下求解静力平衡约束时遇到的欠定问题的表现以及解决途径。最后,展望了基于背景误差协方差构建动力平衡约束在赤道等特殊地区、高分辨率同化系统、以及集合-变分混合同化系统发展中面临的挑战和机遇。     

多普勒雷达观测在北京7.21暴雨数值模拟中的三维变分同化研究

基于背景误差的特征长度理论,研究调整背景误差水平分辨率对多普勒雷达资料三维变分同化的影响。首先利用NMC方法针对暴雨落区统计不同水平分辨率的背景误差协方差,分析两种不同分辨率的背景误差的结构特征,研究水平分辨率对背景误差特征长度的影响。将其应用于雷达资料同化中,研究背景误差水平分辨率变化对雷达资料同化的影响。结果表明:背景误差水平分辨率由27 km提高到3 km时,在大气低层体现出更细致的动力场信息,其动力场水平特征长度按水平分辨率的二次根递减,而温度场与水汽场水平特征长度变化不明显。在将不同分辨率的背景误差用于三维变分同化时,更高分辨率的背景误差可以在分析场增量中体现更细致的中小尺度信息,能够明显改善雷达径向速度资料同化效果,并在随后的暴雨数值模拟中雨量及其分布形态更接近实况。