A thermo-plastic constitutive law for brittle-plastic behavior of rocks at high temperatures

Mechanical properties of rocks change under the influence of, temperature. Stress at the onset of yielding, ultimate strength, dilatancy, strain hardening and softening, and the confining pressure at brittle-ductile transition are all reduced by the increasing temperature. This study presents a framework of constitutive modeling of thermo-brittle-plastic behavior of rocks which encompasses these changes. The constitutive law is based on a thermo-plasticity theory first proposed for metals byPrager (1958). Two phenomenological mechanisms have been identified as central for the modeling: temperature dependence of the yield locus (thermal softening), and temperature dependence of the strain-hardening function (thermally enhanced ductility). Material parameters for two rocks, Carrara marble and Westerly granite, were determined on the basis of additional hypotheses. These parameters are used in numerical simulations of triaxial tests at different temperatures. The obtained stress-strain curves compare well to the experimental results. The changes with temperature in the stress at the onset of yielding are more accurately reproduced that the evolution of hardening or softening. Suggestions for possible improvements and future research directions are indicated.     

冻土的蠕变及蠕变强度

基于试验，本本讨论分析了冻土三轴蠕变规律及温度和围压对冻土蠕变强度的影响，给出了土蠕变及蠕变强度随时间降低的方程式，进而提出了冻土蠕变强度的物型屈服准则。通过改变参数可将冻土的瞬时强度准则与冻土的瞬时强度准则与冻土的蠕变强度准则统一为同一个方程描述。     

Tafoni on coastal slopes,South Devon,U.K.

Cavernous weathering (tafoni development) occurs on coastal slopes in greenschist bedrock at elevations up to 40 m above sea level. The freshly weathered surfaces of the cavern interiors are irregular in morphology, discordant to major rock structure, formed by substantially weakened rock and associated with granular weathering debris. The weathering debris contains soluble elements in proportions similar to those present in seawater, and the penetration of elements associated with sea salts into the weathering surface to estimated depths of at least 0·1–0·2 m is indicated by the presence of chlorine. Scanning electron microscopy and microprobe analyses suggest that rock breakdown occurs principally through limited chemical weathering at grain boundaries. The mechanism for the emplacement of marine salts within sheltered rock surfaces in the tafoni is postulated to be a combination of dry deposition under turbulent atmospheric conditions and wetting by coastal fog.     

松散地基上特大公路桥梁工程勘察与评价

本文通过具体工程实践,对在松散地基上兴建特大型公路桥梁的工程勘察要求、勘探工作布置、墩台基础持力层的选择及对地基评价作了分析、论述,可供同行借鉴与参考     

Determination of shear strength of conglomerates using a caterpillar D9 ripper and comparison with alternative methods

Summary A method of determining shear strength in Gila Conglomerates at Inspiration Mine (now Cyprus Miami Mine), Arizona, using Caterpillar D9H and D9L rippers is described. The results are compared with data obtained using laboratory direct shear tests — both large and small scale, back analysis and boulder modelling. The significance of scale, particularly relating to boulder size is discussed.     

An example of slip instability resulting from displacement-varying strength

A rock cylinder, containing a clay-filled sawcut making an angle of 30° to the sample axis, was deformed at constant confining and pore pressures and constant remote shortening rate. The sawcut surfaces contained a series of regularly spaced ridges and grooves oriented perpendicular to the direction of shear. The interaction of these grooved surfaces resulted in a sliding strength which varied periodically with displacement. By varying the effective machine stiffness through the use of an electronic feedback circuit, a range of stable and unstable slip behavior was achieved. In this way, we examined fault slip behavior which was dominated by displacement-dependent strength.     

The rate of bedrock weathering by frost action: Field measurements and a predictive model

Shattering rate, surface temperature, moisture content, and the physical and strength properties of bedrock were measured in four rockwall sites of the Japanese Alps. Five-year observations revealed that the bedrock shattering rate was usually much higher in the freeze-thaw period from October to next May than in the frost-free period from June to September. This indicates that frost action is the most important shattering process, although unusual heavy rainstorms in summer are also responsible for the shattering. A combination of some empirical relationships derived from recent laboratory experiments leads to a predictive model of the frost shattering rate. This model shows that the annual shattering rate is dependent on the annual freeze-thaw frequency on the rock surface, and the degree of saturation and tensile strength of the rock masses. The coefficients involved in the model were determined using the field data.     

区域化探异常研究方法探讨

本文对区域化探异常图示、异常评序、可能成矿元素、综合解释及成矿预测等方面进行了探索性研究,这对异常深入的剖析研究,确定异常检查范围及成矿预测都十分有益。数据处理系统是在无 X—Y 绘图仪的 PC 微机上实现数据处理、成图及各类处理分析的程序软件。     

莫尔－库仑强度理论的修正

本文对莫尔－库仑（Ｍｏｈｒ－Ｃｏｕｌｏｍｂ）强度理论作了重要修正。指出静水应力不仅对材料固有强度，而且对剪切滑移也有影响，从而得到了一个计及中间主应力影响的剪切强度公式。根据断裂力学的分析，该公式可进一步用于材料的断裂强度的计算。     

Some aspects on the variations in depositional flux of excess Thorium-230 in the Central Indian basin during Late Quaternary

Examined in this paper is the tentative history of the depositional flux of²³⁰Th_xs (the unsupported fraction of²³⁰Th scavenged from the overlying water column), for the Late Quaternary period from a sediment core of the Central Indian Basin (CIB). The measured depositional flux of²³⁰Th_xs is found substantially higher than that of the possible theoretical flux from the overlying water column. Historical records, reconstructed from the²³⁰Th_xs chronology suggests that the depositional flux has varied considerably with time, reflecting an enhanced scavenging during the Holocene and the preceding interglacial periods whereas, comparatively lower flux than the predicted one occurred during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) period. The average ratio of the measured depositional flux to that of the predicted flux from the overlying water column, indicates that the core site acts as a sink for²³⁰Th_xs and based on the existence of bottom current activity; the²³⁰Th_xs could be the result of focusing of younger sediments. The depositional index (Di) has also been calculated to quantify the extent of lateral supply throughout the core with time. The estimated (Di) suggests that bottom focusing and feeble deposition and/or winnowing processes had occurred and that the former was most prevalent during the Holocene and the preceding interglacials, whereas the latter was observed at the LGM period.