Nonlinear seismic behaviour of wall-frame dual systems accounting for soil–structure interaction

The aim of this paper is to study the effects of soil–structure interaction on the seismic response of coupled wall-frame structures on pile foundations designed according to modern seismic provisions. The analysis methodology based on the substructure method is recalled focusing on the modelling of pile group foundations. The nonlinear inertial interaction analysis is performed in the time domain by using a finite element model of the superstructure. Suitable lumped parameter models are implemented to reproduce the frequency-dependent compliance of the soil-foundation systems. The effects of soil–structure interaction are evaluated by considering a realistic case study consisting of a 6-storey 4-bay wall-frame structure founded on piles. Different two-layered soil deposits are investigated by varying the layer thicknesses and properties. Artificial earthquakes are employed to simulate the earthquake input. Comparisons of the results obtained considering compliant base and fixed base models are presented by addressing the effects of soil–structure interaction on displacements, base shears, and ductility demand. The evolution of dissipative mechanisms and the relevant redistribution of shear between the wall and the frame are investigated by considering earthquakes with increasing intensity. Effects on the foundations are also shown by pointing out the importance of both kinematic and inertial interaction. Finally, the response of the structure to some real near-fault records is studied. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Erosional power in the Swiss Alps: characterization of slope failure in the Illgraben

Landslides and rockfalls are key geomorphic processes in mountain basins. Their quantification and characterization are critical for understanding the processes of slope failure and their contributions to erosion and landscape evolution. We used digital photogrammetry to produce a multi‐temporal record of erosion (1963–2005) of a rock slope at the head of the Illgraben, a very active catchment prone to debris flows in Switzerland. Slope failures affect 70% of the study slope and erode the slope at an average rate of 0.39 ± 0.03 m yr¯¹. The analysis of individual slope failures yielded an inventory of ~2500 failures ranging over 6 orders of magnitude in volume, despite the small slope area and short study period. The slope failures form a characteristic magnitude–frequency distribution with a rollover and a power‐law tail between ~200 m³ and 1.6 × 10⁶ m³ with an exponent of 1.65. Slope failure volume scales with area as a power law with an exponent of 1.1. Both values are low for studies of bedrock landslides and rockfall and result from the highly fractured and weathered state of the quartzitic bedrock. Our data suggest that the magnitude–frequency distribution is the result of two separate slope failure processes. Type (1) failures are frequent, small slides and slumps within the weathered layer of highly fractured rock and loose sediment, and make up the rollover. Type (2) failures are less frequent and larger rockslides and rockfalls within the internal bedded and fractured slope along pre‐determined potential failure surfaces, and make up the power‐law tail. Rockslides and rockfalls of high magnitude and relatively low frequency make up 99% of the total failure volume and are thus responsible for the high erosion rate. They are also significant in the context of landscape evolution as they occur on slopes above 45° and limit the relief of the slope. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Study of tide prediction method influenced by nonperiodic factors based on support vector machines

Harmonic analysis, the traditional tidal forecasting method, cannot take into account the impact of noncyclical factors, and is also based on the BP neural network tidal prediction model which is easily limited by the amount of data. According to the movement of celestial bodies, and considering the insufficient tidal characteristics of historical data which are impacted by the nonperiodic weather, a tidal prediction method is designed based on support vector machine (SVM) to carry out the simulation experiment by using tidal data from Xiamen Tide Gauge, Luchaogang Tide Gauge and Weifang Tide Gauge individually. And the results show that the model satisfactorily carries out the tide prediction which is influenced by noncyclical factors. At the same time, it also proves that the proposed prediction method, which when compared with harmonic analysis method and the BP neural network method, has faster modeling speed, higher prediction precision and stronger generalization ability.     

Landslide and basin self-organized criticality in the Lushan Hot Spring area

Defining a basin under a critical state(or a self-organized criticality) that has the potential to initiate landslides,debris flows,and subsequent sediment disasters,is a key issue for disaster prevention.The Lushan Hot Spring area in Nantou County,Taiwan,suffered serious sediment disasters after typhoons Sinlaku and Jangmi in 2008,and following Typhoon Morakot in 2009.The basin’s internal slope instability after the typhoons brought rain was examined using the landslide frequency-area distribution.The critical state indices attributed to landslide frequency-area distribution are discussed and the marginally unstable characteristics of the study area indicated.The landslides were interpreted from Spot 5 images before and after disastrous events.The results of the analysis show that the power-law landslide frequency-area curves in the basin for different rainfall-induced events tend to coincide with a single line.The temporal trend of the rainfallinduced landslide frequency-area distribution shows 1/f noise and scale invariance.A trend exists for landslide frequency-area distribution in log-log space for larger landslides controlled by the historical maximum accumulated rainfall brought by typhoons.The unstable state of the basin,including landslides,breached dams,and debris flows,are parts of the basin’s self-organizing processes.The critical state of landslide frequency-area distribution could be estimated by a critical exponent of 1.0.The distribution could be used for future estimation of the potential landslide magnitude for disaster mitigation and to identify the current state of a basin for management.     

关中平原清代霜雪灾害特点与周期研究

通过对关中平原清代历史文献资料的搜集、整理和小波分析,对该区清代霜雪灾害等级、周期及其成因进行了研究,并恢复了该区清代霜雪灾害发生时的最低气温.结果表明:关中平原清代共发生霜雪灾害34次,其中轻度、中度、重度霜雪灾害分别为2、20、12次;关中平原清代霜雪灾害可分为3个阶段,1644~1733年为第1阶段,1734~1823年为第2阶段,1824~1912年为第3阶段;第1和第3阶段为霜雪灾害多发阶段,以中度和重度灾害为主,第2阶段为霜雪灾害少发阶段,以轻度和中度灾害为主;小波分析表明,关中平原清代霜雪灾害的发生存在不同的时间周期规律,其周期主要有9~15年、13年、34年左右和40年左右;降雪或寒流引起的气温骤降至0℃以下是造成关中平原清代霜雪灾害的主要原因;关中平原清代轻度和中度霜雪灾害的气温范围为-6.4℃~-1℃,重度的气温范围一般为-19℃~-17℃;关中平原清代共发生3次寒冷气候事件,分别为1690~1692年、1861~1865年和1893~1895年.     

湖南道县铁锰矿区岩溶发育影响因素分析

湖南道县铁锰矿区岩溶发育主要受地层岩性、地形地貌、断裂构造等因素的控制,岩溶形态主要有溶洞、暗河、溶沟、溶槽、漏斗、落水洞和溶蚀洼地等,岩溶非均一性特征明显。在地层岩性上,以矿区CaO含量最高的上泥盆统佘田桥组和锡矿山组下段二至四层白云质灰岩、白云岩与锡矿山组下段第一层泥灰岩、泥质灰岩隔水层交界部位岩溶最为发育,佘田桥组见溶洞260个,占总溶洞数的96.7%。在平面上,岩溶以中部及北部地势平坦的覆盖岩溶区最为发育,见洞率54.8%,其次是岩石裸露的东部及南部低山丘陵区,矿区南部见洞率40.4%。在垂向上,由浅及深岩溶发育由强至弱,标高0~220m钻孔揭露溶洞237个,占溶洞总数的86.5%,-150~0m揭露溶洞28个,占溶洞总数的10.2%,-400m以下无溶洞及溶蚀现象。在地质构造上,断裂及其影响带岩溶较发育,断裂带见溶洞209个,占总见洞数的76.3%,且溶洞充填率较高。      

用于PB-HTGR燃料球运动规律研究的钴-60螺旋CT系统研发

在球床式高温气冷堆(PB-HTGR)中,球形燃料元件在堆芯中的流动特性是堆芯物理设计和几何设计的基础,球流运动规律的研究在发展球床式高温气冷堆技术中具有基础性的作用。目前还没有一种有效的手段检测燃料球在堆芯中的运动轨迹,有关球流运动规律的理论和实验研究尚不够完善。为了对燃料球在堆芯中的运动规律进行三维实验研究,清华大学核研院按实际堆芯结构等比例缩小设计了实验模型,通过检测目标球在模型中的运动轨迹,可以对不同工况下燃料球的运动规律进行模拟研究。为了满足目标球的检测要求,我们设计了钴-60多层螺旋CT检测方案,可以进行目标球的识别和轨迹追踪,验证实验结果表明该方案可以满足实验系统对目标球检测的要求。      

An experiment on temperature variations in sandstone during biaxial loading

The temperature response to stress–strain variations in rock is useful in developing an understanding of the thermodynamic property of crust. In this study, the temperature of sandstone during loading was investigated using laboratory biaxial testing. By changing the loading patterns, the deformation of a specimen was controlled to produce two distinct modes of strain: volume strain only and shear strain only. These strain modes were produced separately such that the temperature variation associated with the different deformation modes could be analysed. Experimental results indicate that temperature, as a scalar quantity, is notably sensitive to rock deformation. In the case of the volume strain, the temperature variation is positively correlated with the variation in the bulk stress. The temperature rises with the increase in hydrostatic pressure, and vice versa. In the case of the shear strain, experimental results repeatedly show two characteristics: firstly, there appears obvious increase in temperature in the area of pure shear strain, which is most likely related to local plastic deformation; secondly, the temperature drops in the area of tension during loading, whereas the temperature rises within the area of compression. This is to say, the state of crustal stress–strain should be obtained through the measurement of rock temperature.     

三轴冲击荷载作用下淤泥力学响应研究

利用SPAX-2000（改进型）静动真三轴系统,针对淤泥类超软土进行静动力排水固结试验,研究包括较高频率在内的各冲击荷载频率（1、8、16 Hz）与不同围压（200、250、300 kPa）作用下淤泥的力学响应;此外,结合三轴剪切试验研究不同固结条件对淤泥不排水强度的影响。试验结果表明：（1）在相同冲击频率作用下,试样抗剪强度随着围压增大而提高;围压增大,使得球应力增大,体应变随着增大,有效地促进试样排水固结。（2）相同围压作用下,存在着一个冲击荷载频率阈值,当冲击频率低于这一阈值时,随着冲击荷载频率的提高,轴向应变量逐渐变小,反之逐渐变大。（3）冲击瞬间,体应变为负值,表现为体胀,这与原位试验夯击瞬间的孔隙水压力变化曲线一致,从而验证了高含水率淤泥在冲击作用下的孔压负增长现象。     

Evaluation of active and passive seismic earth pressures considering internal friction and cohesion

The Log-Spiral-Rankine (LSR) model, which is a generalized formulation for assessing the active and passive seismic earth pressures considering the internal friction and cohesion of backfill soil, is reviewed and improved in this study. System inconsistencies in the LSR model are identified, which result from an inaccurate assumption on the vertical normal stress field (σ_z=γz) in a general c–ϕ soil medium, and from omitting the effect of soil cohesion when solving for the stress states along the failure surface. The remedies to the said inconsistencies are presented, and local and global iteration schemes are introduced to solve the resulting highly coupled multivariate nonlinear system of equations. The modified LSR model provides a more complete and accurate solution for earth retaining systems, including the geometry of the mobilized soil body, the stress state along the failure surface, as well as the magnitude and the point of application of the resultant earth thrust.