A small-scale field check on the Fisher–Lehmann and Bakker–Le Heux cliff degradation models

The paper considers the development of initially straight, steep rock cliffs, bounded above and below by horizontal surfaces, in which basal debris removal is zero and degradation occurs by the weathering away of fine debris from the cliff face to form a scree at its foot. Of the slope degradation models available, the two earliest and simplest, namely the Fisher–Lehmann and the Bakker–Le Heux models, are regarded as most relevant and are briefly summarized. The main purpose of the paper is to check the predictions of these models, particularly with regard to the shape of the rock surface buried beneath the scree, against field data. Such data are sparse. It is concluded that the best field case currently available, despite its small scale, is that provided by the 1·75 m deep ditch which forms part of the experimental earthwork in the chalk on Overton Down, Wiltshire. The predictions of the two models are checked against field measurements made of the stage of degradation reached on each face of the ditch by July 1968, eight years after its excavation. These stages were influenced to different degrees by the presence of a surface turf layer. For the NE face, where this influence was least, the agreement of the predictions of the Fisher–Lehmann model with the actual rock profile is excellent and that of the Bakker–Le Heux model only marginally less so. For the SW face, as expected, the agreements are somewhat less close. These results may be to some extent fortuitous because of the influence of the turves and because the scree slopes tend to be concave rather than rectilinear, as assumed. Also, the free faces decline with time in a manner intermediate between those assumed in the two models. Larger scale field checks are clearly desirable before firm general conclusions can be drawn. Rates of crest recession for the Overton Down ditch are logarithmic with time after a very rapid initial phase. Extrapolation from the early phase of this logarithmic behaviour leads to a close estimate of the time needed for the slope to develop fully. The associated ultimate crest recession is also closely predicted by equations derived from both models. © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

孔隙液体的可压缩性对非饱和孔隙介质弹塑性分析的影响

首先在多相孔隙介质的混合物理论框架内探讨了如何利用固-液两相孔隙介质模型描述介质的非饱和问题。其次,讨论了一个实用的描述孔隙液体可压缩性的方法,并建立了小变形条件下固-液两相孔隙介质的弹塑性本构方程。最后,采用俞茂宏统一强度理论,针对一个具体的结构例子,分析了孔隙液体的可压缩性对结构弹塑性分析的影响。     

An analysis of soil crust strength in relation to potential abrasion by saltating particles

Wind erosion depends on the ease with which particles can be detached from the soil surface, but suitable tests to characterize this property are not available. Two possible methods to determine surface soil strength in the field were therefore compared on a range of artificially ‘crusted’ surfaces. These were made by spraying or tension wetting aggregates (10–2, 2–0.5 and <0.5 mm) from a structurally unstable sandy loam, followed by drying. Each test involved measuring the force exerted on a probe driven at a steady rate into the surface, using either a flat-tipped 0.6 mm diameter penetrometer or a flat-ended cylindrical punch with inner and outer diameters of 5 and 6 mm, respectively. Both probes showed that crusts could be produced reproducibly. Depending on the probe and aggregate size, penetration mainly occurred either as a result of aggregates being deflected out of the pathway of the probe or by genuine rupture of aggregates or of the crusted surface. The penetrometer, because it was comparable to the size of sand grains, gave results that can be used to characterize surface erodibility to saltating particles. The punch gave results that would be unsuitable for this purpose, as would other strength tests that are on too large a scale. Penetrometer results were analyzed to calculate the energy required for penetration. It was thus possible to demonstrate that only the spray-wetted fine aggregates had a surface that could undergo large-scale rupture by saltating sand grains. For all other surfaces, saltating particles would be unable to supply sufficient energy to rupture aggregates or the crusted surface. Erosion could only occur by a slower process of abrasion in which smaller particles or aggregates are chipped away from the surface. However, it is shown that saltating particles could rupture the interaggregate bonding in the 2–0.5 mm aggregate surfaces, thus permitting creep. An alternative and potentially simpler way of characterizing surface erodibility by using a surface modulus of elasticity is also discussed. Our results demonstrate that the small diameter penetrometer is a promising technique for characterizing erodibility of aggregated and crusted surfaces. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

T形截面柱的非线性分析

编制了适用于任意截面的钢筋混凝土压弯构件截面的弯矩—曲率非线性分析程序。在此基础上,计算了考虑非线性变形的异形柱弯矩—曲率关系,并研究了翼缘、轴压比等因素对异形柱强度和延性的影响,可作为异形柱研究的参考依据。     

Mechanism for the instability of slopes composed of granular materials

The mechanism of instability of slopes composed of granular materials was examined through a tilting-box experiment using an assembly of aluminium rods and direct shear tests. A detailed observation of the experiment and the simple physical model led to the following conclusion. Avalanching of granular materials is triggered by rotation of rods at the slope surface. The force inducing the rotation was caused by the weight of the particles transmitted through contact points. Therefore, the mechanism of avalanching of granular materials was not comparable to the shear mechanism that has been considered to be responsible for the instability of slopes made of granular materials. © 1997 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

地幔热导率的选取对动力学数值模拟的影响——以岩石圈张裂过程为例

目前存在有多种地幔热导率模型,不同模型在数值和随温压变化的特征上有明显的差异.为探究不同热导率模型对动力学数值模拟结果的影响,本文对不同模型下的岩石圈张裂过程进行模拟研究,探讨地幔热导率对岩石圈热传输、变形和熔融过程的影响及其作用机理.结果显示,不同热导率模型下,岩石圈的变形和熔融特征表现出明显差异.高热导率模型下,岩石圈破裂较晚,形成陆缘较为宽阔,地壳熔融强烈而地幔熔融较弱;低热导率模型下,岩石圈破裂较早,形成陆缘较为狭窄,地幔熔融强烈而地壳熔融较弱.这种差异源于不同地幔热导率下岩石圈和地幔热状态的变化及相应力学性质的改变.高热导率下,热传导的增温效应显著,岩石圈呈现较热的状态,其强度整体较低,壳幔耦合减弱;而低热导率下,热对流的增温效应显著,岩石圈呈较冷的状态,其强度整体较高,壳幔耦合增强.基于模拟结果,本文认为地幔热导率的选取对动力学模拟的结果有着较为显著的影响,相对于随温压的变化,热导率数值的差异对动力学数值模拟的结果影响更大,尤其是对于地幔熔融过程的影响.     

The control of wind strength on the barchan to parabolic dune transition

The evolution of barchan-to-parabolic dunes can be driven by vegetation establishment, which may be linked to climate change and/or human activity. However, little is known of the impact of changes in wind strength on vegetation development and the resulting impacts on the evolution of dune morphology and sedimentological characteristics. To address this issue, we studied the morphology and grain-size characteristics of barchan, barchan-to-parabolic and parabolic dunes in the Mu Us Desert in north China, which was combined with an analysis of changes in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) and climatic variables during 1982–2018. The results reveal a trend of increasing growing-season NDVI which was related to a significant decrease in drift potential (DP). Therefore, we suggest that the initiation of dune transformation was caused by the reduced wind strength which favored the establishment and development of vegetation. To reveal the response of sedimentological reorganization during the processes of dune transformation, grain-size characteristics along the longitudinal profile of the three different types of dunes were examined. The decreasing wind strength led to the transport of fine sands on the upper part of the windward face of the dunes, resulting in a progressive coarsening of the grain-size distribution (GSD) and a reduction in dune height at the crest area. No distinct trend in sorting and mean grain-size was observed on the windward slope of the barchan-to-parabolic dune, indicating that the sand in transit had little influence on the GSD. Conversely, progressive sorting and coarsening of the sand occurred towards the crest of the parabolic dune. This indicates that vegetation development limited the transport of sand from upwind of the dune, and affected a shift in the dune source material to the underlying source deposits, or to reworked pre-existing aeolian deposits, and resulted in the trapping of sand in the crest area. © 2020 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

低周反复荷载下Q460钢材框架柱抗震性能分析

为了进一步完善Q460钢材在抗震设计规范中相关限值的要求,本文利用有限元软件ABAQUS,以轴压比、翼缘宽厚比、腹板高厚比和壁板宽厚比为变量,建立了共48根“工”字型框架柱和“箱”型框架柱,分析了其抗震性能。结果表明:翼缘宽厚比对框架柱的能量耗散系数影响较小;能量耗散系数随轴压比、腹板高厚比（“工”字型）和壁板宽厚比（“箱”型）增大而明显减小;框架柱的极限承载力随轴压比的减小及壁板宽厚比和翼缘宽厚比的增大而逐渐增大,当腹板高厚比接近规范限值时,承载力下降趋势明显增大。与采用Q235钢材的框架柱相比,Q460钢材框架柱的延性较小,仅为2左右;当采用Q460钢材时,“工”字型框架柱的极限位移角限值建议取为0.03,“箱”型框架柱的极限位移角限值建议取为0.032。规范中对翼缘宽厚比限值的规定偏于保守,其值最大可取至9。无论是“工”字型框架柱还是“箱”型框架柱,其腹板高厚比均不宜过大。Q460钢材框架柱的刚度退化率随轴压比的增大而增强,且翼缘宽厚比越大,腹板高厚比越小,柱的初始刚度越大,刚度退化程度越明显。     

Plant root and rhizome strength: Are there differences between and within species and rivers?

The strength and architecture of roots and other below-ground organs of riparian and aquatic plants affect plant resistance to uprooting and contribute to reinforcing river bank, bar and bed materials. Therefore, root properties are an important element in models for estimating river bank stability and such models may focus on the role of plants by using root strength–diameter relationships for the particular plant species that are present. Here we explore the degree to which there appear to be significant differences in strength–diameter relationships between and within species-specific data sets obtained for two riparian tree/shrub (Populus nigra, Salix alba) and two emergent aquatic macrophyte (Sparganium erectum, Phalaris arundinacea) species in different European river environments. While the analysed data sets were not specifically collected to answer these research questions, the results are sufficiently compelling to make the case for the collection of a more comprehensive data set and its rigorous analysis. This would allow recommendations to be made on the degree to which (i) species-specific or more general relationships between root/rhizome strength and diameter are appropriate, (ii) such relationships are applicable within and between rivers in different geographical regions and subject to different local environmental conditions, and (iii) further (minimalist) field observations are needed to calibrate such relationships for investigations of new locales or species. © 2018 The Authors. Earth Surface Processes and Landforms published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.     

Strength matters: Resisting erosion across upland landscapes

Soil-covered upland landscapes comprise a critical part of the habitable world and our understanding of their evolution as a function of different climatic, tectonic, and geologic regimes is important across a wide range of disciplines. Soil production and transport play essential roles in controlling the spatial variation of soil depth and therefore hillslope hydrological processes, distribution of vegetation, and soil biological activity. Field-based confirmation of the hypothesized relationship between soil thickness and soil production is relatively recent, however, and here we quantify a direct, material strength-based influence on variable soil production across landscapes. We report clear empirical linkages between the shear strength of the parent material (its erodibility) and the overlying soil thickness. Specifically, we use a cone penetrometer and a shear vane to determine saprolite resistance to shear. We find that saprolite shear strength increases systematically with overlying soil thickness across three very different field sites where we previously quantified soil production rates. At these sites, soil production rates, determined from in situ produced beryllium-10 (¹⁰Be) and aluminum-26 (²⁶Al), decrease with overlying soil thickness and we therefore infer that the efficiency of soil production must decrease with increasing parent material shear strength. We use our field-based data to help explain the linkages between biogenic processes, chemical weathering, hillslope hydrology, and the evolution of the Earth's surface. © 2019 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.