Fracture energy release and size effect in borehole breakout

The paper presents a simple approximate analytical solution of the remote stresses that cause the collapse of a borehole or other circular cylindrical cavity in an infinite elastic space. Regions of parallel equidistant splitting cracks are assumed to form on the sides of the cavity. Their boundary is assumed to be an ellipse of a growing horizontal axis, the other axis remaining equal to the borehole diameter. The slabs of rock between the splitting cracks are assumed to buckle as slender columns, and their post-critical stress is considered as the residual stress in the cracked rock. The buckling of these slab columns is assumed to be resisted not only by their elastic bending stiffness but also shear stresses produced on rough crack faces by relative shear displacements. The energy release from the infinite medium caused by the growth of the elliptical cracking region is evaluated according to Eschelby's theorem. This release is set equal to the energy dissipated by the formation of all the splitting cracks, which is calculated under the assumption of constant fracture energy. This yields the collapse stress as a function of the elastic moduli, fracture energy, ratio of the remote principal stresses, crack shear resistance characteristic and borehole diameter. The collapse stress as a function of crack spacing is found to have a minimum, and the correct crack spacing is determined from this minimum. For small enough diameters, the crack spacing increases as the (4/5)-power of the borehole diameter, while for large enough diameters a constant spacing is approached. In contrast to plastic solutions, the breakout stress exhibits a size effect, such that for small enough diameters the breakout stress decreases as the (? 2/5)-power of the borehole diameter, while for large enough diameters a constant limiting value is approached. Finally, some numerical estimates are given and the validity of various simplifying assumptions made is discussed.     

Radon variations in a Hungarian village

 A steady radon exhalation is assumed in most publications. In a village of North-East Hungary, however, high radon concentrations have been measured, differing strongly in neighbouring houses and varying in time, due to the interplay of geochemical phenomena. Received: 20 November 1995 · Accepted: 18 June 1996     

Solar flares: The gradual phase

One has to distinguish between two kinds of the gradual phase of flares: (1) a gradual phase during which no energy is released so that we see only cooling after the impulsive phase (a confined flare), and (2) a gradual phase during which energy release continues (a dynamic flare).The simplest case of (1) is a single-loop flare which might provide an excellent opportunity for the study of cooling processes in coronal loops. But most confined flares are far more complicated: they may consist of sets of unresolved elementary loops, of conglomerates of loops, or they form arcades the components of which may be excited sequentially. Accelerated particles as well as hot and cold plasma can be ejected from the flare site (coronal tongues, flaring arches, sprays, bright and dark surges) and these ejecta may cool more slowly than the source flare itself.However, the most important flares on the Sun are flares of type (2) in which a magnetic field opening is followed by subsequent reconnection of fieldlines that may continue for many hours after the impulsive phase. Therefore, the main attention in this review is paid to the gradual phase of this category of long-decay flares. The following items are discussed in particular: The wide energy range of dynamic flares: from eruptions of quiescent filaments to most powerful cosmic-ray flares. Energy release at the reconnection site and modelling of the reconnection process. The post-flare loops: evidence for reconnection; observations at different wavelengths; energy deposit in the chromosphere, chromospheric ablation, and velocity fields; loops in emission; shrinking loops; magnetic modelling. The gradual phase in X-rays and on radio waves. Post-flare X-ray arches: observations, interpretation, and modelling; relation to metric radio events and mass ejections, multiple-ribbon flares and anomalous events, hybrid events, possible relations between confined and dynamic flares.     

Low frequency flickering of TT arietis: Hard and soft X-ray emission region

Using archival ASCA observations of TT Arietis, X-ray energy spectra and power spectra of the intensity time series are presented for the first time. The energy spectra are well-fitted by a two continuum plasma emission model with temperatures 1 keV and 10 keV. A coherent feature at 0.643 mHz appeared in the power spectra during the observation.     

The contact binary system YY Eri

Relatively new and unanalysed photometric data-sets of the contact binary system YY Eri are presented. The light curves have been analysed using information limit optimization techniques, and the Binary Maker program of Bradstreet (1992).Comparison of the results allows insight into determinacy questions affecting the W UMa type of light curve, which relates to our general understanding of contact binaries. A limiting contact configuration cannot be ruled out on the basis of empirical data-analysis alone.Very careful analysis of the photospheric flux distribution over the surface of the Sun may help establish appropriate values of the gravity brightening parameter for cool dwarf stars. At present, however, empirical photometric information on contact binaries is non-discriminatory: i.e. alternative cosmogonies can find alternative support from available evidence. The implication is then for more and better observational data to allow better real independent parameter determination.     

Some results of biogeographic research on meadows in the Dyje-Svratka basin in the Czech Republic

Some results of biogeographic research on meadows in the Dyje-Svratka basin in the Czech Republic. The paper shows one example of biogeographic inventory of natural ecosystems in an unflooded meadow in the Dyje-Svratka basin. It is part of the complex physio-geographic research of the Geographic Department of the Masaryk University in Brno aimed at gaining a basis for territorial interpretation of ecological regularities and territorial application of general ecological optimizing principles. A segment of biocenosis of Ulmi-fraxineta carpini has been analyzed (Zlatník 1956).The endeavour of Czech geographers to study geosystems of various dimensions completely gets in the limelight. In question is the understanding of mutual relationship of components of geosystems based on the exchange of mass and energy. There are two ways of studying them: spatial relations or approaches concentrated on processes. In contrast to the above unilateral concept, the endeavour to make the approaches compatible appears rarely. This complex view is made possible by geobiocenologically taken biogeography in papers of Zlatník and Rauer, their students and successors. This paper shows only one example of the results of biogeographic stock-taking of meadows in the Dyje-Svratka basin, indicating relations of eco- and geosystems which confirm the necessity of ecological orientation of the present biogeography and its potential contribution to ecology.     

Magnetic properties,self-reversal remanence and thermal alteration products of smythite

Summary This study is a follow up of the investigation of some magnetic properties and metastability of greigite in samples obtained from Miocene claystones in the Kruné hory (Erzgebirge) Piedmont basins (Bohemia). Three different methods of upgrading the smythite were applied; the magnetic properties of the concentrates are compared. The thermal conversion of smythite sets in at 200°C while greigite converts at 250°C. The first intermediate products to be formed are iron sulphides, marcasite clearly dominating over pyrite and pyrrhotite. Apart from a Fe³⁺ sulphate with a composition of Fe₂(SO₄)₃, oxidation of these sulphides gives rise to -Fe₂O₃. The result of the subsequent decomposition of the mentioned sulphate is the formation of -Fe₂O₃, which retains the sulphate structure. The final product of the thermal decomposition at 800°C is -Fe₂O₃. In the smythite concentrate the conversion to Fe³⁺ sulphate and -Fe₂O₃ is about twice as intensive as in greigite. No direct conversion to -Fe₂O₃ was found. During the thermal process self-reversals of remanence were observed, in various samples as many as four reversals in the temperature interval from 340 to 590°C. The occurrences of self-reversals of remanence were only observed at high degrees of thermal demagnetization, of the order of 10^–2 down to 10^–3 in the temperature interval of sulphide origin (below 400°C), and of the order of 10^–4 down to 10^–6 in the temperature interval of Fe-oxides origin (above 400°C).Presented at the 3rd Conference on New Trends in Geomagnetism, Castle of Smolenice, Czechoslovakia, June 22–29, 1992     

A combined study of macroseismic data and focal mechanisms applied to the West-Bohemian earthquake,Czechoslovakia

The main shock of the West-Bohemian earthquake swarm, Czechoslovakia, (magnitudem=4.5, depthh=10 km) exhibits an irregular areal distribution of macroseismic intensities 6° to 7° MSK-64. Four lobes of the 6° isoseismal are found and the maximum observed intensity is located at a distance of 8 km from the instrumentally determined epicentre. This distribution can be explained by the energy flux of the directS wave generated by a circular source, the hypocentral location and focal mechanism of which are taken from independent instrumental studies. The theoretical intensity, which is assumed to be logarithmically proportional to the integrated squared ground-motion velocity (i.e.,I=const+log v ² (t)dt), fits the observed intensity with an overall root-mean-square error less than 0.5°. It is important that the present intensity data can also be equally well explained by the isotropic source. The fit was attained by means of a horizontally layered model though large fault zones and an extended sedimentary basin suggest a significant lateral heterogeneity of the epicentral region. The results encourage a broader application of the simple modelling technique used.     

Vibrational stability of rotating stars

The aim of the present paper will be to detail the explicit form of the equations which govern first-order oscillations of fast-rotating globes of self-gravitating fluids; with due account taken of the effects arising from the centrifugal as well as Coriolis force. As such configurations oscillate in general about distorted figures of equilibrium, the equations governing them can be conveniently expressed in terms of the Clairaut coordinates, associated with distorted spheroidal figures, and introduced in our previous paper (Kopal, 1980) for this purpose.In Section 2 which follows a brief outline of our problem, the equilibrium properties of fast-rotating configurations or arbitrary structure will be formulated. In Section 3 we shall carry out a separation of the variables in the equations of motion, and reduce the partial differential equations of the problem to an equivalent system of ordinary differential equations, by an expansion of expressions for the velocity componentsU, V, W in terms of tesseral harmonicsY _n ^m (, ). The explicit form of such a system, including the effects of all tesseral harmonics of orders up tom=n=4, will be specified in Section 3 for configurations whose equilibrium form is a sphere; while in Section 4 this latter condition will be relaxed to allow for the equilibrium configuration to become a rotational spheroid.In the concluding Section 5 we shall convert the complex form of our equations of motion into real terms, amenable to a solution-analytical or numerical-in terms of real variables; and shall establish the boundary conditions necessary for a specification of the characteristic frequencies of oscillation.