Lagrangian meshfree particles method (SPH) for large deformation and failure flows of geomaterial using elastic–plastic soil constitutive model

Simulation of large deformation and post‐failure of geomaterial in the framework of smoothed particle hydrodynamics (SPH) are presented in this study. The Drucker–Prager model with associated and non‐associated plastic flow rules is implemented into the SPH code to describe elastic–plastic soil behavior. In contrast to previous work on SPH for solids, where the hydrostatic pressure is often estimated from density by an equation of state, this study proposes to calculate the hydrostatic pressure of soil directly from constitutive models. Results obtained in this paper show that the original SPH method, which has been successfully applied to a vast range of problems, is unable to directly solve elastic–plastic flows of soil because of the so‐called SPH tensile instability. This numerical instability may result in unrealistic fracture and particles clustering in SPH simulation. For non‐cohesive soil, the instability is not serious and can be completely removed by using a tension cracking treatment from soil constitutive model and thereby give realistic soil behavior. However, the serious tensile instability that is found in SPH application for cohesive soil requires a special treatment to overcome this problem. In this paper, an artificial stress method is applied to remove the SPH numerical instability in cohesive soil. A number of numerical tests are carried out to check the capability of SPH in the current application. Numerical results are then compared with experimental and finite element method solutions. The good agreement obtained from these comparisons suggests that SPH can be extended to general geotechnical problems. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Reconnection in solar flares: Outstanding questions

Space observations of solar flares such as those from Yohkoh, SOHO, TRACE, and RHESSI have revealed a lot of observational evidence of magnetic reconnection in solar flares: cusp-shaped arcades, reconnection inflows, plasmoids, etc. Thus it has been established, at least phenomenologically, that magnetic reconnection does occur in solar flares. However, a number of fundamental questions and puzzles still remain in the physics of reconnection in solar flares. In this paper, we discuss the recent progresses and future prospects in the study of magnetic reconnection in solar flares from both theoretical and observational points of view.     

Magnetic Field Properties of Solar X-Ray Jets

From a list of X-ray jets made by Shimojo et al. (1996), we selected events for which there were magnetic field data from NSO/Kitt Peak. Using co-aligned SXT and magnetograms, we examined the magnetic field properties of X-ray jets. We found that 8% of the jets studied occurred at a single pole (SP), 12% at a bipole (BP), 24% in a mixed polarity (MP) and 48% in a satellite polarity (ST). If the satellite polarity region is the same as the mixed polarity region, 72% of the jets occurred at the (general) mixed polarity region.We also investigated the magnetic evolution of jet-producing areas in active regions NOAA 7067, NOAA 7270, and NOAA 7858. It is found that X-ray jets favored regions of evolving magnetic flux (increasing or decreasing).     

Numerical hydrodynamics of the jet phenomena in the solar atmosphere

We present a spicule model whose eruption occurs as a result of the sudden pressure enhancement at the bright point located at the root of the spicule. To show this, one dimensional (constant cross sectional) and time dependent hydrodynamic equations are solved numerically in the realistic solar atmosphere extending from the photosphere to the corona. Adiabatic motion is assumed. The pressure enhancement by a bright point at the base of the model atmosphere generates a shock wave. The shock gets stronger as it passes upward through the chromosphere and eventually collides with the chromosphere-corona interface which is a kind of a contact discontinuity. As the result, the interface begins to move upward. We identify the matter following behind this interface as the solar spicule. The model explains many observed features, such as the height and the density of the spicules, although such features have been hitherto considered not to be explained easily by shock theories.     

On the origin of strong downdrafts associated with the birth of sunspots

During the emerging phase of sunspot pores strong downdrafts are observed in photospheric lines, whereas the upward flow is not detected within the observational accuracy. For the study of the origin of these downdrafts, we present the numerical solutions of non-steady hydrodynamic equations in one dimension along the rising magnetic flux tubes. In these solutions, it is assumed that the solar gas inside the tube is initially in the hydrostatic HSRA and then the tube rises with a given velocity and configuration. The results reproduce well the observed radial velocity distributions, hence it is concluded that the observed strong downdrafts originate from the sliding matter along the rising magnetic flux tubes.     

Some factors affecting the survival of coliform bacteria in seawater

Some experiments were carried out to explain thein situ phenomena that the number of coliform organisms decreased rapidly from estuaries to offshore, and also at deeper layer, and that the appearance of coliform types varied.In natural seawater, experimental results did not show thatEscherichia coli was extinct by self-purification or anti-biosis action of seawater, but it showed that this organism decreased mainly because of their starvation caused by lack of nourishment. Although the decreasing rate of bacterial density was delayed in enriched seawater, addition of nutrient even at the time of bacterial extinction promoted the appearance of variated form of this bacteria with floc formation.Flocculation of bacterial cells was influenced by quality and quantity of added nutrients. Temperature was shown to have an effect on the floc formation, but appearance of variated form in flocculated cells ofE. coli was not affected by temperature. Flocculated particles of coliform bacteria were adsorbed on suspended particles in seawater and precipitated rapidly. This phenomenon seems to be a cause of the rapid disappearance of coliform bacteria in coastal waters.In bottom deposits the coliform bacteria probably survive longer as physiologically variated forms when suitable nutrients were supplied.     

Flare ribbon expansion and energy release

We report a detailed examination about the relationship between the evolution of the Hα flare ribbons and the released magnetic energy during the April 10 2001 flare. In the Hα images, several bright kernels are observed in the flare ribbons. We identified the conjugated foot-points, by analyzing the lightcurves at each Hα kernels, and showed their connectivities during the flare. Then, based on the magnetic reconnection model, we calculated quantitatively the released energy by using the photospheric magnetic field strengths and separation speeds of the Hα flare ribbons. Finally, we examined the downward motions which are observed at the Hα kernels. We found that the stronger the red-asymmetry tends to be associated with the brighter the Hα kernel.     

Mechanism of the olivine–ringwoodite transformation in the presence of aqueous fluid

The mechanism of the high pressure transformation of olivine in the presence of aqueous fluid was investigated by high pressure experiments conducted nominally at the wadsleyite + ringwoodite stability field at 14.5 GPa and 700 and 800°C. The microstructures of recovered samples were observed using an analytical transmission electron microscope (ATEM) for which foils were prepared using a focused ion beam technique. Glass films approximately 1 μm in width always occupied the interface between olivine and hydrous ringwoodite. ATEM measurements showed that the chemical compositions of the glass films had approximately the same Mg/Fe ratio as that of olivine, but a higher Si content. Micro-structural and -chemical observations suggest that these glass films formed as quenched glass from the aqueous fluid dissolving olivine and that hydrous ringwoodite was crystallized from the fluid. This indicates that the transformation of olivine to hydrous ringwoodite was prompted by the dissolution–reprecipitation process. The dissolution–reprecipitation process is considered an important mineral replacement mechanism in the Earth’s crust by which one mineral is replaced by a more stable phase or phases. However, this process has not previously been reported for deep mantle conditions.     

Formation of astrophysical jets by a contracting magnetic accretion disk

In the present paper, we discuss an MHD model for the formation of astrophysical jets, in which the directed flows are ejected along the rotation axis of an accretion disk formed from a cloud having a large scale magnetic field parallel to the angular momentum axis of the disk. The acceleration of jets is due to thej×B force in the relaxing magnetic twist which is produced by the rotation of the disk. The characteristic features of the jets, predicted by our mechanism and hopefully to be proven by observations, are the helical velocity and the hollow cylindrical shape of the jet, with a diameter of roughly the size of the region from which the acceretion disk collected its mass. Justification for the assumption of the perpendicular orientation of the disk, or the parallelism of the jets, to the external magnetic field may be provided by the fact that the component of rotation whose axis is perpendicular to the field may have been damped in the earlier phase of the cloud contraction.Paper presented at the IAU Third Asian-Pacific Regional Meeting, held in Kyoto, Japan, between 30 Septemper–6 October, 1984.