Finite element formulation and algorithms for unsaturated soils. Part II: Verification and application

The finite‐element formulation and integration algorithms developed in Part I are used to analyse a number of practical problems involving unsaturated and saturated soils. The formulation and algorithms perform well for all the cases analysed, with the robustness of the latter being largely insensitive to user‐defined parameters such as the number of coarse time steps and error control tolerances. The efficiency of the algorithms, as measured by the CPU time consumed, does not depend on the number of coarse time steps, but may be influenced by the error control tolerances. Based on the analyses presented here, typical values for the error control tolerances are suggested. It is also shown that the constitutive modelling framework presented in Part I can, by adjusting one constitutive equation and one or two material parameters, be used to simulate soils that expand or collapse upon wetting. Treating the suction as a strain variable instead of a stress variable proves to be an efficient and robust way of solving suction‐dependent plastic yielding. Moreover, the concept of the constitutive stress is a particularly convenient way of handling the transition between saturation and unsaturation. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Effect of spatial variation characteristics on contouring of design storm depth

The ordinary kriging method, a geostatistical interpolation technique, was applied for developing contour maps of design storm depth in northern Taiwan using intensity–duration–frequency (IDF) data. Results of variogram modelling on design storm depths indicate that the design storms can be categorized into two distinct storm types: (i) storms of short duration and high spatial variation and (ii) storms of long duration and less spatial variation. For storms of the first category, the influence range of rainfall depth decreases when the recurrence interval increases, owing to the increasing degree of their spatial independence. However, for storms of the second category, the influence range of rainfall depth does not change significantly and has an average of approximately 72 km. For very extreme events, such as events of short duration and long recurrence interval, we do not recommend usage of the established design storm contours, because most of the interstation distances exceed the influence ranges. Our study concludes that the influence range of the design storm depth is dependent on the design duration and recurrence interval and is a key factor in developing design storm contours. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Exposure dating and reinterpretation of coarse debris accumulations (‘rock glaciers’) in the Cairngorm Mountains,Scotland

Relict rock glaciers have considerable potential for contributing to palaeoclimatic reconstruction, but this potential is often undermined by lack of dating control and problems of interpretation. Here we reinvestigate and date four proposed ‘rock glaciers’ in the Cairngorm Mountains and show that the morphology of only one of these appears consistent with that of a true rock glacier produced by creep of underlying ice or ice‐rich sediment. All four features comprise rockslide or rock avalanche runout debris, and the possibility that all four represent unmodified runout accumulations cannot be discounted. Surface exposure dating of the four debris accumulations using cosmogenic ¹⁰Be produced uncertainty‐weighted mean ages of 15.4 ± 0.8 ka, 16.2 ± 1.0 ka, 12.1 ± 0.6 ka and 12.7 ± 0.8 ka. All four ages imply emplacement under cold stadial conditions, two prior to the Windermere Interstade of ca. 14.5–12.9 cal. ka BP and two during the Loch Lomond Stade of ca. 12.9–11.5 cal. ka BP. The above ages indicate that paraglacial rock‐slope failure on granite rockwalls occurred within a few millennia after deglaciation. The mean exposure ages obtained for runout debris at two sites – Strath Nethy (16.2 ± 1.0 ka) and Lairig Ghru (15.4 ± 0.8 ka) – are consistent with basal radiocarbon ages from Loch Etteridge, 22 km to the southwest (mean = 15.6 ± 0.3 cal. ka BP) and imply widespread deglaciation of the Cairngorms and adjacent valleys before 15 ka and possibly 16 ka. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Uncoupling of coupled flows in soil—a finite element method

Coupled flow of water, chemicals, heat and electrical potential in soil are of significance in a variety of circumstances. The problem is characterized by the coupling between different flows, i.e. a flow of one type driven by gradients of other types, and by the dual nature of certain flows, i.e. combined convection and conduction. Effective numerical solutions to the problem are challenged due to the coupling and the dual nature. In this paper, we first present a general expression that can be used to represent various types of coupled flows in soil. A finite element method is then proposed to solve the generalized coupled flows of convection-conduction pattern. The unknown vector is first decomposed into two parts, a convective part forming a hyperbolic system and a conductive part forming a parabolic system. At each time step, the hyperbolic system is solved analytically to give an initial solution. To solve the multi-dimensional hyperbolic system, we assume that a common eigenspace exists for the coefficient matrices, so that the system can be uncoupled by transforming the unknown vector to the common eigenspace. The uncoupled system is solved by the method of characteristics. Using the solution of the hyperbolic system as the initial condition, we then solve the parabolic system by a Galerkin finite element method for space discretization and a finite difference scheme for time stepping. The proposed technique can be used for solving multi-dimensional, transient, coupled or simultaneous flows of convection-conduction type. Application to a flow example shows that the technique indeed exhibits optimality in convergence and in stability.     

翅碱蓬(Suaeda heteroptera)根际与非根际沉积物常见重金属总量及化学形态变化

原子吸收光谱法和等离子光谱法分别研究了潮滩盐沼植物翅碱蓬(Suaedaheterop-tera)根际与非根际(根上部和根下部)沉积物中Cu、Zn、Pb和Cd的总量和化学形态。结果表明,从总量来看,不同潮滩沉积物中4种重金属次序均为Zn>Pb>Cu>Cd,但同一元素随潮滩位置变化明显,尤以中潮滩差异最显著,重金属总量明显大于其他两个潮滩(低潮滩和高潮滩),特别是根际沉积物中的重金属总量远高于非根际沉积物总量,其比值分别为Cu3·4—4·2倍,Zn2·2—2·7倍,Pb3·2—3·3倍。同一潮滩均表现为根际沉积物>根上部>根下部。Cd含量相对较低,其变化不明显。从化学形态看,沉积物重金属表现为环境直接影响态(交换态和有机结合态)、环境间接影响态(碳酸盐态和铁锰氧化物态)和稳定态(残渣态)。与非根际沉积物相比,根际沉积物中重金属的化学形态发生了显著的变化,Cu和Pb以稳定态为主,其次为环境间接影响态,环境直接影响态最低;Zn与上述2种金属不同,以环境直接影响态含量最高(可交换态是有机结合态的7倍),其次分别为环境间接影响态(主要是碳酸盐结合态)和稳定态。实验结果表明,由于特异根圈效应,一方面该植物使可迁移形态的Cu和Pb在根际逐步得到矿化,使其生物可利用性降低;另一方面使Zn的生物可利用性提高,促进了植物对Zn的吸收利用。     

海上矿石运输最优船队的组建

针对海上矿石运输，介绍了一种完成定量任务并能使投资费用最少为目标的最优船队组建方法，同时对易变参数进行了灵敏度分析，使决策更加科学化     

A new type of Shipboard Meteorological Satellite Receiving-processing System

INTRODUCTIONTheSMSRPSisstalledontheshipnavigatingovertheseaandreceivessatellitecloudmapsatanytimetoprovidereliablereal-timedataofmeteorologyandocean.Itisanimportantequipmentforsafeguardofshipnavigation.Chinahasthousandsofoceanicships.Butalmostallships,withonlyveryfewexception,arenotstalledbySMSRPS.Thecausesareasfollows:1.Thetechniqueisverycomplicated.2.Thedevelopmentcostisveryhigh.3.Ifweintroduceforeignequipment,thecostistooexpensive.4.Foreignequipmentanditssoftwarearecompletelyclo…     

曲靖盆地生物气成藏条件及主控因素分析

曲靖盆地新近系茨营组第三段的晚期生物气藏是新近系沉积之后,喜山运动时期各种成藏条件有效的时空配置的结果.在讨论曲靖盆地构造和沉积演化的基础上,综合分析了生物气源、储集层和盖层、圈闭形成以及天然气输导等成藏条件,阐述了生物气晚期聚集成藏条件的时空匹配关系.指出自第四纪以来,生物气源岩持续高效的产气作用是生物气成藏的物质保障,气藏的形成是生物气连续的补充大于逸散动态平衡的产物;背斜构造、砂岩上倾尖灭和砂岩透镜体圈闭是该区主要的圈闭类型;断裂和不整合面是沟通生物气源岩到圈闭的垂向和侧向输导通道,茨营组的连通砂岩体是生物气近距离运移的输导层.蔡家冲组大套湖相暗色泥岩的生物产气效率、断裂的垂向输导能力和圈闭的保存条件及其在时空上的动态配置是生物气晚期成藏的主控因素.     

About the specification of erosion flux for soft stratified cohesive sediments

The present paper deals with the specification of bed erosion flux that accounts for the effects of sediment-induced stratification in the water column. Owing to difficulties in measuring the bed shear stress _b and the erosive shear strength _s, we suggest a series of methods that combine laboratory and numerical experiments. A simplified turbulent transport model that includes these effects helps to quantify _b and _s. Focusing on soft stratified beds, the present study considers erosion rate formulas of the form =_f exp {[T_b-T_s]} where is a model constant (=1 for Gularte's (1978) formula and =1/2 for Parchure's (1984) formula). First, the bed erosive strength profile _s(Z) is adjusted by forcing the turbulent transport model with measured erosion rates. Second, three procedures are suggested to determine the erosion rate formula coefficients _f and : a global procedure and two different layer-by-layer procedures. Each procedure is applied to an erosion experiment conducted in a rotating annular flume by Villaret and Paulic (1986). The use of the layer-by-layer procedure based on a least squares fitting technique provides a closer fit than the global procedure. The present study points out the complementarity of experimental and numerical approaches and also suggests possible improvements in laboratory test procedures.     

黄河影响下开封城市的历史演变

河流对城市的形成和发展起着重要的作用,古人形象地把其比喻为“城市之血脉”。文章从不同的历史时期黄河及其分支对开封城市演变的影响进行分析,得出黄河与开封城市的关系存在着利与害的统一。开封城市的历史发展,即得益于黄河充足的水源,又受害于其频繁的决溢、泛滥、改道。因此,要采用先进的科学技术对黄河进行综合治理开发,使其恢复它应有的美好环境,更好地造福于人民。