Strain localization in sand: an overview of the experimental results obtained in Grenoble using stereophotogrammetry

Experimental results are presented from the extensive program of drained plane strain compression tests on sand carried out in Grenoble over the last two decades. Systematic analysis of photographs of the deforming specimen allowed for measuring deformations and determining strain fields throughout the test, that is: prior to, at, and after the onset of strain localization. The principles, details and accuracy of the procedure are described, as well as its suitability to properly depict the patterns of deformation. Findings concerning the occurrence and progression of strain localization are discussed. The issues of shear band orientation and thickness are addressed, as well as temporary and persistent complex localization patterns, and the volumetric behaviour inside a band after its formation. The influence of such variables as initial state of the sand (effective stress and relative density), specimen size and slenderness, as well as grain size, is discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd     

Testing the circumstellar disc hypothesis: a search for H2 outflow signatures from massive young stellar objects with linearly distributed methanol masers

The results of a survey searching for outflows using near-infrared imaging are presented. Targets were chosen from a compiled list of massive young stellar objects associated with methanol masers in linear distributions. Presently, it is a widely held belief that these methanol masers are found in (and delineate) circumstellar accretion discs around massive stars. If this scenario is correct, one way to test the disc hypothesis is to search for outflows perpendicular to the methanol maser distributions. The main objective of the survey was to obtain wide-field near-infrared images of the sites of linearly distributed methanol masers using a narrow-band 2.12-μm filter. This filter is centred on the  H₂ v = 1–0 S(1)  line; a shock diagnostic that has been shown to successfully trace CO outflows from young stellar objects. 28 sources in total were imaged of which 18 sources display H₂ emission. Of these, only two sources showed emission found to be dominantly perpendicular to the methanol maser distribution. Surprisingly, the H₂ emission in these fields is not distributed randomly, but instead the majority of sources are found to have H₂ emission dominantly parallel to their distribution of methanol masers. These results seriously question the hypothesis that methanol masers exist in circumstellar discs. The possibility that linearly distributed methanol masers are instead directly associated with outflows is discussed.     

Hydrated sulphuric acid in dense molecular clouds

We consider sulphur depletion in dense molecular clouds, and suggest hydrated sulphuric acid, H₂SO₄ ·  n H₂O, as a component of interstellar dust in icy mantles. We discuss the formation of hydrated sulphuric acid in collapsing clouds and its instability in heated regions in terms of the existing hot core models and observations. We also show that some features of the infrared spectrum of hydrated sulphuric acid have correspondence in the observed spectra of young stellar objects.     

Ab initio infra-red spectra of iron-polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compounds: a model case

C₁₀H₆-Fe⁺ complexes were observed by Fourier transform mass spectrometry by Marty et al. (Chem. Phys. Lett. 256 (1996) 669). In this article, we present the infra-red (IR) spectra of the two isomers calculated by ab initio methods of quantum chemistry. In the past, the same approach has predicted successfully unexpected features of the IR spectra of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) cations which were confirmed by measurements in matrices (J. Phys. Chem. 98 (1994) 9187). The C₁₀H₆-Fe⁺ systems are models for larger PAHs-Fe⁺ complexes, which are believed to play a key rôle in space chemistry.     

Mais comment s'écoule donc un glacier ? Aperçu historique

Ice and snow have often helped physicists understand the world. On the contrary it has taken them a very long time to understand the flow of the glaciers. Naturalists only began to take an interest in glaciers at the beginning of the 19th century during the last phase of glacier advances. When the glacier flow from the upslope direction became obvious, it was then necessary to understand how it flowed. It was only in 1840, the year of the Antarctica ice sheet discovery by Dumont d'Urville, that two books laid the basis for the future field of glaciology: one by Agassiz on the ice age and glaciers, the other one by canon Rendu on glacier theory. During the 19th century, ice flow theories, adopted by most of the leading scientists, were based on melting/refreezing processes. Even though the word ‘fluid’ was first used in 1773 to describe ice, more the 130 years would have to go by before the laws of fluid mechanics were applied to ice. Even now, the parameter of Glen's law, which is used by glaciologists to model ice deformation, can take a very wide range of values, so that no unique ice flow law has yet been defined. To cite this article: F. Rémy, L. Testut, C. R. Geoscience 338 (2006).     

Relationship of Uncertainty and Line Segment for Between Polygon Segment Spatial Data in GIS

The mathematic theory for uncertainty model of line segment are summed up to achieve a general conception, and the line error hand model of εσ is a basic uncertainty model that can depict the line accuracy and quality efficiently while the model of εm and error entropy can be regarded as the supplement of it. The error band model will reflect and describe the influence of line uncertainty on polygon uncertainty. Therefore, the statistical characteristic of the line error is studied deeply by analyzing the probability that the line error falls into a certain range. Moreover, the theory accordance is achieved in the selecting the error buffer for line feature and the error indicator. The relationship of the accuracy of area for a polygon with the error loop for a polygon boundary is deduced and computed.     

平凉地区对流风暴地闪活动与环境层结因子相关性分析

利用1997年和1998年6－8月间在甘肃平凉地区的3站闪电定位系统所取得的地闪资料与当天早晨探空资料进行了初步的统计分析。分析结果，对流风暴中地闪活动与环境层结因子之间有较好的相关性，不稳定度、余额不稳定度5℃处的环境温度、温度层结中（中层）平均相对湿度是影响对流风暴中地闪活动的重要因子，对流风暴的地闪活动可通过这些因子进行预报。     

剥蚀及地幔作用下青藏高原隆升过程的数值模拟

修改了England和Mckenzie的黏性薄层流变模型中控制大陆形变的连续性方程,将剥蚀作用对高原隆升演化的影响直接引入该方程,并考虑下伏地幔小尺度对流对增厚岩石层的搬离作用对高原隆升演化后期的影响,用有限差分法直接模拟青藏高原隆升过程. 数值模拟结果所显示的高原隆升演化过程与实际观测资料吻合较好,揭示了高原隆升演化过程的非平稳和多阶段的特性;同时还表明上地幔小尺度对流对岩石层底部的搬离作用可能是最近8Ma以来高原快速隆升的主导机制.     

岩石受压破裂的ULF和LF电磁前兆信号

实验观测到了4类岩性、18块样品在单轴压力下直至破裂发生全过程中的ULF和LF电磁前兆信号。这些不同频率的信号是零散出现的，其形态为一组组脉冲，宽度为4ms～16ms，幅度为0．1mV～1．4mV。实验发现具同一谐振频率的天线收到的信号频次与其相对于裂缝的位置和方位有关。结果还表明，电磁前兆信号的频度与岩样强度有关，抗压强度高的岩样电磁前兆信号多。微破裂可能产生了偶电层，在破裂过程中向外辐射，产生了LF频段的磁信号，ULF磁信号则主要由压磁效应产生。     

长江流域一次暴雨过程中的不稳定条件分析

文中分析了 1998年 7月 2 0～ 2 3日发生于长江流域的持续性降水和暴雨过程 ,在分析大尺度降水和中小尺度暴雨相对应的环流场和天气实况的基础上 ,主要分析相应大气层结的对流不稳定和条件性对称不稳定条件 ,并对切变线上涡层不稳定做了重点介绍和分析 ,计算了条件性对称不稳定判据和涡层不稳定判据。结果表明 :降水期间大气低层有对流不稳定和对称不稳定能量的积聚 ,在这两类不稳定条件都基本满足的情况下 ,涡层不稳定的维持对此次降水过程中暴雨的发生提供了有利的不稳定环境场 ,具体的计算分析还表明环境场的配置制约着切变线上低涡扰动的发展 ,是造成降水的重要原因之一。