Static Analysis of Collision Strength of Offshore Platform

In this paper a numerical analysis method combining FEM incemental technique with limit analysis concept is proposed for the study of the static strength of offshore platform in collision. Large deformation and plasticity are accounted for and the limit yield surface expressed by generalized stress for a tubular section is derived. The modified stiffness matrix of space beam element is formulated by Plastic Node Method. The buckling behavior of beam columns can also be taken into account. It can trace the generation of plastic hinges during loading and finally the ultimate strength of offshore platform against collision is obtained.     

Distribution of dissolved species and suspended particulate copper in an intertidal ecosystem affected by copper mine tailings in Northern Chile

The coastline near Chañaral in Northern Chile is one of the most highly Cu-contaminated zones in the world due to discharges from mining activities for more than 60 years. The speciation of Cu has been studied to determine the importance of organic complexation in highly contaminated areas, and to assess the likely physiological impacts of Cu on marine organisms. Dissolved Cu concentrations of up to 500 nM were measured, completely saturating organic ligands and leading to free Cu²⁺ concentrations in excess of 10^− 8 M. These values are higher than those reported in any other marine environment, and because they occur over an extensive area, provide a unique opportunity to study the effects of Cu on marine ecosystems and to see how Cu behaves when its speciation is predominantly inorganic. We found strong gradients in free Cu²⁺ between Chañaral and adjacent areas with lower Cu, where speciation is dominated by organic complexation. There is also a significant increase in the partitioning of Cu onto suspended particles in the contaminated areas, consistent with previous studies that showed that organic ligands stabilize Cu in the dissolved phase, whilst “excess” Cu is rapidly scavenged. Those high dissolved Cu concentrations persist in spite of solid phase partitioning and advective processes along this open-ocean coastline, suggesting that Cu inputs into the system are still very large. Measurements were made using anodic stripping voltammetry with a thin mercury film coated with Nafion, which previous workers have shown can mitigate ambiguity in the data arising from inadvertent reduction of organic complexes. Our findings suggest that this is a useful methodology for contaminated systems.     

矿山固体废弃物对地质环境的影响分析

在山西省重点地区固体废弃物现状调查研究的基础上,通过试样试验,分析研究了固体废弃物对土壤、大气、水环境的污染,探讨了对固体废弃物的治理及利用,为研究矿山生态环境地质研究提供参考,同时积累工作经验。     

慢地震慢前兆的机制研究

通过岩石高温高压破裂实验与有机玻璃破裂试验的应力—应变曲线对比、地震波形记录(观测资料)与试样破裂波形(实验资料)对比、地震前后定点应变与主破裂前后应变形态变化的对比，认为慢地震是临界或亚临界破裂或预先滑动所致，是低频应变波动。它是材料屈服、弱化或塑性变化的必然结果。而慢前兆则是临近大地震(大破裂)前出现的诸如形变、低频地震波(破裂弹性波)等的短期及临震前兆现象，它比较可靠。但由于许多岩石主破裂前并无明显的临界破裂或预滑动现象，也并非所有岩石都一定出现明显屈服，所以也并非每个地震前都有慢地震，因此，也就不一定都出现低频波动。从而，也并不一定都出现相同的短期、临震前兆现象。     

垃圾和垃圾学──一门新兴科学的出现及其对中国固体废物处理事业的意义

垃圾产生于社会的每一个角落，垃圾也反映了人类生活的各个方面。可是，直至最近，社会依然极少理会垃圾中真正蕴藏着些什么，以及垃圾能够告诉我们些什么。１９７３年美国图森市亚利桑那大学威廉·拉舍基博士（ＷｉｌｌｉａｍＬＲａｔｈｊｅ）及其同事们所建立并发展的垃级计划，标志着一门新科学──垃圾学的兴起，即垃圾的系统研究、垃圾产生、运移、利用和处置的机理以及相关的社会经济和环境问题。美国和其它少数国家的垃圾学研究所揭示的各种事实、定律和原理，正划时代地碰击着现代社会、社会心理学、市场和许多其它领域，大量的城市固体废物不仅意味着自然资源的巨大浪费，而且垃圾处理，无论焚化或者填埋，都对环境构成了严重污染的威胁，尤其是对地下水资源。垃圾的管理、再循环和处置费用是昂贵的，而且总是受到错综复杂的社会和法律冲突的挑战，纽约和美国东部其它人口稠密地区所面临的严峻形势就是最好的例证，解决现今进退维谷的垃圾问题，需要包括技术的、社会的、环境的、经济的、政治的、法律的和公共教育在内的多方面协作。中国正经历着令人振奋的经济发展时期。预计以现在的国民经济发展速度，以及因巨量人口而导致的社会消费的急剧增长，在未来１０～２０年内，很有可能导致严重的     

Pressure sensitivity of olivine slip systems: first-principle calculations of generalised stacking faults

We have used a first-principle approach based on the calculation of generalised stacking faults (GSF) to study the influence of pressure on the mechanical properties of forsterite. Six cases corresponding to [100] glide over (010), (021) and (001), and [001] glide over (100), (010) and (110) have been considered. The relaxed energy barriers associated with plastic shear have been calculated by constraining the Si atoms to move perpendicular to the fault plane and allowing Mg and O atoms to move in every direction. These conditions, which preserve dilations as a relaxation process, introduce Si–O tetrahedral tilting as an additional relaxation mechanism. Relaxed GSF show little plastic anisotropy of [100] glide over different planes and confirms that [001] glide is intrinsically easier than [100] glide. The GSF are affected by the application of a 10 GPa confining pressure with a different response for each slip system that cannot be explained by sole elastic effect. In particular, [100](010) is found to harden significantly under pressure compared to [001](010). Our results give the first theoretical framework to understand the pressure-induced change of dominant slip systems observed by Couvy et al. (in Eur J Mineral 16(6):877–889, 2004) and P. Raterron et al. (in GRL, submitted). It appears necessary to account for the influence of pressure on the mechanical properties of silicates in the context of the deep Earth.     

Thermodynamic properties of tooeleite,Fe63+(As3+O3)4(SO4)(OH)4·4H2O

Tooeleite, nominally Fe₆³⁺(As³⁺O₃)₄(SO₄)(OH)₄·4H₂O, is a relatively uncommon mineral of some acid-mine drainage systems. Yet, if it does occur, it does so in large quantities, indicating that some specific conditions favor the formation of this mineral in the system Fe-As-S-O-H. In this contribution, we report the thermodynamic properties of synthetic tooeleite. The sample was characterized by powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, extended X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopy, and Mössbauer spectroscopy. These methods confirmed that the sample is pure, devoid of amorphous impurities of iron oxides, and that the oxidation state of arsenic is 3+. Using acid-solution calorimetry, the enthalpy of formation of this mineral from the elements at the standard conditions was determined as −6196.6 ± 8.6 kJ mol⁻¹. The entropy of tooeleite, calculated from low-temperature heat capacity data measured by relaxation calorimetry, is 899.0 ± 10.8 J mol⁻¹ K⁻¹. The calculated standard Gibbs free energy of formation is −5396.3 ± 9.3 kJ mol⁻¹. The log K_sp value, calculated for the reaction Fe₆(AsO₃)₄(SO₄)(OH)₄·4H₂O + 16H⁺ = 6Fe³⁺ + 4H₃AsO₃ + SO₄²⁻ + 8H₂O, is −17.25 ± 1.80. Tooeleite has stability field only at very high activities of aqueous sulfate and arsenate. As such, it does not appear to be a good candidate for arsenic immobilization at polluted sites. An inspection of speciation diagrams shows that the predominance field of Fe³⁺ and As³⁺ overlap only at strongly basic conditions. The formation of tooeleite, therefore, requires strictly selective oxidation of Fe²⁺ to Fe³⁺ and, at the same time, firm conservation of the trivalent oxidation state of arsenic. Such conditions can be realized only by biological systems (microorganisms) which can selectively oxidize one redox-active element but leave the other ones untouched. Hence, tooeleite is the first example of an “obligatory” biomineral under the conditions prevailing at or near the Earth's surface because its formation under these conditions necessitates the action of microorganisms.     

基于突变理论深埋硬岩隧道的失稳分析

在分析隧道开挖引起围岩扰动和损伤的基础上,运用突变理论探讨了深埋硬岩隧道失稳的机理;基于势能原理,建立了深埋硬岩隧道失稳的尖点突变模型,导出了失稳的力学判据条件。结果表明:深埋硬岩隧道的失稳不仅受岩体特性及所受载荷的影响,而且与围岩中弹性区刚度和塑性区刚度的比值有关;开挖过程中,围岩受扰动和损伤程度越大,岩体完整性系数越小,力学参数指标弱化程度越高,塑性区范围越大,刚度比越小,围岩系统发生失稳的可能性就越大。工程实例分析表明,分析结果与实际经验基本一致;研究成果可为预防隧道失稳、采取合理的施工工艺和支护措施提供参考依据。     

Transpiration and plant water relations of evergreen woody vegetation on a recently constructed artificial ecosystem under seasonally dry conditions in Western Australia

Understanding transpiration and plant physiological responses to environmental conditions is crucial for the design and management of vegetated engineered covers. Engineered covers rely on sustained transpiration to reduce the risk of deep drainage into potentially hazardous wastes, thereby minimizing contamination of water resources. This study quantified temporal trends of plant water potential (ψ_p), stomatal conductance (g_s), and transpiration in a 4‐year‐old evergreen woody vegetation growing on an artificial sandy substrate at a mine waste disposal facility. Transpiration averaged 0.7 mm day^?1 in winter, when rainfall was frequent, but declined to 0.2 mm day^?1 in the dry summer, when the plants were quite stressed. In winter, the mean ψ_p was ?0.6 MPa at predawn and ?1.5 MPa at midday, which were much higher than the corresponding summer values of ?2.0 MPa and ?4.8 MPa, respectively. The g_s was also higher in winter (72.1–95.0 mmol m^?2 s^?1) than in summer (<30 mmol m^?2 s^?1), and negatively correlated with ψ_p (p < 0.05, r² = 0.71–0.75), indicating strong stomatal control of transpiration in response to moisture stress. Total annual transpiration (147.2 mm) accounted for only 22% of the annual rainfall (673 mm), compared with 77% to 99% for woody vegetation in Western Australia. The low annual transpiration was attributed to the collective effects of a sparse and young vegetation, low moisture retention of the sandy substrate, and a superficial root system constrained by high subsoil pH. Amending the substrate with fine‐textured materials should improve water storage of the substrate and enhance canopy growth and deep rooting, while further reducing the risk of deep drainage during the early stages of vegetation establishment and in the long term. Overall, this study highlights the need to understand substrate properties, vegetation characteristics, and rainfall patterns when designing artificial ecosystems to achieve specific hydrological functions. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.