Structural monitoring of offshore platforms using impulse and relaxation response

Monitoring offshore platforms, long span bridges, high rise buildings, TV towers and other similar structures is essential for ensuring their safety in service. Continuous monitoring assumes even greater significance in the case of offshore platforms, which are highly susceptible to damage due to the corrosive environment and the continuous action of waves. Also, since a major part of the structure is under water and covered by marine growth, even a trained diver cannot easily detect damage in the structure. In the present work, vibration criterion is adopted for structural monitoring of jacket platforms. Artificial excitation of these structures is not always practicable and ambient excitation due to wind and waves may not be sufficient for collecting the required vibration data. Alternate methods can be adopted for the same purpose, for example, the application of an impact or a sudden relaxation of an applied force for exciting the structure. For jacket platforms, impact can be applied by gently pushing the structure at the fender while relaxation can be accomplished by pulling the structure and then suddenly releasing it using a tug or a supply vessel in both cases. The present study is an experimental investigation on a laboratory model of a jacket platform, for exploring the feasibility of adapting vibration responses due to impulse and relaxation, for structural monitoring. Effects of damage in six members of the platform as well as changes in deck masses were studied. A finite element model of the structure was used to analyze all the cases for comparison of the results as well as system identification. A data acquisition and analysis procedure for obtaining the response signatures of the platform due to the impulse and relaxation procedure was also developed for possible adoption in on-line monitoring of offshore platforms. From the study, it has been concluded that both impulse and relaxation responses are useful tools for monitoring offshore jacket platforms. The present work forms the basis for the development of an automated, on-line monitoring system for offshore platforms, using neural networks.     

Structural relaxation in the MnCO3–CaCO3 solid solution: a Mn K-edge EXAFS study

Mn K-edge EXAFS spectroscopy of solid-solution samples encompassing the complete MnCO₃–CaCO₃ series shows that first-shell Mn–O distances deviate little from the 2.19-Å distance observed in pure MnCO₃. Very slight lengthening is observed only in the limiting case of dilute Mn(II) calcite solid solutions, where the Mn–O distance is 2.21 Å. The observed nearly complete structural relaxation and the composition independence of the Mn–O distance are consistent with the Pauling model behavior of solid solutions, and agree with previous studies showing a high degree of relaxation around hetero-sized substituents in the calcite structure. Strain occurs through bond bending, which is facilitated by the exclusively corner-sharing topology of calcite. Observed distances from Mn to more distant neighbors show significant variation across the solid-solution series that resembles Vegard's law-type behavior but reflects averaging. The high degree of relaxation suggests modest enthalpies of mixing in the solution, consistent with calorimetric studies.     

红层地区砂泥岩互层状斜坡岩体流变特性研究

本文在对侏罗系砂溪庙组砂，泥岩进行的系统流变试验的基础上，详细研究了砂，泥岩的流变特性及其相应的长期强度，以及砂，泥岩互层状组成的斜坡碉体流变特征，特别是模拟研究了风化深度较厚的泥岩产生的粘塑性流动对斜坡应力场及斜坡变形破坏所起的不可忽视的作用。     

Automatic registration of aerophotos based on SUSAN operator

The technique of image matching is the basis of image fusion,image mosaic and scene 3D reconstruction.In the paper a novel image registration method based on SUSAN operator is proposed.Firstly,Corner points are extracted by using SUSAN(Smallest Univalue Segment Assimilating Nucleus) operator.Then matched corner points are selected through coarse matching and fine matching.Based on such corner pairs,aerophotos are registered automatically.     

Neutral particle collisional relaxation of suprathermal distributions in aeronomy

There are numerous situations in laboratory experiments and in atmospheric science that are characterized by distributions of energetic neutral species with extended high-energy tails. This paper provides a detailed analysis of the relaxation of such isotropic nonequilibrium distributions of neutral species. We consider a minor constituent, referred to as the test-particle dilutely dispersed in a second component that acts as a heat bath at equilibrium. A hard sphere cross section is assumed for the collisions of the test particles and the heat bath particles, and collisions between test particles are not included in the analysis. We study the approach to equilibrium with a finite difference method of solution of the Boltzmann equation. The solution of the Boltzmann equation is also presented as an expansion in the eigenfunctions of the Boltzmann collision operator. The main objective of the paper is the calculation of the energy-dependent relaxation times for the distribution function. It is anticipated that these relaxation times will not exhibit a strong energy dependence owing to the energy-independent hard sphere cross section. This relaxation behaviour is important in the characterization of nonthermal populations of energetic atoms in aeronomy. The results are compared with a similar analysis for Coulomb collisions described in the preceeding paper.     

饱和多孔岩石弛豫衰减对时间和温度的依赖性

通过饱和多孔岩石的低频亚共振试验 ,得到了饱和多孔岩石的内耗峰是典型的弛豫峰的结论 .不同的饱和液体、不同的岩石导致不同的弛豫峰特征 ,饱和岩石的弛豫特性 ,是寻找油田、地热田和预测储层的物性基础 .试验结果表明 ,饱和多孔岩石都具有一个共同的特性---时间和温度的等效性 ,即降低温度与增加振动频率是等效的 ,这就是饱和多孔岩石的弛豫共性 .     

Thermomechanical response of a poroelastic half-space soil medium subjected to time harmonic loads

The thermomechanical responses of a porous elastic medium subjected to time harmonic loads (normal force and thermal source) are investigated analytically in the context of generalised thermoelastic theory with one relaxation time. The material of the foundation, obeying Biot’s dynamic poroelastic theory, is idealised as a uniform, fully saturated poroelastic half-space stratum. The coupled governing equations are established based on Biot’s dynamic poroelastic theory and on generalised thermoelastic theory. Assuming the disturbances to be harmonically time dependent, the general solutions of stress, displacement, temperature distribution and excess pore water pressure are deduced using the Fourier transform, and the transformed solutions are numerically inverted. The differences among the coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical dynamic model (THMD), the hydro-mechanical dynamic model (HMD) and the thermo-elastic dynamic model (TMD) are discussed. In addition, the effects of the thermal loading frequency on the displacement, stress, temperature distribution and excess pore water pressure components are analysed in the numerical results.     

Channel processes following land use changes in a degrading steep headwater stream in North Island, New Zealand

In headwater streams in steep land settings, narrow and steep valley floors provide closely coupled relationships between geomorphic components including hillslopes, tributary fans, and channel reaches. These relationships together with small catchment sizes result in episodic changes to the amount of stored sediment in channels. Major sediment inputs follow high magnitude events. Subsequent exponential losses via removal of material can be represented by a relaxation curve. The influence of hillslope and tributary processes on relaxation curves, and that of altered coupling relations between components, were investigated along a 1.3 km reach of a degrading channel in the 4.8 km² Weraamaia Catchment, New Zealand. Extensive deforestation in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, followed by invasion of scrubs and reforestation, induced changes to major erosion types from gully complexes to shallow landslides. Changes in the size and pattern of sediment slugs from 1938 to 2002 were analysed from air photographs tied to detailed field measurement. The rate and calibre of sediment flux changed progressively following substantive hillslope input in a storm in 1938. Subsequently, the channel narrowed and incised, decoupling tributary fans from the main stem, thereby scaling down the size of sediment slugs. As a consequence, the dominant influence on the behaviour of sediment slugs and associated relaxation processes, changed from tributary fans to the type and distribution of bedrock outcrops along the reach.     

地壳、上地幔变形属性的判别

基于Ｍａｘｗｅｌｌ和Ｋｅｌｖｉｎ流变模型，以延续时间与松弛期的比值，即松弛数，作为衡量指标，对地壳、上地幔不同层次的变形属性进行了判别。结果表明，除软流圈地幔主要为粘性流动外，其上各层的情况是：在漫长的地质过程中，不仅岩石圈地幔和下地壳属于粘性，上地壳也有可能处于粘性流动状态；在延续数十年的情况下，上地壳以及岩石圈地幔都可能呈弹性状态；延续时间介乎二者，通常上地壳为弹性，下地壳和岩石圈地幔为粘性或滞弹粘性。此外，还结合变形属性的判别，就岩石圈地幔的流动和板内的驱动力远程传递等问题进行了讨论     

由GPS观测结果推断中国大陆活动构造边界

利用“中国地壳运动观测网络”基本网1998年和2000年两期观测数据,得到分布在全国各构造块体上的79个GPS观测站速度场，对中国大陆主要活动构造块体间的相对运动显著性进行了分析和检验. 分析结果表明，西部活动构造块体的边界有较明显的相对运动，而东部运动不明显. 根据分析得到的活动边界，将中国大陆归并为11个活动块体，逐一计算了这些块体边界的活动量大小，确定了它们最新活动的方式.