Smeared crack approach: back to the original track

This paper briefly reviews the formulations used over the last 40 years for the solution of problems involving tensile cracking, with both the discrete and the smeared crack approaches. The paper focuses on the smeared approach, identifying as its main drawbacks the observed mesh‐size and mesh‐bias spurious dependence when the method is applied ‘straightly’. A simple isotropic local damage constitutive model is considered, and the (exponential) softening modulus is regularized according to the material fracture energy and the element size. The continuum and discrete mechanical problems corresponding to both the weak discontinuity (smeared cracks) and the strong discontinuity (discrete cracks) approaches are analysed and the question of propagation of the strain localization band (crack) is identified as the main difficulty to be overcome in the numerical procedure. A tracking technique is used to ensure stability of the solution, attaining the necessary convergence properties of the corresponding discrete finite element formulation. Numerical examples show that the formulation derived is stable and remarkably robust. As a consequence, the results obtained do not suffer from spurious mesh‐size or mesh‐bias dependence, comparing very favourably with those obtained with other fracture and continuum mechanics approaches. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

STRESS CORROSION CRACKING OF AISI 321 STAINLESS STEEL IN ACIDIC SEAWATER

ImooUonONSCCisoneofthemosttwortantcausoffailureofstaiuleSsstalequipmentandfacilitieS.Studiesonunh0refacilitiesshowedthatanaddicchloridesolutionfilmcouldbefo~onthescheeofstalandthatstaiuleSSstalisinaCtivedissolutionstateinaedicchloridesolutionopinetal.,l99O;Gnanamoorthyetal.,l99O).ltisgenerallythoughtxthatSCCcannotoimrwhenthematerialisinaCtiveanodicdissolutionstate,soitsomcewithresultingcasualties(0ldfieldetal.,l99O)arousedattentiont0it.SomeSCCmeCanisrnsproposedpeuang,l988,Newmanctal.,…     

Estimation of dispersion in estuaries by a self-consistent method

Longitudinal and transverse dispersion in estuaries may be determined in principle by measuring the change in time of the concentration field of a water soluble dye. In practice, measurements may take the form of several sampling runs crossing the dye patch. The coefficients of dispersion are usually estimated from the second moments of the concentration field; the use of second moments, in particular, introduces errors because measurements at long times or distance are unduly emphasized.A self-consistent method, free of the disadvantages inherent in the use of higher moments, is described in which the distribution of concentration in space is related to the zeroth spatial moment of concentration. In this formulation, based upon sampling runs across the dye patch, the concentration field in the estuary may be directly and simply related to the dispersion coefficients in both the intercept and gradient of a linear graph.The methods are illustrated by the characterization of a series of experiments in the Inner Estuary of Milford Haven.     

Seasonally Hypersaline Estuaries in Mediterranean-climate Regions

Data collected in three Californian estuaries indicate that hypersaline conditions exist during the dry summers typical of a Mediterranean climate. The generalised seasonal and longitudinal hydrographic structures are described and explained. It is argued that this seasonal hypersalinity is common and that it represents a major class of estuaries. The observed accumulation of salt indicates surprisingly long residence times in small basins which have free exchange with the ocean. This semi-isolation of the inner basin leads to a large build-up or severe depletion of nutrients, pollutants and plankton in these systems. Of concern are the trends to increase pollutant loading in the same systems that are experiencing an increase in residence times owing to freshwater extraction in the watershed.     

Strength Analysis of Turret Mooring Productive/Storage Tanker

The longitudinal strength of turret mooring productive/storage tanker is studied.A numeri-cal example has been implemented according to the method presented in this paper to give practical il-lustration.From the results of the numerical example,it is concluded that the turret hole located near theforward of the amidships has small effect on the longitudinal strength of the ship hull.As for design ex-treme value of wave bending moment of storage tanker,statistic method is a more reasonablemethodology,especially with the consideration of the servere environmental conditions.The primary esti-mation of design section modulus of turret storage tanker can be determined by this design bending mo-ment.     

库姆塔格沙漠"羽毛状沙丘"形态的示量特征

通过卫星照片判读和实地观测,库姆塔格沙漠的“羽毛状沙丘”由两种风沙地貌构成：东北-西南走向的新月形“沙垄”为“羽轴”；垄间分布的波状微起伏的“大沙波”为“羽枝”,“大沙波”与沙垄的夹角为75°～103°。二者组合成类似“羽毛”的风沙地貌。新月形“沙垄”由单个新月形沙丘的前一沙丘的迎风坡与后一沙丘东翼相连构成“沙垄”。组成“沙垄”的新月形沙丘的两翼平均长37．5m,翼间距30～66m,沙丘高3～19m；在所观测区域内,沙丘沙的分选性由南向北变差。新月形“沙垄”长为3～22km,垄间距为1～3km,其问分布浅色和暗色相间的波状微地貌,暗色部分平均宽24．3m,浅色部分的平均宽11．6m。暗色部分表层沙粒的粒径有60%在1．00～0．25mm之间,以暗色矿物为主,而浅色部分表层沙粒的粒径的90%在1．00～0．25mm之间,分选性相对暗色部分较好,以石英等浅色矿物为主。暗色和浅色微地貌成对出现,相对高差约7cm。这种波状微地貌在库姆塔格沙漠中北部重复出现,类似于风沙地貌分类的沙波,暂称其为“大沙波”。     

Do the Austrian blackfly fauna (Diptera: Simuliidae) support the typological approach of the EU water framework directive?

The Austrian blackfly fauna were analysed with regard to spatial (ecoregions, bioregions), vertical (altitude classes) and longitudinal zonation characteristics [stream order, biocoenotic (= fish) regions] on the basis of 2600 investigation sites. Of a total of 45 species recorded, Simulium ornatum, S. variegatum, S. argyreatum and S. reptans are the most common and most frequently distributed species, occurring in 60% of the investigated sites. Although the Austrian blackfly fauna seem to be quite well documented (on average one investigation site per 32 km²) the jackknife analyses indicates that there are still some fauna deficits. Whereas the species diversity of the main ecoregions is quite similar, the number of species differs clearly between the bioregions. Within the typological context of the Water Framework Directive, the Austrian Simuliidae confirm the bioregions as the most useful spatial units for river typology. A further optimisation in predicting a target list of blackfly species of a site can be achieved by subdividing the bioregions into either catchment area and altitude classes or into longitudinal zonation types (biocoenotic regions).     

帕隆藏布河流纵剖面演化的最小功模式

河流地貌最小功原理表明河流纵误时面形态将向力示使流速增大的方向演化，据此推导出矩形流域全程流速的平均值（u^-）与河流纵误时面形态指数（N）的关系式：u^∝-f(N)={1/2-1/[(N 1)(N 2)]}^1/2，f(N)被称为流速函数。这一最小功模式表明河流纵剖面演化方向是N由小变大。以西藏帕隆藏布中上游流域系统、干流全程及Ⅰ级阶地为例，由最小功模式计算的全程流速均值与实测值相吻合，从而检验了上述最小功原理和数学模式。     

对燕山辽西地区构造格局的认识和讨论

燕山辽西地区的盖层可分两个构造层,由燕辽复向斜和秦皇岛背形相互叠加,并相应发育两期推覆构造。复向斜范围包括内蒙地轴和燕山沉降带,是由长条形的三个背斜和二个向斜相间,及配套的EW向纵断裂、SN向横断裂和NE向、NW向的共轭断裂组成。著名的尚义-宽城-凌源-朝阳-北票断裂是复向斜及其次级背斜的轴部纵断裂,以南大岭组、窑坡组和北票组作为其裂隙充填物。燕山EW向断裂南北对冲现象是复向斜纵断裂放射状排列并向核部推覆的反映。复向斜的形成机制完全符合纵弯褶皱作用下岩石的变形原理,是西伯利亚板块和华北板块碰撞的结果;秦皇岛背形的形成是后期太平洋板块俯冲在欧亚板块之下所致。     

盾构隧道壁后注浆效果的雷达探测研究

盾构隧道的纵向力学与变形性态研究,尤其是盾尾壁后注浆效果已经引起国内外学者的广泛关注,笔者首次利用探地雷达方法,对上海某盾构隧道盾尾壁后注浆分布进行探测,并进行了初步的分析,结果表明,利用该方法可有效地探测隧道壁后的注浆分布,为隧道纵向力学变形性态的控制提供一定依据。