Application of micropolar plasticity to post failure analysis in geomechanics

A micropolar elastoplastic model for soils is formulated and a series of finite element analyses are employed to demonstrate the use of a micropolar continuum in overcoming the numerical difficulties encountered in application of finite element method in standard Cauchy–Boltzmann continuum. Three examples of failure analysis involving a deep excavation, shallow foundation, and a retaining wall are presented. In all these cases, it is observed that the length scale introduced in the polar continuum regularizes the incremental boundary value problem and allows the numerical simulation to be continued until a clear collapse mechanism is achieved. The issue of grain size effect is also discussed. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Damage identification method using harmonic excitation force considering both modelling and measurement errors

A method of structural damage identification using harmonic excitation force is presented. It considers the effects of both measurement and modelling errors in the baseline finite element model. Damage that accompanies changes in structural parameters can be estimated for a damaged structure from the change between measured vibration responses and ones calculated from the analytical model of the intact structure. In practice, modelling errors exist in the analytical model due to material and geometric uncertainties and a reduction in the degrees of freedom as well as measurement errors, making identification difficult. To surmount these problems, bootstrap hypothesis testing, which enables statistical judgment without information about these errors, was introduced. The method was validated by numerical simulation using a three‐dimensional frame structure and real vibration data for a three‐storey steel frame structure. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

山东省区域地质构造演化探讨

山东省区域地质构造演化分为5个阶段.①陆核形成阶段形成太古宙高级区,地壳分异成稳定的花岗岩穹窿和活动的绿岩带,第一次克拉通化完成.②陆块发生形成阶段地壳向刚性发展,在华北陆核硅铝壳的基础上先后有3次张开、闭合裂谷作用,第二次克拉通化完成.这一阶段演化在鲁西地区主要表现为挤压作用,形成大量造山花岗岩;鲁东地区则以拉张作用为主,形成海槽,产生沉积.③秦昆洋形成演化阶段四堡期沿鲁东南部地壳拉张,在华北板块与扬子板块间形成秦昆洋.晋宁期秦昆洋关闭,华北板块与扬子板块对接碰撞,沿胶南造山带产生大量同碰撞花岗岩,同时产生超高压变质作用及形成丰富多彩的碰撞构造.晋宁运动最终形成统一的原始中国古陆,第三次克拉通化完成.④陆块发展阶段鲁西地区地壳频繁升降,形成广泛的海相及海陆交互相沉积;鲁东地区则以造山抬升为主,地层沉积较少.⑤滨太平洋发展阶段该阶段的主要特征是断块构造发育,形成盆岭构造格局,产生大陆边缘花岗岩,构造体系由古亚洲构造域转向滨太平洋构造域.     

The Fault Block''s Framework in Boli Basin and its Control Over the Deposition

Boli basin, between Yishu fracture belt and Dunmi fracture belt, is the biggest Mesozoic coal basin in the east of Heilongjiang Province. Now it is a fault - fold remnant basin. The basin' s shape is generally consistent with the whole distribution of the cover folds, an arc protruding southwards. The basement of the basin can be divided into three fault blocks or structural units. The formation and evoluation of the basin in Mesozoic was determined by the basement fault blocks' displacement features rusulted from by the movement of the edge faults and the main basement faults.     

Gravitational collapse and equilibrium conditions of a toroidal vortex with thermal pressure

We found the equilibrium conditions for a self-gravitating toroidal vortex by taking thermal pressure into account. These conditions are shown to significantly differ from those for a disk or a sphere. The evolution of a thin vortex turns it into a compact vortex that loses mechanical stability for low masses at a polytropic index γ<4/3 but retains stability for sufficiently high masses and densities determined by the velocity circulation in the vortex.     

Reliability assessment of serviceability performance of braced retaining walls using a neural network approach

In urban environments, one major concern with deep excavations in soft clay is the potentially large ground deformations in and around the excavation. Excessive movements can damage adjacent buildings and utilities. There are many uncertainties associated with the calculation of the ultimate or serviceability performance of a braced excavation system. These include the variabilities of the loadings, geotechnical soil properties, and engineering and geometrical properties of the wall. A risk‐based approach to serviceability performance failure is necessary to incorporate systematically the uncertainties associated with the various design parameters. This paper demonstrates the use of an integrated neural network–reliability method to assess the risk of serviceability failure through the calculation of the reliability index. By first performing a series of parametric studies using the finite element method and then approximating the non‐linear limit state surface (the boundary separating the safe and ‘failure’ domains) through a neural network model, the reliability index can be determined with the aid of a spreadsheet. Two illustrative examples are presented to show how the serviceability performance for braced excavation problems can be assessed using the reliability index. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Quaternary fault segmentation and interaction in the epicentral area of the 1561 earthquake (Mw = 6.4), Vallo di Diano, southern Apennines, Italy

The main structural characteristics of the Caggiano and Polla faults, exposed in the epicentral area of the 1561 earthquake (Mw = 6.4), southern Italy, have been investigated in detail to assess their spatial and temporal properties, and to evaluate their seismogenic potential. These right stepping normal faults show an overlap of about 7 km and an across strike separation of about 4 km. The geometric relationships between the Caggiano and Polla faults, but also the displacement distribution along each fault, demonstrate that they have been strongly interacting throughout the Pleistocene. Nevertheless, geological evidence of Holocene tectonic activity was mainly recognized along the Caggiano Fault (faulted late glacial deposits) and in the southernmost part of the Polla Fault (faulted deposits of probably Late Pleistocene age). This suggests that the Caggiano Fault can be considered as the most tectonically active fault in the Vallo di Diano Fault System. By calculating Coulomb stress changes, we have constrained modes of mechanical interactions between the two faults in a scenario compatible with the 1561 earthquake. This approach allows us to argue that both the Caggiano and the Polla Faults are probably linked at depth, and part of the same seismogenic structure which may be potentially responsible for composite ruptures with magnitude ≥ 6.5.     

A geological and geotechnical investigation of the settlement area of Zümrüt Building (Konya, Turkey) which caused 92 fatalities due to its collapse

This study examines the local geological conditions and soil structure as possible causes of the collapse of the Zümrüt Building 2 February 2004. This catastrophe resulted in 92 fatalities and 35 injuries. This study also examines other views which claim weak soil structure, elastic and consolidation settlement of soil and excessive groundwater extraction as well as subsidence resulting from the underground silt erosion as possible factors. Zümrüt Building was constructed on normally consolidated, low plasticity clay. The underground water table was 30 m in depth. The internal friction angle of soil was 8°–30°, its cohesion was between 34 and 127 kN/m² and standard penetration test numbers varied between 11 and 50. The underground water level beneath Zümrüt Building had risen 4.5 m since its construction. Therefore the claim that subsidence resulting from the decrease of underground water level contributed to the collapse is incorrect. Secondly the settlement, resulting from the filling up of the pores created by the silt receding with the underground water, was 4.4 mm in total, and attributing this as the primary cause of the collapse is also incorrect. Soil properties, in situ and laboratory test results showed that the existing and/or expected settlement and the differential ground settlement in the Zümrüt building vicinity had the potential to cause structural damage. The tensile stresses caused by differential settlements recorded here are thought to be an indicator, but not the main cause contributing to the collapse of the building. The Zümrüt Building collapse was due to several compounding mistakes during the construction phase. These were geotechnical and other project faults and the use of low quality construction materials. The resulting catastrophe caused 92 fatalities, 35 injuries and a material loss of approximately US$7 million.     

Influence of Structural Non-Stationarity of Surface Roughness on Morphological Characterization and Mechanical Deformation of Rock Joints

Summary Structural non-stationarity of surface roughness affects accurate morphological characterization as well as mechanical behaviour of rock joints at the laboratory scale using samples with a size below the stationarity threshold. In this paper, the effect of structural non-stationarity of surface roughness is investigated by studying the scale dependence of surface roughness and mechanical behaviour of rock joints. The results show that the structural non-stationarity mainly affects the accurate characterization of the surface roughness of the fracture samples. It also controls the amount and location of the contact areas during shear tests, which in turn affects the mechanical properties and asperity degradation of the samples. It is concluded that for accurate determination of the morphological and mechanical properties of rock joints at laboratory and field scales, samples with size equal to or larger than the stationarity threshold are required. Author’s address: Nader Fardin, Rock Mechanics Group, Department of Mining Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University of Tehran, P.O. Box: 11365/4563, Tehran, Iran     

Efficiency analysis of open trench for impact pile driving through a single-variable method

Abstract

The ground vibrations during pile driving operation have a drastic potential to undermine the surrounding structures both in land and reclaimed land. Particularly, reclaimed land necessitates ample application of pile driving due to the weak land condition. To prevent the structural damage, attenuation of the ground vibrations to an allowable level through active isolation of circular open trench is the scope of this study. In this research, finite element simulations of continuous impact pile driving process from the ground surface was executed with particular attention to the pile-soil interaction, and thereby, the efficiency of open trench application in attenuation of the unsafe distance of different structures was surveyed using the vibration sensitivity degree. Regarding the crucial parameters of an open trench (depth, width, and location), it was concluded that a sufficient high depth can attenuate the unsafe distance up to 68%, the trench width variations are less effective, and an average pile-trench distance is the most efficient option. The excavation volume was also concluded as another crucial parameter in open trench design which takes all three parameters into account. The trench depth equal to the pile’s maximum critical depth of vibration was inferred for an optimum design.