About Darcy's law in non-Galilean frame

This paper is aimed towards investigating the filtration law of an incompressible viscous Newtonian fluid through a rigid non-inertial porous medium (e.g. a porous medium placed in a centrifuge basket). The filtration law is obtained by upscaling the flow equations at the pore scale. The upscaling technique is the homogenization method of multiple scale expansions which rigorously gives the macroscopic behaviour and the effective properties without any prerequisite on the form of the macroscopic equations. The derived filtration law is similar to Darcy's law, but the tensor of permeability presents the following remarkable properties: it depends upon the angular velocity of the porous matrix, it verifies Hall–Onsager's relationship and it is a non-symmetric tensor. We thus deduce that, under rotation, an isotropic porous medium leads to a non-isotropic effective permeability. In this paper, we present the results of numerical simulations of the flow through rotating porous media. This allows us to highlight the deviations of the flow due to Coriolis effects at both the microscopic scale (i.e. the pore scale), and the macroscopic scale (i.e. the sample scale). The above results confirm that for an isotropic medium, phenomenological laws already proposed in the literature fails at reproducing three-dimensional Coriolis effects in all types of pores geometry. We show that Coriolis effects may lead to significant variations of the permeability measured during centrifuge tests when the inverse Ekman number Ek⁻¹ is 𝒪(1). These variations are estimated to be less than 5% if Ek⁻¹<0.2, which is the case of classical geotechnical centrifuge tests. We finally conclude by showing that available experimental data from tests carried out in centrifuges are not sufficient to determining the effective tensor of permeability of rotating porous media. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Development and application of a GIS-based tool for earthquake-induced hazard prediction

An integrated GIS-based tool (GTIS) was constructed to estimate site effects related to the earthquake hazards in the Gyeongju area of Korea. To build the GTIS for the study area, intensive site investigations and geotechnical data collections were performed and a walk-over site survey was additionally carried out to acquire surface geo-knowledge data in accordance with the procedure developed to build the GTIS. For practical applications of the GTIS used to estimate the site effects associated with the amplification of ground motion, seismic microzoning maps of the characteristic site period and the mean shear wave velocity to a depth of 30 m were created and presented as a regional synthetic strategy addressing earthquake-induced hazards. Additionally, based on one-dimensional site response analyses, various seismic microzoning maps for short- and mid-period amplification potentials were created for the study area. Case studies of seismic microzonations in the Gyeongju area verified the usefulness of the GTIS for predicting seismic hazards in the region.     

Characterization of Estuarine Marine Clays for Coastal Reclamation in Pusan, Korea

Large scale reclamation works in coastal areas of the Nakdong River plain are at various stages of progress, since early 1990's on in-situ soft marine clay deposits. These deposits are of the order of 30 to 40 m thick. A realistic rapid characterization of soft ground would ensure success of any reclamation work in this area. In order to cope with the work carried out with different agencies, it is desirable to evolve a systematic methodology. In this study, engineering properties of clays at three coastal areas, Gadukdo, Noksan and Shinho, have been generated. The analysis of data has been done within the framework of classical developments in soil mechanics. Analysis has also been made by making use of the recent developments in dealing with soft clays. The dominant factors, namely, stress, time, and environment influencing the response of clay to loading are identified.     

隧道围岩强度不均地段塌方成因及其处理方法

由于地质构造作用以及风化作用,工程场地岩体中多存在围岩强度不均地段.在隧道施工过程中就经常遇到软硬岩石交汇而形成的地质条件复杂地段;给隧道的施工带来了很多不利情况,并且也是导致隧道塌方的原因之一.2006年1月,承德韩郭线二级公路工程,喇嘛梁隧道软硬岩石交汇地段由于地下水作用导致围岩风化程度不均,产生软弱结构面并造成了大面积塌方.基于现场的追踪调查与考察,本文详细描述了利用拱顶架设工字钢梁并配合超前注浆小导管的支护方法来处理这类围岩.     

Preparation of a geotechnical microzonation model using Geographical Information Systems based on Multicriteria Decision Analysis

The purpose of this study is to develop a geotechnical microzonation model using Geographical Information Systems (GIS) based on Multicriteria Decision Analysis (MCDA). As study area, the Eskişehir downtown area has been chosen. Eskişehir is one of the most rapidly growing cities in central Turkey. The model inputs include slope, flood susceptibility, soil, depth to groundwater table, swelling potential, and liquefaction potential. The weight and rank values are assigned to the layers and to the classes of each layer respectively. The assignment of the weight/rank values and the analysis are realized by the application of two different decision models, namely Simple Additive Weighting (SAW) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) methods. The geotechnical microzonation maps prepared as outputs of these methods are found to be consistent with each other and confirmed by the experts within the study area. The geotechnical microzonation map prepared using the AHP method is recommended as the final map of the study.     

Centrifuge modelling-based verification of response spectra design methods for some vulnerable structures

Residential RC framed structures suffered heavily during the 2001 Bhuj earthquake in Gujarat, India. These types of structures also saw severe damage in other earthquakes such as the 1999 Kocaeli earthquake in Turkey and 921 Ji-Ji earthquake in Taiwan. In this paper the seismic response of residential structures was investigated using physical modelling. Idealised soft storey and top heavy, two degrees of freedom (2DOF) portal frame structures were developed and tested on saturated and dry sand models at 25 g using the Schofield Centre 10-m Beam Centrifuge. It was possible to recreate observed field behaviour using these models. As observed in many of the recent earthquakes, soft storey structures were found to be particularly vulnerable to seismic loads. Elastic response spectra methods are often used in the design of simple portal frame structures. The seismic risk of these structures can be significantly increased due to modifications such as removal of a column or addition of heavy water tanks on the roof. The experimental data from the dynamic centrifuge tests on such soft storey or top-heavy models was used to evaluate the predictions obtained from the response spectra. Response spectra were able to predict seismic response during small to moderate intensity earthquakes, but became inaccurate during strong earthquakes and when soil structure interaction effects became important. Re-evaluation of seismic risk of such modified structures is required and time domain analyses suggested by building codes such as IBC, UBC or NEHRP may be more appropriate.     

基于土体中结构面的岩土工程问题探讨

土体中也存在结构面，并且结构面的存在与很多的岩土问题有关。为使土体中的结构面受到足够的重视，本文就其中的几个主要岩土工程问题进行了探讨，它们是：结构面对土体力学性质的影响、土体结构面对土体破坏的控制作用、有时可尝试用离散元等模型分析土体变形、土体中结构面上水的渗流和污染物的运移、结构面上土体力学参数问题、土坡稳定性问题、土与结构物的相互作用问题、土体中结构面与环境岩土工程问题等。     

软粘土层上的油罐差异沉降

根据某一大型油罐软基加固处理工程方案设计和优选需要,按照离心模型相似律,开展了三组模型试验,分别模拟了天然地基、土工合成材料袋装碎石垫层和既在填土层中设置袋装碎石垫层又在淤泥质粘土层设置土工合成材料排水板三种情况,以研究这一加固布置形式对减小高压缩性软土层地基上油罐罐底的差异沉降效果反应。模型油罐地基采用原型土重塑制备,现场土工合成材料袋装碎石采用柔性机织玻璃纤维细管塞装粗砂条模拟,并在不停机运转条件下模拟了多次充放水预压加载。试验结果表明,油罐软弱地基经土工合成材料袋装碎石加固后,罐底总沉降值和差异沉降值均明显小于天然地基情形下对应的沉降值,罐底畸变得到显著减小,就本文所述的土质条件、土层厚度和预压荷载强度,地基经加固处理后,油罐罐底畸变减小了近50 %。最后就土工合成材料在加固油罐地基布置形式的合理性进行了初步探讨。     

桩基模型试验研究现状

简要地介绍了桩基现场模型试验、桩基渗水力模型试验、桩基室内普通模型试验的研究成果及其模拟桩基特性的局限性,并着重分析了桩基离心模型试验的研究成果及其模拟桩基特性时的优点和局限性。     

Geotechnical Hazards Associated with Desert Environment

The aridity of the Arabian Peninsula's deserts ranges between arid to hyperarid with hot dry climate, scarce precipitation and sparse vegetation. These harsh environmental conditions enhance some geomorphologic processes more than others, cause specific geotechnical problems, and increase desertification.From west to east, the general physiography of Saudi Arabia shows the Red Sea coastal plains and the escarpment foothills called Tihama followed by the Arabian Shield mountains, the Arabian Shelf plateau and finally the Arabian Gulf coastal plains. Sand moves by wind either as drifting sand or migrating dunes in four major sand seas, over the Arabian Shelf, and in the inter-mountain valleys, in the Arabian Shield causing problems of erosion and deposition. Human activities in the deserts may cause more instability to the sand bodies, enlarging the magnitude of the problem. Fine silty soil particles also move by wind, depositing loess mainly in selected areas downwind in the Tihama. These loess deposits subside and may form earth fissures by the process of hydrocompaction upon wetting. The addition of water can be either natural through storms or man-made through human agricultural or civil activities. Extensive sabkhas exist along the coastal plains of both the Red Sea and Arabian Gulf. The sabkha soil may also heave by salt re-crystallization or collapse by wetting. The shallow groundwater brines present in sabkhas also attack and corrode civil structures. Urbanization and excessive groundwater pumping may also deplete the fresh groundwater resources and may cause subsidence, ground fissuring and surface faulting as observed in some locations in the Arabian Shield. Although the average annual precipitation is very low, rain usually falls in the form of torrential storms, collected by dry valley basins and causing floods to unprotected downstream areas on the coastal plains of the Red Sea.The desert environment, being a fragile echo system, needs to be treated with care. Intercommunications between different national and international agencies and education of the layman should help to keep the system balanced and reduce the resulting environmental hazards. In addition, any suggested remedial measures should be planned with nature and engineered with natural materials.