Velocity structure building and ground motion simulation of the 2014 Ludian <Emphasis Type="Italic">M</Emphasis>s 6.5 Earthquake

This study constructs a 3D velocity structure model of the Ludian region in the Yunnan province, southwestern China, and simulates ground motion propagation of the 2014 Ludian Ms 6.5 earthquake. It aims to construct the local velocity structure of the Ludian region in three dimensions and with high precision. The simulation, using the spectral element method, is validated by field data from the Ludian earthquake records. Thus, it demonstrates that the adopted key parameters, such as the seismic source mechanism, propagation medium and geographical features of the engineering site, are appropriated for the simulation. Meanwhile, the simulation generates the ground motion distribution of the study region with an earthquakeinduced landslide in Ludian earthquake.     

Shear strength of frozen clay under freezing-thawing cycles using triaxial tests

Using a new low-temperature dynamic triaxial apparatus, the influence law of freezing-thawing cycles on clay shear strength is studied. In this research, the concept of correction coefficients of freezing-thawing cycles on clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles is proposed, and the change patterns, correction curves and regressive formulae of clay static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles under freezing-thawing cycles are given. The test results indicate that with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, the clay static strength and cohesion decrease exponentially but the internal friction angle increases exponentially. The performance of static strength, cohesion and internal friction angles are different with increasing numbers of freezing-thawing cycles, i.e., the static strength decreases constantly until about 30% of the initial static strength prior to the freezing-thawing cycling and then stays basically stable. After 5–7 freezing-thawing cycles, the cohesion decreases gradually to about 70% of the initial cohesion. The internal friction angle increases about 20% after the first freezing-thawing cycle, then increases gradually close to a stable value which is an increase of about 40% of the internal friction angle. The freezing-thawing process can increase the variation of the density of the soil samples; therefore, strict density discreteness standards of frozen soil sample preparation should be established to ensure the reliability of the test results.     

Optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames with brittle connections

Based on performance-based seismic engineering, this paper proposes an optimal seismic retrofit model for steel moment resisting frames (SMRFs) to generate a retrofit scheme at minimal cost. To satisfy the acceptance criteria for the Basic Safety Objective (BSO) specified in FEMA 356, the minimum number of upgraded connections and their locations in an SMRF with brittle connections are determined by evolutionary computation. The performance of the proposed optimal retrofitting model is evaluated on the basis of the energy dissipation capacities, peak roof drift ratios, and maximum interstory drift ratios of structures before and after retrofitting. In addition, a retrofit efficiency index, which is defined as the ratio of the increment in seismic performance to the required retrofitting cost, is proposed to examine the efficiencies of the retrofit schemes derived from the model. The optimal seismic retrofit model is applied to the SAC benchmark examples for threestory and nine-story SMRFs with brittle connections. Using the retrofit efficiency index proposed in this study, the optimal retrofit schemes obtained from the model are found to be efficient for both examples in terms of energy dissipation capacity, roof drift ratio, and maximum inter-story drift ratio.     

A simplified method for analyzing the fundamental frequency of monopile supported offshore wind turbine system design

Preliminary design of offshore wind turbines requires high precision simplified methods for the analysis of the system fundamental frequency. Based on the Rayleigh method and Lagrange's Equation, this study establishes a simple formula for the analysis of system fundamental frequency in the preliminary design of an offshore wind turbine with a monopile foundation. This method takes into consideration the variation of cross-section geometry of the wind turbine tower along its length, with the inertia moment and distributed mass both changing with diameter. Also the rotational flexibility of the monopile foundation is mainly considered. The rigid pile and elastic middle long pile are calculated separately. The method is validated against both FEM analysis cases and field measurements, showing good agreement. The method is then used in a parametric study, showing that the tower length Lt, tower base diameter d0, tower wall thickness δt, pile diameter db and pile length Lb are the major factors influencing the fundamental frequency of the offshore wind turbine system. In the design of offshore wind turbine systems, these five parameters should be adjusted comprehensively. The seabed soil condition also needs to be carefully considered for soft clay and loose sand.     

Ground roll attenuation based on an empirical curvelet transform

In the field of seismic exploration, ground roll seriously affects the deep effective reflections from subsurface deep structures. Traditional curvelet transform cannot provide an adaptive basis function to achieve a suboptimal denoised result. In this paper, we propose a method based on empirical curvelet transform (ECT) for ground roll attenuation. Unlike the traditional curvelet transform, this method not only decomposes seismic data into multiscale and multi-directional components, but also provides an adaptive filter bank according to frequency content of seismic data itself. So, ground roll can be separated by using this method. However, as the frequency of reflection and ground roll components are close, we apply singular value decomposition (SVD) in the curvelet domain to differentiate the ground roll and reflection better. Examples of synthetic and field seismic data reveal that the proposed method based ECT performs better than the traditional curvelet method in terms of the suppression of ground roll.     

Study and application of PS-wave pre-stack migration in HTI media and an anisotropic correction method

Anisotropy correction is necessary during the processing of converted PSwave seismic data to achieve accurate structural imaging, reservoir prediction, and fracture detection. To effectively eliminate the adverse effects of S-wave splitting and to improve PSwave imaging quality, we tested methods for pre-stack migration imaging and anisotropic correction of PS-wave data. We based this on the propagation rules of seismic waves in a horizontal transverse isotropy medium, which is a fractured medium model that reflects likely subsurface conditions in the field. We used the radial (R) and transverse (T) components of PS-wave data to separate the fast and slow S-wave components, after which their propagation moveout was effectively extracted. Meanwhile, corrections for the energies and propagation moveouts of the R and T components were implemented using mathematical rotation. The PS-wave imaging quality was distinctly improved, and we demonstrated the reliability of our methods through numerical simulations. Applying our methods to three-dimensional and three-component seismic field data from the Xinchang-Hexingchang region of the Western Sichuan Depression in China, we obtained high-quality seismic imaging with continuous reflection wave groups, distinct structural features, and specific stratigraphic contact relationships. This study provides an effective and reliable approach for data processing that will improve the exploration of complex, hidden lithologic gas reservoirs.     

Seismic imaging of the middle and upper crust by double-difference tomography: the Haicheng earthquake (Ms 7.3) in Liaoning Province

The Haicheng earthquake (Ms 7.3) occurred in Liaoning Province (39°N–43°N, 120°E–126°E ), China on February 4, 1975. The mortality rate was only 0.02% owing to the first timely and accurate prediction, although the area affected by the earthquake was 9200 km² and covered cities with a population density of 1000 p/km². In this study, the doubledifference (DD) tomography method was used to obtain high-resolution three-dimensional (3D) P- and S-wave velocity (Vp and Vs) structures and Vp/Vs as well as the earthquake locations. Tomography results suggest that velocity structure at shallow depth coincides well with topography and sediment thickness. The earthquake locations form a northwest-striking zone associated with the Jinzhou(JZ) Fault and a northeast-striking zone associated with the Haichenghe-Dayanghe (HD) Fault, and suggest that the JZ Fault consists of three faults and the Ms 7.3 Haicheng earthquake originated at the intersection of the JZ and the Faults. Lowvelocity zones (LVZs) with low Vp/Vs are observed at 15–20 km depth beneath the Haicheng (HC) region. We interpret the LVZs in the middle crust as regions of fluids, suggesting rock dehydration at high temperatures. The LVZs and low Vp/Vs in the upper crust are attributed to groundwater-filled cracks and pores. We believe that large crustal earthquakes in this area are caused by the combination of faulting and fluid movement in the middle crust.     

Acoustic reflection well logging modeling using the frequency-domain finite-element method with a hybrid PML

In this paper, we propose a hybrid PML (H-PML) combining the normal absorption factor of convolutional PML (C-PML) with tangential absorption factor of Mutiaxial PML (M-PML). The H-PML boundary conditions can better suppress the numerical instability in some extreme models. and the computational speed of finite-element method and the dynamic range are greatly increased using this HPML. We use the finiteelement method with a hybrid PML to model the acoustic reflection of the interface when wireline and well logging while drilling (LWD), in a formation with a reflector outside the borehole. The simulation results suggests that the PS- and SP- reflected waves arrive at the same time when the inclination between the well and the outer interface is zero, and the difference in arrival times increases with increasing dip angle. When there are fractures outside the well, the reflection signal is clearer in the subsequent reflection waves and may be used to identify the fractured zone. The difference between the dominant wavelength and the model scale shows that LWD reflection logging data are of higher resolution and quality than wireline acoustic reflection logging.     

Seismic prediction method of multiscale fractured reservoir

Common prestack fracture prediction methods cannot clearly distinguish multiplescale fractures. In this study, we propose a prediction method for macro- and mesoscale fractures based on fracture density distribution in reservoirs. First, we detect the macroscale fractures (larger than 1/4 wavelength) using the multidirectional coherence technique that is based on the curvelet transform and the mesoscale fractures (1/4–1/100 wavelength) using the seismic azimuthal anisotropy technique and prestack attenuation attributes, e.g., frequency attenuation gradient. Then, we combine the obtained fracture density distributions into a map and evaluate the variably scaled fractures. Application of the method to a seismic physical model of a fractured reservoir shows that the method overcomes the problem of discontinuous fracture density distribution generated by the prestack seismic azimuthal anisotropy method, distinguishes the fracture scales, and identifies the fractured zones accurately.     

Brittleness characteristics of tight oil siltstones

Rock brittleness directly affects reservoir fracturing and its evaluation is essential for establishing fracturing conditions prior to reservoir reforming. Dynamic and static brittleness data were collected from siltstones of the Qingshankou Formation in Songliao Basin. The brittle–plastic transition was investigated based on the stress–strain relation. The results suggest that the brittleness indices calculated by static elastic parameters are negatively correlated with the stress drop coefficient and the brittleness index B₂, defined as the average of the normalized Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio, is strongly correlated with the stress drop. The brittleness index B₂, Young’s modulus, and Poisson’s ratio correlate with the brittle minerals content; that is, quartz, carbonates, and pyrite. We also investigated the correlation between pore fluid and porosity and dynamic brittle characteristic based on index B₂. Pore fluid increases the plasticity of rock and reduces brittleness; moreover, with increasing porosity, rock brittleness decreases. The gas-saturated siltstone brittleness index is higher than that in oil- or water-saturated siltstone; the difference in the brittleness indices of oil- and water-saturated siltstone is very small. By comparing the rock mechanics and ultrasonic experiments, we find that the brittleness index obtained from the rock mechanics experiments is smaller than that obtained from the ultrasonic experiments; nevertheless, both decrease with increasing porosity as well as their differences. Ultrasonic waves propagate through the rock specimens without affecting them, whereas rock mechanics experiments are destructive and induce microcracking and porosity increases; consequently, the brittleness of low-porosity rocks is affected by the formation of internal microcrack systems.