Reliability based risk index for the design of reinforced earth structures

The design methods currently used for earth reinforcement are mostly based on deterministic properties of both the soil and the construction materials used. Nowadays, however, the general trend is designing at a specific degree of reliability. This is even more true where the raw data such as soil properties exhibit significant variation. Deterministic solutions, in this case, may not suffice. Therefore, this paper will attempt to use probabilistic formulations thereby modifying the existing design procedure of reinforced earth retaining walls to account for uncertainties and variabilities. Through a first order Taylor's series expansion about the mean, the mean and variance of the strip reinforcing components, namely width and length, are derived in terms of the variations in the soil properties. Design charts that enable estimation of both mean and variance are developed to avoid extensive partial differentiation involved in the computations. Using appropriate probability distributions along with the mean and variance, the final design outputs are determined for a selected failure probability by introducing what is refered to as 'risk index'. The results indicate that the risk index increases with an increase in the coefficient of variations and a decrease in failure probability. Furthermore, it is shown that in some cases, depending on the variabilities of the soil properties, the classical design technique produced a relatively high failure probability. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

华北地区700年来地壳应力场演化与地震的关系研究

目前地震断层相互作用问题已引起地震学家的广泛关注。许多研究表明一条断层的破裂可以影响附近其他断层趋于破裂的进程，两条断层间的确切作用取决于它们的相对位置、破裂机制、错动量和介质力学性质。本研究给出了华北地区700年来由于长期构造加载及地震断层错动导致的累积库仑破裂应力变化(ACCFS)的演化过程。长期构造加载场由GPS观测得到的地壳平均应变率场给出。关于历史地震断层破裂参数的估算，根据的是华北地区有现代仪器记录的大震资料归算地震烈度与断层破裂长度、震级和地震矩的统计关系；根据地质调查得到的地震断层走向、倾角以及本地区的构造应力场方向估计滑动角。考虑粘弹性成层介质地壳模型，计算长期构造加载和地震形变(同震及震后介质粘弹性驰豫变形)造成的累积应力场变化。将累积应力场变化投影到后续地震断层面和滑动方向上得到△CCFS，并研究其对后续地震发生的触发作用。对1303年以来华北地区发生的49个M≥6．5地震研究结果表明：ACCFS对48个后续地震中的38个有触发作用，触发率达到79．2％。应用当今累积应力场变化于华北地区1303年-2003年发生的M≥5地震，我们发现触发率达到75．5％，于1976年以来发生的M≥5地震触发率达82．1％。未被触发的地震中有些是发生在断层破裂区附近的余震，很可能是由于历史地震破裂参量估计的误差落入影区中，若排除这些影响，触发率会更高。研究表明ACCFS与发生的后续地震有很好的相关性。当前ACCFS显著上升的地区包括渤海及其邻域地区、西秦岭北缘断裂带、张家口-渤海地震带西端和太原盆地，其地震危险性应引起重视。     

Monitoring and modelling of pore water pressure changes and riverbank stability during flow events

Pore water pressures (positive and negative) were monitored for four years (1996–1999) using a series of tensiometer‐piezometers at increasing depths in a riverbank of the Sieve River, Tuscany (central Italy), with the overall objective of investigating pore pressure changes in response to ?ow events and their effects on bank stability. The saturated/unsaturated ?ow was modelled using a ?nite element seepage analysis, for the main ?ow events occurring during the four‐year monitoring period. Modelling results were validated by comparing measured with computed pore water pressure values for a series of representative events. Riverbank stability analysis was conducted by applying the limit equilibrium method (Morgenstern‐Price), using pore water pressure distributions obtained by the seepage analysis. The simulation of the 14 December 1996 event, during which a bank failure occurred, is reported in detail to illustrate the relations between the water table and river stage during the various phases of the hydrograph and their effects on bank stability. The simulation, according to monitored data, shows that the failure occurred three hours after the peak stage, during the inversion of ?ow (from the bank towards the river). A relatively limited development of positive pore pressures, reducing the effective stress and annulling the shear strength term due to the matric suction, and the sudden loss of the con?ning pressure of the river during the initial drawdown were responsible for triggering the mass failure. Results deriving from the seepage and stability analysis of nine selected ?ow events were then used to investigate the role of the ?ow event characteristics (in terms of peak stages and hydrograph characteristics) and of changes in bank geometry. Besides the peak river stage, which mainly controls the occurrence of conditions of instability, an important role is played by the hydrograph characteristics, in particular by the presence of one or more minor peaks in the river stage preceding the main one. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

双剪统一强度准则改进及其在岩土工程中的应用

在分析Mohr-Coulomb强度准则和双剪统一强度准则的基础上,提出了主剪面应力对和主剪面应力对的作用这2个新概念,并以此为出发点,通过考虑十二面体单元主剪面上所有3个主剪面应力对的共同作用,在双剪强度准则的基础上提出了一个新准则,并对其作了极限线分析.应用该新强度准则研究了静水压力条件下圆形巷道围岩弹塑性分析和土压力计算问题.研究表明,该准则不仅能较好地非线性反映岩土的3个基本强度特征,还解决了双剪统一准则中存在的双重破坏角问题.     

Focal mechanism dependence of static stress triggering of earthquakes

We perform a global statistical investigation into the problem of Coulomb stress triggering of earthquakes by using the Harvard CMT catalogue of shallow earthquakes from 1976 to 2001. We consider ‘earthquake pairs’, i.e., pairs of successive earthquakes occurring near each other with similar focal mechanisms, and address the problem of whether or not the change of the Coulomb failure stress (CFS) produced by the first earthquake of the pair ‘encourages’ the occurrence of the second one. An interesting feature is that such a Coulomb stress-triggering phenomenon has an apparent focal mechanism dependence: for thrust earthquakes, a more evident triggering effect can be observed.     

Preferential embrittlement of graphitic schists during extensional unroofing in the Alps: the effect of fluid composition on rheology in low-permeability rocks

Interlayered graphitic and non‐graphitic schists from the Tauern Window, Eastern Alps, record contrasting mechanical behaviour during extensional exhumation. Graphitic schists contain mesoscale extension fractures, pervasive microcracks in garnet, and abundant secondary fluid inclusion planes; all three types of structures are oriented perpendicular to the stretching lineation. Crack spacings in garnet from graphitic samples are tightly clustered around a mean of 180 μm. Non‐graphitic schists have fewer and more randomly oriented microcracks and fluid inclusion planes and maintained strain compatibility via crystal plasticity. The presence or absence of graphite appears to have exerted a fundamental control on rheology during unroofing. Calculations for a model graphitic rock at 500 °C and f_O2 = 10^?24 MPa show that the equilibrium metamorphic fluid evolves from X_CO2 = 0.07 to 0.38 during decompression from 700 to 400 MPa, in agreement with microcrack fluid inclusion data that show a change from X_CO2 < 0.1 to 0.45 in graphitic samples over the same pressure interval. This compositional shift results in >60% expansion of the pore fluid during decompression. H₂O‐rich fluid in non‐graphitic rocks expands <15% over the same pressure interval. The greater pore fluid expansion in low‐permeability graphitic horizons likely promoted tensile failure during unroofing. These results suggest that microcracking should be an inevitable consequence of decompression in many graphitic schists, whereas rocks that lack graphite are less likely to undergo microcracking. Microseismicity is predicted to be more common in graphitic than non‐graphitic rocks during unroofing of mountain belts.     

Understanding governance and networks: EU-US interactions and the regulation of genetically modified organisms

EU-US (European Union-United States) interactions in relation to the regulation of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) have been examined in detail in recent years. To do this scholars have tended to focus on a small number of high profile processes, such as the formal complaint of the US to the World Trade Organisation regarding the regulation of GMOs in the Europe. It is important to analyse developments of this kind but overemphasis on them has also lead to a distorted view of the case and a failure to appreciate the significance of other, less visible, types of interaction. In this paper we focus instead on trying to understand the roles played by various EU-US transnational networks—The Transatlantic Business Dialogue, The Transatlantic Economic Partnership, The Transatlantic Consumer Dialogue, The Transatlantic Environmental Dialogue and the EU-US Consultative Forum on Biotechnology. These networks have been trying to shape the regulation of GMOs in both jurisdictions since the mid 1990s. By analysing them through a ‘governance lens’ we find that we can better understand EU-US interactions and the dynamics and influences around the regulation of GMOs. This gives us valuable insights into processes of contemporary governance.     

桥基岸坡变形破坏机制物理模拟研究

结合某大桥桥基岸坡地质条件,采用相似原理为基础的底摩擦试验方法,定性模拟分析了在天然状态和加载条件下岸坡岩体的变形破坏过程和模式。试验结果表明：在天然状态下,左右岸岸坡岩体处于稳定状态;在加载条件下,左岸岸坡岩体稳定,右岸发育的错落体失稳,而导致整个岸坡不稳定,建议对其进行预加固或改变桥墩位置     

岩石破坏过程磁场效应实验研究及其对地震预报的意义

地震前岩石圈存在可观测的磁场前兆异常, 岩石破坏过程的磁场效应规律却鲜有研究.本文设计建立了岩石破坏磁场效应监测实验系统, 测试分析了岩石破坏过程磁场与载荷、声发射、电磁辐射之间的关系, 探讨了岩石破坏磁场产生机制与岩石破坏磁场效应对地震预报的意义.结果表明: 岩石在受载破坏过程能够产生磁场, 磁感应强度与载荷变化存在良好的对应关系.在受载前期, 磁感应强度波动增加, 受载中后期, 磁场强度显著增加; 主破坏发生时, 磁场强度快速增加并达到最大值.磁感应强度与累积声发射计数平均相关系数达到0.825, 呈高度相关, 表明磁场变化能够反映岩石的变形破坏阶段和状态.岩石破坏磁场的产生主要与电性变化有关, 运动电荷或电流的变化产生了磁场.岩石破坏磁场与电磁辐射同属于电磁信号, 磁场是一种极低频、连续、脉冲式的信号, 信号频率一般为0~20 Hz; 电磁辐射是一种瞬态、阵发性的电磁波, 信号频率一般为kHz~MHz.相对于电磁辐射, 磁场前兆异常先出现, 岩石破坏的磁场监测结果对于评估地震的临震预报具有显著的意义.

     

基于广义Hoek-Brown准则的岩体等效强度

为了更方便地求出岩体的等价粘聚力C和摩擦角φ,基于Hoek-Brown准则与RMR法岩体质量分级,求出不同RMR值下的C和φ,拟合出C和φ的折减系数关于RMR值的变化曲线。结果表明:对于质量等级较好的岩体,根据RMR值可以分别求得岩体的C和φ的折减系数,对已知岩石的C和φ值进行折减,求得岩体的C和φ值。岩体的C值随岩石单轴抗压强度成线性正相关,岩体的φ值不随单轴抗压强度变化而变化。C和φ的折减系数不随岩石的单轴抗压强度变化而变化,只与岩体RMR值有关。