Influence of soft clays on the response spectra for structures in eastern Canada

The 1990 edition of the National Building Code of Canada (Associate Committee of the National Building Code, National Research Council, Ottawa, 1990) makes a clear distinction between eastern and western Canada in terms of seismic acceleration and velocity zones. While it is well established that ground motions can be amplified significantly through loose clay deposits, no results are available that take into consideration the typical high frequency content of ground motions in eastern Canada. This paper develops ground amplification curves for clays having depths between 10 and 70 m excited by typical eastern Canadian ground motions scaled to two different values of peak horizontal accelerations. Simplified free-field spectral design curves, which could be used by structural designers, are proposed. The curves show that maximum spectral accelerations occur for structural periods between 0.2 and 0.5 s. In addition, soil depth does not appear to be an important parameter controlling the response of typical clay deposits in eastern Canada.     

Time domain modelling of the transient asymmetric flooding of Ro-Ro ships

This work aims at contributing to improve knowledge on transient asymmetric flooding through theoretical and experimental research. First, a time domain theoretical model of ship motions and flooding is described. Results from experimental work are presented evidencing that transient asymmetric flooding may cause the capsizing of a Ro-Ro shaped barge. The theoretical model is used to predict the capsize of the Ro-Ro shaped barge. Reasonable agreement between experimental and theoretical results was found. Finally, a review of the European Gateway accident is given and the theoretical model is applied to the study of this type of accident. The conclusion is that this theoretical model, together with an accurate modelling of the flooding of machinery compartments, reproduces successfully the capsizing of the European Gateway due to transient asymmetric flooding. Therefore, the internal arrangement of Ro-Ro ships should be carefully studied at the design stage in order to avoid this phenomenon.     

Development of site-specific design ground motions in Western and Eastern North America

This paper presents results recently obtained for generating site-specific ground motions needed for design of critical facilities. The general approach followed in developing these ground motions using either deterministic or probabilistic criteria is specification of motions for rock outcrop or very firm soil conditions followed by adjustments for site-specific conditions. Central issues in this process include development of appropriate attenuation relations and their uncertainties, differences in expected motions between Western and Eastern North America, and incorporation of site-specific adjustments that maintain the same hazard level as the control motions, while incorporating uncertainties in local dynamic material properties. For tectonically active regions, such as the Western United States (WUS), sufficient strong motion data exist to constrain empirical attenuation relations for M up to about 7 and for distances greater than about 10–15 km. Motions for larger magnitudes and closer distances are largely driven by extrapolations of empirical relations and uncertainties need to be substantially increased for these cases.

For the Eastern United States (CEUS), due to the paucity of strong motion data for cratonic regions worldwide, estimation of strong ground motions for engineering design is based entirely on calibrated models. The models are usually calibrated and validated in the WUS where sufficient strong motion data are available and then recalibrated for applications to the CEUS. Recalibration generally entails revising parameters based on available CEUS ground motion data as well as indirect inferences through intensity observations. Known differences in model parameters such as crustal structure between WUS and CEUS are generally accommodated as well. These procedures are examined and discussed.     

The effective number of cycles of earthquake ground motion

The seismic response of any system that accumulates damage under cyclic loading is dependent not only on the maximum amplitude of the motion but also its duration. This is explicitly recognized in methods for estimating the liquefaction potential of soil deposits. Many researchers have proposed that the effective number of cycles of the ground motion is a more robust indicator of the destructive capacity of the shaking than the duration. However, as is the case with strong‐motion duration, there is no universally accepted approach to determining the effective number of cycles of motion, and the different methods that have been proposed can give widely varying results for a particular accelerogram. Definitions of the effective number of cycles of motion are reviewed, classified and compared. Measurements are found to differ particularly for accelerograms with broad‐banded frequency content, which contain a significant number of non‐zero crossing peaks. The key seismological parameters influencing the number of cycles of motion and associated equations for predicting this quantity for future earthquakes are identified. Correlations between cycle counts and different duration measures are explored and found to be rather poor in the absence of additional parameters. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Oil dispersal modelling: reanalysis of the Rena oil spill using open-source modelling tools

ABSTRACT

Oil spill forecast modelling is typically used immediately after a spill to predict oil dispersal and promote mobilisation of more effective response operations. The aim of this work was to map oil dispersal after the grounding of the MV Rena on Astrolabe Reef and to verify the results against observations. Model predictions were broadly consistent with observed distribution of oil contamination. However, some hot spots of oil accumulation, likely due to surf-zone and rip current circulation, were not well represented. Additionally, the model was run with 81 differing wind conditions to show that the events occurring during the grounding represented the typical likely behaviour of an oil spill on Astrolabe Reef. Oil dispersal was highly dependent on prevailing wind patterns; more accurate prediction would require better observations of local wind patterns. However, comparison of predictions with observations indicated that the GNOME model was an effective low-cost approach.     

基于无人船的水质监测及控制系统设计

针对执行水质监测任务过程中固定浮标监测站单点监测存在局限性、船载观测人员取样耗时耗力等问题,本文设计了一种搭载多点、分层自动采水取样装置的智能无人船水质监测系统,可实现目标水域的多点、分层连续水质数据测量及取样。该智能无人船具备基于快速随机树(Rapid Random Tree)算法的自主避障和快速路径规划功能,解决了现有无人船技术存在的多障碍自主路径规划难等问题。同时,本设计结合了ARM9控制芯片、M5310无线传输模块,通过可视化的显示界面和远程WEB访问的功能,大大提升了科研人员及时处理特殊情况便捷性。通过实验测试及比对分析,证明本设计具有智能高效、稳定可靠等优点,能够满足职能部门对于水质监测工作的需要。     

Simulation of spatially correlated earthquake ground motions for engineering purposes

A new model to simulate spatially correlated earthquake ground motions is developed. In the model, the main factors that characterize three distinct effects of spatial variability, namely, the incoherency effect, the wave-passage effect and the site-response effect, are taken into account, and corresponding terms/parameters are incorporated into the well known model of uniform ground motions. Some of these terms/parameters can be determined by the root operation, and others can be calculated directly. The proposed model is fi rst verif ied theoretically, and examples of ground motion simulations are provided as a further illustration. It is proven that the ensemble expected value and the ensemble auto-/cross-spectral density functions of the simulated ground motions are identical to the target spectral density functions. The proposed model can also be used to simulate other correlated stochastic processes, such as wave and wind loads.     

3mm多普勒云雷达测量反演云内空气垂直速度的研究

垂直指向的W-波段大气云雷达(WACR)不仅测量云粒子的反射率因子Z, 而且测量多普勒速度谱。本文利用寿县气象站WACR在2008年11月1日一个时段的测量, 进行云内空气垂直速度反演试验。首先讨论个例中反射率、 Doppler平均速度及谱宽的分布特征及原因, 然后利用小粒子示踪法和改进的以小粒子示踪法为基础的粒子下降速度w0—反射率因子 (w0－Z) 关系法反演了云内空气垂直速度, 进而结合Doppler谱数据分析反演结果。结果显示: 小粒子示踪法在湍流较弱时能比较精确地反演空气垂直速度, 而湍流较强时, 湍流造成的误差不可忽略; 改进算法在湍流较强时能够减少湍流对反演结果的影响。     

基于BDS的混合动力船舶节能研究

提出一种基于北斗卫星导航系统(BDS)的油电混合动力推进系统,柴油机和电动机采取PTH驱动方式,采用燃油和电能混合提供推进动力,可以依据BDS导航的航行区域以及航行速度选择不同动力源输出.经过燃油经济性和效益分析,与传统推进系统相比,应用基于BDS的混合动力推进系统,公务船运营成本降低26%,增加的初始建造投资成本3年内可以收回;金枪鱼延绳钓船综合节油15%~20%,通过节油方式可在4年内收回初始建造投资成本.基于BDS的混合动力系统可以增加推进冗余度,提高船舶安全性,具有良好的节能减排和节约运营成本的效果.