Discussion on “Experimental study on fracture toughness and tensile strength of a clay” [Engineering Geology 94 (2007) 64–75]     

M.R. Lakshmikantha  P.C. Prat  A. Ledesma 《Engineering Geology》2008,101(3-4):295-296

The paper [Wang, J.-J., Zhu, J.-G., Chiu, C.F., Zhang, H., 2007. Experimental study on fracture toughness and tensile strength of a clay. Engineering Geology 94, 64–75.] focuses on two important fracture parameters of soils: tensile strength and fracture toughness. These parameters control the behaviour of soils in a wide range of situations, from the design of a simple footing to much complicated fracture behaviour of clay liners or covers. The authors have done extensive laboratory work to determine these two parameters and their laborious and complicated experimental program needs praise. However, some of the points raised in their conclusions, based on the analysis and comparison with the data from the literature, need to be discussed.  相似文献   

Shear strength characterization of municipal solid waste at the Suzhou landfill, China   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Tony L.T. Zhan  Y.M. Chen  W.A. Ling 《Engineering Geology》2008,97(3-4):97-111

The current practice of slope stability analysis for a municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill usually overlooks the dependence of waste properties on the fill age or embedment depth. Changes in shear strength of MSW as a function of fill age were investigated by performing field and laboratory studies on the Suzhou landfill in China. The field study included sampling from five boreholes advanced to the bottom of the landfill, cone penetration tests and monitoring of pore fluid pressures. Twenty-six borehole samples representative of different fill ages (0 to 13 years) were used to perform drained triaxial compression tests. The field and laboratory study showed that the waste body in the landfill can be sub-divided into several strata corresponding to different ranges of fill age. Each of the waste strata has individual composition and shear strength characteristics. The triaxial test results showed that the MSW samples exhibited a strain-hardening and contractive behavior. As the fill age of the waste increased from 1.7 years to 11 years, the cohesion mobilized at a strain level of 10% was found to decrease from 23.3 kPa to 0 kPa, and the mobilized friction angle at the same strain level increasing from 9.9° to 26°. For a confinement stress level greater than 50 kPa, the shear strength of the recently-placed MSW seemed to be lower than that of the older MSW. This behavior was consistent with the cone penetration test results. The field measurement of pore pressures revealed a perched leachate mound above an intermediate cover of soils and a substantial leachate mound near the bottom of the landfill. The measurements of shear strength properties and pore pressures were utilized to assess the slope stability of the Suzhou landfill.  相似文献   

Mapping ambivalence: Exploring the geographies of community change and rails-to-trails development using photo-based Q method and PPGIS   总被引：5，自引：0，他引：5  

Timothy Hawthorne  John Krygier 《Geoforum》2008,39(2):1058-1078

As the literature on trail development suggests, recreational trail projects can generate conflicts and controversies, particularly when built on abandoned rail corridors through developed areas. These conflicts are often understood as “not in my back yard” (NIMBY) reactions, suggesting a spatial proximity to conflict which increases as one draws closer to the proposed trail. This research seeks to understand local residents’ perceptions and reactions to recreational trail development in the City of Delaware (Ohio, USA). It addresses two spatially infused questions: Does the potential for conflict related to trail development increase as people live closer to a potential trail (the NIMBY factor)? Can important qualitative factors about favorable and unfavorable land uses including potential recreational trail sites be defined using a participatory methodology and then represented in GIS? The study used a mixed-method approach to collect and analyze qualitative data from a group of local residents. Each participant was interviewed and asked to sort 19 pictures related to trail development. After each of the sorts, participants were asked to explain why they ranked the pictures the way they did. Results of the picture sorts were then analyzed using Q method and mapped with GIS. The results show that spatial proximity matters in the context of trail development and potential NIMBY reactions to trails. Significant differences were found in the picture sorts that reveal the importance of proximity and location, although in a manner contrary to the assumptions in the writings on rails-to-trails. Through combining qualitative methods, Q analysis and PPGIS analysis, the research shows that qualitative place-based studies are capable of generating insights about the complexities of situated geographic change such as recreational trail development.  相似文献   

Geochronology of Pliocene volcanism in the Dzhavakheti Highland (the Lesser Caucasus). Part 1: Western part of the Dzhavakheti Highland     

V. A. Lebedev  S. N. Bubnov  O. Z. Dudauri  G. T. Vashakidze 《Stratigraphy and Geological Correlation》2008,16(2):204-224

Isotopic-geochronological study of the Pliocene magmatic activity in western part of the Dzhavakheti Highland (northwestern region of the Lesser Caucasus) is carried out. The results obtained imply that the Pliocene magmatic activity lasted in this part of the highland approximately 2 million years from 3.75 to 1.75–1.55 Ma. As is established, the studied volcanic rocks correspond in composition mostly to K-Na subalkaline and more abundant normal basalts. Time constraints of main phases in development of basic volcanism within the study region are figured out. We assume that individual pulses of silicic to moderately silicic volcanism presumably took place in the Dzhavakheti Highland about 3.2 and 2.5 Ma ago.  相似文献   

Weibull statistical analysis of granite bending strength     

P. M. Amaral  J. Cruz Fernandes  L. Guerra Rosa 《Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering》2008,41(6):917-928

Summary  This paper describes and discusses the adequacy of Weibull statistical analysis to analyse the bending strength of granite. The experimental results show that strength variability is related with a specific origin of failure. This conclusion is based on analysing the influence of the surface condition (extrinsic defects) on the bending strength results treated by the Weibull statistics. The conclusions drawn from this study have been validated by analysing the results of the critical flaw dimension estimated by applying the linear elastic fracture mechanics (LEFM) formulae. Results obtained from fractographic examination also have been used to describe the location of the origin of the fracture and understand the distribution of defects; i.e., there is a unimodal distribution of defects (intrinsic defects), despite the fact that some outlier values are normally observed in the fractured surfaces. Correspndence: P. M. Amaral, Department of Materials Engineering, Instituto Superior Técnico, Technical University of Lisbon, Av. Rovisco Pais, 1049-001 Lisboa, Portugal  相似文献   

On the Assessment of Failure in Slope Stability Analysis by the Finite Element Method   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

H. Zheng  D. F. Liu  C. G. Li 《Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering》2008,41(4):629-639

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DEM analysis of the crack propagation in brittle clays under uniaxial compression tests   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

Luis F. Vesga  Luis E. Vallejo  Sebastian Lobo‐Guerrero 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》2008,32(11):1405-1415

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Numerical estimation of REV and permeability tensor for fractured rock masses by composite element method   总被引：2，自引：0，他引：2  

S.‐H. Chen  X.‐M. Feng  S. Isam 《国际地质力学数值与分析法杂志》2008,32(12):1459-1477

The Monte Carlo method is used to generate parent stochastic discrete fracture network, from which a series of fractured rock samples of different sizes and orientations are extracted. The fracture network combined with a regular grid forms composite element mesh of the fractured rock sample, in which each composite element is composed of sub‐elements incised by fracture segments. The composite element method (CEM) for the seepage is implemented to obtain the nodal hydraulic potential as well as the seepage flow rates through the fractured rock samples. The application of CEM enables a large quantity of stochastic tests for the fractured rock samples because the pre‐process is facilitated greatly. By changing the sizes and orientations of the samples, the analysis of the seepage characteristics is realized to evaluate the variation of the permeability components, the existence of the permeability tensor and the representative element volume. The feasibility and effectiveness are illustrated in a numerical example. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Implementing low-cost landslide risk reduction: a pilot study in unplanned housing areas of the Caribbean     

Malcolm Anderson  Liz Holcombe  Rob Flory  Jean-Philippe Renaud 《Natural Hazards》2008,47(3):297-315

Landslides pose a serious physical and environmental threat to vulnerable communities living in areas of unplanned housing on steep slopes in the Caribbean. Some of these communities have, in the past, had to be relocated, at costs of millions of dollars, because of major slides triggered by tropical storm rainfall. Even so, evidence shows that: (1) risk reduction is a marginal activity; (2) there has been minimal uptake of hazard maps and vulnerability assessments and (3) there is little on-the-ground delivery of construction for risk reduction. This article directly addresses these issues by developing a low-cost approach to the identification of the potential pore pressure changes that trigger such slides we seek to address these three commentaries directly. A complex 45–60° slope site in St Lucia, West Indies was selected as a pilot for a modelling approach that uses numerical models (FLAC and CHASM) to verify the need for surface water management to effectively reduce landslide risk. Following the model confirmation, a series of drains were designed and constructed at the site. Post-construction evidence indicates the methodology to be sound, in that the site was stable in subsequent 1-in-1 to 1-in-4 year rainfall events. A critical feature of the approach is that it is community-based from data acquisition through to community members participating in construction.  相似文献   

Finite Element Modeling of Swelling Soil Pressures Using Joint/Interface Elements     

Ahmet Şenol  Mustafa Aytekin 《Geotechnical and Geological Engineering》2008,26(3):313-321

There could be some discontinuities in a soil media such as layers, earth structures, cracks, and fissures so that estimation of stresses and deformations in these types of soil masses are somewhat different from continuous masses. The discontinuities in a soil mass could be considered as a special link between two blocks. Transmitted swelling pressures affected by the soil properties of the backfill especially at the interface between the backfill and retaining wall. In order to estimate the transmitted swelling pressure distribution behind a retaining wall, using with interface element, a new finite element model and a code (SWELPRES) have been developed. To evaluate the effect of backfill characteristics and interface element from the transmitted lateral swelling pressures, four cases of thickness of backfills with or without interface elements are investigated.  相似文献