Estimating the site effects in Luoyang basin using horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio method from a short-period dense array

The influence of local site effects on seismic ground motions is an important issue in seismic hazard assessment and earthquake resistant design. Determining site effects in densely populated cities built on basins can help to reduce the earthquake hazard. Site effects of Luoyang basin are estimated by the horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratio(HVSR) method using ambient noise records from a short-period dense array. The sites in Luoyang basin are sorted into three types according to the pattern of the HVSR curves. There are cases with a single clear peak, two clear peaks, and an unclear low frequency peak or multiple peaks, which correspond to there being one large impedance contrast interface, two large interfaces, and a moderate one beneath the sites, respectively. The site effects characterized by fundamental frequency from HVSR curves are affected by underlying sedimentary layers and depth of sedimentary basement. According to our results, the existence of thick sediment layer obviously lowers the fundamental frequency to the period range from 2 to 4 s in the downtown area of Luoyang city. The ground motion will amplify when through the sites and the buildings with height of 20–50 floors can resonate at the similar frequency domain. Site effects estimation using HVSR method from a short-period dense array is an effective technique in areas of moderate seismic risk where strong motion recordings are lacking, such as the Luoyang basin.

Shape ratio effects on the mechanical characteristics of rectangular prism rocks and isolated pillars under uniaxial compression

Isolated pillars in underground mines are subjected to uniaxial stress,and the load bearing cross-section of pillars is commonly rectangularly shaped.In addition,the uniaxial compression test(UCT)is widely used for determining the basic mechanical properties of rocks and revealing the mechanism of isolated pillar disasters under unidimensional stress.The shape effects of rock mechanical properties under uniaxial compression are mainly quantitatively reflected in the specific shape ratios of rocks.Therefore,it is necessary to study the detailed shape ratio effects on the mechanical properties of rectangular prism rock specimens and isolated pillars under uniaxial compressive stress.In this study,granite,marble and sandstone rectangular prism specimens with various height to width ratios(r)and width to thickness ratios(u)were prepared and tested.The study results show that r and u have a great influence on the bearing ability of rocks,and thin or high rocks have lower uniaxial compressive strength.Reducing the level of r can enhance the u effect on the strength of rocks,and increasing the level of u can enhance the r effect on the strength of rocks.The lateral strain on the thickness side of the rock specimen is larger than that on the width side,which implies that crack growth occurs easily on the thickness side.Considering r and u,a novel strength prediction model of isolated pillars was proposed based on the testing results,and the prediction model was used for the safety assessment of 179 isolated pillars in the Xianglu Mountain Tungsten Mine.

Strength criterion for crystalline rocks considering grain size effect and tensile-compressive strength ratio

The macroscopic mechanical properties of rocks are significantly influenced by their microstructure.As a material bonded by mineral grains,the grain morphology of crystalline rock is the primary factor influencing the strength.However,most strength criteria neglect the strength variations caused by different grain characteristics in rocks.Furthermore,the traditional linear criteria tend to overestimate tensile strength and exhibit apex singularity.To address these shortcomings,a piecewise strength criterion that considers the grain size effect has been proposed.A part of an ellipse was employed to construct the envelope of the tensive-shear region on the meridian plane,to accurately reproduce the low tensile-compressive strength ratio.Based on the analysis of experimental data,both linear and exponential modification functions that account for grain size effects were integrated into the proposed criterion.The corresponding finite element algorithm has been implemented.The accuracy and applicability of the proposed criterion were validated by comparing with the experimental data.

Three-Dimensional Direct Numerical Simulation of Flow past A Near-Wall Circular Cylinder:Combined Effects of Gap Ratio and Boundary Layer Thickness on Flow Profiles and Pressure Distribution

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of the wake flow downstream of a near-wall circular cylinder at different gap ratios and boundary layer thicknesses are carried out by using the iterative immersed boundary method.The non-dimensional gap between the cylinder and the wall,G/D=0.2,0.6 and 1.0,the non-dimensional boundary layer thickness,δ/D=0.0,0.7 and 1.6,the Reynolds number,Re=350,and the aspect ratio of the cylinder,L/D=25are adopted.High-resolution visualizations of the complex vortex structures at differentδ/D and G/D are presented.The transition of the streamwise vortex mode,the combined effects ofδ/D and G/D on the flow statistics,the pressure and shear stress distribution and the hydrodynamic forces are analyzed.Results show that with decreasing G/D and increasingδ/D,the gap flow and its vortex-shedding are significantly weakened,together with an elongated wake and an enlarged low-velocity area near the wall,leading to the wake mode transition from the two-sided to one-sided vortex-shedding.Different relative positions of the cylinder regarding the boundary layer alter the flow features of the shear layers.With an increase inδ/D,the front stagnation point shifts to the upper surface,and the distance between the flow divergence point and the maximum pressure position increases.The mean drag coefficient and r.m.s.values of drag and lift coefficients decrease with a decrease in G/D and an increase inδ/D,while the mean lift coefficient increases with decreasing G/D but decreases with increasingδ/D.

Coupling Effects of Depletion Interactions in Three-Sphere Systems with Different Size Ratio of Large- to Small-Sphere

The coupling effects of depletion interactions in three-sphere systems with different size ratio of large- to small-sphere are studied by Monte Carlosimulations in this paper. The numerical results show that this coupling effect is affected by the size ratio of large- to small-sphere: the larger the size ratio is, the larger the coupling effect will be.

THE EFFECTS OF VELOCITY RATIO ON THE LARGE SCALE COHERENT STRUCTURES IN FREE SHEAR LAYERS

The velocity ratio of a free shear layer has an important influence on the spatial development of the large scale coherent structures in the layer. In this study, numerical simulations are performed to get an insight into this problem. The obtained numerical results agree quite well with those of a linear inviscid stability theory and the available experimental data.

Effects of Film Thickness and Ar/O2 Ratio on Resistive Switching Characteristics of HfOx-Based Resistive-Switching Random Access Memories

Cu/HfOx/n^＋Si devices are fabricated to investigate the influence of technological parameters including film thickness and Ar/02 ratio on the resistive switching （RS） characteristics of HfOx films, in terms of switch ratio, endurance properties, retention time and multilevel storage. It is revealed that the RS characteristics show strong dependence on technological parameters mainly by altering the defects （oxygen vacancies） in the film. The sample with thickness of 2Onto and Ar/O2 ratio of 12：3 exhibits the best RS behavior with the potential of multilevel storage. The conduction mechanism of all the films is interpreted based on the filamentary model.

Performance of a water hyacinth(Eichhornia crassipes)system in the treatment of wastewater from a duck farm and the effects of using water hyacinth as duck feed

Nowadays, intensive breeding of poultry and livestock of large scale has made the treatment of its waste and wastewater an urgent environmental issue, which motivated this study. A wetland of 688 mz was constructed on an egg duck farm, and water hyacinth （Eichhornia crassipes） was chosen as an aquatic plant for the wetland and used as food for duck production. The objectives of this study were to test the role of water hyacinth in purifying nutrient-rich wastewater and its effects on the ducks＇ feed intake, egg laying performance and egg quality. This paper shows that the constructed wetland removed as much as 64.44% of chemical oxygen demand （COD）, 21.78% of total nitrogen （TN） and 23.02% of total phosphorus （TP）. Both dissolved oxygen （DO） and the transparency of the wastewater were remarkably improved, with its transparency 2.5 times higher than that of the untreated wastewater. After the ducks were fed with water hyacinth, the average daily feed intake and the egg-laying ratio in the test group were 5.86% and 9.79% higher, respectively, than in the control group; the differences were both significant at the 0.01 probability level. The egg weight in the test group was 2.36% higher than in the control group （P 〈 0.05）, but the feed conversion ratios were almost the same. The eggshell thickness and strength were among the egg qualities significantly increased in ducks fed with water hyacinth. We concluded that a water hyacinth system was effective for purifying wastewater from an intensive duck farm during the water hyacinth growing season, as harvested water hyacinth had an excellent performance as duck feed. We also discussed the limitations of the experiment.

A new boundary element solution to evaluate the geometric effects of the canyon site on the displacement response spectrum

This paper presents a step-by-step procedure using the three-dimensional boundary element approach to study the behavior of semi-circular canyons under seismic shear waves. The boundary element code TDASC allows utilization for various canyon geometries, evaluation of concurrent seismic waves and calculation of the ground motions on canyons due to an excitation at any arbitrary point of the incident field. Considering the widening ratio of the canyon(including prismatic, semi-prismatic and non-prismatic canyons), wave characteristics(wavelength, dimensionless period, direction) and maximum amplification pattern, the solution was applied to carry out a series of parametric studies. It was shown that canyon form can significantly affect the displacement amplification, especially at the points located on its edges. By increasing the wave dimensionless frequency(η > 1), the amplification pattern becomes more complex. On the basis of the results from a variety of considered cases, a new expression has been presented for the limiting wavelength beyond which the widening of the canyon will not have a major effect on the displacement amplification. To verify the reliability of the proposed approach, the obtained results, expressed in terms of displacement amplitude, were compared with those from the available published literature and a reasonably good agreement was observed.

P-Δ effect on inelastic displacement ratio spectra for inelastic structures

For the evaluation of structures with known ductility demands,the constant-ductility displacement ratio spectra(CDDRS) are particularly useful for providing inelastic displacement ratios to estimate maximum lateral inelastic displacement demands from maximum elastic displacement demands.The CDDRS are computed for single-degree-of-freedom systems(SDOF) by considering or ignoring P-Δ effect for different ductility levels when subjected to 344 earthquake ground motions recorded in four site classes.The modified expressions of CDDRS for P-Δ effect are proposed.It is concluded that the P-Δ effect on CDDRS is significant,and the effect increases with the increase of ductility level.In the long-period region,the CDDRS ignoring P-Δ effect almost conforms to the equal-displacement rule.But in the case of higher ductility level,the CDDRS considering P-Δ effect are much higher than 1.0,which do not conform to the equal-displacement rule.

Pile-soil stress ratio in bidirectionally reinforced composite ground by considering soil arching effect

To discuss the soil arching effect on the load transferring model and sharing ratios by the piles and inter-pile subsoil in the bidirectionally reinforced composite ground, the forming mechanism, mechanical behavior and its effect factors were discussed in detail. Then, the unified strength theory was introduced to set up the elastoplastic equilibrium differential equation of the subsoil under the limit equilibrium state. And from the equation, the solutions were derived with the corresponding formulas presented to calculate the earth pressure over and beneath the horizontal reinforced cushion or pillow, the stress of inter-pile subsoil and the pile-soil stress ratio. Based on the obtained solutions and measured data from an engineering project, the influence rules by the soil property parameters (i.e., the cohesion c and internal friction angle φ) and pile spacing on the pile-soil stress ratio n were discussed respectively. The results show that to improve the load sharing ratio by the piles, the more effective means for filling materials with a larger value of φ is to increase the ratio of pile cap size to spacing, while to reduce the pile spacing properly and increase the value of cohesion c is advisable for those filling materials with a smaller value of φ.

Topographic effects observed at Amatrice hill during the 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic sequence

The estimate of seismic site effects by experimental approaches is based on different assumptions aimed at simplifying the complex actual site conditions and related uncertainties.However,the reliability of the results can increase if the experimental data is focused on quite strong seismic sequences and the on-site acquisition of a large number of signals is deemed strategic for the assessment of the expected phenomena.Based on these considerations,the ground motion at the Red Zone sector of Amatrice hill,violently struck by the 2016-2017 Central Italy seismic sequence,was analyzed via an observational approach.A large set of weak motions(moment magnitude Mw 2.5-3.9)was analyzed in this study by means of standard(SSR)and horizontal to vertical(HVSR)spectral ratio techniques.The results from the experimental analysis of the site effects by using weak motion and noise signals show a significant amplification at the top of Amatrice hill with a remarkable polarization of the motion and changes in spectral shapes according to the topographic setting of the relief.

Higher mode effects in hinged wall with BRBsin base-frame structures using distributed parameter models

To investigate the effect of higher modes on the displacement and inner forces in HWBB(hinged wall with buckling-restrained braces in base)-frame structure,distributed parameter models for both the HWBB-hinged frame structure and the HWBB-MRF(moment resisting frame)structure are built.The hinged wall is simplified as a flexural beam.BRBs(bucking-restrained braces)are simplified to a rotational spring.MRF is simplified to a shear beam.Vibration equations of distributed parameter models are derived.Natural periods,natural modes of vibration,inner forces and displacements of the distributed parameter models are derived based on the vibration equations using numerical methods.The effect of the relative stiffness ratio and the rotational stiffness ratio on the higher mode effects is investigated.For elastic structures,the global displacement and shear in MRF are predominantly controlled by the first mode,while the shear and bending moment in the wall are significantly affected by higher mode effects.The effect of the yielding of BRB on the inner forces distribution in the HWBB-hinged frame is investigated.The results indicate that the first mode will no longer contribute to the inner forces and the contribution from higher modes to inner forces increases after the BRBs yield.Displacement is not sensitive to higher mode effects and it is controlled by the first mode after the BRBs yield.Parameter analysis demonstrates that the displacement amplitudes are reduced with the increase in the flexural stiffness of the wall before the flexural stiffness reaches a certain value.The first three periods decrease with the increase in the rotational stiffness.With the increase in the rotational stiffness ratio,the contribution from the first mode decreases while contributions from both the second mode and third mode increase.

Galvanic effects on cavitation damage for 1Cr13 stainless steel

Based on the electric-spark principle, a new kind of cavitation damagetesting apparatus was designed, which could produce the bubble. Bubbles collapsed and acted on asmall surface area of the alloy surface, so an intensive electrochemical inhomogenous state would beinduced and lead to the existence of surface galvanic effect on the alloy. The galvanic effect of1Cr13 SS during cavitation damage has been quantitatively investigated in NaCl solution. The resultsshow that intensive galvanic effect of 1Cr13 SS during cavitation damage appears the potential ofthe damaged area shifting negatively with the bubble collapse and simultaneously the galvaniccurrent generates. The mass loss of alloy due to cavitation increases with the bubble quantity, andincreases with the increasing of Cl- content. And both the total mass loss and the mass loss due togalvanic corrosion increase linearly with the area ratio of cavitation damaged to undamaged area.Such surface galvanic effects speed up the dissolution rate of the alloy, which, in turn,accelerates the mechanical damage, and aggravates the mass loss of the alloy. It has been furtherconfirmed that the mass loss due to the surface galvanic effect can be decreased by catholicprotection.

Influence of Chemical Effect on the Kβ/Kα Intensity Ratios and Kβ Energy Shift of Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn Complexes

Chemical effects on the Kβ/Kα intensity ratios and △E energy differences for Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn complexes were investigated. The samples were excited by 59.5 keV γ-rays from a ^241Am annular radioactive source. K X-rays emitted by samples were counted by an Ultra-LEGe detector with a resolution of 150 eV at 5.9 keV. We observed the effects of different ligands on the Kβ/Kα intensity ratios and △E energy differences for Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn complexes. We tried to investigate chemical effects on central atoms using the behaviors of different ligands in these complexes. The experimental values of Kβ/Kα were compared with the theoretical and other experimental values of pure Co, Ni, Cu, and Zn.

The Effect of Mass Ratio and Air Damper Characteristics on the Resonant Response of an Air Damped Dynamic Vibration Absorber

In this paper, it is shown that, a road vehicle 2DOF air damped quartercar suspension system can conveniently be transformed into a 2DOF air damped vibrating system representing an air damped dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) with an appropriate change in the ratio μ of the main mass and the absorber mass i.e. when mass ratio μ >> 1. Also the effect of variation of the mass ratio, air damping ratio and air spring rate ratio, on the motion transmissibility at the resonant frequency of the main mass of the DVA has been dis- cussed. It is shown that, as the air damping ratio in the absorber system increases, there is a substantial decrease in the motion transmissibility of the main mass system where the air damper has been modeled as a Maxwell type. Optimal value of the air damping ratio for the minimum motion transmissibility of the main mass of the system has been determined. An experimental setup has been designed and developed with a control system to vary air pressure in the damper in the absorber system. The motion transmissibility characteristics of the main mass system have been obtained, and the optimal value of the air damping ratio has been determined for minimum motion transmissibility of the main mass of the

Theoretical Insight into the Influence of Molecular Ratio on the Stability, Mechanical Property, Solvent Effect and Cooperativity Effect of HMX/DMI Cocrystal Explosive

Molecular dynamics method was employed to study the binding energies of the selected crystal planes of the 1,3,5,7-tetranitro-1,3,5,7-tetrazacyclooctane（HMX）/1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone（DMI） cocrystal in different molecular molar ratios. The mechanical properties were estimated in different molar ratios. Solvent effects were evaluated and the cooperativity effects were discussed in the HMX···HF···DMI ternary by using the M06-2x/6-311＋G（2df,2p） and MP2（full）/6-311＋G（2df,2p） methods. The results indicate that the substituted patterns（020） and（100） own the highest binding energies. The stabilities of cocrystals in the 1：1 and 2：1 ratios are the greatest, and thus the HMX/DMI cocrystals prefer cocrystallizing in the 1：1 and 2：1 molar ratios, which have good mechanical properties. The sensitivity change of cocrystal originates from not only the formation of intermolecular interaction but also the increment of bond dissociation energy of the N–NO2 bond. The cooperativity effect appears in the linear complex while the anti-cooperativity effect is found in the cyclic system. DMI binding to HMX is not energetically and structurally favored in the presence of HF. This is perhaps the reason that the solvent with large dielectric constant weakens the stability of the HMX/DMI cocrystals. Therefore, the solvents with low dielectric constants should be chosen in the preparation of HMX/DMI cocrystals.

QUANTITATIVE STUDY ON GALVANIC EFFECTS DURING CAVITATION DAMAGE OF 1Cr13 STAINLESS STEEL

The influence of the surface galvanic effects of 1Cr13 SS during cavitation damage has been investigated in NaCl solutions. The results show that the solution concentration and area ratio of bubble unacted surface to the bubble-acted surface greatly influence the cavitation damage of the alloy. The surface galvanic effects can speed up the dissolution rate of the alloy, and the mass loss per area of the alloy increases linearly with the area ratio of bubble unacted surface to the bubble acted surface of the alloy.

3D Effects on Vortex-Shedding Flow and Hydrodynamic Coefficients of A Vertically Oscillating Cylinder with A Bottom-Attached Disk

Vortex-shedding flow induced by the vertical oscillation of a cylinder with bottom-attached disks of different diameter ratio Dd/Dc and thickness ratio td/Dc is studied by a 3D （three-dimensional） numerical model developed in this paper, and compared with the results obtained through 2D （two-dimensional） numerical model. The high-order upwind scheme is applied to stabilize the computation, and convergence is accelerated by the multi-grid method. Qualitative and quantitative analyses of the differences between the 2D and 3D simulation results reveal the 3D effect on the flow field characteristics and hydrodynamic coefficients of the vertically oscillating cylinder with a bottom-attached disk. The 3D effect on the fluid field is mainly reflected in the significance of three vortex-shedding patterns： ωx has a greater effect on the flow fields around the sharp edges relative to the vortices generated in the 2D simulation. In the slice along the axial orientation, the vortex effect of ωy along the radial axis is smaller than that of ωx along the circumferential direction, indicating the radial effect on the velocity more pronounced than the circumferential effect around the sharp edges of the disk. The rotational interaction ωz of the fluid in the horizontal plane during the heave motion is insignificant. Based on the 2D and 3D simulation results, the turning points that separate the increasing regimes of the added mass coefficient and damping ratio are identified. The dependence of the turning point on the diameter ratio Dd/Dc and thickness ratio td/Dc are discussed in detail.

Effects of Antenna Tilting on Transmitting Power in Mobile Cellular Communication Systems

Radio resources must be wisely managed, in wireless communication systems, when implementing different multiple access techniques. This perspective is pivotal since the variations in propagation channel are very fast and the system is highly complex due to random and unpredictable movement of mobile users continuously. The complexity in the cellular system periodically contributes to different interference levels, high or low, resulting in the degradation of the system capacity. Transmitter power control is an efficient technique to mitigate the effect of interference under fading conditions, combat the Near-Far problem and conserve the battery life. Several remedial measures—like space diversity, frequency diversity, route diversity, increase in antenna height, antenna tilting, etc.—have been tried by many operators to overcome the debilitating effect of multipath fading in fixed line-of-sight microwave and mobile communication links. Among these remedial measures, diversity techniques have been extensively studied in terms of improvement factor, whereas the concept of antenna tilting is relatively less explored compared with other remedial measures. In this study, the effect of antenna tilting on fixed and mobile communication links is investigated to find out the optimum tilting angles in terms of design parameters, as well as on quality of service (QoS). The paper established that a deviation of more than 1.5o in antenna elevation angle would impact on QoS requirements and seriously affect the quality of signal to be received by the mobile systems.