Dynamic analysis of slab track on multi-layered transversely isotropic saturated soils subjected to train loads

The dynamic responses of a slab track on transversely isotropic saturated soils subjected to moving train loads are investigated by a semi-analytical approach. The track model is described as an upper Euler beam to simulate the rails and a lower Euler beam to model the slab. Rail pads between the rails and slab are represented by a continuous layer of springs and dashpots. A series of point loads are formulated to describe the moving train loads. The governing equations of track-ground systems are solved using the double Fourier transform, and the dynamic responses in the time domain are obtained by the inverse Fourier transform. The results show that a train load with high velocity will generate a larger response in transversely isotropic saturated soil than the lower velocity load, and special attention should be paid on the pore pressure in the vicinity of the ground surface. The anisotropic parameters of a surface soil layer will have greater influence on the displacement and excess pore water pressure than those of the subsoil layer. The traditional design method taking ground soil as homogeneous isotropic soil is unsafe for the case of RE 〈 1 and RG 〈 1, so a transversely isotropic foundation model is of great significance to the design for high train velocities.

AN ANALYTICAL SOLUTION FOR THREE-DIMENSIONAL DIFFRACTION OF PLANE P-WAVES BY A HEMISPHERICAL ALLUVIAL VALLEY WITH SATURATED SOIL DEPOSITS

An analytical solution for the three-dimensional scattering and diffraction of plane P-waves by a hemispherical alluvial valley with saturated soil deposits is developed by employing Fourier-Bessel series expansion technique. Unlike previous studies, in which the saturated soil deposits were simulated with the single-phase elastic theory, in this paper, they are simulated with Biot＇s dynamic theory for saturated porous media, and the half space is assumed as a single-phase elastic medium. The effects of the dimensionless frequency, the incidence angle of P-wave and the porosity of soil deposits on the surface displacement magnifications of the hemispherical alluvial valley are investigated. Numerical results show that the existence of a saturated hemispherical alluvial valley has much influence on the surface displacement magnifications. It is more reasonable to simulate soil deposits with Biot＇s dynamic theory when evaluating the displacement responses of a hemispherical alluvial valley with an incidence of P-waves.

Seismic responses of a hemispherical alluvial valley to SV waves: a three-dimensional analytical approximation

Abstract An analytical solution to the three-dimen-sional scattering and diffraction of plane SV-waves by a saturated hemispherical alluvial valley in elastic half-space is obtained by using Fourier-Bessel series expan-sion technique. The hemispherical alluvial valley with saturated soil deposits is simulated with Biot＇s dynamic theory for saturated porous media. The following conclusions based on numerical results can be drawn： （1） there are a significant differences in the seismic response simulation between the previous single-phase models and the present two-phase model; （2） the nor-malized displacements on the free surface of the alluvial valley depend mainly on the incident wave angles, the dimensionless frequency of the incident SV waves and the porosity of sediments; （3） with the increase of the incident angle, the displacement distributions become more complicated; and the displacements on the free surface of the alluvial valley increase as the porosity of sediments increases.

Investigation of earthquake mechanisms and their impact on certain basic concepts in earthquake engineering and seismology

In this paper, mantle circulation flow, continental drift, earthquake origin and other mechanical principles are examined as they apply to earthquake engineering, seismology and dynamics of fluid saturated porous medium. The relationship of mantle flow to earthquakes is examined and clarified, and a new model, different from Haskell’s, is proposed for the earthquake mechanism. The proposed new model is based on the discovery that two pairs of jump stress and jump velocity will start to act from the fault plane. Records obtained directly from recent earthquakes nearby and right on the fault break show a very large velocity impulse, which verify, indirectly, the new mechanism proposed by the author. Further, at least two physical parameters that characterize the seismic intensity must be specified, because according to the discontinuous (jump) wave theory, at the earthquake source, the stress jump and the velocity jump of particle motion should act simultaneously when a sudden break occurs. The third key parameter is shown to be the break (fracture) propagation speed together with the break plane area. This parameter influences the form of the unloading time function at the source. The maximum seismic stress in and displacement of a building are estimated for two unfavorable combinations of the building and its base ground in terms of their relative rigidity. Finally, it is shown that Biot’s theory of wave propagation in fluid saturated porous media is valid only when fluid flow cannot occur.

Characterizing in situ poroelastic properties of cytoplasm by the translation of a rigid spherical inclusion

Poroelasticity of cytoplasm is a rate-and size-dependent biphasic material behavior that reflects the normal activities and pathological states of cells,mainly caused by the migration of fluid molecules and the deformation of porous solid skeleton(protein scaffold).While micro/nano-indentation tests have been extensively used to characterize the poroelasticity of a cell,characterizing the in situ poroelasticity of cytoplasm remains elusive.In this study,based on the theory of the translation of a rigid spherical inclusion,we proposed a new method to characterize the in situ poroelasticity of cytoplasm.Based on data from optical/magnetic tweezers tests,we estimated three key poroelasticity parameters-shear modulus,Poisson ratio and diffusion coefficient-of cytoplasm for a variety of cells,including cardiomyocytes,endothelial cells of bovine capillary,and fibroblasts.The proposed method provides a powerful tool for in situ measurement of poroelastic properties of cytoplasm via optical/magnetic tweezers.

Finite element implementation of coupled hydro-mechanical modeling of transversely isotropic porous media in DEAL.II

In geotechnical engineering,modeling geo-structures is challenging,particularly in cases where the interaction between the structures and soil or rock is complex.Most wellknown commercial modeling software is based on homogenous and isotropic materials.However,soil and rock are often modeled in heterogeneous and anisotropic media because of the inherent anisotropy of sedimentary rock masses and their stratified structure.In recent decades,coupled hydro-mechanical(HM)interactions in isotropic porous media have been studied;however,the behavior of transversely isotropic porous media is rarely considered.In addition,it is difficult for commercial software such as Plaxis and Flac3D to express complex rock formation where the anisotropy of the material and the associated cracks and fractures could be assembled into a single model.In this study,a finite element implementation using Differential Equation Analysis Library(DEAL.II),an open-source library of finite element codes,was developed to model the fully coupled HM behavior of transversely isotropic porous media.The proposed implementation can be applied to both isotropic and transversely isotropic porous media based on Biot’s theory.The developed code can be used to model poroelastic media with(1)equations of linear elasticity for the solid matrix and(2)diffusion equations for fluid flow based on mass and linear-momentum conservation laws.We verified the performance and accuracy of the code through two examples,i.e.,Mandel’s problem with a compared analytical solution and a tunnel excavation process with the Flac3D software.On the basis of these numerical applications,we present the code to model the behavior of various geo-structures such as tunnels and pile–soil interactions with anisotropic materials.