Influence of Microstructure Change of Seafloor Sediments on the Sound Velocity in them in the Course of Stress-strain

Test tools and methods for synchronizing acoustic measurements in the course of stress-strain for seafloor sediment are elaborated and the test data of 45 sediment samples from the seafloor in the South China Sea are analysed. The result shows that the coarser the sediment grains are, the smaller the porosity is and the larger the unconfined compression strength is, the higher the sound velocity is. In the course of stress-strain, the sediment sound velocity varies obviously with the stress. Acoustic characteristics of sediment in different strain phases and the influence of sediment microstructure change on its sound velocity are discussed. This study will be of important significance for surveying wells of petroleum geology and evaluating the base stabilization of seafloor engineering.

Near surface velocity and Q_s structure of the Quaternary sediment in Bohai basin,China

Heavily populated by Beijing and Tianjin cities, Bohai basin is a seismically active Cenozoic basin suffering from huge lost by devastating earthquakes, such as Tangshan earthquake. The attenuation （Qp and Qs） of the surficial Quaternary sediment has not been studied at natural seismic frequency （1-10 Hz）, which is crucial to earthquake hazards study. Borehole seismic records of micro earthquake provide us a good way to study the velocity and attenuation of the surficial structure （0-500 m）. We found that there are two pulses well separated with simple waveforms on borehole seismic records from the 2006 Mw4.9 Wen＇an earthquake sequence. Then we performed waveform modeling with generalized ray theory （GRT） to confirm that the two pulses are direct wave and surface reflected wave, and found that the average vp and Vs of the top 300 m in this region are about 1.8 km/s and 0.42 km/s, leading to high ve/vs ratio of 4.3. We also modeled surface refleeted wave with propagating matrix method to constrain Qs and the near surface velocity structure. Our modeling indicates that Qs is at least 30, or probably up to 100, much larger than the typically assumed extremely low Q（-10）, but consistent with Qs modeling in Mississippi embayment. Also, the velocity gradient just beneath the free surface （0-50 m） is very large and velocity increases gradually at larger depth. Our modeling demonstrates the importance of borebole seismic records in resolving shallow velocity and attenuation structure, and hence may help in earthquake hazard simulation.

A simple formula for predicting settling velocity of sediment particles

Based on the general relationship described by Cheng between the drag coefficient and the Reynolds number of a particle, a new relationship between the Reynolds number and a dimensionless particle parameter is proposed. Using a trial-and-error procedure to minimize errors, the coefficients were determined and a formula was developed for predicting the settling velocity of natural sediment particles. This formula has higher prediction accuracy than other published formulas and it is applicable to all Reynolds numbers less than 2× 10^5.

Influence of Environmental Conditions on the Sound Velocity Ratio of Seafloor Surficial Sediment

In this work,we investigated the influences of salinity,temperature,and hydrostatic pressure on the acoustics of seafloor surficial sediment by theoretically and experimentally analyzing the sound velocity ratio of the seafloor sediment to the bottom sea-water in typical environmental conditions.Temperature-and pressure-controlled experiments were conducted to examine the charac-teristics of the sound velocity ratio,the results of which agree with the theoretical analysis using the effective density fluid model.Of the three environmental factors considered,the sound velocity ratio was found to be sensitive to temperature and pressure but not to salinity,with the sound velocity ratio decreasing with temperature and hydrostatic pressure.With respect to surficial sediments,pore water plays a key role in the sound velocity ratio of sediment influenced by different environmental factors.The sound velocities of different types of sediments(sandy,silty,and clayey)change similarly with temperature,but change slightly differently with hydro-static pressure.The influence of environmental factors on the sound velocity ratio of seafloor sediment is independent of the detec-tion frequency.The results show that the sound velocity ratio can change up to 0.0008 per℃ when the temperature ranges from 2℃ to 25℃ and up to 0.00064MPa−1 when the seawater depth pressure ranges from 0MPa to 40MPa.

Shear velocity criterion for incipient motion of sediment

The prediction of incipient motion has had great importance to the theory of sediment transport. The most commonly used methods are based on the concept of critical shear stress and employ an approach similar, or identical, to the Shields diagram. An alternative method that uses the movability number, defined as the ratio of the shear velocity to the particle＇s settling velocity, was employed in this study. A large amount of experimental data were used to develop an empirical incipient motion criterion based on the movability number. It is shown that this approach can provide a simple and accurate method of computing the threshold condition for sediment motion.

Group Settling Velocity of Non-Cohesive Sediment Mixtures

Settling velocity is a fundamental parameter in sediment transport dynamics. For uniform particles, there are abundant formulas for calculation of their settling velocities. But in natural fields, sediment consists of non-uniform particles. The interaction among particles is complex and should not be neglected. In this paper, based on the analysis of settling mechanism of non-cohesive and non-uniform particles, a theoretical model to describe settling mechanism is proposed. Besides suspension concentration and upward turbulent flow caused by other particles, collision among particles is another main factor influencing settling velocity. By introducing the collision theory, equations of fall velocity before collision, collision probability, and fall velocity after collision are established. Finally, a formula used to calculate the settling velocity of non-cohesive particles with wide grain gradation is presented, which agrees well with the experimental data.

The fine velocity structure of sediment－base－ment layer in the Three－GorgesRegionoftheChangjiangRiver（YangtzeRiver）

In this paper, the study on the fine velocity structure of sedimental and basement layers along 4 deep seismic sounding profiles in the Three Gorges Region of the Changjiang River (Yangtze River) are presented. The velocity of sedimental cover is larger in hills of western Hubei in the western profiles, the total thickness is about 0～0.3 km. However, it becomes thick in southern part of Zigui basin and Zushui river valley, about 5.0 km and 4.0 km thick respectively. The sedimental cover is very thick in Jianghan plains in the eastern profiles, about 5～8 km, and the velocity is lower. The velocity of basemental plane is greater than 6.0 km/s over the whole region. An interface can be divided within the sedimental layer, it is about 3～4 km deep in Jianghan plains, while it approximates to surface in other regions. The profiles are cut by faults in many positions. Where the faults pass, the velocity isopleth varies sharply, and the velocity is obviously low. The basement layer is characterized by high velocity and low gradient, there exist 3 high velocity anomalous zones within the layer, which are located at the west, south and east of Huangling Anticlinorium respectively. They are the upwelling materials of basalt magma with high velocity from deep crust. Perhaps, this process took place before formation of Huangling Anticlinorium. Its action produces the significant variation of basement plane depth and the correspondent development and action of faults.

Determining suspended sediment concentration and settling velocity from PC-ADP measurements in the Beibu Gulf, China

Modeling sediment transport depends on several parameters, such as suspended sediment concentration （SSC）, shear stress, and settling velocity. To assess the ability of Pulse-Coherent Acoustic Doppler Profiling （PC-ADP） to non-intrusively quantify spatial and temporal SSC and settling velocity at seabed, a field experiment was conducted in the Beibu Gulf （Tonkin Gulf）, in the South China Sea. The spatial profiles and temporal variations in SSC at 1 m above bottom were derived from PC-ADP acoustic backscatter intensity determinations after being calibrated with the optical backscatter sensor （OBS） measurements at the same elevation. The PC-ADP and OBS results agreed well. The temporal settling velocity obtained from Rouse profiles agreed well with the Soulsby formula based on size information by LISST （laser in situ scattering and transmissometry）. Tides and tidal currents are diurnal in the gulf. SSC increased with increasing ebb and flood flow, and it rapidly decreased with the increase of distance from the seabed. The maximum SSC at 0.16 m and 1.3 m above bottom reached 816 mg/L and 490 mg/L during spring tides, respectively. The sediments consisted of mineral particles 23-162 μm in diameter and 0.05-2.04 crn/s in settling velocity. Generally, both the SSC and settling velocity followed variations in the bottom friction. Results suggest that PC-ADP is able to provide reasonable SSC and settling velocity measurements of both profiles and time series for a long study period.

Hydrostatic settling velocity of sediments

The settling of sediments is an accelerative process in which the concentration of the main sediments zone will heavily influence settling velocity,but the explicit relationship between the concentration and settling velocity has not been reported in literature. Here a theoretical function was built for the time dependent concentration and time dependent settling velocity of sediments;then the entire settling process reflecting concentration was shown on the basis of sediments instant\|settlement theory and mathematical method. Agreement of computed results and experimental data was found. Several governing parameters,including particle size,particle density,initial suspended sediments concentration and suspension height,were discussed with a series of calculated velocity curves. The research indicated that ⑴ the presented concentration\|velocity time relationship is rational,⑵ settling process of the sediments group with variation of concentration consists of acceleration stage,uniform motion stage and deceleration stage,and ⑶ particle size,particle density and initial suspended sediments concentration have more influence on the settling velocity than the suspension height and water temperature.

Study on Velocity Structure Models of the Sub-Sediments in Zhapu and Jintang near the Hangzhou Bay

Marine sediment velocity structural models have strong regional characteristics.Hamilton made two shallow continental shelf sediment velocity structure models,Lu Bo gave a model in accordance with the characteristics of the continental shelf of China.However,no model can contain all geological situations.We got the in-situ velocity data at Zhapu and Jintang near the Hangzhou Bay by using the MFI GeoA(Multi-Frequency In-situ Geoacoustic Measurement),and used these data to make the velocity structure models.Finally,we got two different models.One is Zhapu velocity structural model that we can describe as Lower velocity-Higher velocity -Lower velocity-Higher velocity model simply。

Numerical simulation of the sedimentation of cylindrical pollutant particles in fluid

The sedimentation of cylindrical pollutant particles which fall through a fluid is investigated. Differing from previous research work, particle oscillation and effect of particle on the fluid are considered, and the torque exerted on a particle when viscous fluid flow around a particle is got through experiment and included in the numerical simulation. The computational results showed that the sedimentation velocities of particle increase slowly with the increase of particle aspect ratio . For disk like particle, when the motion direction of particle is parallel to axis of particle, particle falls more slowly than the case of perpendicular to axis of particle; while for rod like particle, it is inverse. For sedimentation of a crowd of high frequency oscillating cylindrical particles with arbitrary initial orientation, both vertical velocity and horizontal velocity oscillate dramatically, the degree of oscillation of the former is stronger than the later. A crowd of particles fall more quickly than an isolated particle. Particles tend to strongly align in the direction of gravity. The computational results agreed well with the experimental ones and helpful for controlling of pollutant particles.

Observations and analyses of floc size and floc settling velocity in coastal salt marsh of Luoyuan Bay, Fujian Province, China

In coastal environments, fine-grain sediments often aggregate into large and porous flocs. ElectroMagnetic Current Meters （EMCM） and Laser In Situ Scattering and Transmissometry （LISST-ST） have been deployed within a Spartina alterniflora marsh of the Luoyuan Bay in Fujian Province, China, to measure the current velocity, the floc size and the settling velocity between 15 and 22 January 2008. During the observations, the near-bed water was collected in order to obtain the suspended sediment concentration （SSC） and constituent grain size. Data show that： （1） the nearbed current velocities vary from 0.1 to 5.6 cm/s in the central Spartina alterniflora marsh and 0.1–12.5 cm/s at the edge; （2） the SSCs vary from 47 to 188 mg/dm 3 . The mean grain size of constituent grains varies from 7.0 to 9.6 μm, and the mean floc sizes （MFS） vary from 30.4 to 69.4 μm. The relationship between the mean floc size and settling velocity can be described as： w s =ad b , in which w s is the floc settling velocity （mm/s）, a and b are coefficients. The floc settling velocity varies from 0.17 to 0.32 mm/s, with a mean value of 0.26 mm/s, and the floc settling velocity during the flood tide is higher than that during the ebb tide. The current velocity and the SSC are the main factors controlling the flocculation processes and the floc settling velocity.

Study of A Geo-Acoustic Model of Gas-Bearing Sediment and Its Application in Sediment with Low Acoustic Veloctiy

A new geo-acoustic model for gas-bearing sediment is proposed based on the work of Dvorkin and Prasad, and Biot theory. Only five geophysical parameters： sediment mineral composition, free gas saturation, tortuosity （also known as the structure factor）, permeability, and porosity, are considered in the model. A benefit of this model is that we need only five parameters instead of ten parameters in the Blot＇ s formulas for acoustic velocity and attenuation calculation. Here the model is demonstrated with the in-situ experimental data collected from the Hangzhou Bay, China. The results of this study suggest that free gas content in sediment is the most critical condition resulting in a low acoustic velocity （compressional wave）. The respective contributions of the other four parameters in the model are also discussed.

Effects of Suspended Culture of the Seaweed Laminaria japonica Aresch on the Flow Structure and Sedimentation Processes

The culture of suspended kelp, such as Laminaria japonica Aresch, has arisen in nearshore areas for approximately 30 years since the 1980 s. This long-term activity has significant impact on the regional hydrodynamic and sedimentary environments. In this study the impact was investigated, based on synchronized multi-station data from continuous observations made within and around the culture area. In total, three current velocity profiles were identified inside and on the landward side of the culture area. Based on the current velocity profiles we calculated the boundary layer parameters, the fluxes of erosion/deposition, and the rate of sediment transport in different times at each observation site. Comparison between culture and non-culture periods showed that the presence of suspended kelp caused the reduction in the average flow velocity by approximately 49.5%, the bottom friction velocity by 24.8%, the seabed roughness length by 62.7%, and the shear stress and the flux of resuspended sediment by approximately 50%. From analyses in combination with the corresponding vertical variation of the suspended sediment distribution, it is revealed that the lifted sediments by resuspension is mixed with the upper suspended material, which will modify the regional distribution of suspended sediment. These changes in flow structure and sediment movement will accelerate seabed siltation, which corresponds to the changes in seabed erosion/deposition. However, under the influences of the seasonal changes in kelp growth the magnitude of change with the seabed siltation was not obvious inside the culture area, but a fundamental change was apparent around the culture area.

Hyperbolic Velocity Model

Asymptotically bounded velocity profiles describe the vertical velocity variations in compacted sediments in a more realistic way than unbounded velocity models, and allow presenting the subsurface by a smaller number of thicker layers. The first and the simplest asymptotically bounded model is the Hyperbolic velocity profile proposed by Muscatin 1937, and our paper is an extension of this early study. The Hyperbolic model has an advantage over other bounded models: The velocity increases with depth and approaches the limiting value with a more smooth and gradual rate. We derive the time-depth relationships, forward and backward transforms between the instantaneous velocity profile and the effective models (average, RMS and fourth order average velocities), study the trajectories for pre-critical and post-critical curved rays and derive the equations for traveltime, lateral propagation and arc length. We compare the ray paths obtained with the Hyperbolic model and with the other bounded velocity profiles.

基于正交试验和超声波波速的水库底泥透水混凝土性能研究

水库中的黏土、砂、有机物和无机矿物等结合并沉淀形成了水库底泥,水库底泥通常以不规则非均质体的黏土胶状物存在,呈流塑状态,具有良好的可塑性,颗粒之间较为松散。水库底泥的堆积会使水库的蓄水和防洪能力减弱,进而缩小水库容量,缩短水库寿命,影响航运交通等。另外水库底泥的长久堆积,其所含有的有机物还可能会对周边环境造成污染,水环境安全指数降低,进而对人类生存构成潜在的威胁,因此迫切需要对水库底泥进行资源化利用。为提高水库底泥在建筑材料领域的附加值利用率,将水库底泥作辅助胶凝材料制备透水混凝土。通过正交试验对水库底泥透水混凝土进行配合比设计优化研究,分析矿渣粉、水库底泥和增强剂对水库底泥透水混凝土干密度、总孔隙率、有效孔隙率、透水系数、超声波波速和28 d抗压强度等性能指标的影响,研究超声波波速与孔隙率、透水系数和28 d抗压强度之间的关系,探究试件的质量和超声波波速随冻融循环次数的演化规律。结果表明,随着水库底泥的掺入,水库底泥透水混凝土的干密度、抗压强度和超声波波速不断下降,孔隙率和透水系数不断增大;矿渣粉掺入使得试件的干密度、抗压强度和超声波波速先增大后减小,孔隙率和透水系数先减小后增大;增强剂对试件的性能指标影响不明显。3种因素对水库底泥透水混凝土的干密度、总孔隙率、有效空隙率、透水系数、超声波波速和28 d抗压强度影响排序为水库底泥掺量>矿渣粉掺量>增强剂掺量;超声波波速与孔隙率、透水系数和28 d抗压强度的曲线拟合相关性良好;随着冻融循环次数增加,试件质量损失率逐渐增大、超声波波速逐渐下降,矿渣粉和增强剂可以改善试件的冻融耐久性。研究成果将推进水库底泥在制备建筑材料中的开发与应用,有望为水库底泥透水混凝土的进一步应用提供参考。

沉积物和流速对环境DNA持久性的影响

环境DNA(Environmental DNA,eDNA)技术作为河流健康评价的关键工具,在水生生态系统生物分析中表现出极大的应用潜力。然而,eDNA与广泛存在于水体中的沉积物的关系非常复杂,同时也受到水流的影响,这严重限制了eDNA技术的推广和应用。研究以中国重要淡水养殖鱼类草鱼为对象,探讨水流和沉积物对草鱼eDNA持久性的影响。结果显示:①在流动水体中,eDNA降解速度随流速增加而加快;②沉积物的存在则加速了eDNA的降解过程,与沉积物铺设厚度相比,沉积物粒径对eDNA持久性的影响更为显著;③在静水中,eDNA降解速度随沉积物粒径增大而减缓,但在流动水中,水流干扰导致了相反的eDNA降解模式,即eDNA的降解速度随着沉积物粒径的增大而加快。研究突显了在eDNA实验设计及解释中考虑沉积物特性的重要性,对于eDNA技术在水生生态系统应用提供了宝贵参考。

基于冲刷指数的雨水管渠冲刷淤积分析

流速、雷诺数、充满度等单因素指标虽然与雨水管渠的冲刷和淤积量有一定的关联,但是通过单因素指标不足以全面地判断雨水管道的冲刷和淤积。在起动流速和止动流速的基础上,提出了冲刷指数的概念。结合连续非恒定流不同工况下冲刷和淤积量模拟,计算了流速、雷诺数、充满度、冲刷指数4个因素与冲刷量的灰色关联度,其关联度大小依次为:冲刷指数>雷诺数>充满度>流速。根据不同工况的恒定流模型实验的结果,其关联度大小依次为:冲刷指数>>流速>雷诺数>充满度。可以认为,在恒定流与非恒定流工况下,冲刷量和冲刷指数有显著的强相关性,冲刷指数能代替具体的冲刷量计算实现对冲刷程度和趋势的合理判断。

砾石作用下松散红壤堆积体坡面产流产沙特征

为了探究松散红壤工程堆积体在不同降雨条件下的径流产沙特性,基于野外调查统计结果构建堆积体试验槽模型,通过模拟降雨试验研究不同降雨强度下纯土和20%砾石含量堆积体的径流产沙的差异。结果表明:(1)砾石作用延缓堆积体坡面径流发生时间的平均滞后效益为299.56%;2种堆积体径流率随产流历时呈递增变化,随降雨强度增大,平均径流率递增34.48%~244.83%,土石混合堆积体平均径流率相较于纯土减少6.54%~45.83%,平均流速减少13.76%~30.54%。(2)降雨强度≤1.5 mm/min时堆积体侵蚀速率随产流历时总体缓慢递增或趋于稳定,土石混合堆积体平均侵蚀速率比纯土减少80.39%~84.95%;但在强降雨条件下(2.0 mm/min)纯土堆积体侵蚀速率呈快速增大后递减变化,土石混合堆积体侵蚀速率波动递增,且土石混合堆积体平均侵蚀速率比纯土增大20.04%。(3)降雨强度和砾石均会改变堆积体坡面径流产沙和流速,差异显著(P<0.05)且呈“水大沙多”的特点。研究结果可为堆积体水土流失防治措施布设提供指导,为建立工程堆积体土壤侵蚀预测模型提供基础数据。

海底峡谷浊流汇流后含沙量与速度变化研究

高速的浊流具有强大的破坏力,威胁着海底结构物的安全。海底峡谷是浊流向深海运动的重要通道,其中许多海底峡谷具有多条分支峡谷,而分支峡谷与主干峡谷浊流发生汇流后,含沙量、速度可能会增加,进而破坏力增强。本文通过室内水槽试验和数值模拟,研究了分支峡谷中的浊流汇流到主干峡谷中含沙量和速度的变化,并与仅有主干峡谷浊流的情景进行了对比。研究发现,发生汇流时,浊流的高度、含沙量和速度在头部均有增加,在汇流发生过后会有所减小,但含沙量和速度仍大于不发生汇流时的情况。本文试验结果可为有分支峡谷发生浊流汇流的现场监测位置及项目、速度推算提供指引。