Seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas under long-period earthquakes

At present,there is not much research on mid-story isolated structures in mountainous areas.In this study,a model of a mid-story isolated structure considering soil-structure interaction(SSI)in mountainous areas is established along with a model that does not consider SSI.Eight long-period earthquake waves and two ordinary earthquake waves are selected as inputs for the dynamic time history analysis of the structure.The results show that the seismic response of a mid-story isolated structure considering SSI in mountainous areas can be amplified when compared with a structure that does not consider SSI.The structure response under long-period earthquakes is larger than that of ordinary earthquakes.The structure response under far-field harmonic-like earthquakes is larger than that of near-fault pulse-type earthquakes.The structure response under near-fault pulse-type earthquakes is larger than that of far-field non-harmonic earthquakes.When subjected to long-period earthquakes,the displacement of the isolated bearings exceeded the limit value,which led to instability and overturning of the structure.The structure with dampers in the isolated story could adequately control the nonlinear response of the structure,effectively reduce the displacement of the isolated bearings,and provide a convenient,efficient and economic method not only for new construction but also to retrofit existing structures.

Understanding and simulating of three-dimensional subsurface hydrological partitioning in an alpine mountainous area, China

Critical zone(CZ)plays a vital role in sustaining biodiversity and humanity.However,flux quantification within CZ,particularly in terms of subsurface hydrological partitioning,remains a significant challenge.This study focused on quantifying subsurface hydrological partitioning,specifically in an alpine mountainous area,and highlighted the important role of lateral flow during this process.Precipitation was usually classified as two parts into the soil:increased soil water content(SWC)and lateral flow out of the soil pit.It was found that 65%–88%precipitation contributed to lateral flow.The second common partitioning class showed an increase in SWC caused by both precipitation and lateral flow into the soil pit.In this case,lateral flow contributed to the SWC increase ranging from 43%to 74%,which was notably larger than the SWC increase caused by precipitation.On alpine meadows,lateral flow from the soil pit occurred when the shallow soil was wetter than the field capacity.This result highlighted the need for three-dimensional simulation between soil layers in Earth system models(ESMs).During evapotranspiration process,significant differences were observed in the classification of subsurface hydrological partitioning among different vegetation types.Due to tangled and aggregated fine roots in the surface soil on alpine meadows,the majority of subsurface responses involved lateral flow,which provided 98%–100%of evapotranspiration(ET).On grassland,there was a high probability(0.87),which ET was entirely provided by lateral flow.The main reason for underestimating transpiration through soil water dynamics in previous research was the neglect of lateral root water uptake.Furthermore,there was a probability of 0.12,which ET was entirely provided by SWC decrease on grassland.In this case,there was a high probability(0.98)that soil water responses only occurred at layer 2(10–20 cm),because grass roots mainly distributed in this soil layer,and grasses often used their deep roots for water uptake during ET.To improve the estimation of soil water dynamics and ET,we established a random forest(RF)model to simulate lateral flow and then corrected the community land model(CLM).RF model demonstrated good performance and led to significant improvements in CLM simulation.These findings enhance our understanding of subsurface hydrological partitioning and emphasize the importance of considering lateral flow in ESMs and hydrological research.

Impact of typical environments in China’s western mountainous areas on the durability of railway concrete:a review

Purpose–This study aims to analyze the impact mechanism of typical environments in China’s western mountainous areas on the durability of railway concrete and propose measures to improve durability.Design/methodology/approach–With the continuous promotion of infrastructure construction,the focus of China’s railway construction has gradually shifted to the western region.The four typical environments of large temperature differences,strong winds and dryness,high cold and low air pressure unique to the western mountainous areas of China have adverse effects on the durability of typical railway structure concrete(bridges,ballastless tracks and tunnels).This study identified the characteristics of four typical environments in the western mountainous areas of China through on-site research.The impact mechanism of the four typical environments on the durability of concrete in different structural parts of railways has been explored through theoretical analysis and experimental research;Finally,a strategy for improving the durability of railway concrete suitable for the western mountainous areas of China was proposed.Findings–The daily temperature difference in the western mountainous areas of China is more than twice that of the plain region,which will lead to significant temperature deformation and stress in the multi-layered structure of railway ballastless tracks.It will result in cracking.The wind speed in the western plateau region is about 2.5 to 3 times that of the plain region,and the average annual rainfall is only 1/5 of that in the plain region.The drying effect on the surface of casting concrete will significantly accelerate its cracking process,leading to serious durability problems.The environmental temperature in the western mountainous areas of China is generally low,and there are more freeze-thaw cycles,which will increase the risk of freeze-thaw damage to railway concrete.The environmental air pressure in the western plateau region is only 60%of that in the plain region.The moisture inside the concrete is more likely to diffuse into the surrounding environment under the pressure difference,resulting in greater water loss and shrinkage deformation of the concrete in the plateau region.The above four issues will collectively lead to the rapid deterioration of concrete durability in the western plateau region.The corresponding durability improvement suggestions from theoretical research,new technology development and standard system was proposed in this paper.Originality/value–The research can provide the mechanism of durability degradation of railway concrete in the western mountainous areas of China and corresponding improvement strategies.

Spatio-temporal Evolution and Optimization of Landscape Ecological Risk in Karst Mountainous Areas

[Objective]The ecological vulnerability and landscape ecological risk of karst mountainous areas have increased as a result of enhanced disturbance of natural resources by human activities.This paper aimed to explore the characteristics of ecological risk evolution under different landscape patterns in the region,with a view to providing reference for land classification protection,sustainable use of resources and regional ecological risk optimization in karst mountainous areas.[Method]Taking Huangping County,a typical karst mountainous area,as an example,eight evaluation factors of natural and landscape patterns were selected to construct a landscape ecological risk evaluation model,to quantitatively explore the spatio-temporal evolution of landscape ecological risk and the trend of risk level transfer in the study area from^(2)010-2018,and to reveal the complex relationship between ecological risk and topography in karst mountainous areas.[Result]①From 2010 to 2018,land use types changed to different degrees,with the most amount of woodland transferred out(1627.37 hm^(2))and the most amount of construction land transferred in(1303.93 hm^(2));a total of 3552.31 hm^(2) of land was transferred,with a change ratio of 2.13%,and there was a significant conversion between construction land,arable land,and woodland.②From 2010 to 2018,the landscape ecological risk in the study area changed significantly,and the landscape ecological risk index decreased from 0.3441 to 0.1733,showing an upward and then downward trend;the landscape ecological risk of the whole region was dominated by low-risk and lower-risk zones,and the ecological risk level generally shifted from a high level to a low level,and the ecological environment was improved.③There was a negative correlation between ecological risk and topographic position,and high-risk zones were mainly distributed among low topographic zones;with the change of time,the advantage of risk level for the selection of topography was gradually weakened,and the influence of anthropogenic factors on the ecological risk of the landscape was becoming more and more prominent.[Conclusion]This paper can provide theoretical basis for land use optimization and ecological protection in karst mountainous areas.

Loading Stress Analysis of Cement Concrete Pavement in Mountainous Areas

The suitable cement concrete pavement for mountainous areas is a form of low-cost cement concrete pavement that uses unconventional graded stones in different proportions in ordinary concrete,allowing the concrete to fully contact the stones and form a stable and well-bonded slab with large particle stones.As large particle stones replace a certain volume of cement concrete,they have good economic performance and are a low-cost form of cement concrete pavement.This study researches the use of ANSYS tools to analyze the influence of geometric dimensions and material properties of rigid pavement structural layers on the mechanical properties of pavement structures.

Ecological Carrying Capacity in Beijing Mountainous Areas——Taking Fangshan District as an Example

[Objective] The aim was to investigate ecological carrying capacity of Fangshan District in Beijing. [Method] Ecological footprint and carrying capacity of Fangshan District in 2007 and 2008 were analyzed with ecological footprint model and the difference between ecological footprint and carrying capacity there was con- cluded. Furthermore, an assessment was made on relation between Fangshan de- velopment with local ecological carrying capacity to evaluate sustainable development of Fangshan District. [Result] Fangshan District is of lightly ecological deficit; ecologi- cal footprint per capita in 2007-2008 was deficit and tended to expand. Two meth- ods are available to reduce ecological ：deficit, including reduction of ecological foot- print and increase of carrying capacity. In general, supply and demand of carrying capacity in Fangshan are better, though with some problems. It is necessary to fur- ther develop related industries to final eliminate ecological deficit in order to achieve ecological conservation-orientation and sustainable development of Fangshan District. [Conclusion] The research provides theoretical references for overall evaluation on eco- logical carrying capacity of Fangshan District.

Study on Urban Construction Land Suitability Evaluation in Southwestern Mountainous Areas of Yunnan Province Based on the Strategy of "Protecting Farmland in Flatland Areas and Constructing Mountainous Cities" : A Case in Lianghe County

According to the particularity of towns＇ construction in the southwestern mountainous areas of Yunnan Province, this study has built constructive land suit- ability evaluation index system which is different to flat area. Then this study deter- mined single evaluation factors index and comprehensive suitability index using ＂ex- treme conditions method＂ and ＂suitability index method＂, and analyzed and assessed the constructive land suitability on each evaluation unit polygons and its suitability level by using GIS software. Taking Lianghe County of Dehong Dai-Jingpo Au- tonomous Prefecture as an example to evaluate land suitability in Lianghe County＇s main towns around the gentle slope, the results show, in the evaluation area, the area of land suitable for construction and unsuitable for construction respectively ac- count 73.58% and 26.42%. And first-class, second and third-class of land suitable for construction should be composited at the ratio of about 11：49：40. The suitability evaluation index system and method developed in this paper is applicable for evalu- ating the construction land suitability in mountainous areas of southwest Yunnan Province, and will provide theoretical and technical support for land policy measures which strengthen the protection of farmland and promote the scientific development of urbanization in Yunnan Province and even similar mountainous areas of the whole China.

Eco-tourism: A New Approach of Ecological Rehabilitation and Out of Poverty Development in Wumeng Mountainous Area

The economic and social development status and the formation mechanism of "poverty trap" in Wumeng mountainous area were analyzed, the feasibility of developing eco-tourism to ecological restoration and rural poverty reduction was discussed, and some corresponding countermeasures were put forward.

Application of Wild Plant Resources of Qin-ba Mountainous Area for Vertical vrescence in Landscape Architecture

Based on introducing wild plant resources of vertical greening in Qin-ba Mountainous area, the application of vertical greening plants of Qin-ba Mountainous area in garden greening were analyzed, the measures of utilization and development were suggested.

Analysis on the Green Space System Planning of Small Cities in Mountainous Areas

With the urban green space system planning of small cities in mountainous areas as the study object,the planning practices are analyzed and studied to summarize the common characteristics of urban green space system planning in those small cities.Being combined with relevant national standards and regulations,the problems that those small cities are faced with in their urban green space system planning are analyzed,then corresponding countermeasures and suggestions are put forward to resolve problems in the practical planning.

Study on the Sustainable Development of Tourism Industry in Gongga Mountainous Areas in Western Sichuan

There are abundant excellent tourism resources in Gongga mountainous areas (Mount Gongga, also known as Minya Konka, the highest mountain in Sichuan, China), yet the development thoughts and management modes in this region are far away from the advanced level in other mountainous areas in China or abroad due to the insufficient knowledge about ecotourism. Generally speaking, tourism development in Gongga mountainous areas are limited by various problems such as lack of overall development plan, system support, brand image, financial support and environmental protection consciousness. In view of the present situation of tourism development in this region, sustainable development measures are proposed on the basis of ecotourism and sustainable development theories, including making ecotourism development plan for Gongga mountainous areas, improving transportation conditions, tourism infrastructures and accommodation facilities, training service and management personnel with professional ecological knowledge; establishing ecotourism product system of Gongga mountainous areas; carrying out ecotourism management, innovating management system, setting up ecological monitoring system, implementing scientific functional division of tourism sites, constructing environment capacity control system and disasters management system of mountainous areas, improving medical and mountainous assistance system. Natural conditions and economic development of Gongga mountainous areas are similar to those in western China, it is expected to provide theoretical basis and practical experience for developing the vast mountainous areas in western China through studying the sustainable tourism development of Gongga mountainous areas.

Study on Sustainable Utilization of Resources of the Damp-heat Karst Mountainous Areas in China

Damp-heat karst mountainous areas are unique areas in terms of socialeconomic development, resource endowment and eco-environment in China, where natural resources are abundant,unique and diverse. However, fragile eco-environment, undeveloped economy and culture, and conflict of human and environment should not be ignored. In the research, a framework of integration of resource-development and environment-protection in damp-heat karst was designed on basis of resource and environment integration, which was applied to Daxin County in Guangxi Province. Furthermore, some integration models were proposed, including integration of development of characteristic agricultural resources and protection of eco-environment, integration of development of manganese ore resources and protection of eco-environment, integration of development of tourism resources and protection of ecoenvironment and integration of development of clean energy and protection of eco-environment.

GIS-Based Landscape Planning of Urban Parks in Mountainous Areas——Using Aoshan Park of Jianyang City as a Case Study

The concept,characteristics and features of park in mountainous areas as well as the significance of its planning were introduced in this study.Taking Aoshan Park in Jianyang City for an example,this study started from general situation of the project site and the base,carried out the single-factor analysis with the help of GIS,built a DEM (Digital Elevation Model) by using AutoCAD,and then formed a spatial database for analyzing the elevation,slope and aspect of landforms in Aoshan Park,finally obtained the overall planning strategy for such complicated landforms,that is,a modern urban park in mountainous areas with excellent ecological and social benefits.By elaborating detailed landscape planning of Aoshan Park,including planning concept,spatial sequence of landscapes,organization of roads and scenic routes,the expectation of taking such urban parks into the urban green space system was proposed.

Research on Vegetation Recovery of Mountainous Parks in City-and-town Concentration Areas in China

Based on the analysis of features and problems of green lands in mountainous parks in towns concentration areas,the paper has illustrated the significance for vegetations'recovery.By taking Tashan Park in Neijiang City for example,it has investigated the eco-environment and vegetations of this park.The results show that its terrain is precipitous,eco-environment is weak,slope vegetation is less,rocks'exposing rate is high and community structure is simple.In view of the survey results,it has proposed two methods for vegetation recovery that are natural recovery and artificial recovery.In particular,it has explored how to conduct vegetation recovery on green lands of different gradients of slopes by using plants'selection and community disposition.

Analysis of Land Use Characteristics in Mountainous Areas in Yunnan Province Based on Second National Land Survey

Abstract Based on Second National Land Survey during 2007-2009 and land use type survey in ftatland areas, status quo of land use in mountainous areas in Yun- nan was measured, and analysis was made on land use in mountainous areas in terms of land use structure, degree and development potential, providing references for rational use of land in mountainous areas in Yunnan.

A Study on the Counter Measures for Eco-friendly Land Use Model in Mountainous Area——a Case of Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality

Accompanying the development of social economy,the land use model of mountainous area,typically eco-weak area,is changing gradually. Here the establishment of eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,will pioneer the model of sustainable development in that area. Concerning Qianjiang District of Chongqing Municipality,huge change of land use model,mainly embodied in the unceasing increase of construction land and gradual decrease of agricultural use land,has taken place in recent years. To explore the eco-friendly land use model in mountainous area,Qianjiang District was chosen as the study object in the present study. Via analyzing the changes in land use model,we found that related eco-environment restrictive factors mainly regional climatic change,soil texture,hydrological environment as well as soil erosion and land degradation,etc. And based on these results,we further analyzed the effect of land use change on eco-environment and the factors restricting the maintenance of eco-environment and regional development,finally put forward the counter measures for balancing land use and co-environment in mountainous area. The results will be important for the development of social economy and eco-system construction in Qianjiang District.

NUMERICAL SIMULATION ON THE WIND FIELD STRUCTURE OF A MOUNTAINOUS AREA BESIDE SOUTH CHINA SEA DURING THE LANDFALL OF TYPHOON MOLAVE

Leveraging the commercial CFD software FLUENT,the fine-scale three-dimensional wind structure over the Paiya Mountains on the Dapeng Peninsula near Shenzhen,a city on the seashore of South China Sea,during the landfall of Typhoon Molave has been simulated and analyzed.Through the study,a conceptual wind structure model for mountainous areas under strong wind condition is established and the following conclusions are obtained as follows:(1)FLUENT can reasonably simulate a three-dimensional wind structure over mountainous areas under strong wind conditions;(2)the kinetic effect of a mountain can intensify wind speed in the windward side of the mountain and the area over the mountain peak;and(3)in the leeward side of the mountain,wind speed is relatively lower with relatively stronger wind shear and turbulence.

Disaster Reduction Decision Support System Against Debris Flows and Landslides Along Highway in Mountainous Area

Highways in mountainous areas are easy to be damaged by such natural disasters as debris flows and landslides and disaster reduction decision support system (DRDSS) is one of the important means to mitigate these disasters. Guided by the theories and technologies of debris flow and landslide reduction and supported by geographical information system (GIS), remote sensing and database techniques, a DRDSS against debris flow and landslide along highways in mountainous areas has been established on the basis of such principles as pertinence, systematicness, effectiveness, easy to use, open and expandability. The system consists of database, disaster analysis models and decisions on reduction of debris flows and landslides, mainly functioning to zone disaster dangerous degree, analyze debris flow activity, simulate debris flow deposition and diffusion, analyze landslide stability, select optimal highway renovation scheme and plan disaster prevention and control engineering. This system has been applied successfully to the debris flow and landslide treatment works along Palongzangbu Section of Sichuan-Tibet Highway.

Theory and Practice of Greenway Construction at Mountainous Area

Starting from the concept of greenway and greenway at mountainous area,the paper had discussed functions of greenway at mountainous area.It was considered that greenway could ameliorate natural environment and create safe and stable road environment;reconstruct ecological system and recover ecological community;enrich landscape level and form symbolic landscape appearance.By taking Road 1# of pumped storage power station in Xiangshuijian of Anhui Province for example,it had analyzed the general situation of the project and embodiment of mountainous greenway in this project design;illustrated that it had integrated the need of road function,display of greenway function and design concept of humanity connotation;further discussed design methods for each mode section including vertical side slope mode section with serious weathering,abrupt slope mode section with serious weathering and laddered abrupt slope mode section in detail.It had analyzed landscape design of note turning section and observation deck respectively,preferentially discussed the core designing concept that landscape connotation should be instilled into greenway construction at mountainous area based on the security and ecological recovery principle,so as to provide some significant references for current road greening construction.

Effects of Land Management Practices on Soil Water in Southwestern Mountainous Area, China

The effects of selected land management practices （cross-sloping tillage, ridge culture, organic manure, and straw mulch） on soil water conservation in a southwestern mountainous area, China, were studied during November 2002 to November 2004. The experimental field is divided into three parts based on soil layer depths, 0-60 cm （part Ⅰ）, 0-40 cm （part Ⅱ）, and 0- 20 cm （part Ⅲ）, and they all had the same slope azimuth （SE）, slope （10°）, and slope type （linear）. The experimental plots were subjected to the following treatments： cross-sloping tillage （CST）; cross-sloping tillage with organic manure （CST/ OM）; cross-sloping tillage with straw mulch （CST/SM）; contour ridge culture （CRC）; contour ridge culture with organic manure （CRC/OM）; and contour ridge culture with straw mulch （CRC/SM）, to identify the effects of management practices on soil water. Water contents were determined for soil samples collected, using a 2.2 cm diameter manual probe. Soil water was monitored once every five days from Nov. 20, 2002 to Nov. 20, 2004. The results indicated that, in the study stages, an integration of rainfall, evaporative losses, and crop transcription controlled the basic tendencies of profile （mean） soil water, while land management practices, to a certain extent, only modified its amount, distribution, and routing. Moreover, these modifications also mainly focused on the first 20 cm depth of topsoil layer. When each management practice was compared with control treatment, season changes of profile （mean） soil water were pronounced, while interannual changes among them were not significant. More comparisons indicated that, in the study stages, contour ridge culture had better effects than cross-sloping tillage. And under the same tillage, the combination of organic manure could achieve more than straw mulch. These management practices should be recommended considering the effectiveness of soil and water management techniques in the southwestern mountainous area, China.