Crustal structure of the northwestern sub-basin, South China Sea: Results from a wide-angle seismic experiment

The crustal structure of the northwestern sub-basin area of the South China Sea was modeled by inverting a wide-angle seismic survey line across the entire region and on both sides of its bounding continental margins. The survey line extended over 484 km. A total of 14 Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) were deployed at intervals of 30 km to record air-gun array sources with a combined volume of 5160 in 3 . The crustal velocity structure of the northwestern sub-basin area was acquired through the integration of multi-channel seismic data. OBS data were processed and modeled initially using ray tracing inversion techniques. Results indicate that crustal thickness under the continental slope decreases from 21 to 11 km, crustal thickness of the northwestern sub-basin is 7.7 km, and the depth to the Moho ascends from 21 km under the upper continental slope to 11 km under the middle basin. The crust of the northwestern sub-basin is similar to that of the eastern sub-basin in its oceanic crustal structure. This structure has a thicker layer 1 (sedimentary layer) and a thinner layer 2. These characteristics are especially clear in the eastern sub-basin, which differs somewhat from typical oceanic crust. The tectonic geometry and velocity structure of the northwestern sub-basin and its margins comprise a symmetrical conjugate and indicate a pure shear mode with regard to the continental margin rifting mechanism. We did not find clear seismic signals from high velocity layers under the lower crust of the continental margin in the northern part of the northwestern sub-basin, which provides new evidence for the idea that the western part of the northern continental margin of the South China Sea constitutes nonvolcanic crust. Because the seafloor spreading period of the northwestern sub-basin was short, layer 2 might have experienced asymmetrical basalt magma flows, which may have blurred the magnetic anomaly lineations of the northwestern sub-basin.

Velocity structure in the South Yellow Sea basin based on first-arrival tomography of wide-angle seismic data and its geological implications

The South Yellow Sea basin is filled with Mesozoic-Cenozoic continental sediments overlying pre-Palaeozoic and Mesozoic-Palaeozoic marine sediments.Conventional multi-channel seismic data cannot describe the velocity structure of the marine residual basin in detail,leading to the lack of a deeper understanding of the distribution and lithology owing to strong energy shielding on the top interface of marine sediments.In this study,we present seismic tomography data from ocean bottom seismographs that describe the NEE-trending velocity distributions of the basin.The results indicate that strong velocity variations occur at shallow crustal levels.Horizontal velocity bodies show good correlation with surface geological features,and multi-layer features exist in the vertical velocity framework(depth:0–10 km).The analyses of the velocity model,gravity data,magnetic data,multichannel seismic profiles,and drilling data showed that high-velocity anomalies(>6.5 km/s)of small(thickness:1–2 km)and large(thickness:>5 km)scales were caused by igneous complexes in the multi-layer structure,which were active during the Palaeogene.Possible locations of good Mesozoic and Palaeozoic marine strata are limited to the Central Uplift and the western part of the Northern Depression along the wide-angle ocean bottom seismograph array.Following the Indosinian movement,a strong compression existed in the Northern Depression during the extensional phase that caused the formation of folds in the middle of the survey line.This study is useful for reconstructing the regional tectonic evolution and delineating the distribution of the marine residual basin in the South Yellow Sea basin.

Dynamic and Seismic Property Experiments of High Damping Concrete and Its Frame Models

The loss tangent and storage modulus of cement mortar containing treated silica fume and styrene-acrylic are measured. Shaking table tests on three groups of 1/4 models of high damping concrete frames are conducted to compare the effects of reducing vibration. A relationship between the viscosity coefficient of high damping concrete and the damping coefficient of structure is established by analyzing dynamic parameters like damping ratio and frequency, and comparing responses of relative displacement and absolute acceleration. Surface treatment of silica fume and styrene-acrylic emulsion prior to incorporation in a cement mortar increases the loss tangent of the resulting composite by 40-400% as compared to the cement mortar without any admixtures, and the damping ratio of the reinforced concrete is raised by 7%-9%. In addition, a theoretical method of determining the viscosity coefficient of the material on the basis of shaking table test results is put forward.

Characteristics and interpretation of the seismic signal of a field-scale landslide dam failure experiment

Outburst floods caused by breaches of landslide dams may cause serious damages and loss of lives in downstream areas; for this reason the study of the dynamic of the process is of particular interest for hazard and risk assessment. In this paper we report a field-scale landslide dam failure experiment conducted in Nantou County, in the central of Taiwan.The seismic signal generated during the dam failure was monitored using a broadband seismometer and the signal was used to study the dam failure process.We used the short-time Fourier transform(STFT) to obtain the time–frequency characteristics of the signal and analyzed the correlation between the power spectrum density(PSD) of the signal and the water level. The results indicate that the seismic signal generated during the process consisted of three components: a low-frequency band(0–1.5 Hz), an intermediate-frequency band(1.5–10 Hz) and a highfrequency band(10–45 Hz). We obtained the characteristics of each frequency band and the variations of the signal in various stages of the landslide dam failure process. We determined the cause for the signal changes in each frequency band and its relationship with the dam failure process. The PSD sediment flux estimation model was used to interpret the causes of variations in the signal energy before the dam failure and the clockwise hysteresis during the failure. Our results show that the seismic signal reflects the physical characteristics of the landslide dam failure process. The method and equipment used in this study may be used to monitor landslide dams and providing early warnings for dam failures.

Experimental study on seismic behavior of semi-rigid connection between steel beam and concrete wall

Beam-column or beam-wall connections are an important problem in high-rise buildings. In this study, based on the analysis of an example structure, an analytical model for design of the semi-rigid connections between steel beams and RC walls in high-rise hybrid buildings is proposed. Also, the mechanical characteristics of these connections subjected to low-reversed cyclic loading are investigated through comparison of experimental results from three semi-rigid connections and two rigid connections. Moreover, some latent problems for design of these connections as well as the corresponding solutions are discussed. The results from the experiments and analyses indicate that semi-rigid connections exhibit satisfactory capacity and seismic performance, and the proposed design can be used in practice.

OCEAN BOTTOM SEISMOMETER AND ONSHOREOFFSHORE SEISMIC EXPERIMENT IN NORTHEASTERN SOUTH CHINA SEA

Three-component Ocean Bottom Seismometers, portable land stations and marine air gun seismic sources were used to carry out an onshore-offshore deep seismic profile in northeastern South China Sea. This profile, orientated in NNW-SSE, was as long as 500 km and perpendicular to the strike of regional tectonics. The offshore data were processed in Taiwan Ocean University using a number of available software and the onshore data were analyzed in South China Sea Institute of Oceanology by new-written programs and public software. Preliminary results show that the seismic data are in good quality and contain rich information of deep structure. Seismic phases, e.g. Pg, PmP and Pn, are identified in the offset range 5～220 kin, which will provide an important dataset for the deep crustal structure and oil-gas basin evolution studies of this region.

Crustal structure of the eastern Dabie orogenic belt from the seismic tomography and wide-angle reflection studies

The studies of seismic tomography and wide-angle reflection have been carried out to reveal the velocity structUrebeneath the eastern Dabie orogenic belt. The result from the seismic tomography shows the high velocity bodiesmight be positioned to a depth of only about 1 .5 km below sea level within the Dabie ultra-high pressure metamorphic (UHPM) belt; the fan-profile shows the Shuihou-Wuhe fault, the demarcation between the South Dabieand the North Dabie, slopes to the south-west at a dip angle of about 45° in the bottom of upper crust. The wideangle reflection shows the middle crustal boundaries and the complex features from the lower crust.

Characteristics of crustal variation and extensional break-up in the Western Pacific back-arc region based on a wide-angle seismic profile

The marginal sea and back-arc basins in the Western Pacific Ocean have become the focus of tectonics due to their unique tectonic location.To understand the deep crustal structure in the back-arc region,we present a 545-kmlong active-source ocean bottom seismometer(OBS)wide-angle reflection/refraction profile in the East China Sea.The P wave velocity model shows that the Moho depth rises significantly,from approximately 30 km in the East China Sea shelf to approximately 16 km in the axis of the Okinawa Trough.The lower crustal high-velocity zone(HVZ)in the southern Okinawa Trough,with V_(p) of 6.8-7.3 km/s,is a remarkable manifestation of the mantle material upwelling and accretion to the lower crust.This confirms that the lower crustal high-velocity mantle accretion is developed in the southern Okinawa Trough.During the process of back-arc extension,the crustal structure of the southern Okinawa Trough is completely invaded and penetrated by the upper mantle material in the axis region.In some areas of the southern central graben,the crust may has broken up and entered the initial stage of seafloor spreading.The discontinuous HVZs in the lower crust in the back-arc region also indicate the migration of spreading centers in the back-arc region since the Cenozoic.The asthenosphere material upwelling in the continent-ocean transition zone is constantly driving the lithosphere eastward for episodic extension,and is causing evident tectonic migration in the Western Pacific back-arc region.

Study on the physical meaning of seismic inhomogeneous degree by rock fracture experiments

It is observed that the parameter of seismic inhomogeneous degree (GL value) calculated from the earthquake catalog shows obvious abnormal changes prior to strong earthquakes, indicating the state change of local seismic activity. This paper focuses on the mechanism for the abnormal changes of the GL values based on the sequences of acoustic emission for three types of rock samples containing macro-asperity fracture; compressional en-echelon fracture and model-III shear fracture. The results show that for the three types of rock samples, there are continuous abnormal changes of GL value (>1) just before the non-elastic deformation occurs or during the process of nucleation prior to the instability. Based on the experimental results, it seems that the process of creep sliding and resistance-uniformization along fault zone is the possible mechanism for the abnormal changes of GL value before rock fractures.

The application of ultrasonic seismic model experiment in quality test of cement mortar injection of Yongjiang river submarine tun－nel tube foundation

Ultrasonic seismic model experiment plays an important role in engineering multi wave seismic prospecting(EMSP), which has been used to do the complex engineering seismic exploration. It is introduced that the application of the technology in quality test of Yongjiang river submarine tunnel tube foundation in the paper. The material of the model was got from on the spot. The successful test has been made with results of the model experiment.

Experimental Study on Shear Lag Effect of Partial Cable-Stayed Bridge and Elasto-Plastic Seismic Analysis

The project of Xiaoxihu Yellow River Bridge in Lanzhou is chosen as partial cable-stayed bridge. To get the shear lag effect and anti-earthquake performance of the actual bridge under various loading conditions, organic glass scaled model was adopted to have an experiment and a theory research at one time. The experiment result is the basically same as the theory calculation which proves the FEA method can well calculate shear lag effect and dynamical performance. As a result, because the bridge is located in a seismic area of 8 degree, an elasto-plastic seismic checking is performed by customized FEA program in this paper.

Model Experiment on Integral Seismic Behavior of Reinforced Concrete Frame with Split Columns

Based on a series of previous studies, an experiment on the integral seismic behavior of a 1/3 scaled model of two-bay and three-story reinforced concrete frame with split columns at lower two stories is performed under cyclic loading. The original columns at lower two stories of the model frame are short columns and they are replaced by the split columns. The hysteresis curves between the horizontal cyclic load and the lateral displacement at the top of the model frame, indicate that under the cyclic loading, the model frame undergoes the process of cracking, yielding, and maximum loading before being destroyed at the ultimate load. They also indicate that the model frame has better ductility, and the ratio of the ultimate displacement to the yielding displacement, reaches 6.0. The yielding process of the model frame shows that for the frame with split columns, plastic hinges are generated at the ends of beams and then the columns begin yielding while the frame still possesses the bearing and deformation capacity. The design idea of directly changing the short column to long one in the reinforced concrete frame may be realized by replacing the short column with the split one.

Fluid-Injection-Induced Seismicity Experiment of the WFSD-3P Borehole

In recent years, the fluid-injection-induced seismicity tests within the WFSD-3P borehole belonging to the Wenchuan Earthquake Fault Science Drilling （WFSD） project, have made remarkable progress. This study has been supported by the Science and Technology Project of China （No. WFSD-00003）.

Numerical analysis on seismic response and failure mechanism of articulated pile−structure system in a liquefiable site from shaking-table experiments

This study investigates the seismic response and failure mode of a pile-structure system in a liquefiable site by employing a numerical simulation model combined with the shaking-table results of a soil-pile-structure dynamic system.The pile and soil responses obtained from the numerical simulations agreed well with the experimental results.The slopes of the dynamic shear-stress-shear-strain hysteretic curves at different positions also exhibited a decreasing trend,indicating that the shear strength of the soil in all parts of the foundation decreased.The peak acceleration of the soil and pile was not clearly amplified in the saturated sand layer but appeared to be amplified in the top part.The maximum bending moments appeared in the middle and lower parts of the pile shaft;however,the shear forces at the corresponding positions were not large.It can be observed from the deformation mode of the pile-group foundation that a typical bending failure is caused by an excessive bending moment in the middle of the pile shaft if the link between the pile top and cap is articulated,and sufficient attention should be paid to the bending failure in the middle of the pile shaft.

Experimental and numerical investigation on the dynamic response of pile group in liquefying ground

The response of pile foundation in liquefable sand reinforced by densification techniques remains a very complex problem during strong earthquakes. A shake-table experiment was carried out to investigate the behavior of a reinforced concrete low-cap pile group embedded in this type of ground. In this study, a three-dimensional （3D） finite element （FE） analysis of the experiment was conducted. The computed response of the soil-pile system was in reasonable agreement with the experimental results, highlighting some key characteristics. Then, a parametric study was performed to explore the influence of pile spacing, pile stiffness （E/）, superstructure mass, sand permeability, and shaking characteristics of input motion on the behavior of the pile. The investigation demonstrated a stiffening behavior appearing in the liquefied medium- dense sand, and the pile group effect seemed negligible. Furthermore, the kinematic effect was closely connected with both EI and sand permeability. Nevertheless, the inertial effect was strongly influenced by the superstructure mass. Meanwhile, high frequency and large amplitude of the input motion could produced greater the pile＇s moments. It is estimated that this case study could further enhance the current understanding of the behavior of low-cap pile foundations in liquefied dense sand.

Crustal wide-angle reflection imaging along Lianxian-Gangkou profile in Guangdong province,China

A 400 km-long wide-angle seismic experiment along Lianxian-Gangkou profile in South China was carried out to study contact relationship between southeast continental margin of Yangtze block and northwest continental margin of Cathaysia block. We reconstructed crustal wide-angle reflection structure by the depth-domain pre-stack migration and the crustal velocity model constructed from the traveltime fitting. The wide-angle reflection section shows different reflection （from crystalline basement and Moho） pattern beneath the Yangtze and Cathaysia blocks, and suggests the Wuchuan-Sihui fault is the boundary between them. A cluster of well-developed reflections on Moho and in its underlying topmost mantle probably comes from alternative thin layers, which may be seismic signature of strong interaction between crust and mantle in the tectonic environment of lithosphere extension.

Experiment study on RC frame retrofitted by the external structure

A new retrofitting method is proposed herein for reinforced concrete （RC） structures through attachment of an external structure. The external structure consists of a fiber concrete encased steel frame, connection slab and transverse beams. The external structure is connected to the existing structure through a connection slab and transverse beams. Pseudo- static experiments were carried out on one unretrofitted specimen and three retrofitted frame specimens. The characteristics, including failure mode, crack pattern, hysteresis loops behavior, relationship of strain and displacement of the concrete slab, are demonstrated. The results show that the load carrying capacity is obviously increased, and the extension length of the slab and the number of columns within the external frame are important influence factors on the working performance of the existing structure. In addition, the displacement difference between the existing structure and the outer structure was caused mainly by three factors： shear deformation of the slab, extraction of transverse beams, and drift of the conjunction part between the slab and the existing frame. Furthermore, the total deformation determined by the first two factors accounted for approximately 80% of the damage, therefore these factors should be carefully considered in engineering practice to enhance the effects of this new retrofitting method.

Shake table experimental study of cable-stayed bridges with two different design strategies of H-shaped towers

As one of the main load-carrying components of cable-stayed bridges,bridge towers are typically required to remain elastic even when subjected to severe ground motions with a 2%-3%probability of exceedance in 50 years.To fulfill this special requirement imposed by current seismic design codes,reinforcement ratios in the bridge towers have to be kept significantly higher than if limited ductility behavior of the tower is allowed.In addition,since the foundation capacity is closely related to the moment and shear capacities of the bridge tower,a large increase in bridge construction cost for elastically designed cable-stayed bridge is inevitable.To further investigate the possibility of limited ductility bridge tower design strategies,a new 1/20-scale cable-stayed bridge model with H-shaped bridge towers designed according to strong strut-weak tower column design was tested.The shake table experimental results are compared with a previous strong tower column-weak strut designed full bridge model.A comparison of the results show that ductility design with plastic hinges located on tower columns,i.e.,strong strut-weak tower column design,is another effective seismic design strategy that results in only small residual displacement at the top of the tower column,even under very severe earthquake excitations.

装配式轻钢框架-轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板结构抗震性能

为研究装配式轻钢框架-轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板结构抗震性能,对1个足尺轻钢框架结构试件和3个足尺轻钢框架-轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板结构试件进行了低周反复荷载下的抗震性能试验及理论分析,试件变量包括:2种装配构造,即内嵌式装配墙板、外贴式装配墙板;2种轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板,即框架式轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板、桁架式轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板。研究了各试件的破坏特征和损伤演化过程,分析了结构滞回特性、承载力、变形能力、刚度退化、耗能性能和应变。结果表明:装配式轻钢框架-轻钢骨架轻混凝土墙板结构共同工作性能良好,其水平承载力相比轻钢框架提高了204.7%~210.4%,抗侧刚度提高了257.3%~512.5%,结构变形及耗能能力有显著提高;内嵌墙板的自攻钉连接构造以及外贴墙板的螺栓连接构造传力性能可靠,结构具备2道抗震防线的受力特征;基于简化塑性分析模型以及拉压杆软化桁架模型,对试件承载力进行了计算,计算结果与试验符合较好。

特厚煤层底板断层破坏与顶板垮断联动效应的CFDEM模拟研究

特厚煤层采场空间大、覆岩扰动范围广,顶板垮断产生的强扰动加卸荷载易导致底板断层破坏加剧。通过数值模拟研究特厚煤层底板断层突水与顶板垮断联动效应机理规律是开展水害防治的基础,关键在于掌握加卸载下岩体渐进破坏与裂隙流耦合特征。构建加卸载下拉、剪损伤演化方程,结合有效偏/球应力为基本变量的屈服准则与塑性势函数,得到完整岩块的塑性损伤本构;建立拉/剪、混合型加卸载过程中塑性位移与强度劣化关系,以平方拉剪应力与B-K准则为初始、完全断裂准则,形成非贯通裂隙断裂本构;提出岩块分离、压缩、剪切判据,结合实验数据建立离散块体间挤压、剪切摩擦本构与剪胀方程。基于质量/动量守恒、状态方程,并结合流体体积与浸没边界方法,形成裂隙岩体气−水二相流模拟理论。由此形成CFDEM数值计算程序,并将加卸载下塑性损伤、断裂、挤压/摩擦、流体属性分别赋予实体单元(岩块)、黏聚力单元(非贯通裂隙)、接触对(贯通裂隙)、欧拉单元(水和气)。根据宁武煤田北部矿区工程地质条件,建立特厚煤层底板断层突水与顶板垮断联动效应数值计算模型。结果表明:①CFDEM耦合程序及相应的理论模型可数值实现特厚煤层覆岩及底板断层从(准)连续体到离散体转化,以及地下水在裂隙中运移;②模拟条件下特厚煤层含断层底板的采动裂隙包络线呈w形,最深处超过55 m位于断层及其上盘,最浅处23 m位于断层下盘,而无构造底板处的破坏深度为24~36 m,已导通奥灰含水层;③特厚煤层底板普遍出现二次破坏现象。表现为无构造底板在超前工作面处破坏深度为24.0~29.3 m,但在采空区内普遍增加至31.5~36.0 m;断层及其上盘在超前工作面处裂隙总开度为0.34~0.86 m,但在采空区内迅速增加至3.6 m,形成突水优势通道。④底板断层突水与顶板垮断联动效应的根源在于覆岩高位关键岩层垮断失稳、砌体梁下沉与二次断裂,并导致底板二次破坏,突水风险加剧。