DEVELOPING CONFIDENCE IN CONCRETE REVETMENT PRODUCTS FOR BANK STABILIZATION1

ABSTRACT: There is a need to provide flood protection while maintaining stable bed and bank conditions in the riverine system, to stabilize earth embankment dams and spiliways, and to stabilize highway or railway embankments and levee systems. One approach to providing erosion protection and stabilization of channel banks, embankments and spill conveyances is with articulated concrete block systems. Numerous articulated concrete block systems are available for bank stabilization. However, prior to field installations few means are available to evaluate how well these block systems perform. To assist the designer in predicting site specific suitability, a series of hydraulic testing protocols have been developed to analyze block system performance. Two articulated block system testing protocols are presented to indicate how block hydraulic characteristics may be determined and provide performance assurance to both the designer and the owner.     

Photo-/Bio-degradability of Agro Waste and Ethylene–Propylene Copolymers Composites Under Abiotic and Biotic Environments

Composites were prepared by two methods, (i) graft copolymerization (GFC) of isotactic polypropylene (PP) with maliec anhydride, (MAH) followed by esterification with coir fiber and (ii) by direct reactive mixing (DFC) of polypropylene (PP) and ethylene–propylene (EP) copolymers with MAH and peroxide with coir fiber. These composites, after molding in films (5×5 cm, m thickness) were examined for susceptibility to biological attack by measuring the percentage weight loss in compost upto 6 months, periodically, and fungal colonization on surface of the samples, when kept as sole carbon source for the growth of Aspergillus niger in culture medium upto 40 days. Photodegradation was evaluated by monitoring the variations in FT-IR spectrum and crack formation after successive treatment with UV light (≥290 nm) for 0, 20, 50 and 100 h at 60°C in the presence of air. Specimens of virgin PP were taken as a reference during all period of photo and biodegradation studies. Significant changes were observed depending on the preparation methods during photodegradation and biodisintegration of composites. DFCs samples were disintegrated faster than GFCs during the composting whereas, in culture, GFCs were covered highly in well uniform way by fungi. It was observed that photo-oxidative ageing directly enhanced the biodegradability of composites as the increase in fungal growth rate and decrease in weight during composting were found. It was concluded that extent of compatibilization had a profound effect on photo-oxidation and biodisintegration of composite material; consequently ester bonds were main units during fungal consumption. Composition of monomers in copolymers was also showing significant effect on the degradability which decreased with increasing content of ethylene in ethylene–propylene (EP) copolymers.     

Learning from UK disaster exercises: policy implications for effective emergency preparedness

With a view towards suggesting improvements to the official UK Guidance for disaster exercises, this paper critically examines a representative sample of recent disaster management exercises in the United Kingdom to determine how they are planned, conducted and assessed. Personal observations and in‐depth qualitative interviews were used to study three representative multi‐agency disaster exercises in the UK: (1) the Hitachi 395 Evacuation Workshop and Exercise Twin Bore, (2) Exercise Saxon Shore and (3) Exercise Operation Safe Return. The research demonstrates that disaster exercises in the UK generally consist of four main approaches: (1) disaster response and adaptability, (2) building‐block approach, (3) citizen participation and (4) discussion‐based debriefs. While the data demonstrates that each of these approaches has significant merit, it also elucidates key improvements that should be made to the official UK guidance and reflected in future exercises. In particular, the research suggests that the Guidance should highlight the importance of adaptability at the scene of a disaster, advance a building‐block methodology to organising exercises and reiterate the need for better debriefings of volunteer participants.     

RANDAP: An integrated framework for reliability analysis of detailed action plans of combined automatic-operator emergency response taking into account control room operator errors

Automatic process control and control room operators supervision/intervention in an emergency are of critical importance in major hazard industries. These combined operator and automatic actions are defined in Detailed Action Plans (DAP). A framework has been proposed for analyzing the reliability, and hence the likelihood of success, of DAPs. The Reliability Block Diagram technique is utilized for modeling the reliability of integrated automatic-operator emergency actions. The focus is on incorporating operator's operational and cognitive errors in the process/equipment reliability analysis. For this purpose, the human reliability analysis method SPAR-H is utilized. The proposed framework was used for analyzing emergency response DAPs of a real process plant in order to check and improve its applicability. It is argued that the presented framework facilitates the DAP assessment process by performing Task Analysis, modeling the detailed tasks as well as reliability analysis, thereby uncovering the shortcomings of the designed DAPs. Besides, it provides a very effective, transparent tool with insight into improvement areas and directions for improving the reliability of DAPs.     

Inferring Hydrograph Components from Rainfall and Streamflow Records Using a Kriging Method-Based Linear Cascade Reservoir Model1

Cheng, Shin-jen, 2010. Inferring Hydrograph Components From Rainfall and Streamflow Records Using a Kriging Method-Based Linear Cascade Reservoir Model. Journal of the American Water Resources Association (JAWRA) 46(6):1171–1191. DOI: 10.1111/j.1752-1688.2010.00484.x Abstract: This study investigates the characteristics of hydrograph components in a Taiwan watershed to determine their shapes based on observations. Hydrographs were modeled by a conceptual model of three linear cascade reservoirs. Mean rainfall was calculated using the block Kriging method. The optimal parameters for 42 events from 1966-2008 were calibrated using an optimal algorithm. Rationality of generated runoffs was well compared with a trusty model. Model efficacy was verified using seven averaged parameters with 25 other events. Hydrograph components were characterized based on 42 calibration results. The following conclusions were obtained: (1) except for multipeak storms, a correlation between base time of the surface runoff and soil antecedent moisture is a decreasing power relationship; (2) a correlation between time lag of the surface flow and soil antecedent moisture for single-peak storms is an increasing power relationship; (3) for single-peak events, times to peak of hydrograph components are an increasing power correlation corresponding to the peak time of rainfall; (4) the peak flows of hydrograph components are linearly proportional to that of total runoff, and the peak ratio for the surface runoff to total runoff is approximately 78 and 13% for subsurface runoff to total runoff; and (5) the relationships of total discharges have direct ratios between hydrograph components and observations of total runoffs, and a surface runoff is 60 and 32% for a subsurface runoff.     

HT240材料发动机缸体疲劳试验及性能分析

目的确定HT240材料发动机缸体疲劳寿命,从而验证其可靠性。方法参照AVL的缸体疲劳试验标准,根据该型发动机的爆发压力,选取一定安全裕度的脉动液压压力,在疲劳试验机上模拟实际工况对四件样品进行缸体脉冲加载试验。结果在缸体上部易出现裂缝。对缸套的实验数据进行处理,确定了其在运行一定次数下不发生破坏的条件疲劳极限为17.89MPa。同时明确了缸体主轴承壁在21MPa下未破坏的循环次数及其他破坏位置。结论该批次缸体基本满足设计要求。为该材料发动机缸体的批量生产及进一步优化设计提供了理论依据。     

循环块状经济发展的思考--以诸暨市山下湖镇珍珠块状经济为例

诸暨市山下湖镇通过建设循环经济工业园，合理规划剖蚌点，充分利用废弃的蚌壳和蚌肉，及时回收利用废料、废水、废液等措施，使珍珠循环块状经济得到迅速发展。发展循环经济是企业对环境、社会发展的责任和义务，要加快研究制定循环经济发展的规划和思路，努力将循环经济的发展理念贯穿在块状经济发展之中，培育新的产业形态，形成新的增长潜力。     

安徽及其周边地区小震活动水平统计预测

依据地质构造块体的不同,将安徽及其周边地区分为华北、黄海和华南三个地震区.利用马尔可夫模型对三个地震区的中小地震活动水平进行统计预测,结果显示,一年之内华北地震区一般会发生Ms≥3.0级地震,有可能发生Ms≥3.5级地震,而发生Ms≥4.0级地震的可能性却不大.黄海地震区一年内一般会发生Ms≥3.5级地震,有可能发生Ms≥4.0级地震,发生Ms≥4.5级地震的可能性不大.华南地震区一年内一般会发生Ms≥2.5级地震,有可能发生Ms≥3.0级地震,但发生Ms≥3.5级地震的可能性不大.     

胶东地体碰撞与沂沭断裂带的演化

胶东地块的地层组合、构造型相、基底变质时期、地壳结构及地质发展史与鲁西地块存在着显著的差异,它以深大断裂与其围区地块相衔接。其晚元古代古纬度为3.16°S,上侏罗世为18.5°N,早白垩世为34.92N。本文提出胶东地块是一经过长距离漂移搬运的外来地体(Exotic Terrane),它于晚侏罗世末与鲁西地块碰撞拼接之的起,沂沭断裂带便开始了错综复杂的演化历史,青山组火山建造与王氏组沉积建造性质表明,白垩纪它为一典型的大陆裂谷。     

砷的地球化学屏障作用初探

砷在土壤中的迁移化规律受多方面因素的影响，常表现多方向和可变性，但的迁移转化是一个朝着砷的沉积、固定方向进行了不可逆过程，该研究成果已在实际工作中得到应用。