Search results for "Geotechnical engineering"
showing 10 items of 489 documents
Flow resistance equation for rills
2017
In this paper, a new flow resistance equation for rill flow was deduced applying dimensional analysis and self‐similarity theory. At first, the incomplete self‐similarity hypothesis was used for establishing the flow velocity distribution whose integration gives the theoretical expression of the Darcy–Weisbach friction factor. Then the deduced theoretical resistance equation was tested by some measurements of flow velocity, water depth, cross section area, wetted perimeter, and bed slope carried out in 106 reaches of some rills shaped on an experimental plot. A relationship between the velocity profile, the channel slope, and the flow Froude number was also established. The analysis showed …
Bathymetric estimation using MERIS images in coastal sea waters.
2007
Bathymetric estimation using remote sensing images has previously been applied to high spatial resolution imagery such as CASI, Ikonos, or SPOT but not on medium spatial resolution images (i.e., MERIS). This choice can be justified when there is a need to map the bathymetry on large areas. In this letter, we present the results of the bathymetry estimation over a large known area, the Gulf of Lion (France), expanding over 270times180 km
A review of environmental impacts of winter road maintenance
2019
Abstract The need for winter road maintenance (WRM) is changing in cold regions due to climate change. How the different modes of WRM will contribute to future overall emissions from infrastructure is therefore of great interest to road owners with a view to a more sustainable, low-carbon future. In the quest for near-zero-emissions transport, all aspects of the transport sector need to be accounted for in the search for possible mitigation of emissions. This study used 35 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2018 to map available information on the environmental impacts and effect of WRM and reveal any research gaps. The articles were categorized according to their research th…
Supporting group decision makers to locate temporary relief distribution centres after sudden-onset disasters
2020
International audience; In the humanitarian response, multiple decision-makers (DMs) need to collaborate in various problems, such as locating temporary relief distribution centres (RDCs). Several studies have argued that maximising demand coverage, reducing logistics costs and minimising response time are among the critical objectives when locating RDCs after a sudden-onset disaster. However, these objectives are often conflicting and the trade-offs can considerably complicate the situation for finding a consensus.To address the challenge and support the DMs, we suggest investigating the stability of non-dominated alternatives derived from a multi-objective model based on Monte Carlo Simul…
Development of branching brittle and ductile shear zones: A numerical study
2017
Continental collision zones are usually associated with large-scale strike-slip shear zones. In most cases these shear zones are complex and consist of multiple strands, varying in width, length, and total displacement. Here we present 2-D numerical models to simulate the formation of such shear zones at different depth levels within the crust, under either brittle (frictional/plastic) or ductile conditions. Localization of shear zones is initiated by a material contrast (heterogeneity) of the material parameters. We systematically test the rate of strain-weakening in brittle and in ductile regimes to understand its influence on the development of shear zone networks. Our simulations sugges…
Collapse of a two-dimensional brittle granular column: Implications for understanding dynamic rock fragmentation in a landslide
2015
We investigate numerically the failure, collapse and flow of a two-dimensional brittle granular column over a horizontal surface. In our discrete element simulations, we consider a vertical monolayer of spherical particles that are initially held together by tensile bonds, which can be irreversibly broken during the collapse. This leads to dynamic fragmentation within the material during the flow. Compared to what happens in the case of a non-cohesive granular column, the deposit is much rougher, and the internal stratigraphic structure of the column is not preserved during the collapse. As has been observed in natural rockslides, we find that the deposit consists of large blocks laying on …
Melange: A viscoelastic lattice-particle model applicable to the lithosphere
2012
[1] This article introduces the software Melange, a 3D lattice-particle hybrid model. The software was specifically designed in order to simulate ductile visco-elasto-plastic deformation and can be used to study tectonic processes in the lithosphere from the micro to the macro scale. Melange is under an open source license. The code takes both relevant yield mechanisms for the deformation of lithospheric material into account: dynamic brittle failure and ductile creep, where ductile creep is modeled as viscoelasticity. The software considers effects of the local geology, of the inherent disorder of geomaterials, of rheological layering of the lithosphere and applies repulsion when the mater…
Laboratory evaluation of falling-head infiltration for saturated soil hydraulic conductivity determination
2020
Falling-head one-dimensional infiltration procedures, such as the simplified falling-head (SFH) technique, yield estimates of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity, Ks, with parsimonious and rapid experiments. Factors that can influence determination of Ks by the SFH technique were tested in the laboratory on three repacked soils differing by particle diameter ranges (0-2000, 0- 105 and 105-2000 mm, respectively). Using the theoretically calculated depth of ponding on the infiltration surface, D, instead of the measured one had a small impact on the Ks calculations (means differing by a factor of 1.1-1.2, depending on the soil). For the finest soil, Ks decreased by 3.1 times as D increased …
Benchmarking numerical models of brittle thrust wedges
2016
International audience; We report quantitative results from three brittle thrust wedge experiments, comparing numerical resultsdirectly with each other and with corresponding analogue results. We first test whether the participatingcodes reproduce predictions from analytical critical taper theory. Eleven codes pass the stable wedgetest, showing negligible internal deformation and maintaining the initial surface slope upon horizontaltranslation over a frictional interface. Eight codes participated in the unstable wedge test that examinesthe evolution of a wedge by thrust formation from a subcritical state to the critical taper geometry. Thecritical taper is recovered, but the models show two…
Stage–Discharge Relationship for an Upstream Inclined Grid with Transversal Bars
2016
AbstractCheck dams with grids upgrading upstream are often used in mountain rivers, where intense sediment transport and steep slopes occur. In some cases, sloping grids are used in the construction of debris flow breakers. In this paper, the outflow process of an upstream-inclined grid with transversal bars is studied by using the dimensional analysis and the incomplete self-similarity theory. Next, the theoretical analysis shows that a power equation can be used for establishing the stage-discharge equation. The coefficient of the power equation depends on both the slope angle and the void ratio, whereas the exponent depends only on the slope angle. Finally, this deduced stage–discharge r…