Search results for "Geotechnical engineering"
showing 10 items of 489 documents
Proposal and Validation of an Emissivity-Dependent Algorithm to Retrieve Sea-Surface Temperature From MSG-SEVIRI Data
2010
A frequent and accurate determination of sea-surface temperature (SST) would permit an improvement in both the forecasting of natural hazards and the monitoring of the effects of climate change. The Meteosat Second Generation (MSG) spinning enhanced visible and infrared imager (SEVIRI) (MSG-SEVIRI) offers this possibility, since it has a temporal resolution of 15 min. Current algorithms for SST retrieval from MSG-SEVIRI data use angular-dependent coefficients, but they do not use sea-surface emissivity (SSE) as an explicit input. This letter proposes a both angular- and emissivity-dependent split-window equation, together with simple equations to estimate SSE and atmospheric water-vapor con…
Mode superposition methods in dynamic analysis of classically and non-classically damped linear systems
1986
Mode-superposition analysis is an efficient tool for the evaluation of the response of linear systems subjected to dynamic agencies. Two well-known mode-superposition methods are available in the literature, the mode-displacement method and the mode-acceleration method. Within this frame a method is proposed called a dynamic correction method which evaluates the structural response as the sum of a pseudostatic response, which is the particular solution of the differential equations, and a dynamic correction evaluated using a reduced number of natural modes. The greater accuracy of the proposed method with respect to the other methods is evidenced through extensive numerical tests, for class…
Water retention behaviour and microstructural evolution of MX-80 bentonite during wetting and drying cycles
2014
MX-80 bentonite used in engineered barrier systems would be subjected to wetting and drying cycles. To assess the response of the material under such circumstances, a comprehensive experimental characterisation of the water retention behaviour of compacted MX-80 granular bentonite was performed in this study. A new methodology is proposed to investigate this behaviour under a constant volume condition for specimens prepared at different dry densities. The material was subjected to different hydraulic paths, including cyclic variations of the water content. As a result, an irreversible modification of the retention behaviour was observed when the material approached a fully saturated state …
Attendibilità dei modelli per la valutazione dei moduli elastici delle murature suggeriti dalle norme tecniche
2012
In this paper the results of an experimental investigation aimed to the assessment of Young moduli, rigidity moduli and other mechanical properties for different types of masonry are shown. The mechanical characteristics predicted by models proposed by some technical codes were compared against experimental data. This study was motivated by the suggestion of the Masonry Standards Joint Committee's (MSJC) code that, while proposing the use of such models, acknowledges the lack of testing in support of their validation. The experimental investigation has included compressive tests on components (blocks and mortar), diagonal compressive tests and ordinary compressive tests (orthogonally to bed…
Cyclic response of masonry infilled RC frames: Experimental results and simplified modeling
2014
The recent large interest in nonlinear seismic analysis methods, static and dynamic, has required proper strategies of modeling based on reliable, and at the same time easy to use, constitutive laws for the structural elements. Regarding the behavior of framed structures, special attention has to be devoted to infills because of the key role they play in modifying overall stiffness, strength and ductility under seismic excitation. Pointing out the attention on this topic the paper discusses a criteria for modeling the structural behavior of infills based on a macromodeling approach, that is to say on the substitution of infills with diagonal pin jointed struts. Is here shown how multilinear…
Digital simulation of multivariate earthquake ground motions
2000
In this paper a new generation procedure of multivariate earthquake ground motion is presented. The technique takes full advantage of the decomposition of the power spectral density matrix by means of its eigenvectors. The application of the method to multivariate ground accelerations shows some very interesting physical properties which allows one to obtain significant reduction of the computational effort in the generation of sample functions relative to multivariate earthquake ground motion processes. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The pumice aggregates of Lipari Island (Aeolian Isles-Italy)
1984
In the Island of Lipari (Aeolian Archipelago) there is a large pumice deposit. The pumice is exploited in an open-cast mine through mechanical means and taken to crushing and screening plants. Aggregates for urban construction, gravel and powder are obtained. The aggregates are used in the manufacture of light concrete. Nowadays the possibility of using pumice aggregates in order to obtain light structural concrete is being studied.
Surface Emissivity Retrieval From Airborne Hyperspectral Scanner Data: Insights on Atmospheric Correction and Noise Removal
2012
Airborne multispectral imagers have been used in validation campaigns in order to acquire very high spatial resolution data as a benchmark for current or future satellite data. Imagery acquired with such sensors implies specific data processing in relation to view-angle-dependent atmospheric correction and removal or minimization of stripping-based noise. It is necessary to appropriately perform this processing in order to benefit from reference imageries of surface temperature (T) and emissivity (e) maps retrieved from thermal infrared data. In particular, e images generated from T/e separation algorithms show undesirable noise that jeopardizes their photointerpretation. This letter addres…
Hydro-Mechanical Behaviour of a Sand-Bentonite Mixture for the Confinement of Nuclear Wastes
2019
The established concept for the protection of the biosphere from high-level nuclear wastes consists in the use of multi-barrier systems in deep geological repository, for which clayey geomaterials are key elements. Bentonite-based materials are selected as buffer and backfilling materials. Once in place, the barriers will be subjected to a series of severe loadings, including strong variations of suction (i.e. wetting and drying cycles). The paper presents selected results from a large ongoing research work to investigate the behaviour of bentonite-based materials in the context of nuclear waste disposal. In particular, the paper focuses on the response of a Sand/Bentonite mixture under dif…
Impacts of volcanic hazards on rural communities and adaptative strategies: A case study of the Virunga Volcanic Province (Democratic Republic of Con…
2023
co auteur étranger; International audience; Active volcanoes are a continuous threat for several regions worldwide and cause socio-economic and environmental issues, including the Virunga Volcanic Province (D.R. Congo). There, more than 2 million people are permanently exposed to the hazards of the most active volcanoes in Africa: Nyiragongo and Nyamulagira. However, there is a clear lack of information regarding the impacts of these hazards and how they may be affected by social vulnerability. In this study, a household survey based on semi-structural interviews was performed for rural communities in Virunga. This research aims to (i) investigate the impacts of volcanic hazards on rural co…