Search results for "Geotechnical engineering"
showing 9 items of 489 documents
The proposal to transform an old limestone quarry into a botanical garden with a rainforest zone: a case study
2019
Nowadays, a significant part of cities is tackling the problems with post-mining areas. This manuscript is an original research which shows possibilities of their reclamation. The aim of the article is to present the proposal of developing the closed limestone quarry and creating a botanical garden. The proposed spatial solutions allow for creating a new, tourist and recreation space, maintaining the natural heritage. The work also assumed carrying out a dendrological inventory, in order to determine the existing dendrofl ora. The required spatial, nature and communication analyses, which illustrate the current condition of the area and defi ne further design works, have also been carried o…
Stress sensitivity of stylolite morphology
2009
International audience; Stylolites are rough surfaces that form by localized stress-induced dissolution. Using a set of limestone rock samples collected at different depths from a vertical section in Cirque de Navacelles (France), we study the influence of the lithostatic stress on the stylolites morphology on the basis of a recent morphogenesis model. We measured the roughness of a series of bedding-parallel stylolites and show that their morphology exhibits a scaling invariance with two self-affine scaling regimes separated by a crossover-length (L) at the millimeter scale consistent with previous studies. The importance of the present contribution is to estimate the stylolite formation s…
Los Sistemas Productivos, el Aprendizaje Interno y los Resultados del Área de Producción de Baldosas-Cerámicas
2009
El objetivo de la investigacion es comprobar la validez del modelo universal de gestion en la estrategia de produccion en el sector de fabricantes de pavimentos y baldosas ceramicas espanoles. El trabajo se centra en las decisiones de infraestructura, y pretende resaltar el efecto de los recursos internos y externos sobre la ventaja competitiva del area de produccion de las empresas. Los datos utilizados corresponden a 76 empresas espanolas fabricantes de pavimentos ceramicos. Los resultados obtenidos permiten comprobar que en este sector los recursos implantados guardan poca relacion con las prioridades manifestadas. Ademas, se demuestra que la ventaja competitiva esta mas explicada por el…
A simple field method to measure the hydrodynamic properties of soil surface crust
2013
The hydraulic resistance of the surface crust was determined by a combination of two infiltrometric techniques: first, a surface measurement of steady-state infiltration rate is conducted by a mini-disk tension infiltrometer (MDI); then, the surface crust is removed, its thickness is measured, and a ponded infiltration test is performed at the same site. The Beerkan Estimation of Soil Transfer parameters (BEST) method is applied to estimate the hydraulic properties of the underlying soil provided the particlesize distribution and the bulk density are known. Under the assumption of a unit gradient of hydraulic head below the soil crust, the pressure head at the interface crust-soil is derive…
Hydro-mechanical modelling of MX-80 bentonite: one dimensional study
2016
As a first step towards modelling the coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) behaviour of bentonite, the Barcelona Basic Model (BBM) has been implemented into Numerrin finite element code. This model has been fully coupled with the single phase flow equation for unsaturated soils which models liquid water transport. Suction obtained from solving the flow equation is used as an input for the BBM model and the volumetric deformations from the mechanical analysis are used to update the pore water pressure field. As an alternative, BBM is used alongside the Kröhn’s model which assumes that bentonite re-saturation is mainly driven by water vapour diffusion. The paper simulates one dimen…
Drivers’ experiences during floods: Investigating the psychological influences underpinning decisions to avoid driving through floodwater
2018
Abstract A major risk factor for many flood-related drownings is driving through floodwater. We aimed to understand Australian drivers’ experiences and beliefs with respect to avoid driving through floodwater using the theory of planned behaviour as a framework. Study 1 (N = 23) used a qualitative design to gain an in-depth understanding of individuals’ experiences with driving through floodwater. Study 2 (N = 157) used a survey-based design to identify the factors related to this behaviour including knowledge, beliefs, and social-cognitive factors. In Study 1, drivers identified a range of advantages (e.g., didn’t damage car), disadvantages (e.g., inconvenient, but not so terrible), barrie…
The thermal performances of historic masonry: In-situ measurements of thermal conductance on calcarenite stone walls in Palermo
2018
Abstract Rich literature explores materials and construction techniques of historic buildings, but limited information is available about the thermal and hygrometric features of their envelope. Nevertheless, accurate hygrothermal data are essential for identifying effective energy upgrade measures, which must be compatible with the conservation of the architectural heritage. In order to fill this gap, it is necessary to refer to local contexts, where the variety of historic buildings is limited and their material and construction features are comparable. This paper focuses on historic masonry walls and discusses the results of twenty in-situ measurements of thermal conductance, performed al…
Effect of the submerged vegetation distribution on flow characteristics and lateral dispersion: Experimental analysis at the apex section of a meande…
2020
Understanding of how the vegetation distribution influences flow patterns and turbulence structure is extremely important to analyse environmental processes as the sediment transport and the mixing of transported quantities. In the present paper attention is focused on the effect of flexible vegetation on flow characteristics and dispersion processes at the apex section of a large-amplitude meandering bend. The analysis is conducted with the aid of data collected in a laboratory meandering flume both in the absence of vegetation on the bed and in the presence of real and flexible vegetation on the bed. Results show that the presence of vegetation affects both the lateral dispersion coeffici…
X-ray tomographic method for measuring three-dimensional deformation and water content distribution in swelling clays
2015
A non-invasive method for simultaneous measurement of the 3D displacement field and the water content distribution of a wetted solid material is developed. The method is based on comparison of X-ray tomographic images of a material sample in the reference state and in the wetted and deformed state. The deformation and water content analyses were successfully compared with numerical results for a cylindrical rubber test sample under axial compression, and with gravimetric results from axially wetted and sliced cylindrical bentonite samples, respectively. The methods were applied in a 4D study (three spatial dimensions and time) of wetting and deformation of purified swelling bentonite doped …