応用水文 = Applied hydrology

Exploring and identifying structure is even more important for multivariate data than univariate data, given the difficulties in graphically presenting multivariate data and the comparative lack of parametric models to represent it. Unfortunately, such exploration is also inherently more difficult.

Multivariate Density Estimation

IAEG Commission No. 1—Engineering Geological Maps—is developing a guide to hazard maps. Scientists from 17 countries have participated. This paper is one of a series that presents the results of that work. It provides a general review of GIS landslide mapping techniques and basic concepts of landslide mapping. Three groups of maps are considered: maps of spatial incidence of landslides, maps of spatial–temporal incidence and forecasting of landslides and maps of assessment of the consequences of landslides. With the current era of powerful microcomputers and widespread use of GIS packages, large numbers of papers on the subject are becoming available, frequently founded on different basic concepts. In order to achieve a better understanding and comparison, the concepts proposed by Varnes (Landslide hazard zonation: a review of principles and practice, 1984) and Fell (Some landslide risk zoning schemes in use in Eastern Australua and their application 1992; Landslide risk assessment and acceptable risk. Can Geotech J 31:261–272, 1994) are taken as references. It is hoped this will also add to the international usefulness of these maps as tools for landslide prevention and mitigation. Six hundred and sixty one papers and books related to the topic are included in the references, many of which are reviewed in the text.

Engineering geology maps: landslides and geographical information systems

Why Big Fierce Animals are Rare: An Ecologist's Perspective. By Paul Colinvaux. Pp.236. (Princeton University Press: New Brunswick, New Jersey, 1978.) $9.50.

How Nature works

Experimental characterization of shrinkage and desiccation cracking in thin clay layer

This paper presents the reliability analysis of reinforced retaining wall using finite element method. Response surface approach is used to approximate the performance function and a first-order reliability method (FORM) is used to evaluate the reliability index. In the analysis, displacement response of the reinforced retaining wall is considered as performance function and the corresponding reliability index is evaluated with the aid of a spreadsheet. Uncertainties associated with the soil and reinforcement properties are explicitly taken into account in the analysis. A parametric sensitivity analysis has been performed to bring out the effect of important uncertain parameters by evaluating the sensitivity of the reliability index with respect to each of the uncertain parameters. Results of the response surface method coupled with finite element analysis show the ease and successful implementation of the reliability analysis procedure for the reinforced retaining walls.

Finite element reliability analysis of reinforced retaining walls

Open caissons are sunk into the ground by their own weight. A cutting edge of the caisson having a tapered inner face on loading – that is, raising of the steining – results in bearing failure by d...

Experimental evaluation of ultimate bearing capacity of the cutting edge of an open caisson

Finite element method can be used for computing bearing capacity of shallow foundation with irregular geometry resting on variable subsoil. It is necessary to quantify the parameters affecting the ultimate capacity of footing. This paper presents the results of finite element (FE) analysis of the ultimate failure load of a rough base rigid strip footing resting on c-ϕ soil. The soil is assumed as linear elastic perfectly plastic with Mohr–Coulomb failure criterion and non-associative flow rule. Sensitivity analysis is carried out to examine the ultimate capacity of strip footing considering the strength parameters (c′, ϕ′, and ψ), width of strip footing (B), unit weight of soil (γ), surcharge (q) at the base level of footing, and the deformation parameters (E and ν) as the variables. The study also examines the effect of different material models on the ultimate capacity of the strip footing. The material models considered are Mohr–Coulomb (MC) model, Hardening Soil (HS) model, Hardening Soil model with small-strain stiffness (HSsmall), and Soft Soil (SS) mode-l. It is found from the results of FE analysis that the ultimate load of the strip footing is dependent on the strength parameters, width of footing, unit weight of soil, and surcharge at the base level of the footing. The ultimate capacity is independent of the deformation parameters and will remain almost same corresponding to the material models like MC, HS, HSsmall, and SS. The FE results are compared with the analytical solutions of Terzaghi and Meyerhof. Based on the study, a few suggestions are given in regard to the FE analysis of geotechnical stability problems to obtain the quick results.

Finite element evaluation of ultimate capacity of strip footing: assessment using various constitutive models and sensitivity analysis

Conventional method of probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA) using the Cornell–McGuire approach requires identification of homogeneous source zones as the first step. This criterion brings along many issues and, hence, several alternative methods to hazard estimation have come up in the last few years. Methods such as zoneless or zone-free methods, modelling of earth’s crust using numerical methods with finite element analysis, have been proposed. Delineating a homogeneous source zone in regions of distributed seismicity and/or diffused seismicity is rather a difficult task. In this study, the zone-free method using the adaptive kernel technique to hazard estimation is explored for regions having distributed and diffused seismicity. Chennai city is in such a region with low to moderate seismicity so it has been used as a case study. The adaptive kernel technique is statistically superior to the fixed kernel technique primarily because the bandwidth of the kernel is varied spatially depending on the clustering or sparseness of the epicentres. Although the fixed kernel technique has proven to work well in general density estimation cases, it fails to perform in the case of multimodal and long tail distributions. In such situations, the adaptive kernel technique serves the purpose and is more relevant in earthquake engineering as the activity rate probability density surface is multimodal in nature. The peak ground acceleration (PGA) obtained from all the three approaches (i.e., the Cornell–McGuire approach, fixed kernel and adaptive kernel techniques) for 10% probability of exceedance in 50 years is around 0.087 g. The uniform hazard spectra (UHS) are also provided for different structural periods.

Seismic Hazard Analysis Using the Adaptive Kernel Density Estimation Technique for Chennai City

This paper deals with the application of a meshless method called element-free Galerkin method (EFGM) for modelling the contaminant transport through the unsaturated porous media with transient flow condition. In EFGM, an approximate solution is constructed entirely in terms of a set of nodes and no elements or characterization of the interrelationship of the nodes is needed to construct the discrete equations. For analysis, the one-dimensional form of advection–dispersion equation with linear first-order degradation is considered. The unknown concentration values are approximated by using moving least square approximants. The weak form of the governing equation is formulated and the Lagrange multiplier method is used for enforcing the essential boundary conditions. The van Genuchten model is used for describing the hydraulic properties of the unsaturated soil. MATLAB code is developed to obtain the numerical solution. Numerical examples representing various phenomena that occur during the migration of co...

G. R. Dodagoudar

Papers

Finite element reliability analysis of reinforced retaining walls

Experimental evaluation of ultimate bearing capacity of the cutting edge of an open caisson

Finite element evaluation of ultimate capacity of strip footing: assessment using various constitutive models and sensitivity analysis

Seismic Hazard Analysis Using the Adaptive Kernel Density Estimation Technique for Chennai City

Meshfree modelling of one-dimensional contaminant transport in unsaturated porous media