Shear strain related non-linear stochastic dynamic analysis of rock-fill dams

The effect of the non-linear material behavior of a rock-fill dam subjected to random loads is investigated by the equivalent linear method that considers the non-linear variation of soil shear moduli and damping ratios as a function of shear strain. The Keban dam constructed in Elazığ, Turkey is chosen as a numerical example. The interaction of the rock-fill dam with the reservoir is neglected, but not the foundation rock. The properties of the dam materials were taken from the dam project and assumed to be isotropic in the analysis. A stationary and ergodicity assumption are made for stochastic dynamic analysis. The E-W component of the Erzincan earthquake recorded on March 13, 1992, Erzincan, Turkey is chosen as a ground motion since it occurred nearby the dam site. The component considered is applied to the dam in the horizontal direction. The non-linear stochastic responses of the Keban dam are compared to its linear stochastic and deterministic response

Earthquake Engineering

The book Earthquake Engineering - From Engineering Seismology to Optimal Seismic Design of Engineering Structures contains fifteen chapters written by researchers and experts in the fields of earthquake and structural engineering. This book provides the state-of-the-art on recent progress in the field of seimology, earthquake engineering and structural engineering. The book should be useful to graduate students, researchers and practicing structural engineers. It deals with seismicity, seismic hazard assessment and system oriented emergency response for abrupt earthquake disaster, the nature and the components of strong ground motions and several other interesting topics, such as dam-induced earthquakes, seismic stability of slopes and landslides. The book also tackles the dynamic response of underground pipes to blast loads, the optimal seismic design of RC multi-storey buildings, the finite-element analysis of cable-stayed bridges under strong ground motions and the acute psychiatric trauma intervention due to earthquakes

Miscellanea 7

The INGV and the Organizers are pleased to invite you to attend and contribute to the second International Workshop “Research in shallow marine and fresh water systems” taking place in Sicily, Aeolian Islands in October 2010 from the 3rd to the 10th. The workshop will provide the opportunity to meet scientists from different countries with different scientific skills to discuss and to exchange ideas on the scientific results related to the scientific diving activityScientific Diving as a tool “for the purpose” acquires a substantial need of an information exchange among research groups including scientific working methods in various fields of application: geology, chemistry, (micro-)biology, archaeology, geochemistry, environmental sciences, ecology, to name a few. The workshop will merge scientific communications with technical and scientific discussions besides diving excursions at selected sites of different scientific interest

Sustainability through subsistence: the case for de-urbanization in Malaysia

Industrialization was the catalyst for the growth of cities in Southeast Asia, in particular Malaysia. However, in many cities industrialization has peaked and is now declining. This raises the issue of increased urban poverty as a significant problem facing these cities in the 21st century. Evidence from other developing countries is that faced with the choice of urban poverty or rural subsistence, there appears to be a trend towards de-urbanization. As Malaysia is unique in imposing laws that protect rural land ownership, this study investigates the capacity of the available land to absorb migrants from the city and seeks to identify whether the returning migrants have the capabilities required to maintain a subsistence lifestyle. This paper presents a case study analyzing the trends of urban to rural migration in Malaysia. An audit of land capacity was carried out in a typical kampong and an investigation of the capability of migrants has been done in both urban and rural areas. In conclusion, this study has found that the land abandoned by the rural-urban migration of the 1970s is available and remains accessible for future use. The findings also identified several examples of returnees who have shown that they have adapted well to a rural lifestyle. The results indicate that there is evidence that de-urbanization can result in a sustainable lifestyle through subsistence living in Malaysia

Power from the people: the empowerment of distributed generation of solar electricity for rural communities in Malaysia

This paper describes the decreasing energy security in Malaysia and the likely impact on maintaining power supplies to low income groups. The most vulnerable group is the low-income people in the rural areas, who have limited access to generate their own power supplies. The paper reviews the potential of distributed generation (DG) using photovoltaics as a means of mitigating this problem. Examples from other countries are reviewed and alternative methods of funding PV installations are discussed. Strategies such as community-based approach and innovative financing scheme will be introduced and discussed. The main objective is to utilize solar energy as the main energy resources for generating electricity and places rural people as the main stakeholder to deploy the strategic model. This model is also ideal to be integrated with the distributed generation (DG) system as one of the key components in developing a suitable energy policy that can helps to sustain the energy development of rural community in the future. The paper concludes that distributed generation (DG) is feasible and that innovative funding schemes are required based on local knowledge