Engineering Design of Rock Slope Reinforcement Based on Non-Linear Joint Strength Model

Optimum dimensioning of bolts or anchors for the reinforcement of slopes in jointed rock masses, requires compatible strength-deformation data, for both the rock joints and the reinforcing elements. Most types of rock joints behave in non- linear fashion and, thus, realistic modelling can have serious implications in the design, both from the economical and the technical standpoints. This paper will present, briefly, the principles of a constitutive model of joint shear behaviour and a method for optimum bolt or anchor design. The implications of non-linear joint behaviour will be demonstrated with numerical examples. Finally, a case study of slope stabilization, in which the method was adopted, will be reported

Impact on audit quality: assessing internal auditors behavior in the banking sector. A theoritical approach and an empirical analysis using evidence from Greece

Σκοπός της έρευνας είναι να μελετήσει και να αναλύσει τους διάφορους παράγοντες που ενδεχομένως επηρεάζουν τη συμπεριφορά των εσωτερικών ελεγκτών και την ποιότητα του ελεγκτικού έργου. Η ανάλυση θα αναδείξει τους παράγοντες που οδηγούν στη δυσλειτουργική συμπεριφορά των ελεγκτών, η οποία κατ' επέκταση οδηγεί στην ανεπιτυχή ολοκλήρωση του ελεγκτικού τους έργου. Η εμπειρική μελέτη αποσκοπεί στην αξιολόγηση της συμπεριφοράς των ελεγκτών σε σχέση με τους παράγοντες που επιβάλλονται από το τμήμα ελέγχου της εταιρείας, όπως η "πίεση των χρονικών προθεσμιών", η "πίεση του χρονικού προϋπολογισμού" και η "διαδικασία αξιολόγησης της απόδοσης". Η μελέτη επιδιώκει επίσης να εξηγήσει τυχόν διαφορές στη συμπεριφορά των ελεγκτών ανάλογα με το ιεραρχικό τους επίπεδο. Για την επίτευξη του σκοπού της μελέτης συλλέχθηκαν δεδομένα από τις απαντήσεις σε ερωτηματολόγιο που δόθηκε σε εσωτερικούς ελεγκτές, όλων των επιπέδων, στον Ελληνικό τραπεζικό τομέα. Τα αποτελέσματα έδειξαν ότι οι εσωτερικοί ελεγκτές είναι ευάλωτοι να επιδείξουν δυσλειτουργική συμπεριφορά όταν τους ζητείται να εργαστούν ταχύτερα προκειμένου να τηρήσουν τις αυστηρές προθεσμίες. Επιπλέον, οι ελεγκτές είναι πιο πιθανό να επιδείξουν δυσλειτουργική συμπεριφορά εάν τους ανατίθεται μεγάλος αριθμός ετήσιων ελεγκτικών έργων. Επιπλέον, οι ελεγκτές ασκούν ελέγχους με βάση τον κίνδυνο, επικεντρώνοντας την προσοχή τους σε περιοχές υψηλού κινδύνου και διενεργώντας ανεπαρκείς ελέγχους σε περιοχές χαμηλού κινδύνου, προκειμένου να ακολουθήσουν τους αυστηρούς χρονικούς περιορισμούς. Επιπρόσθετα, τα αποτελέσματα της μελέτης έδειξαν ότι οι αυστηροί χρονικοί περιορισμοί και η έλλειψη συνεργασίας μεταξύ ελεγκτών και προϊστάμενων είναι παράγοντες που προκαλούν πρόωρη ολοκλήρωση των ελεγκτικών βημάτων και, ως εκ τούτου, δυσλειτουργική συμπεριφορά. Τέλος, τα στοιχεία δείχνουν ότι αποτελεί κοινή πρακτική των ελεγκτών για χάρη της έγκαιρης ολοκλήρωσης των ελεγκτικών έργων, να υποκαταγράφουν τον απαιτούμενο χρόνο δουλεύοντας στον προσωπικό τους χρόνο, σε μια προσπάθεια βελτίωσης της αξιολογήσης της απόδοσής τους.The aim of the research is to study and analyze different factors that are potentially involved in influencing the internal auditors’ behavior and the quality of the audit work. The analysis will highlight the factors that lead to auditors' dysfunctional behavior which by extension leads to the unsuccessful completion of their audit work. The empirical study aims to evaluate the auditors' behavior in relation to factors imposed by the audit department of the company such as “time deadline pressure”, “time budget pressure” and “performance evaluation process”. The study also seeks to explain any differences in auditors' behavior according to their hierarchical level. Data was gathered from responses to a questionnaire that was given to internal auditors, of all levels, in the Greek banking sector in order to achieve the study’s purpose. The results showed that internal auditors are vulnerable to perform dysfunctional behavior when they are inquired to work faster in order to meet the strict time deadlines. Furthermore auditors are more likely to engage in dysfunctional conduct if they are assigned with a big number of annual audit assignments. Moreover, auditors exercise risk- based audits by concentrating on high- risk areas and performing poor inspections in low- risk areas in order to follow the strict time constraints. Additionally the study’s results showed that severe time limitations and the lack of collaboration between auditors and managers are factors causing early signing- off of the audit steps and, as a result, dysfunctional behavior. Finally, outcomes demonstrate that is a common practice for auditors to underreport the chargeable time by working on their personal time, for the sake of timely completion of audit projects in an effort to improve their performance evaluations

Desain Dual Fuel LNG Carrier untuk Suplai Bahan Bakar LNG di Alur Pelayaran Barat Surabaya (APBS)

Kebutuhan masyarakat dunia akan sumber energi terus meningkat dari tahun ke tahun, baik bahan bakar minyak maupun gas. Saat ini bahan bakar minyak sudah banyak digantikan dengan bahan bakar gas seperti LNG dan LPG. Kelebihan dari LNG yaitu memiliki potensi ekonomi yang lebih murah dibandingkan dengan bahan bakar minyak apabila digunakan sebagai bahan bakar penggerak kapal, LNG memenuhi sebagian besar persyaratan emission control area (ECA), teknologi yang digunakan sudah terbukti dan sudah banyak dipakai, dan memiliki fleksibilitas dalam hal bunkering. Meningkatnya jumlah kunjungan kapal di Alur Pelayaran Surabaya Barat akan berbanding lurus dengan polusi yang akan dihasilkan oleh gas buang dari kapal. Oleh karena itu, banyak pemilik kapal mulai berpidah dari mesin diesel ke mesin dual fuel. Untuk mempermudah dalam transfer bahan bakar LNG dari LNG Bunkering Onshore ke kapal yang membutuhkan bahan bakar LNG, maka dari itu dalam tugas akhir ini mengusulkan Desain Dual Fuel LNG Carrier untuk suplai bahan bakar LNG di alur pelayaran barat Surabaya, dengan adanya Kapal LNG Carrierini dapat mempercepat dan meningkatkan fleksibilitas kapal untuk proses pengisian bahan bakar. Payload dari Dual Fuel LNG Carrier ini didapatkan berdasarkan data kunjungan kapal di Pelabuhan Tanjung Perak yang dihitung kebutuhan bahan bakar LNG untuk setiap harinya. Kemudian ditentuakan ukuran tanki LNG yang sesuai untuk mencari ukuran utama kapal, sehingga didapatkan ukuran utama kapal dari layout tangki LNG type C 1500 m^3. Setelah itu dilakukan perhitungan teknis berupa perhitungan berat, trim, freeboard, dan stabilitas. Ukuran utama yang didapatkan adalah Lpp =52 m; B = 14,8 m; H = 6,2 m; T = 3,5 m. Tinggi freeboard minimum sebesar 613,08mm, besarnya tonnase kapal adalah 1539,376 GT, dan kondisi stabilitas Dual Fuel LNG Carrier memenuhi kriteria Intact Stability (IS) Code Reg. III/3.1.Analisis ekonomis yang dilakukan adalah memperhitungkan biaya pembangunan (investasi), biaya operasional, serta estimasi Breakeven Point (BEP). Biaya pembangunan Dual Fuel LNG Carrier ini sebesar Rp.37.837.629.171dan estimasi BEP pada bulan ke-53 dengan estimasi pengambilan keuntungan bersih sebesar Rp 726.737.621,15. Penggunaan bahan bakar dual fuel (LNG dan MDO) lebihhemat 70% dibandingkan dengan menggunakan bahan bakar konvensoinal yaitu MDO. ===================================================================== The need of the world community on energy sources increases from year to year, both oil fuel and gas. Currently, oil fuel has been replaced with many gas fuels such as LNG and LPG. The advantage of LNG is that it has a cheaper economic potential compared to fuel oil when used as a ship propulsion fuel, LNG meets most of the emission control area (ECA) requirements, the technology used has been proven and widely used, and has flexibility in terms of bunkering. The increasing number of ship visits in the West Surabaya shipping line will be directly proportional to the pollution that will be generated by exhaust gasses from the vessel. Referring to these circumstances, many shipowners began to move from diesel engine to dual fuel engine. To facilitate the transfer of LNG fuel from LNG Bunkering Onshore to vessel that requires LNG fuel, therefore in this final project proposes Dual Fuel LNG Carrier Design to supply LNG fuel in West Surabaya shipping line, in the presence of Carrierini LNG Vessel can accelerate and increase the flexibility of ships for refueling. Payload from Dual Fuel LNG Carrier was obtained based on ship visit data at Port of Tanjung Perak which calculated the needs of LNG fuel for every day. Then, it was determined the appropriate size of LNG tank to find the main size of the ship, and it was obtained the main size of the vessel from the layout of LNG tank type C 1500 m3. After that, technical calculation was done in terms of weight, trim, freeboard, and stability. The main size obtained was Lpp = 52 m; B = 14.8 m; H = 6.2 m; T = 3.5 m. The height minimum freeboard was 613.08 mm, the ship's tonnage was 1539,376 GT, and the stability condition of Dual Fuel LNG Carrier meets the criteria of Intact Stability (IS) Code Reg. III / 3.1.Tht economic calculation and analysis such as building cost, operational cost and Break Even Point (BEP) estimation. The building cost is estimated at Rp.37.837.629.171and BEP within 53 months with estimated revenue at Rp 726.737.621,15. The use of dual fuel (LNG and MDO) is more cheaper 70% than using conventional fuel (MDO)

Measurement of gauge blocks by interferometry

The key comparison EURAMET.L-K1.2011 on gauge blocks was carried out in the framework of a EURAMET project starting in 2012 and ending in 2015. It involved the participation of 24 National Metrology Institutes from Europe and Egypt, respectively. 38 gauge blocks of steel and ceramic with nominal central lengths between 0.5 mm and 500 mm were circulated. The comparison was conducted in two loops with two sets of artifacts. A statistical technique for linking the reference values was applied. As a consequence the reference value of one loop is influenced by the measurements of the other loop although they did not even see the artifacts of the others. This influence comes solely from three "linking laboratories" which measure both sets of artifacts. In total there were 44 results were not fully consistent with the reference values. This represents 10% of the full set of 420 results which is a considerable high number. At least 12 of them are clearly outliers where the participants have been informed by the pilot as soon as possible. The comparison results help to support the calibration and measurement capabilities (CMCs) of the laboratories involved in the CIPM MRA

Desain Dual Fuel LNG Carrier untuk Suplai Bahan Bakar LNG di Alur Pelayaran Barat Surabaya (APBS)

Kebutuhan masyarakat dunia akan sumber energi terus meningkat dari tahun ke tahun, baik bahan bakar minyak maupun gas. Saat ini bahan bakar minyak sudah banyak digantikan dengan bahan bakar gas seperti LNG dan LPG. LNG memenuhi sebagian besar persyaratan emission control area (ECA). Oleh karena itu, banyak pemilik kapal mulai berpidah dari mesin diesel ke mesin dual fuel, maka dari itu dalam penelitian ini mengusulkan Desain Dual Fuel LNG Carrier untuk suplai bahan bakar LNG di alur pelayaran barat Surabaya, dengan adanya Kapal LNG Carrier ini dapat mempercepat dan meningkatkan fleksibilitas kapal untuk proses pengisian bahan bakar. Payload dari Dual Fuel LNG Carrier ini didapatkan berdasarkan data kunjungan kapal di Pelabuhan Tanjung Perak yang dihitung kebutuhan bahan bakar LNG untuk setiap harinya. Kemudian ditentuakan ukuran tanki LNG yang sesuai untuk mencari ukuran utama kapal, sehingga didapatkan ukuran utama kapal dari layout tangki LNG type C 1500 15m3"> . Setelah itu dilakukan perhitungan teknis berupa perhitungan berat, trim, freeboard, dan stabilitas. Ukuran utama yang didapatkan adalah Lpp =52 m; B = 14,8 m; H = 6,2 m; T = 3,5 m. Tinggi freeboard minimum sebesar 613,08 mm, besarnya tonnase kapal adalah 1539,376 GT, dan kondisi stabilitas Dual Fuel LNG Carrier memenuhi kriteria Intact Stability (IS) Code Reg. III/3.1. Analisis ekonomis yang dilakukan adalah memperhitungkan biaya pembangunan (investasi), biaya operasional, serta estimasi Breakeven Point (BEP). Biaya pembangunan Dual Fuel LNG Carrier ini sebesar Rp. 37.837.629.171 dan estimasi BEP pada bulan ke-53 dengan estimasi pengambilan keuntungan bersih sebesar Rp 726.737.621,15. Penggunaan bahan bakar dual fuel (LNG dan MDO) jauh lebih hemat dibandingkan dengan menggunakan bahan bakar konvensoinal yaitu MDO

A fully coupled hydro-mechanical model for the modeling of coalbed methane recovery

Most coal seams hold important quantities of methane which is recognized as a valuable energy resource. Coal reservoir is considered not conventional because methane is held adsorbed on the coal surface. Coal is naturally fractured, it is a dual-porosity system made of matrix blocks and cleats (i.e fractures). In general, cleats are initially water saturated with the hydrostatic pressure maintaining the gas adsorbed in the coal matrix. Production of coalbed methane (CBM) first requires the mobilization of water in the cleats to reduce the reservoir pressure. Changes of coal properties during methane production are a critical issue in coalbed methane recovery. Indeed, any change of the cleat network will likely translate into modifications of the reservoir permeability. This work consists in the formulation of a consistent hydro-mechanical model for the CBM production modeling. Due to the particular structure of coal, the model is based on a dual-continuum approach to enrich the macroscale with microscale considerations. Shape factors are employed to take into account the geometry of the matrix blocks in the mass exchange between matrix and fractures. The hydro-mechanical model is fully coupled. For example, it captures the sorption-induced volumetric strain or the dependence of permeability on fracture aperture, which evolves with the stress state. The model is implemented in the finite element code Lagamine and is used for the modeling of one production well. A synthetic reservoir and then a real production case are considered. To date, attention has focused on a series of parametric analyses that can highlight the influence of the production scenario or key parameters related to the reservoir

The role of rock joint frictional strength in the containment of fracture propagation

The fracturing phenomenon within the reservoir environment is a complex process that is controlled by several factors and may occur either naturally or by artificial drivers. Even when deliberately induced, the fracturing behaviour is greatly influenced by the subsurface architecture and existing features. The presence of discontinuities such as joints, artificial and naturally occurring faults and interfaces between rock layers and microfractures plays an important role in the fracturing process and has been known to significantly alter the course of fracture growth. In this paper, an important property (joint friction) that governs the shear behaviour of discontinuities is considered. The applied numerical procedure entails the implementation of the discrete element method to enable a more dynamic monitoring of the fracturing process, where the joint frictional property is considered in isolation. Whereas fracture propagation is constrained by joints of low frictional resistance, in non-frictional joints, the unrestricted sliding of the joint plane increases the tendency for reinitiation and proliferation of fractures at other locations. The ability of a frictional joint to suppress fracture growth decreases as the frictional resistance increases; however, this phenomenon exacerbates the influence of other factors including in situ stresses and overburden conditions. The effect of the joint frictional property is not limited to the strength of rock formations; it also impacts on fracturing processes, which could be particularly evident in jointed rock masses or formations with prominent faults and/or discontinuities

Manufacturing Orgasm: Visuality, Aurality, and Female Sexual Pleasure in Tsai Ming-liang’s The Wayward Cloud

publication-status: Publishedtypes: Article© 2011 by IntellectIn the study of both sex and the city, sound tends to be an aspect that does not receive as much attention as visuality. By examining the sound of sex in Tsai Ming-liang’s 2005 film, The Wayward Cloud, this article will argue that the aural is privileged over the visual and explore its implications for female subjectivity, sexual intimacy and gender politics. It suggests that the film challenges us to think whether it might be possible to forge what Mary Ann Doane calls ‘a political erotics of the voice’, but in a wayward manner that deploys comatose bodies that have no voice, that fragments the unity of voice and body and that privileges the representation of the sonic over the visual in a cinematic tradition that generally dictates otherwise

Anisotropic shear behavior of closely jointed rock masses

In-situ shear tests on a closely jointed rock mass containing two sets of joints, one continuous and another staggered, were conducted. A series of laboratory shear tests with varying combinations of loading conditions and geometrical characteristics of rock joints were also carried out. A Discrete Element Method (DEM) was used to numerically simulate the in-situ and laboratory shear tests. The in-situ tests, laboratory tests and numerical modeling were aimed at evaluating the anisotropic shear behavior of closely jointed rock masses. Comparison between the test and simulation results of this study with the results of similar laboratory tests was completed. The simulation results agreed well with the laboratory test results and provided slightly higher shear stresses comparing to the results of in-situ shear tests. The test and simulation results showed that the jointed rock masses exhibited a strong anisotropic shear behavior, the significance of which depended on the orientation of the continuous joint set. Different failure mechanisms were confirmed in the tested and simulated rock mass models with different geometrical characteristics of rock joints, which resulted in the anisotropic shear behavior