1,213 research outputs found
Seismic Safety Analysis of Earth Dam — Case History Studies
The method of seismic safety analysis for earth dam was examined by using actual performances of earth dams during the Chi-Chi Earthquake. Results of analysis under design earthquakes were also collected and compared with the performance records of earth dams. From the results of these studies, it appears that the Seed-Lee-Idriss approach can provide reasonable predictions on the dynamic responses and post-earthquake performance of well-compacted earth dam
Broken parity and a chiral ground state in the frustrated magnet CdCr2O4
We present a model describing the lattice distortion and incommensurate
magnetic order in the spinel CdCr2O4, a good realization of the Heisenberg
"pyrochlore" antiferromagnet. The magnetic frustration is relieved through the
spin-Peierls distortion of the lattice involving a phonon doublet with odd
parity. The distortion stablizes a collinear magnetic order with the
propagation wavevector q=2\pi(0,0,1). The lack of inversion symmetry makes the
crystal structure chiral. The handedness is transferred to magnetic order by
the relativistic spin-orbit coupling: the collinear state is twisted into a
long spiral with the spins in the ac plane and q shifted to 2\pi(0,\delta,1).Comment: Incremental changes in response to referee report
Tunneling in Squeezing Ground
A criterion for identifying the squeezing potential of tunnel is proposed. Tunneling conditions, classified as slightly or non-squeezing, moderately squeezing and highly squeezing, were identified by relating the strength-stress (σcm/Po ) ratio to the development of plastic zone extent and the amount of tunnel closure. Actual case histories of tunneling in Taiwan show that this criterion predicts the tunnel performance quite well. This enables the identification of tunneling conditions expected which require special considerations in support design and excavation-support procedures
Performance of a Large Diameter Tunnel in Weak Rocks
The correlation of tunnel movement versus rock mass quality was investigated using actual monitored data as well as theoretical studies. Results revealed that meaningful empirical correlation between the commonly used rock mass rating system and tunnel deformation can be obtained only if geological structure and in-situ stresses are taken into account. In this respect, the commonly used rock mass rating system is not very suitable for such purpose. A new parameter using rock mass strength normalized by in-situ stress level appears to be more suitable for establishing the relationship between tunnel deformation and rock mass quality
Concise theory of chiral lipid membranes
A theory of chiral lipid membranes is proposed on the basis of a concise free
energy density which includes the contributions of the bending and the surface
tension of membranes, as well as the chirality and orientational variation of
tilting molecules. This theory is consistent with the previous experiments
[J.M. Schnur \textit{et al.}, Science \textbf{264}, 945 (1994); M.S. Spector
\textit{et al.}, Langmuir \textbf{14}, 3493 (1998); Y. Zhao, \textit{et al.},
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA \textbf{102}, 7438 (2005)] on self-assembled chiral
lipid membranes of DCPC. A torus with the ratio between its two
generated radii larger than is predicted from the Euler-Lagrange
equations. It is found that tubules with helically modulated tilting state are
not admitted by the Euler-Lagrange equations, and that they are less
energetically favorable than helical ripples in tubules. The pitch angles of
helical ripples are theoretically estimated to be about 0 and
35, which are close to the most frequent values 5 and
28 observed in the experiment [N. Mahajan \textit{et al.}, Langmuir
\textbf{22}, 1973 (2006)]. Additionally, the present theory can explain twisted
ribbons of achiral cationic amphiphiles interacting with chiral tartrate
counterions. The ratio between the width and pitch of twisted ribbons is
predicted to be proportional to the relative concentration difference of left-
and right-handed enantiomers in the low relative concentration difference
region, which is in good agreement with the experiment [R. Oda \textit{et al.},
Nature (London) \textbf{399}, 566 (1999)].Comment: 14 pages, 7 figure
Assessment of Dynamic Properties of Wushantou Dam
Accurate assessment of material properties is essential for a meaningful evaluation of the dynamic behavior of a dam. Comprehensive studies using in- situ measurement and laboratory testing techniques coupled with back calculations of dam responses in recorded motion gives the following conclusions : (1) Response in good agreement with actual motion can be obtained by using appropriate analytical models and material properties; (2) a laboratory test may give reasonable result, but allowance should be made for the effects of strain level, sample disturbance and reconsolidation, especially in loose, non - cohesive soil; (3) in- situ shear wave velocity measurement is considered to be the most representative technique and gives the best estimation in Gmax
In Situ deposition of YBCO high-T(sub c) superconducting thin films by MOCVD and PE-MOCVD
Metalorganic Chemical Vapor Deposition (MOCVD) offers the advantages of a high degree of compositional control, adaptability for large scale production, and the potential for low temperature fabrication. The capability of operating at high oxygen partial pressure is particularly suitable for in situ formation of high temperature superconducting (HTSC) films. Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) thin films having a sharp zero-resistance transition with T( sub c) greater than 90 K and Jc approx. 10 to the 4th power A on YSZ have been prepared, in situ, at a substrate temperature of about 800 C. Moreover, the ability to form oxide films at low temperature is very desirable for device applications of HTSC materials. Such a process would permit the deposition of high quality HTSC films with a smooth surface on a variety of substrates. Highly c-axis oriented, dense, scratch resistant, superconducting YBCO thin films with mirror-like surfaces have been prepared, in situ, at a reduced substrate temperature as low as 570 C by a remote microwave-plasma enhanced metalorganic chemical vapor deposition (PE-MOCVD) process. Nitrous oxide was used as a reactant gas to generate active oxidizing species. This process, for the first time, allows the formation of YBCO thin films with the orthorhombic superconducting phase in the as-deposited state. The as-deposited films grown by PE-MOCVD show attainment of zero resistance at 72 K with a transition width of about 5 K. MOCVD was carried out in a commercial production scale reactor with the capability of uniform deposition over 100 sq cm per growth run. Preliminary results indicate that PE-MOCVD is a very attractive thin film deposition process for superconducting device technology
Propagating Coherent Acoustic Phonon Wavepackets in InMnAs/GaSb
We observe pronounced oscillations in the differential reflectivity of a
ferromagnetic InMnAs/GaSb heterostructure using two-color pump-probe
spectroscopy. Although originally thought to be associated with the
ferromagnetism, our studies show that the oscillations instead result from
changes in the position and frequency-dependent dielectric function due to the
generation of coherent acoustic phonons in the ferromagnetic InMnAs layer and
their subsequent propagation into the GaSb. Our theory accurately predicts the
experimentally measured oscillation period and decay time as a function of
probe wavelength.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figure
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