Evaluating Land Surface Changes of Makassar City Using DInSAR and Landsat Thematic Mapper Images

Urban growth has been a major issue in environmental monitoring and changes occurred on land surfaces have been monitored by applying remote sensing as well as ground measurement. Most major cities in the world have experienced land subsidence phenomena on some parts of them due to the load of development and modernization. Excessive extraction of groundwater for the needs of industry has led to the condition where the water table drops, and this can possibly trigger subsidence, as observed in Indonesian cities. In this study the authors have shown that the application of DInSAR （differential interferometric synthetic aperture radar） technique using Japanese Earth Resources Satellite-I Synthetic Aperture Radar JERS-I SAR data can reveal subsidence conditions in the studied Makassar city area. Landsat TM （thematic mapper） images were used to evaluate the change of land cover during the observation period of 1994-1999. Makassar is fiat, covered mainly by alluvium deposit that is vulnerable to the load of constructions, and volcanic formations which is porous and will easily be degraded by groundwater extraction. It is found that mostly the subsidence has occurred in the western part of the city, including the industrial district, reclamation area, trading center area and the seaport area. The ground survey has indicated that high human activity exists in every point of subsidence. It is likely that various human activities such as ground water pumping and construction work should have affected the local subsidence phenomena in Makassar, as in the case of other large-scale cities in Indonesia.     

Application of artificial intelligence to rock mechanics: An overview

Different artificial intelligence(AI)methods have been applied to various aspects of rock mechanics,but the fact that none of these methods have been used as a standard implies that doubt as to their generality and validity still exists.For this,a literature review of application of AI to the field of rock mechanics is presented.Comprehensive studies of the researches published in the top journals relative to the fields of rock mechanics,computer applications in engineering,and the textbooks were conducted.The performances of the AI methods that have been used in rock mechanics applications were evaluated.The literature review shows that AI methods have successfully been used to solve various problems in the rock mechanics field and they performed better than the traditional empirical,mathematical or statistical methods.However,their practical applicability is still an issue of concern as many of the existing AI models require some level of expertise before they can be used,because they are not in the form of tractable mathematical equations.Thus some advanced AI methods are still yet to be explored.The limited availability of dataset for the AI simulations is also identified as a major problem.The solutions to the identified problems and the possible future research focus were proposed in the study subsequently.     

Development of Design Response Spectra Based on Various Attenuation Relationships at Specific Location

Peninsular Malaysia is located and lies in a low seismic region. Although Malaysia is not located in the active fault seismic area, it is closed to the Sumatran active seismic zones. Tall building are fIequently felt the tremor generated fTom Sumatran subduction and fault zones especially in the west cost of Peninsular Malaysia such as Johor Bahru, Kuala Lumpur and Penang. Existing design response spectra was developed based on attenuation relationship for each subduction and fault zone. In this study, the design response spectra were developed based on various attenuation relationships for selected location in Kuala Lumpur area, namely, Mutiara Damansara, Bandar Petaling Jaya and Bandar Puteri Puchong. The development of design response spectra based on various attenuation relationships is more reliable in selecting the appropriate attenuation relationship for the study area. Seven attenuations have been chosen and results show that Megawati et al. are the most appropriate attenuation relation for fault zone, where the predicted PGA （peak ground acceleration） is 0.0187 g which is the proposed PGA value for this study area. This study also found that most of soil in the study area can be categorized into SD （stiff soil） according to site classification in the NEHRP 2000 Provision/UBC 97. Bandar petaling Jaya was found to be highest AF （amplification factor） of 3.74 for stiff soil and Mutiara Damansara with AF of 2.67 for very dense soil or soft rock. The proposed design response spectra for each location were developed based on UBC 1997 （Uniform Building Code 1997）. The peak RSA （response spectrum acceleration） of 0.30 g for soil type SD for Bandar Petaling Jaya is the maximum level of acceleration on the soil surface with a period range of 0.10 to 0.52 seconds. All these values can be used for the seismic safety evaluation of existing structures and as a guideline in designing new structures to resist future earthquake, within the study area.     

Non-mechanical behaviors of soft clay in two-dimensional electro-osmotic consolidation

To investigate the soil behaviors in a direct current field on both spatial and temporal scales, a 1: 5 scale model test was conducted in laboratory to simulate the two-dimensional (2D) electro-osmotic consolidation of soft clay foundation. Volume of drainage, intensity, voltage, water content and pH value of water collected in the cathodes were monitored. The pH values of soil and the mass of anodes were measured before and after the test. The test results indicate that the unsaturated state, resultant from fissures induced by the differences in water contents, is favorable to dynamic compaction of soil during electro-osmotic drainage. The results also demonstrate that water content, degree of saturation and electric potential distributions can be used to deduce the electro-osmotic drainage process. Water content of soil decreases first near electrodes, while keeps nearly constant in the center of the model. The area with constant water content is larger than half of the sample surface. Moving anodes towards cathodes by about one third of the electrode spacing is effective to improve the treatment effect after electro-osmosis stops due to the large resistance. Moreover, it is observed that during electro-osmosis, the corrosion rate of anodes becomes smaller, while the variation in pH values of soil near anodes becomes larger.     

Redlining in Residential Mortgages in Johannesburg,South Africa

The aim of the research in the paper was to study redlining practice within the greater Johannesburg area. The aim can be summarised by the following objectives： firstly, to investigate the evidence of redlining in the Greater Johannesburg area and to test its existence; secondly, to investigate the reasons why the areas were redlined; thirdly, to understand what the South Africa government and society did to combat the redlining practice. The research methodology was based on a questionnaire and interviews. A pool of respondents from the Greater Johannesburg suburbs that had interest or were affected by the practice of redlining was sought and interviewed. Analysis of the responses was made and conclusions were drawn from the responses. Secondary data was also sought from publications on the redlining practice to support the primary interviews data. From the interview responses and the secondary data, it was established that redlining existed in Greater Johannesburg and that the areas where redlining was practised could be marked on a map.     

Stability analysis of backflling in subsiding area and optimization of the stoping sequence

In underground mining by sublevel caving method, the deformation and damage of the surface induced by subsidence are the major challenging issues. The dynamic and soft backflling body increases the safety risks in the subsiding area. In this paper, taking Zhangfushan iron mine as an example, the ore body and the general layout are focused on the safety of backflling of mined-out area. Then, we use the ANSYS software to construct a three-dimensional(3D) model for the mining area in the Zhangfushan iron mine. According to the simulation results of the initial mining stages, the ore body is stoped step by step as suggested in the design. The stability of the backflling is back analyzed based on the monitored displacements, considering the stress distribution to optimize the stoping sequence. The simulations show that a reasonable stoping sequence can minimize the concentration of high compressive stress and ensure the safety of stoping of the ore body.     

Deterioration of Concrete by the Oxidation of Sulphide Minerals in the Aggregate

Cases of degradation of concrete associated to iron sulphides in aggregates were recently recognized in the Trois-Rivi6res area, Canada. The aggregate used to produce concrete was an anorthositic gabbro containing various proportions of pyrite, pyrrhotite, chalcopyrite and pentlandite. Quantitative microanalysis on sulphide minerals show that pyrrhotite contains small amount of Ni, Co, Cu and As substituting for Fe in the mineral structure. Considering element substitution, x value in the chemical formula （Fe~.xS） was calculated to 0.099 in the pyrrhotite studied. Petrographic examination of damaged concretes showed the presence of oxidized pyrrhotite. The observation of polished samples shows, in several cases, that the pyrite is intact while the pyrrhotite presents evident signs of oxidation. In the presence of water and oxygen, pyrrhotite oxidizes to form iron oxyhydroxides and sulphuric acid. The acid then reacts with the phases of the cement paste and provokes the formation of gypsum and ettringite. These minerals were observed by SEM-EDS （scanning electron microscope/energy dispersive x-ray spectrometer） and their precipitation causes a volume increase that creates expansion and cracking of the concrete.     

Technological Evolution of Historic Structural Mortars

Mortars are among the first building materials used in constructions, even from prehistoric times （8th millennium BC）. Their study reveals a great source of information regarding the evolution of their technological characteristics and application techniques, the availability and exploitation of raw materials, as well the wider socio-economic aspects of each era. The aim of this paper is to comparatively evaluate the analysis results from approximately 1,000 structural mortar samples taken from various monuments and historic buildings of Greece, dated from the Hellenistic period, until the beginning of the 20th century. The analysis focused in the determination of their physico-mechanical and chemical properties, such as porosity, apparent specific gravity, mechanical strength, aggregates type and granulometry and chemical composition. Through the results＇ evaluation, significant remarks can be made upon the evolution of the raw materials used （binding system, aggregates, additives）, as well as regarding the final properties of historic structural mortars. It is concluded that hydrated lime was the main binding agent used for a long-lasting period of 2.5 millenniums, while mixed type binding systems based on lime and natural pozzolan were systematically used for producing durable mortars, resistant to humidity. In any case, it seems that ancient masons were fully aware of the significant role of mortars in constructions and were capable of exploiting the available raw materials and application techniques to the maximum.     

Stability analysis of bank slope under conditions of reservoir impounding and rapid drawdown

Stability of an ancient landslide in a reservoir area is analyzed by using centrifugal model tests, soil laboratory tests and numerical analysis. Special attention is paid to variation in water level, simulation of large-scale heterogeneous prototype slope, and strength reduction of sliding zone soils after slope sliding. The results of centrifugal model test show that reservoir impounding can reduce sliding resistance at the slope toe, followed by toe collapsing and front cracking of slope. Rapid drawdown can produce hydrodynamic pressure towards reservoir at the front of slope. Deformation is observed in the middle and upper slope, which reduces the slope stability further and forms the pull-typed landslide trend. Reinforcement of slope toe is effective for preventing the progressive failure. The results of laboratory test show that slope toe sliding will lead to the redistribution of soil density and moisture content, which will reduce the shear strength of soil in sliding zone, and the cohesion of immersed soil is reduced gradually and finally vanishes with time. The numerical results show that the strength reduction method used in finite element method (FEM) is very effective in capturing the progressive failure induced by reservoir water level fluctuations, and the evolution of failure surface derived from numerical simulation is very similar to that observed in centrifugal model test.     

Investigation on relations between grain crushing amount and void ratio change of granular materials in one-dimensional compression and creep tests

Grain crushing plays an important role in one-dimensional (1D) compression and creep behaviors of granular materials under high stress. It is clear that the macro-properties of granular materials are closely related to the micro-fracture properties of grains in 1D compression and creep tests. In this paper, a series of 1D compression and creep tests were performed on Ottawa sand to investigate the deformation and grain crushing properties of granular materials, and it shows that the void ratio is correlated to the grain crushing amount (the quantity of crushed grains) for granular materials subjected to grain crushing. The test results, combining with the existing test data related to grain crushing of granular materials, were used to verify the relation. Moreover, the implications of these relations on the yield of granular material, and the equivalent effect of stress and time in changing soil fabric are presented.