Seismic methods for study of soil building properties

Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment - Information about distribution of elastic wave propagation velocities Vp, Vs in the subsurface zone of a soil mass can be obtained rapidly and...     

THE INCREASING EFFECTS OF ZEBRA MUSSELS ON WATER INSTALLATIONS IN ENGLAND

The zebra mussel, Dreissena polymorpha, is a major biofouling pest of water treatment works, irrigation systems and power stations in Europe and North America. This paper documents current problems associated with zebra mussels in English waterworks. Questionnaires and manual surveys conducted between 2001 and 2003 have revealed that over 30 water treatment works in England suffer problems associated with zebra mussels. Hundreds of tonnes of mussels are being removed each year from raw water intakes, pipelines and reservoirs. Problems have increased in. the last five years, due to a spread in the range of zebra mussels around England and the cessation of chemical treatment at the intakes of many treatment facilities during the 1990s. The importance of taking control of zebra mussels into account in planning new water supply schemes is highlighted.     

Buckling of tube-stiffened prolate domes under external water pressure

The paper describes experimental tests carried out on three tube-stiffened prolate hemi-ellipsoidal domes under external water pressure.The tubes were stuck to the internal surfaces of these three domes, in their flanks, and the experimental tests showed that the tubes increased the buckling pressures of these domes, especially in one case, when the tube was subjected to an initial internal pressure.All three domes failed by lobar buckling, in their flanks, and showed buckling resistances much larger than similar unstiffened domes.     

Smoke development at different energy flux levels in an NBS smoke density chamber

An automatically controlled high-energy flux heater has been developed and utilized in an NBS Smoke Density Chamber.     

An Independent Perception of Regulation in Practice

The paper reviews the regulation of water companies in England and Wales since 1989 by reference to the historical regulation of utilities in these countries. It considers how comparative competition, service standards and charging arrangements are developing. Particular mention is made of the debates over rates of return and household metering. The conclusion is that regulation, to be effective and appropriate, must be capable of evolution.     

Reliability of corrosion-damaged steel structures using interval probability theory

Engineering decisions concerning the performance of existing structures must be made in the presence of uncertainties. The remaining capacity of corroded steel structures provides a good example of different aspects of uncertainty. These include: an unknown or partially known extent of damage; a variability in loading and an uncertain reserve of structural capacity depending on the mode of failure. The theory of structural reliability has been developed to provide a method of analysis for structural safety. In this paper, methods are proposed to compute the component reliability of corrosion-damaged steel members. The application of a recently developed theory called interval probability theory for system reliability is illustrated using the data obtained from actual samples of corroded beams.     

Gravity driven counterflow through an open door in a sealed room

Flow measurements using tracer gas techniques were made on the exterior doorway of a test house for indoor-outdoor temperature differences of 0.5–45 K. The time for door opening and closing was constant at 3.75 s, and fully open hold time varied from 0.5 s to 120 s. Predictions of a variable density steady flow model were in good agreement with the measurements when adjustments were made for the time-varying size of the opening and for the effect of cross-stream mixing between the incoming and outgoing air streams. The flow rate is shown to be governed by an effective density very close to the average of inflow and outflow densities, and the control condition at the doorway is fixed by the jet-like behavior of the inflow stream. Dependence of cross-stream mixing on interfacial stability caused the orifice and coefficient to increase from 0.4 to 0.6 as temperature difference increased. This varying orifice coefficient is well represented by the combination of a discharge coefficient for streamline contraction combined with a mixing coefficient which accounts for mixing between the inflow and outflow.     

Lead contamination in tap water of households with children in Lower Saxony, Germany

Lead has numerous acute and chronic adverse effects on human beings. This is especially true for infants and children. The main path of lead ingestion in children can be different according to housing and living situation. The intake of lead through drinking water is commonly due to metal corrosion. The users plumbing can be an important factor. In recent years, many lead pipes in Germany have been replaced by pipes made of an alternative material. The aim of this study is to assess the present state of drinking water contamination and the resulting exposure of infants to lead. For this purpose mothers of new-born babies were offered a free examination of their drinking water. After a written declaration of consent had been obtained and after the infant in question had reached an age of 3 months, a stagnation sample of cold tap-water after overnight stagnation together with a random daytime sample was obtained from the family. The collected samples were analysed by atomic absorption spectrometry for their lead concentration. In total, 1485 samples from households were collected. Of the 1434 stagnation samples, 3.1% had lead concentrations greater than 0.01 mg/l (recommended limit of the WHO) and 0.6% had concentrations above the limit of the German drinking water regulation (0.04 mg/l). The values for the 1474 random daytime samples were 2.1% above 0.01 mg/l and 0.2% greater than 0.04 mg/l, respectively. By region, the areas Bovenden, Friedland, Duderstadt, Northeim and Rosdorf were particularly affected. The highest measured concentrations of lead in the stagnation samples were 0.11 mg/l and 0.15 mg/l in the random daytime samples, respectively.     

A study of the effect of stiffness distribution on nonlinear seismic response of multi-degree-of-freedom structures

The ductility requirement of elastoplastic multi-d.o.f. shear structures is studied by analysing the response obtained through step-by-step integration of the equations of motion for some recorded accelerograms. In view of the high dependence of the structural strength reserve beyond the elastic range on the distribution of plastic deformations in the structure, this paper aims to establish the influence of the stiffness distribution and of the earthquake features on the local ductility demand. Attention is also paid to the analysis of the influence of variation in excitation intensity and duration on the seismic behaviour of the structural models considered. Numerical results show that overall structural ductility alone is not sufficiently representative to evaluate the ultimate state of multi-d.o.f. structures. Local ductility must also be specified in order to create a reliable aseismic design. In this context, the important role played by the distribution of stiffness over the structure is emphasized.