Shear Modulus Reduction Research Articles

Evaluation of Dynamic Properties of Sand Mixed with Expanded Glass Granules by Energy Concept Under Cyclic Torsional Loadings

In recent years, lightweight materials have gained attention for their numerous benefits, including cost reduction, insulation, and bearing capacity. Expanded glass granules (EGG) stand out among these materials, showing significant potential in geotechnical engineering applications. This study examines the potential use and feasibility of a SAND-EGG mixture in geotechnical applications through cyclic torsional shear test for measuring shear strength, modulus reduction, and energy dissipation. This is conducted on the unmixed dry specimens (Reference Sand, EGG) and the mixed dry specimens by mass (1, 2%) and volume (5, 10, 15%) under 100 kPa effective pressure. The test also conducted along 0.02%–0.5% shear strain amplitudes for both samples group. An energy-based approach is used to analyze mixed material's capacity for energy dissipation, a crucial factor in determining seismic resistance during cyclic loading. The impact of employing EGG on modulus reduction behavior was also explored concerning energy dissipation. Considering the results, it is show that the use of EGG increases the resilience with high friction capacity and by taking up a significant portion of the available void ratio and provides lightness in geotechnical applications in examined shear strain amplitude range (0.02%–0.5%).

Scaling law for correcting the gravel content effect due to scalping techniques by DEM investigations

Scalping techniques are commonly employed to handle oversized particles in gravelly soils for performing laboratory tests, which will cause significant gravel content (GC) effect on the predicted mechanical behaviors of prototype soils. To solve this obstacle, this study tries to establish the scaling law for correcting the GC effect, which controls the same equivalent skeleton void ratio between the prototype and model soils. The proposed scaling law characterizes the mechanical parameters using the newly introduced indexes including the degree of heterogeneity and the scaling factor for parameter A of the Harding equation. Then a series of DEM simulations of element tests were performed on sand-dominant gravelly soils to parameterize and check the applicability of the proposed scaling law. The simulation results show that both the converted shear responses and shear modulus reduction curves through the proposed scaling law are highly consistent with that of the prototype soils. This suggests that in dealing with deformation problems from small to medium strains, Rocha’s assumption is highly applicable for correcting the GC effect. When the adopted scalping techniques control the change in GC (ΔGC) below 20 %, the predicted liquefaction resistance will be very close to that of the prototype soils regardless of the earthquake magnitudes. However, when ΔGC is larger than 40 %, the prediction error in liquefaction resistance will be larger. Based on these simulation results, it is recommended that when selecting scalping techniques for laboratory tests on gravelly soils containing oversized particles, it is preferred that ΔGC be kept below 20 %.

First-principles calculations of the effect of vacancy defects on the optoelectronic and mechanical properties of the double perovskite Cs2NaInCl6

Abstract Cs2NaInCl6 have become a hot research topic in perovskite optoelectronic materials. However, there is no research on the vacancy properties of Cs2NaInCl6 at present. Herein，using density functional theory-based first-principles calculations, the impact of Cs, Na, In, and Cl single vacancies on the microstructure, electronic, optical, and mechanical properties of the double perovskite Cs2NaInCl6 were investigated. The research shows that the presence of vacancy defects leads to distortion of the Cs2NaInCl6 double perovskite structure and an increase in the unit cell volume. Cs vacancy (VCs) and Na vacancy (VNa) cause an increased band gap for Cs2NaInCl6, by 2.92eV and 3.1eV respectively, without changing the characteristics of the initial direct band gap; VIn and VCl cause the intrinsic semiconductor Cs2NaInCl6 to transform into p-type and n-type semiconductors, respectively, altering the conductivity of Cs2NaInCl6. In terms of optical properties, different vacancy defect systems exhibit different absorption abilities in the visible and ultraviolet light ranges. The defect system overall improves light absorption in the low energy region, and as the incident photon energy increases, the material exhibits the best optical performance at around 15eV. In addition, it is found that VCs, VNa, and VIn caused blue shift in the absorption edge of Cs2NaInCl6, while VCl caused red shift in the absorption edge. In terms of mechanical properties, defects cause varying degrees of reduction in Young's modulus (E), shear modulus (G), and bulk modulus (B) of Cs2NaInCl6, which to some extent alters the mechanical properties of Cs2NaInCl6. These research results provide theoretical guidance for understanding the influence of vacancies on the properties of Cs2NaInCl6 double perovskite and optimizing the performance of perovskite optoelectronic devices, and they also enhance its applications in photovoltaic cells, optoelectronic sensors, and other optoelectronic coupling devices.

A new sight on the fracture behavior of GH4169 produced by NaCl-induced corrosion in a humid environment of 600 °C

A novel fracture mechanism of GH4169 alloy, produced by active corrosion, was proposed via a slow-strain rate test in a NaCl deposition contained 600 °C humid environment. Circular active corrosion accelerates form of Fe, Cr-depletion and Ni-rich region. The region has elevated stacking fault energy and reduced shear modulus, inhibiting the planner slip yet promoting dislocation tangles ahead of the internal corrosion zone. Localized Stress concentration occurs, facilitating crack propagation. The synergistic interplay between cracking and active corrosion processes accelerates the rupture of GH4169 alloy, leading to reduced ductility and tensile strength of GH4169 alloy in the environments.

Application of 3D printing to create an in vitro aneurysm rupture model.

Currently available benchtop (in vitro) aneurysm models are inadequate for testing the efficacy of endovascular device treatments. Specifically, current models do not represent the mechanical instability of giant aneurysms (defined as aneurysms with 25 mm in height or width) and do not predictably rupture under simulated physiological conditions. Hence, in vitro aneurysm models with biomechanically relevant material properties and a predictable rupture timeframe are needed to accurately assess the efficacy of new medical device treatment options. Understanding the material properties of an aneurysm (e.g., shear and compression modulus) as it approaches rupture is a crucial step toward creating a pathologically relevant and sophisticated in vitro aneurysm rupture model. We investigated the change in material properties of a blood vessel, via enzymatic treatment, to simulate the degradation of an aneurysm wall and used this information to create a sophisticated aneurysm rupture model using the latest in additive manufacturing technologies (3D printing) with tissue-like materials. Mechanical properties (shear and compression modulus) of swine carotid vessels were evaluated before and after incubation with collagenase D enzyme (30 min at 37°C) to simulate the effect of biochemical activity on aneurysm wall approaching rupture compared to control vessels (untreated). Mechanical strength of a soft and flexible 3D-printed material (VCA-A30: 30 shore A hardness) was tested for comparison to these arterial vessels. This material was then used to create spherical shaped, giant-sized (25-mm diameter) aneurysm phantoms and were run under neurovascular pressures (120/80 ± 5 mmHg), beats per minute (BPM = 70) and flows representing the middle cerebral artery [MCA: 142.67 (±20.13) mL/min] using a blood analog [3.6 (±0.4) cP viscosity] with non-Newtonian shear-thinning properties. The shear modulus of swine carotid vessel before treatment was 12.2 (±2.7) KPa and compression modulus was 663.5 (±111.6) KPa. After enzymatic treatment by collagenase D, shear modulus of animal tissues reduced by 33% (p-value = .039) while compression modulus remained statistically unchanged (p-value = .615). Control group (untreated vessels) showed minimal reduction (13%, p-value = .226) in shear modulus and 78% increase (p-value = .034) in compression modulus. The shear modulus of the 3D-printed material was 228.59 (±24.82) KPa while its compression modulus was 668.90 (±13.16) KPa. This material was used to prototype a sophisticated in vitro giant aneurysm rupture model. When subjected to physiological pressures and flow rates, the untreated models consistently ruptured at ~12 min. These results indicate that aneurysm rupture can be recreated consistently in a benchtop in vitro model, utilizing the latest 3D-printed materials, connected to a physiologically relevant programmable pump. Further studies will investigate the optimization of various aneurysm dome thickness regions within the aneurysm, with tunable rupture times for comparison of aneurysm device deployment and benchtop controls based on the measurable effects of pressure and flow changes within the aneurysm models. These optimized in vitro rupture models could ultimately be used to test the efficacy of device treatment options and rupture risk by quantifying specific device rupture times and aneurysm rupture position.

Temporal variations of the ‘in-situ’ nonlinear behaviour of shallow sediments during the 2016 Kumamoto Earthquake sequence

SUMMARY Strong ground shaking has the potential to generate significant dynamic strains in shallow materials such as soils and sediments, thereby inducing nonlinear site response resulting in changes in near-surface materials. The nonlinear behaviour of these materials can be characterized by an increase in wave attenuation and a decrease in the resonant frequency of the soil; these effects are attributed to increased material damping and decreased seismic wave propagation velocity, respectively. This study investigates the ‘in-situ’ seismic velocity changes and the predominant ground motion frequency evolution during the 2016 Kumamoto earthquake sequence. This sequence includes two foreshocks (Mw 6 and Mw 6.2) followed by a mainshock (Mw 7.2) that occurred 24 hr after the last foreshock. We present the results of the seismic velocity evolution during these earthquakes for seismological records collected by the KiK-net (32 stations) and K-NET (88 stations) networks between 2002 and 2020. We analyse the impulse response and autocorrelation functions to investigate the nonlinear response in near-surface materials. By comparing the results of the impulse response and autocorrelation functions, we observe that a nonlinear response occurs in near-surface materials. We then quantify the velocity reductions that occur before, during, and after the mainshock using both approaches. This allows us to estimate the ‘in-situ’ shear modulus reduction for different site classes based on V$_{S30}$ values (V$_{S30}\lt 360$ m s−1, $360\lt $V$_{S30}\lt 760$ m s−1 and V$_{S30}\gt 760$ m s−1). We also establish the relationships between velocity changes, shear modulus reduction, variations in predominant ground motion frequencies and site characteristics (V$_{S30}$). The results of this analysis can be applied to site-specific ground motion modelling, site response analysis and the incorporation of nonlinear site terms into ground motion models.

Cyclic behavior of port-said soft clay in cyclic direct simple shear tests

A thick deposit of soft clay, known as “Port-Said Clay” (PSC), is commonly encountered in the northern formations close to the Mediterranean shores of Egypt. The growing level of development, including transportation corridors like highways and tunnels, in areas rich with PSC necessitated an in-depth study to characterize its dynamic behavior. This study presents a first comprehensive experimental investigation of the dynamic behavior of the soft PSC using Cyclic Direct Simple Shear Tests. The effects of plasticity index (PI), loading frequency (f), and cyclic stress ratio on the cyclic resistance, shear modulus, shear modulus reduction ratio, pore water pressure generation, and damping ratio was investigated. The results showed that all the investigated behavior parameters are primarily sensitive to PI and f. The conclusions drawn from this study on PSC open the way to further laboratory-based investigations of the dynamic behavior of PSC, in addition to numerical modelling of the seismic interaction between PSC and different types of structures.

A non-linear stress–strain relationship for soil and rock

While many employ a hyperbolic stress–strain relationship for soils, it is known that such a relationship is accurate over the small-strain range as encountered in earthquake and soil dynamics problems. For large strains, a relationship with different input parameters is needed, as is required for finite-element analyses of large-deformation behaviour. These separate characterisations do not carry over into the other application. Here, a proposed power relationship is presented that was developed to characterise the triaxial test stress–strain behaviour of cohesionless material from lubricated or ‘frictionless’ cap and base tests (144 tests) covering a range in the natural variation in particle size, particle shape and surface roughness, over low to high confining pressure. This relationship covers the strain range from 10−6 to soil failure. To date, it has been successfully used in laterally loaded pile response characterisation (the strain wedge model) and shallow-foundation load–settlement–bearing capacity response. Most recently, it has been extended to assess the behaviour of rock-like material (caliche). The relationship and its comparison with the hyperbolic relationship for large strain and the shear modulus reduction curve for seismic behaviour are presented.

Coupled effects of temperature and suction on the anisotropic elastic shear moduli of unsaturated soil

Elastic shear moduli of soil at various temperatures and suctions are important for analysing the serviceability limit state of energy piles and many other structures. Up to now, however, the coupled effects of temperature and suction on elastic shear modulus and the stiffness anisotropy, have not been well understood. This experimental study investigated the anisotropic elastic shear modulus of a compacted lateritic clay. A temperature and suction-controlled triaxial apparatus equipped with bender element probes and local strain measurements was used. Soil suctions from 0 to 300 kPa, and a temperature range of 5–40 °C were applied. The results at saturated and unsaturated conditions consistently reveal that the shear modulus is smaller after heating at a given stress and suction. Several mechanisms may contribute to this thermal-induced reduction in shear modulus, such as the heating-induced reduction of interparticle force and air–water surface tension. Moreover, the reduction in shear modulus upon heating depends on the shear plane and the degree of anisotropy changes.

Multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction following lumbar radiofrequency ablation: A systematic review.

Lumbar medial branch nerve radiofrequency ablation (LRFA) is an interventional procedure used to treat chronic lumbar facet joint pain. Because the medial branch nerves also innervate the multifidus muscle, it has been proposed that LRFA may pose a risk of multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction. However, the quality and level of evidence to answer this clinical question have not been established. Therefore, this review aimed to systematically appraise the literature to discern whether the prevailing evidence substantiates the hypothesis in question. A systematic review compliant with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was performed to evaluate the quality and level of evidence of studies reporting functional and/or structural changes in the multifidus muscle following LRFA. Only five cohort studies met inclusion criteria. Two studies assessed changes in multifidus function following LRFA with confirmed denervation at electromyography and significant reduction in multifidus shear modulus with ultrasound shear wave elastography. Of the four studies that evaluated changes in multifidus structure with magnetic resonance imaging following LRFA, two demonstrated a decrease in cross-sectional area or an increase in fat infiltration, one demonstrated no change, and one revealed an apparent increase. Given the destructive nature attributed to LRFA, some degree of multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction may be plausible, albeit with a very low certainty that relies on a restricted body of literature of modest quality and with a presence of high bias. There is a paucity of studies discussing the potential association between LRFA and multifidus atrophy and/or dysfunction. In light of the shortage of high-quality studies and the absence of standardized protocols to assess both changes in the structure and function of the multifidus subsequent to LRFA, there is a pressing need for more prospective studies with a high methodological rigor to comprehensively address and answer this enduring debate in clinical practice.

Study of High-Temperature Rheological Properties of Emulsified Asphalt Residues

The residue of emulsified asphalt is its final state when it becomes part of an asphalt mixture. Therefore, the mechanical properties of the residue have a significant impact on the performance of emulsified asphalt mixtures. Dynamic shear rheological tests and fluorescence microscopy were conducted to explore the effects of emulsification and aging on the rheological properties and micro-morphology of emulsified asphalt residue. The results of both the temperature sweep and multiple stress creep recovery tests indicated that the emulsification of the asphalt had different effects on the rheological properties of the base asphalt and the styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt. For the base asphalt, emulsification increases the complex shear modulus by about 5% and reduces irrecoverable creep flexibility by 30%. However, the physical grinding effect of the colloid mill during the emulsification process could destroy the internal spatial network structure of SBS, leading to a reduction in the complex shear modulus by about 5% and a 10% increase in irrecoverable creep flexibility. This phenomenon is similar to the aging of SBS-modified asphalt, which, in turn, leads to a decline in the performance of emulsified SBS-modified asphalt residues.

A new simple masing-type soil nonlinear model considering modified damping and its application on KiK-net site response

In this paper, a series of simple Masing rules is first proposed for best fitting the shear modulus reduction and the damping ratio curves of soil based on the extended Masing rules and hysteretic damping formulation. A new masing-type nonlinear model is established and implemented in ABAQUS software based on the Matasovic back-bone curve and the new proposed Masing rules. To validate the practical applicability of the new model, the 1-Directional 3-Component nonlinear site response analysis for station KSRH10 (in Hamanaka, Hokkaido, Japan) is conducted. The numerically predicted results of the proposed nonlinear model are in excellent agreement with the recordings. The surface peak ground acceleration obtained by ABAQUS agrees well with the recording, which has a little difference of about 8.3% on average. The comparison between the proposed nonlinear model and the DEEPSOIL model indicate that the results of the former match better with recording to some extent, in term of acceleration time histories, spectral acceleration (SA) curves, and peak ground acceleration (PGA). The mean square error of acceleration time histories and SA curves obtained by the proposed model is smaller than the model in DEEPSOIL. The agreement with recording is improved by 10.8% compared with the DEEPSOIL model.

Mechanical Characteristics of Tailings in Different Depositional Zones: A Case Study of Caijiagou Tailings Pond in Shaanxi, China

This study examines the widespread practice of upstream tailings dam construction in metallurgical mines in China, conducting comprehensive testing and research on tailings from various depositional zones of the Caijiagou tailings pond. Analysis of the test results from three types of tailings reveals a systematic relationship between the mechanical characteristics of tailings and their depositional zones: the farther from the dam, the finer the tailings particles, categorized as silty clay tailing, silt tailing, and sandy silt tailing. Consistent patterns were observed in the consolidated-drained shear strength and consolidated-undrained effective shear strength of these tailings. Among these, sandy silt tailing exhibited the highest strength, whereas silty clay tailing displayed the lowest. The dynamic stress–strain relationships of all three tailings types are described using the Hardin equivalent viscous-elastic model, where the initial dynamic shear modulus and the maximum dynamic shear stress in the model increased with effective confining pressure. The damping ratios exhibited a three-stage trend with increasing dynamic strain: gradual increase, rapid growth, and then gradual stabilization. Under various consolidated stress conditions, the ratio of the damping ratio to the maximum damping ratio versus the reduction in dynamic shear modulus showed a favorable linear relationship. Under vibration conditions, the dynamic shear stress corresponding to tailings failure increased with higher effective confining pressure and consolidated stress ratio. Finally, this study summarizes the parameters and indicators related to the saturated tailings of iron mines used in the research. Our work provides a foundation and reference for the design of tailings dams and the development and utilization of abandoned tailings ponds.

Effects of Source Directivity and Nonlinear Soil Behavior During the January, 1 2024 Noto Earthquake (Mw = 7.5)

The earthquake of January 1, 2024 with the epicenter at Noto Peninsula of Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, and the moment magnitude Mw = 7.5 obviously represents an intermediate case between weaker earthquakes with relatively small sources, like the 1995 Kobe and 2000 Tottori earthquakes (Mw ~ 6.7-6.8), showing nonlinear soil response and soil softening (reduction of shear moduli) and stronger earthquakes, like the 2003 Tokachi-Oki and Tohoku earthquakes (Mw ~ 8.3-9.0) with extended sources and source directivity effects, accompanied by soil hardening and generation of high peak ground accelerations (PGA) > 1 g. In this research, based on KiK-net vertical array records (11 sites), models of soil behavior in the near-fault zones of the 2024 Noto earthquake are constructed, i.e. vertical distributions of stresses and strains in soil layers changing with time during strong motion, which showed nonlinear soil response and reduction of shear moduli in the near-fault zones. At the same time, the waveforms of acceleration time histories indicate the effects of source directivity, when seismic waves, radiated by the crack tip propagated along a~rather long section of the fault plane, arrived to remote sites almost simultaneously, overlap, harden subsurface soils and generate high accelerations on the surface, PGA ~ 2828 Gal at remote ISK006 station.

Experimental Investigation for Shear Wave Velocity and Dynamic Characteristics of Unsaturated Sand–Clay Liners

This study aims to investigate the shear wave velocity and dynamic characteristics of unsaturated sand–expansive clay liners (SECLs) over a wide range of suctions. Liner layers have gained significant interest as environmentally friendly materials for several geotechnical and geoenvironmental applications. These materials are typically found in an unsaturated state as compacted layers and are exposed to dynamic loads from natural phenomena or manmade activities. In such circumstances, sustainable and stable performance should be ensured during the operation and lifetime of these layers by addressing the dynamic characteristics of these materials and possible degradation. Several specimens belonging to different liners of sand and expansive clay were prepared at different suction levels. The shear wave velocity was determined using the bender element technique (BEls). The specimens were then subjected to extensive cycles of dynamic loads up to 500 cycles in the triaxial dynamic loading system. The shear wave velocity and dynamic characteristics of both liners, such as shear modulus (G), damping ratio (D), and degradation index (δ), were determined on the basis of soil suction and loading cycles. Results indicated a descending trend of shear wave velocity with an increase in suction up to 130 MPa, and a significant reduction in shear modulus was detected. Meanwhile, the damping ratio demonstrated a significant increase with the increase in the suction levels of both liners. The reported results are of great significance for sustainable design and modeling of the unsaturated behavior of liner layers in several applications of geotechnical and geoenvironmental problems.

Shear modulus reduction and damping ratios curves joined with engineering geological units in Italy

Numerical simulations of seismic site response require the characterization of the nonlinear behaviour of shallow subsoil. When extensive evaluations are of concern, as in the case of seismic microzonation studies, funding problems prevent from the systematic use of laboratory tests to provide detailed evaluations. For this purpose, 485 shear modulus reduction, G\\G0(γ) and damping ratio, D(γ) curves were collected from multiple literature sources available in Italy. Each curve was associated with the related engineering geological units considered in seismic microzonation studies. A statistical analysis of the data was carried out with the aim of shedding light on the significant difference between the laboratory classification of samples and the macroscopic/engineering geological one, provided during seismic microzonation studies. Since the engineering geological classification plays a prominent role in extensive site response evaluations, the outcomes of the present work may be of help at least when preliminary seismic response estimates are of concern. The dataset provides reference information that can serve as key data for large-scale hazard assessments worldwide.

Effects of consolidation conditions on the dynamic shear modulus of saturated coral sand over a wide strain range

The utilization of coral sand as a construction material for ports and other infrastructure systems in coral reefs is prevalent, wherein the soil elements within slopes and embankments typically experience an anisotropic stress state. It is imperative to accurately characterize the degradation behavior of the stratigraphic material's stiffness across a wide range of strains. In this study, the maximum and strain-dependent shear modulus (G0 and G) characteristics of saturated coral sand under isotropic and anisotropic consolidations were investigated by performing multi-stage stress-controlled undrained cyclic torsional shear tests with cyclic hollow cylinder shear apparatus. The experimental results indicated that G0 and G generally rose with increasing initial effective consolidation pressure but decreased with increasing inclination of initial major principal stress from the vertical (αc). In contrast, the effect of consolidation stress ratio (kc) on G0 and G was nonmonotonic, and that of kc and αc on the strain-dependent shear modulus reduction (G/G0) curve was slight. By defining anisotropic consolidation indexes δ0 and δr used for quantifying the effect of consolidation-induced anisotropy on the G0 and the G/G0, respectively. A unified formula of G0 obtained by multiplying Hardin's model by δ0, as well as a unique formula of G/G0 obtained by correcting γr in the Davidenkov skeleton curve expression as a linear function of δr were established under various consolidation conditions, respectively. The proposed G formula over a wide strain range is well validated by the experimental data for siliceous sandy soils from the literature.

Parameter identification for the non-associated flow rules representing corner effects through the equivalent tangential shear modulus reduction after abrupt strain-path change

Some specific plastic flow rules have been proposed to describe the experimental observations of “corner effects”—the apparent violation of the normality of plastic flow after abrupt strain-path change, and rotation of the plastic strain rate direction toward the strain rate direction. In this paper, a simple parameter identification scheme for these non-associated flow rules representing corner effects is proposed from the perspective of the equivalent tangential shear modulus reduction. The nonlinear tension–torsion loading experiments with abrupt strain-path changes were performed on tube specimens made of the aluminum alloy A6063-T5, and working conditions of different prestrains and different loading path changes were included. The finite element analysis was used to verify the rationality of the determined parameters and compare the performances of different plastic flow rules in predicting the non-normality of the plastic flow. The experimental and simulation results suggest that the non-associated flow rules can well predict the plastic flow when the determined parameters are used, with the rules proposed by Yoshida and Tsuchimoto (2018) and Zhang et al. (2022) yielding the most accurate predictions. At the same time, the equivalent tangential shear modulus is apparently reduced during the transient process of strain-path change without elastic unloading; however, it does not seem to decrease to near zero as reported before.

Electronic Structure and Mechanical Properties of Solvated Montmorillonite Clay Using Large-Scale DFT Method

Montmorillonite clay (MMT) has been widely used in engineering and environmental applications as a landfill barrier and toxic waste repository due to its unique property as an expandable clay mineral that can absorb water easily. This absorption process rendered MMT to be highly exothermic due to electrostatic interactions among molecules and hydrogen bonds between surface atoms. A detailed study of a large supercell model of structural clay enables us to predict long-term nuclear waste storage. Herein, a large solvent MMT model with 4071 atoms is studied using ab initio density functional theory. The DFT calculation and analysis clarify the important issues, such as bond strength, solvation effect, elasticity, and seismic wave velocities. These results are compared to our previous study on crystalline MMT (dry). The solvated MMT has reduced shear modulus (G), bulk modulus (K), and Young’s modulus (E). We observe that the conduction band (CB) in the density of states (DOS) of solvated MMT model has a single, conspicuous peak at −8.5 eV. Moreover, the atom-resolved partial density of states (PDOS) summarizes the roles played by each atom in the DOS. These findings illuminate numerous potential sophisticated applications of MMT clay.

Seismic site response analysis of liquefiable soil deposits focusing on the ground surface response spectrum

A numerical algorithm is developed for conducting one-dimensional non-linear ground response analysis of layered sites, capable of reproducing liquefaction phenomena and accounting for the simultaneous dissipation of excess pore water pressure through soil grains. Τhe shear wave propagation algorithm is based on the plasticity constitutive model for sand Ta-Ger, expressed in a one dimensional p-q space form. This model demonstrates remarkable versatility in representing complex patterns of the cyclic behavior of sand, such as stiffness decay and strength reduction due to pore-water pressure buildup. The calibration of the model is based on shear modulus reduction and damping curves for drained loading conditions, as well as liquefaction resistance curves for undrained conditions. A detailed presentation of the numerical model formulation is provided, outlining the numerical approach for solving the wave propagation and consolidation differential equations. To validate model predictions, the recorded seismic ground response of the Port Island array during the 1995 Kobe earthquake is utilized. Furthermore, the model is applied to estimate the elastic response spectra at the surface of soil profiles with liquefiable layers (ground type S2) as per EC8:2004. The investigation involves the ground response analysis of various soil p3rofiles, all including a liquefiable zone, excited by a suite of earthquake motions at their base. The acceleration time histories are extracted from the PEER Ground Motion Database, having characteristics compatible with the NGA-estimated response spectrum at the bedrock as well as key seismological parameters such as the earthquake magnitude Mw and the horizontal distance from the fault RJB. Two different methods are employed for selecting the base excitations: amplitude-scaled records to match a target response spectrum and spectral-matched records. From the results, an idealized response spectrum is derived in terms of the design spectrum parameters S, η, ΤΒ and TC. The findings demonstrate that the idealized ground surface response spectrum is minimally sensitive to the method used for base excitation selection.