Eddies around Madagascar — The retroflection re-considered

The Agulhas Current with its retroflection and attendant eddy-shedding is the cause of some of the greatest mesoscale variability in the ocean. This paper considers the area to the south and east of Madagascar, which provides some of the source waters of the Agulhas Current, and examines the propagating sea surface height signals in altimetry and output from a numerical model, OCCAM. Both show bands of variability along the axis of the East Madagascar Current (EMC) and along a zonal band near 25°S. Sequences of images plus associated temperature data suggest that a number of westward-propagating eddies are present in this zonal band. The paper then focuses on the region to the south of the island, where ocean colour and infra-red imagery are evocative of an East Madagascar Retroflection. The synthesis of data analysed in this paper, however, shows that remotely observed features in this area can be explained by anticyclonic eddies moving westward through the region, and this explanation is consistent with numerical model output and the trajectories of drifting buoys.     

Sea Cucumber Moratorium and Livelihood Diversity in Papua New Guinea

Livelihood diversity factors such as flexibility within fisheries, geographical mobility, reallocation of fishing effort into the broader economy, and the non-material benefits that fisheries provide are important areas of research in marine policy. We use two small-scale fisheries related socio-economic surveys of communities in the Tigak Islands of Papua New Guinea. The first conducted 5 years before a ban on the harvesting of sea cucumbers was imposed and the second from the present day, 5 years after the initiation of the ban—with the objectives of exploring changes in household fishing strategies (types and numbers of species targeted) and to identify any important socioeconomic factors that help explain those changes. Fishing's contribution to total household income has increased significantly (p = 0.019) up from 61% in 2004 to 73% in 2014 with the percentage of female residents living in a household now positively and significantly (p = 0.018) associated with fishing income. The average number of species categories targeted per household increased insignificantly while households with more women are significantly (p = 0.018) less likely to target more species than households with more men. Moreover, customary management practices contribute to this difference. Together, these results show that households are not worse off financially 5 years after the ban on sea cucumber harvesting and that gendered seascape use has implications for the role of livelihood diversity as a marine policy tool.     

New method for predicting full-scale power performance of pumpjet propulsion system based on statistical learning北大核心CSCD

[目的]针对“适配于螺旋桨的船尾线型+泵喷推进器”构成的船舶泵喷推进系统,提出一种基于统计学习的实船快速性预报新方法。[方法]以某大型水面船舶泵喷推进系统为对象,通过神经网络学习典型推进泵的推力系数图谱曲线,综合运用船-桨配合时的K_(T)-J曲线和船体-喷泵配合时的推力特性曲线,建立“仅需船舶阻力曲线就能实现船舶泵喷推进系统实船快速性预报”的新方法,并基于船模阻力试验、泵喷模型敞水试验及船体-泵喷自航试验的测量换算结果对实船推进性能的预报结果开展精度校验。[结果]校验结果表明:在航速18~30 kn范围内,船舶泵喷推进系统的自航转速、推力和功率的预报误差可控制在5.4%以内,其中设计航速附近的误差甚至小于2%;船体-泵喷的相互作用程度介于船-桨与船体-喷泵之间且幅值相对较小,推力减额系数为趋向于0的极小值,故船舶泵喷推进系统是介于桨轴推进系统和喷水推进系统之间的产物。[结论]该预报方法有利于提升船舶泵喷推进系统实船快速性预报的能力,可为新型舰艇泵类推进系统总体设计/研究提供参考。     

Influence of seabed sand wave on hydrodynamic performance of submersible北大核心CSCD

[目的]研究潜器在海底沙波地形干扰下的水动力特性。[方法]基于计算流体力学(CFD)方法,使用STAR-CCM+软件并结合重叠网格方法对潜器经过海底沙波的过程进行模拟,计算潜器阻力系数和升力系数在此过程中的变化。[结果]结果表明,当潜器近海底航行时,沙波地形会对潜器产生一定的干扰,当艏部运动至波峰附近时,负升力出现最大值,当艉部运动至波峰附近时,阻力出现最大值;在不同航速下,潜器表面压力分布规律的不同会导致升力系数的变化规律不同;随着近海底距离的减小,海底沙波对潜器阻力和升力变化影响显著,当H/D>5时,海底沙波对潜器阻力和升力的影响可以忽略。[结论]所做研究可为潜器的安全及操纵性能提供一定的参考。     

Regularity analysis on transient over-voltage of grounding grid by lighting strokes in substationsEI北大核心

Research purposes: Lightning has been one of the important factors endangering safe and reliable operation of the railway. The grounding grid performance plays a particularly important role in lightning protection. In this paper, the author has established a grounding grid transient model by the electromagnetic transient analysis software and intended for quantitative analysis of typically grounding grid layout in engineering practice, to lay important theoretical basis for future lightning protection and grounding. Research conclusions: (1) The results show that the ground potential is significantly affected by the soil resistivity, lightning current amplitude and the mesh size. With increase of the soil resistivity and lightning current amplitude, the ground potential at the point of the lightning current injection will significantly improve, but due to the spark discharge of the soil. The ground potential does not increase exponentially with potential lightning current amplitude. The smaller the mesh size, the better the ground potential attenuation. For example of the lightning current 20 kA and the soil resistivity 100 Ω·m, the ground potential of the 5 m×5 m mesh decreases 22.3% compared with the 10 m×10 m mesh. (2) The study finds that the ground potential attenuation away from the lightning strike point at 15 m basically reaches the maximum, which is about 89%. And the degree of attenuation is independent of lightning current amplitude. (3) The results are mainly used for optimization program and design fields on substation lightning protection and grounding.     

Research on the Influence of Vertical Deformation of Bridge on the Track RegularityEI北大核心

Research purposes: The vertical deformation of high-speed railway (HSR) bridge will cause the track irregularity, which threatens the safe and efficient operation of the HSR. Taking the 32 m simple supported beam bridge as the research object, based on the existing mapping analytical model for bridge vertical deformation and rail geometry, the influence of the track regularity of the CRTS Ⅰ slab ballastless track structure caused by the key parameters such as the bridge vertical deformation amplitude, the hanging length of the beam end and the vertical stiffness of mortar layer were studied, and the corresponding measures to control the rail deformation were proposed, to provide theoretical reference for comprehensive treatment of rail deformation of HSR bridge. Research conclusions:(1) The pier settlement, the vertical rotation of the beam end and the beam fault will cause the rail to follow the beam deformation, and "up-warping" of the rail on the vertical deformation boundary will appear. (2) The rail deformation is directly proportional to the vertical deformation amplitude of the bridge and the key to control the rail deformation is to reduce the vertical deformation of the bridge. (3) The rail deformation can be controlled by reducing the hanging length of beam and vertical stiffness of mortar layer. (4) The research results can provide a theoretical reference for controlling the vertical rail deformation of high-speed railway bridges. © 2018, Editorial Department of Journal of Railway Engineering Society. All right reserved.     

The Reinforcement Analysis of Prestressed Anchor Frame Beam in the Deep Cutting Slope under Three Dimensional Strong EarthquakeEI北大核心

Research purposes: In order to further study the reinforcement of prestressed anchor frame beam in the deep cutting slope under three dimensional strong earthquake, a model of the deep cutting slope is built through FLAC 3D simulation software, the seismic wave to the model from three directions of x,y and z is input, and the dynamic response of the slope is analyzed. Then, the prestressed anchor frame beam reinforcement measures are applied to the model, and this paper analyzes the reinforcement effect of the prestressed anchor frame beam to the deep cutting slope under three dimensional strong earthquake. Research conclusions:(1) The prestressed anchor frame beam has a good effect on restraining the horizontal displacement of the deep cutting slope. (2) Under the three dimensional strong earthquake, the prestressed anchor frame beam has a good effect on the horizontal acceleration and horizontal velocity of the deep cutting slope, which reduces the peak of horizontal acceleration and horizontal velocity. (3) Through the comparison of the response before and after the reinforcement of the prestressed anchor frame beam is given under the 9 degrees three dimensional strong earthquake, it can be concluded that the prestressed anchor frame beam can provide good reinforcement effect to the deep cutting slope. (4) This research can be used for reference to the earthquake resistance of the slope engineering. © 2018, Editorial Department of Journal of Railway Engineering Society. All right reserved.     

Damage detection in offshore structures using neural networks

This paper discusses the damage detection in offshore jacket platforms subjected to random loads using a combined method of random decrement signature and neural networks. The random decrement technique is used to extract the free decay of the structure from its online response while the structure is in service. The free decay and its time derivative are used as input for a neural network. The output of the neural network is used as an index for damage detection. It has been shown that function N is effective in damage detection in the members of an offshore structure. Experimental studies conducted on a reduced model for a real jacket structure with geometrical scale of 1:30 are used. The applied loads were random loads. Two different load spectra were used: White noise, and Pierson-Moskowitz.     

Transport of radionuclides by sea-ice and dense-water formed in western Kara Sea flaw leads

A transport assessment of particle-bound and dissolved artificial radionuclides (¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu) by sea-ice and dense-water formed in western Kara Sea flaw leads close to the Novaya Zemlya dumping sites is presented in this study. We both performed a “best estimate” based on available data, and a “maximum assessment” relying on simulated constant releases of 1 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu from individual dumping bays. The estimates are based on a combination of (i) the content of particulate matter in sea-ice; (ii) analytical data and numerical simulations of radionuclide concentrations in shelf surface deposits, suspended particulate matter (SPM), and the dissolved phase; and (iii) estimates of lead-ice and dense-water formation rates as well as modeling results of local ice drift pathways. In the “best estimate” case, 2.90 GBq ¹³⁷Cs and 0.51 GBq ^239,240Pu attached to sea-ice sediments can be exported from the lead areas toward the central Arctic basin. The radionuclide burden of the annually formed dense lead water in the “best estimate” amounts to 4.68 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and 0.014 TBq ^239,240Pu. In the “maximum assessment”, potential export-rates of ice-particle bound ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu toward the central Arctic would amount to 0.64 and 0.16 TBq, respectively. As much as ≈900 TBq ¹³⁷Cs and ≈6.75 TBq ^239,240Pu could be annually taken up by 34.75 dense-water rejected in the lead area. Assuming the (unlikely) instantaneous release of the total ¹³⁷Cs and ^239,240Pu inventories (≈1 PBq and 10 TBq, respectively) from the Novaya Zemlya dumping sites into the dissolved phase, the dense lead water locally formed during one winter season could take up ≈90% of the Cs and ≈68% of the Pu released.