Reply to the two discussions on my paper "An alternative mechanism of pile failure in liquefiable deposits during earthquakes"
This paper proposes an alternative mechanism of pile failure in liquefiable deposits during earthquakes. This failure mechanism, based on pile buckling, is formulated by back-analysing 14 case histories of pile foundation performance during earthquakes and verified using dynamic centrifuge tests. A new parameter, the slenderness ratio of a pile, is introduced to classify pile performance in liquefiable soils. This parameter fits very well both the reported case histories and the centrifuge test results.
Piles in liquefiable soils: seismic analysis and design issues
Abstract A general picture of the current state of the art and the emerging technology for dealing effectively with the design and analysis of pile foundations in liquefiable soils is presented. Two distinct design cases are considered and illustrated by case histories. One is pile response to strong shaking accompanied by the development of high pore water pressures or liquefaction and the other is the response to the pressures and displacements caused by lateral spreading of liquefied ground. Analyses of centrifuge tests on pile foundations are used to demonstrate current capacity for reliable analysis of piles under strong shaking. An example from practice involving 1.5 m cast in place reinforced concrete piles supporting a 14 storey apartment building located on reclaimed land in liquefiable soils is presented to illustrate the advantages of a comprehensive analysis in evaluating a proposed design.
Thermodynamics on the Carbochlorination of Titanium-bearing Ores
The equilibrium compositions of the multi-component, multi-phase and multi-reaction system of carbochlorination of titanium-bearing ores are calculated with HSC, a computational chemistry software. The thermodynamic equilibrium calculation of the reaction system shows that a complete conversion of titanium-bearing ores is feasible at a temperature near 200oC. At temperatures ranging from 800 to 1600oC, the products of the reaction system are all in gaseous phase. Thermodynamic analysis accords with the industrial practice. The simulated results provide reasonable scientific basis for improving suitable technological conditions of the carbochlorination reduction.