Ground vibrations produced by surface and near-surface explosions
Abstract Measurements of seismic signatures produced by airborne, near-surface detonations of explosive charges over a variety of ground types show two distinct ground vibration arrivals. In all cases, the earlier arrival (precursor), has a time of arrival consistent with a predominantly underground path and coupling of blast sound to the ground close to the source and is always much smaller than the later vibration, the time of arrival of which is consistent with coupling from the air blast arrival at the receiver. The ratio of the seismic particle velocity to the acoustic pressure at the surface for the air-coupled seismic wave is constant with respect to distance and maximum pressure at a given location, but varies from site to site, with values usually between 1 and 13 μm s −1  Pa −1 . For the precursor seismic wave, a coupling coefficient of 0.16 μm s −1  Pa −1 was measured. A numerical code enabling calculations of the fields due to an impulsive source above a layered poroelastic ground is described. Predictions of the air pressure spectrum above ground and the vertical and radial components of solid particle velocity near the ground surface are found to compare tolerably well with the measured spectra and waveforms of acoustic and seismic pulses at about 100 m range in seismically-hard and -soft soils and with a snow cover present. The predicted seismic responses in ‘soft’ soil confirm that the existence of a near-surface S-wave speed less than that in air is responsible for the observed ‘ringing’, i.e. a long low-frequency wavetrain associated with coupling to the dispersive Rayleigh wave. The predicted seismic pulses in the presence of the (shallow) snow cover explain the observed phenomenon whereby a high frequency ground vibration is modulated by a lower frequency layer resonance. An empirical equation relating ground vibration from explosions to distance predicts that the commonly-used vibrational damage peak velocity criterion of 12 or 25 mm s −1 will be exceeded when the peak positive pressure exceeds 480 Pa (147.6 dB) or 1 kPa (154.0 dB), respectively. Either of these levels is much higher than the current U.S. Army overpressure damage criterion of 159 Pa (138 dB). Thus in most situations damage from blast overpressure will occur long before damaging levels of ground vibration are reached, so it is likely that civilian perceptions of vibration are produced by coupling from the airblast.
Numerical simulation of wave propagation and snow failure from explosive loading
Avalanche control by explosion is a widely applied method to minimize the avalanche risk to infrastructure in snow-covered mountain areas. However, the mechanisms involved leading from an explosion to the release of an avalanche are not well understood. Here we test the hypothesis that weak layers fail due to the stress caused by propagating acoustic waves. The underlying mechanism is that the stress induced by the acoustic waves exceeds the strength of the snow layers. We compare field measurements to a numerical simulation of acoustic wave propagation in a porous material. The simulation consists of an acoustic domain for the air above the snowpack and a poroelastic domain for the dry snowpack. The two domains are connected by a wave field decomposition and open pore boundary conditions. Empirical relations are used to derive a porous model of the snowpack from density profiles of the field experiment. Biot's equations are solved in the poroelastic domain to obtain simulated accelerations in the snowpack and a time dependent stress field. Locations of snow failure were identified by comparing the principal normal and shear stress fields to snow strength which is assumed to be a function of snow porosity. One air pressure measurement above the snowpack was used to calibrate the pressure amplitude of the source in the simulation. Additional field measurements of air pressure and acceleration measurements inside the snowpack were compared to individual field variables of the simulation. The acceleration of the air flowing inside the pore space of the snowpack was identified to have the highest correlation to the acceleration measurements in the snowpack.
Numerical Simulation for Natural State of Two-Phase Liquid Dominated Geothermal Reservoir with Steam Cap Underlying Brine Reservoir
Hydrothermal reservoir which liquid-dominated hydrothermal reservoir is a type of geothermal reservoir that most widely used for power plant. The exploitation of mass and heat from the geothermal fluid will decrease the pressure in the reservoir over time. Therefore the pressure drop in the reservoir will have an impact on the formation of boiling zones or boiling will increase. The impacts are an increase in the fraction of steam, dryness, in the reservoir and with good vertical permeability will form a steam cap underlying the brine reservoir. The two- phase liquid dominated reservoir is sensitive to the porosity and difficult to assign average properties of the entire reservoir when there is boiling zone in some area of the reservoir. These paper showed successful development of two-phase liquid dominated geothermal reservoir and discussed the formation of steam cap above brine reservoir through numerical simulation for state natural conditions. The natural state modeling in steam cap shows a match with the conceptual model of the vapor-dominated developed. These paper also proofed the presence of transition zone, boiling zone, between steam cap and brine reservoir.