Solar Hydrogen Production: Processes, Systems and Technologies presents the most recent developments in solar-driven hydrogen generation methods. The book covers different hydrogen production routes, from renewable sources, to solar harvesting technologies. Sections focus on solar energy, presenting the main thermal and electrical technologies suitable for possible integration into solar-based hydrogen production systems and present a thorough examination of solar hydrogen technologies, ranging from solar-driven water electrolysis and solar thermal methods, to photo-catalytic and biological processes. All hydrogen-based technologies are covered, including data regarding the state-of-the art of each process in terms of costs, efficiency, measured parameters, experimental analyses, and demonstration projects. In the last part of the book, the role of hydrogen in the integration of renewable sources in electric grids, transportation sector, and end-user applications is assessed, considering their current status and future perspectives. The book includes performance data, tables, models and references to available standards. It is thus a key-resource for engineering researchers and scientists, in both academic and industrial contexts, involved in designing, planning and developing solar hydrogen systems.

After the March 11, 2011, earthquake in Japan, there is overwhelming interest in worst-case analysis, including the critical excitation method. Nowadays, seismic design of structures performed by any seismic code is based on resisting previous natural earthquakes. "Critical Excitation Methods in Earthquake Engineering, 2e, "develops a new framework for modeling design earthquake loads for inelastic structures. The 2e, includes three new chapters covering the critical excitation problem for multi-component input ground motions, and that for elastic-plastic structures in a more direct way are incorporated and discussed in more depth. Finally, the problem of earthquake resilience of super high-rise buildings is discussed from broader viewpoints.
Solves problems of earthquake resilience of super high-rise buildings

Three new chapters on critical excitation problem for multi-component input ground motions

Includes numerical examples of one and two-story models

Electrical Spectroscopy of Earth Materials provides detailed coverage of theoretical and experimental methods of electrical spectroscopy of Earth materials, based on first-hand research and extensive data. The book includes actual data sets and specific explanations for the methods used in obtaining and analyzing the data, including graphical displays of results. It describes the electrical properties of various soil samples and offers both theory and techniques for researchers to apply to their own research. Including examination of the practical aspects of electrical spectroscopy measurements and extensive computer-readable data, Electrical Spectroscopy of Earth Materials is a unique resource for geophysicists to save both time and effort in understanding and analyzing Earth materials and soil properties.

This thesis adopts the relative back-projection method to dramatically reduce "swimming" artifacts by identifying the rupture fronts in the time window of a reference station; this led to a faster and more accurate image of the rupture processes of earthquakes. Mitigating the damage caused by earthquakes is one of the primary goals of seismology, and includes saving more people's lives by devising seismological approaches to rapidly analyze an earthquake's rupture process. The back-projection method described in this thesis can make that a reality.

Dynamics of Rail Transit Tunnel Systems develops the dynamic theory of a rail transit tunnel system and provides research methods for the evaluation of long-term settlement of rail transit tunnels in soft soil, the service performance of tunnel structures, and the characterization of environmental vibration induced by trains. In recent years, a large number of rail transit tunnels have been constructed and put into operation, particularly in China. To evaluate the time-dependent degradation of tunnel structures and train-induced environmental vibration, a reliable model must be established to determine the dynamic response of a vehicle-track-tunnel-soil system, hence the introduction of this timely resource.

Underground Engineering: Planning, Design, Construction and Operation of the Underground Space provides the author's vast experience as both an academic and practitioner. It covers Planning, Design, Construction and the Operation of Underground Structures. Targeted at young professionals, students and researchers new to the field, the book contains examples, illustrations and cases from diverse underground uses, from roads to disposal facilities. Sections cover the history of the field, upcoming challenges, the planning stage of the subsurface use, including financial planning and reliability forecasting, site investigation, instrumentation and modeling, construction techniques and challenges, and more. Young professionals in this area will benefit from the updated and complete overview of Underground Engineering. Students will find the examples and cases particularly didactic. Richly illustrated, this book is an excellent resource for all involved in the development of the underground space.

Agriculture is strongly affected by changes in soil hydrology as well as by changes in land use and management practices and the complex interactions between them. This book aims to expand our knowledge and understanding of these interactions on a watershed scale, using soil hydrology models, and to address the consequences of land use and management changes on agriculture from a research perspective. Case studies illustrate the impact of land use and management practices on various soil hydrological parameters under different climates and ecosystems.

This book presents some fundamental concepts behind the basic theories and tools of discrete element methods (DEM), its historical development, and its wide scope of applications in geology, geophysics and rock engineering. Unlike almost all books available on the general subject of DEM, this book includes coverage of both explicit and implicit DEM approaches, namely the Distinct Element Methods and Discontinuous Deformation Analysis (DDA) for both rigid and deformable blocks and particle systems, and also the Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) approach for fluid flow and solute transport simulations. The latter is actually also a discrete approach of importance for rock mechanics and rock engineering. In addition, brief introductions to some alternative approaches are also provided, such as percolation theory and Cosserat micromechanics equivalence to particle systems, which often appear hand-in-hand with the DEM in the literature. Fundamentals of the particle mechanics approach using DEM for granular media is also presented.
- Presents the fundamental concepts of the discrete models for fractured rocks, including constitutive models of rock fractures and rock masses for stress, deformation and fluid flow
- Provides a comprehensive presentation on discrete element methods, including distinct elements, discontinuous deformation analysis, discrete fracture networks, particle mechanics and Cosserat representation of granular media
- Features constitutive models of rock fractures and fracture system characterization methods detaiing their significant impacts on the performance and uncertainty of the DEM models

Advances in Rock-Support and Geotechnical Engineering brings together the latest research results regarding the theory of rock mechanics, its analytical methods and innovative technologies, and its applications in practical engineering. This book is divided into six sections, rock tests, rock bolting, grouted anchor, tunneling engineering, slope engineering, and mining engineering. Coverage includes fracture hinged arching process and instability characteristics of rock plates, failure modes of rock bolting, scale effects, and loading transfer mechanism of the grouted anchor. Also covered are recent innovations and applications in tunneling engineering, slope engineering, and mining engineering. This book provides innovative, practical, and rich content that can be used as a valuable reference for researchers undertaking tunneling engineering, slope engineering, mining engineering, and rock mechanics, and for onsite technical personnel and teachers and students studying the topics in related universities.

Stoerungen im Betrieb der Klaranlagen zu erkennen und beseitigen zu koennen - das ist das Ziel dieser Veroeffentlichung. Anhand sehr guter, uberwiegend vierfarbiger Abbildungen werden Erscheinungsformen fadiger Bakterien erkennbar, die notwendigen mikroskopischen Untersuchungen werden durch ein vereinfachtes Bestimmungsschema erleichtert und angeleitet. Ausfuhrliche Praxisbeispiele erlautern die Zusammenhange und geben Hilfestellung und Ansatzpunkte bei Problemen. Dieses Handbuch gehoert auf den Arbeitsplatz des Betriebsleiters von Klaranlagen.

Nach Erhebungen der Abwassertechnischen Vereinigung (ATV) sind die offentlichen Kanalnetze teilweise stark beschadigt. Danach sollen in den alten Bundeslandern 20% der 300.000 km langen Rohrleitungen schadhaft sein. In den neuen Landern weist gar die Halfte der Abwasserkanale Schaden auf. Zur genauen Positionsbestimmung schadhafter Stellen wurden im Auftrag des BMBF u.a. neue Detektionsmethoden auf akustischer Infrarot- und Radarbasis entwickelt. Das vorliegende Handbuch bietet Kommunen und im Bereich der Kanalsanierung tatigen Unternehmen eine fundierte Hilfestellung bei der Klassifizierung von Schaden und den sich daraus ergebenden Prioritaten bei notwendigen Sanierungsmassnahmen."

Dieses Buch beschreibt eingangs den Lebensraum des Sediments fur die Biozoenose sowie die biologischen und chemisch-physikalischen Aspekte, welche die Bioverfugbarkeit von Schadstoffen steuern. Aus Flussen, AEstuaren und Hafen mussen Sedimente beseitigt werden, weil sie die Schifffahrt und den Hochwasserabfluss beeintrachtigen. Ein zweiter Schwerpunkt des Buches behandelt daher die Rolle des Sediments als Baggergut und die sich daraus ergebenden Probleme der Grenzwertfindung, die Entwicklung von Handlungskriterien, Zielvorgaben und Klassifizierungen fur eine Umlagerung. An zahlreichen Fallbeispielen werden Loesungs- und Bewertungsansatze aufgezeigt. Im dritten Teil des Buches werden vom Fachausschuss Gewassersedimente in der Wasserchemischen Gesellschaft der GDCh Handlungsempfehlungen abgeleitet und eine integrierte Bewertungsstrategie fur Sedimente vorgeschlagen, die biologische und oekologische Merkmale mit chemischen Bewertungskriterien verknupft.

Kanalnetzuberlastungen, Grundwasserabsenkungen und Hochwasserspitzen sind nur einige negative Auswirkungen der Versiegelung auf den naturlichen Wasserhaushalt. Gerade die neueren Entwicklungen hinsichtlich der Neufassung von Bodenschutzgesetzgebung, Landeswassergesetzen und kommunalen Abwassersatzungen zur Foerderung des schonenden Umgangs mit Boden und Wasser lassen die Bedeutung von oekologischen Bauweisen immer wichtiger erscheinen. Der Einsatz versickerungsfahiger Verkehrsflachenbefestigungen ist hierbei ein zunehmend unentbehrlicher Baustein, um Regenwasser wieder naturnah zu bewirtschaften und damit die weitreichenden Folgen der Versiegelung zu verringern. Beim Einsatz versickerungsfahiger Befestigungssysteme sollen aufgrund ihrer Konstruktion Niederschlage direkt auf der Flache aufgenommen und somit durch verringerte Oberflachenabflusse die Kanalisation entlastet und die Versiegelung vermindert werden.

Nowadays research in earthquake engineering is mainly experimental and in large-scale; advanced computations are integrated with large-scale experiments, to complement them and extend their scope, even by coupling two different but simultaneous tests. Earthquake engineering cannot give answers by testing and qualifying few, small typical components or single large prototypes. Besides, the large diversity of Civil Engineering structures does not allow drawing conclusions from only a few tests; structures are large and their seismic response and performance cannot be meaningfully tested in an ordinary lab or in the field. So, seismic testing facilities should be much larger than in other scientific fields; their staff has to be resourceful, devising intelligent ways to carry out simultaneously different tests and advanced computations. To better serve such a mission European testing facilities and researchers in earthquake engineering have shared their resources and activities in the framework of the European project SERIES, combining their research and jointly developing advanced testing and instrumentation techniques that maximize testing capabilities and increase the value of the tests. This volume presents the first outcomes of the SERIES and its contribution towards Performance-based Earthquake Engineering, i.e., to the most important development in Earthquake Engineering of the past three decades. The concept and the methodologies for performance-based earthquake engineering have now matured. However, they are based mainly on analytical/numerical research; large-scale seismic testing has entered the stage recently. The SERIES Workshop in Ohrid (MK) in Sept. 2010 pooled together the largest European seismic testing facilities, Europe's best experts in experimental earthquake engineering and select experts from the USA, to present recent research achievements and to address future developments. Audience: This volume will be of interest to researchers and advanced practitioners in structural earthquake engineering, geotechnical earthquake engineering, engineering seismology, and experimental dynamics, including seismic qualification.

This book provides an insight in advanced methods and concepts for structural analysis and design against seismic loading. The book consists of 25 chapters dealing with a wide range of timely issues in contemporary Earthquake Engineering. In brief, the topics covered are: collapse assessment, record selection, effect of soil conditions, problems in seismic design, protection of monuments, earth dam structures and liquid containers, numerical methods, lifetime assessment, post-earthquake measures. A common ground of understanding is provided between the communities of Earth Sciences and Computational Mechanics towards mitigating seismic risk. The topic is of great social and scientific interest, due to the large number of scientists and practicing engineers currently working in the field and due to the great social and economic consequences of earthquakes.

The exploration and extraction of the earth's resources are key issues in global industrial development. In the 21st century, emphasis has increasingly being placed on geo-engineering safety, engineering accountability and sustainability. With focus on rock engineering projects, Structural Geology and Rock Engineering uses case studies and an integrated engineering approach to provide an understanding of projects constructed on or in rock masses. Based on Professors Cosgrove and Hudson's university teaching at Imperial College London, as well as relevant short course presentations, it explains the processes required for engineering modelling, design and construction.The first half of the book provides step-by-step presentations of the principles of structural geology and rock mechanics with special emphasis on the integration between the two subjects. The second half of the book turns principles into practice. A wealth of practical engineering examples are presented, including evaluations of bridge foundations, quarries, dams, opencast coal mining, underground rock engineering, historical monuments and stone buildings.This up-to-date, well-illustrated guide is ideal for teachers, researchers and engineers interested in the study and practice of rock-based projects in engineering.

Earthquakes are a way of life on Earth, and, whether you live in an area that is often affected by earthquakes or not, every building, every road, every bridge, and, in fact, almost everything constructed by humans in which we walk, sleep, live, sit, or visit, has to be constructed to withstand an earthquake, by following local, regional, or national codes, laws, and regulations. Further to this, the science and engineering behind these constructions go further than what is mandated by government as a part of their practice. All construction, and, in general, all life on Earth, has some risk of seismic impacts. A comprehensive description of any seismic action may be given only on a probabilistic basis and, in general, is very bulky and quite uncertain. However, for a variety of structures or systems that meet fairly simple models of behavior during earthquakes, a general description of the seismic action is not required, for prediction of the status of such facilities or systems may be sufficient to define one or more common parameters of seismic impact. Thus, it makes sense to search for optimal parameters of influence in which optimality is understood with the greatest ease with sufficient information. This book contains a description of several models of seismic effects and examples of implementation of these models at specific sites. Using this information, scientists and engineers can design structures that are stronger, safer, and longer-lasting. It is a must-have for any scientist, engineer, or student working in or researching seismic loads and constructions with a view toward withstanding seismic activity.

Questo eserciziario si propone di indirizzare gli Allievi verso la comprensione della materia con esercizi completamente svolti, a partire dallo schema concettuale fino a giungere all introduzione, nelle formule risolutive, dei valori numerici. Le figure, numerose e dettagliate, permettono di semplificare la descrizione della procedura per la soluzione. Frutto di alcuni anni di insegnamento dei due autori, la raccolta contiene numerosi esercizi raggruppati in nove Capitoli, che ricalcano l impostazione delle lezioni teoriche negli insegnamenti erogati alla Laurea Triennale e alla Laurea Specialistica. In Appendice sono riportati alcuni dati e formule di uso frequente. I procedimenti risolutivi non sono unici ma sono stati selezionati tra i pi semplici e intuitivi, in modo da allenare alla semplificazione. I dati numerici sono parametrizzati con riferimento alle due ultime cifre del numero di matricola per facilitarne l utilizzo in sede di esercitazione.

Natural hazards events such as earthquakes or volcanic eruptions involve activation of coupled thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical processes in rocks. The 7th Euro-conference of Rock Physics and Geomechanics was held September 25 to 30, 2007, in Erice (Italy), to explore how rock physics experiments and models can facilitate understanding and constraint of natural hazards mechanisms, and, to foster cross-disciplinary collaborations.

The present book assembles unpublished contributions to the Erice conference. It presents new laboratory data, theoretical and numerical rock physics models and field observations relevant to the study of natural hazards. In particular, several papers are devoted to rock failure and explore the relationship between the competing deformation micro-mechanisms, as measured and characterized by acoustic emission activity and by microstructural observations, and strain localization. Several others investigate shear-induced anisotropy of mechanical and/or transport properties, both in large-scale geologic objects and in laboratory samples. The remaining papers treat various aspects of rock physics and their industrial applications such as geothermics and reservoir characterization.

The book is intended for researchers and graduate students in the Earth sciences, who are interested in surface and crustal processes, as well as for geotechnical engineers.

Earthquakes and tsunamis are two major natural disasters, causing enormous life and material losses over the entire world, especially in the developing countries that are not well prepared. Since earthquakes and tsunamis are natural phenomena that cannot be prevented, a series of measures need to be taken to minimize the losses. Disaster mitigation covers a wide variety of activities involving numerous disciplines. Civil engineering makes probably the most effective contribution to the mitigation of life and material losses in earthquakes and tsunamis.

This volume contains 11 major contributions of distinguished experts from various areas of civil engineering, and aims at informing the civil engineering community about the recent progress in disaster mitigation concerning earthquakes and tsunamis. It is designed to address the standard practicing civil engineer with the aim of carrying the scientific research results to the engineering practice in simple engineering language.

Recent earthquakes in many countries of the world have confirmed the potential for very large seismic events that until now were not forecast. The level of disturbance and destruction of highways and bridges as well as life, suffered during these dominant earthquakes were far greater than structural engineers and their associated design codes had predicted. One important lesson that has been learnt is that it is vital that bridges, which connect major transportation routes, must continue to function after an earthquake. In the quest of this realization, new technologies and design efforts by engineers have resulted in the development of seismic protection systems, which include Shock Transmission Units (STU) together with various seismic isolation and energy mitigation devices. In the only book to provide independent, non-proprietary information on the design and application of STUs, the author offers information on a wide range of different applications, including new and existing highway and railway bridges, as well as non-bridge structures such as nuclear power plants. Illustrated case studies included throughout, Shock Transmission Units in Construction is written by a proven expert in STUs and the only world authority on the subject.