8 research outputs found
State of Practice for use of the Soil-Water Characteristic Curve in Geotechnical Engineering
No full textRoutine geotechnical engineering practice has witnessed a significant increase in the usage of unsaturated soil mechanics principles. The laboratory measurement of the soil-water characteristic curve, SWCC, for a soil has been labelled as a primary reason for the improved understanding of unsaturated soil behaviour. Laboratory measurement of the â shrinkage curveâ , has yielded further insight into the estimation of unsaturated soil property functions, USPF. The USPFs provide the necessary information for the simultaneous numerical modeling of the saturated and unsaturated portions of the soil profile. This paper presents a state-of-practice summary of the engineering protocols that have emerged amidst the numerous research studies reported over the past couple of decades. It also introduces issues related to hysteresis associated with the soil-water characteristic curve and suggests a pathway forward.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Examination of the estimation of relative permeability for unsaturated soils
No full textThe unsaturated permeability function is an important soil property function used in the numerical modeling of saturated-unsaturated soil systems. The permeability function is generally predicted by integrating along the soil-water characteristic curve (SWCC) starting at saturated soil conditions. The integration is based on a particular integral formula. The Fredlund-Xing-Huang permeability function is a flexible integration techniques used for calculating the unsaturated permeability function. The original permeability theory published by Fredlund et al., (1994) specified that the air-entry value, ψaev (AEV), be used as the lower limit of the integration when calculating the permeability function. However, since there was no analytical procedure available for the calculation of the air-entry value on the SWCC, it became common practice to start the integration procedure from a value near zero. The assumption was made that the error associated with starting the integration from an arbitrary low value was minimal. While this might be the case in some situations, the error can be quite substantial in other situations. This paper undertakes a study of the effect of the lower limit of integration on the calculation of the permeability function. Comparisons are made between starting the integration from various values below the AEV and starting the integration from the calculated air-entry value, ψaev. A mathematical algorithm is also proposed for the calculation of the AEV for integration purposes. The results show that the relative coefficient of permeability can be significantly under-estimated when the lower limit of integration is smaller than the AEV. The recommendation is that the AEV always be used as the lower limit of integration in the Fredlund-Xing-Huang permeability equation.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Grotesque Inversions On Stage, In Film: Horrid Yet Curious, Fascinating Yet Alarming
No full textGrotesque theatre is not a genre but a style of theatre made up of many strands which has been employed over many centuries beginning in Ancient Greece, particularly with Aristophanes and moving through time to the present. François Rabelais recognised the grotesque in Church Feasts, Festivals, Guild performances, sotties and farces. This thesis investigates through theatre and film the seven strands Bakhtin identifies: grotesque image, abusive language, grotesque madness, scatalogical humour, light, reversals and the lower bodily stratum (1984, pp. 24-41). In particular the thesis traces inversions in both theatre and film. These two mediums have been selected to compare and contrast the use of the grotesque in each, as they share two strong commonalities in acting and the requirement of scripts.
Each chapter of this thesis deals with a script, and the last two chapters incorporate the use of a movie for contrast. The Introduction introduces the grotesque, offering an explanation of the styles of the grotesque as defined by Mikhail Bakhtin and Philip Thomson. Examples are shown in pictures. Chapter one explores two plays written by Eugene Ionesco: Amedée or How to Get Rid of It, and Rhinoceros. Chapter two moves back through time to Aristophanes' Lysistrata and explores the power women's bodies might have when men are in need. The third chapter investigates The Roaring Girl, written by Middleton and Dekker. This delves into the life of the character Moll Cutpurse and shows why Moll chose to dress as a man. Chapters four and five deal with the fantasy and the gothic elements in Frankenstein and Dracula respectively: focusing on bodily transformations; as well as the treatment of the monster and Dracula by society, and their treatment in turn of society.
The grotesque is an intriguing style of theatre because it deals essentially with human nature and the human body in its imperfect and ever-changing form. The grotesque therefore lends itself to horror, comedy and exaggeration making it a style which does not have to be limited by strict parameters. The grotesque can be successfully woven into other genres such as the gothic or the absurd giving it even greater dimensions in storytelling, staging and special effects. Human beings are often torn between the gory or visually disturbing whilst needing the safety of the normal and acceptable. The grotesque offers both, which can make a scintillating piece of entertainment by fulfilling our needs at both ends of the emotional spectrum. Grotesque theatre therefore by its very nature is a style which will continue to exist so long as it keeps its patrons in suspense
Use of a 3D scanner for shrinkage curve tests
No full textA procedure is proposed for conducting shrinkage limit tests using a 3D scanner. Shrinkage limit tests were conducted on 13 different soils of various plasticity. Shrinkage curves for each material were obtained by curve fitting a shrinkage model to the measured dataset. Using linear regression analysis, an empirical correlation was developed to reasonably relate parameter csh from the shrinkage model to the ratio of the plastic and liquid limits. The shrinkage curves produced based on the model have an average difference of ~1.2% in terms of measured void ratio and predicted void ratio. The method was demonstrated to be robust for materials of low, medium, and high plasticity. The proposed methodology also presents a means of estimating a shrinkage curve in its entirety based solely on the volume of an air-dried sample, the specific gravity and Atterberg limits of the specimen. This effectively reduces the amount of work needed to derive the shrinkage curve and could potentially reduce the time for a shrinkage limit test by half or more.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Improvements to the Calculation of Actual Evaporation from Bare Soil Surfaces
No full textEvaporation of water from a saturated soil surface with ample free water is known as potential evaporation, PE, and the associated physical processes are quite well understood. However, evaporation of water from an unsaturated soil surface is known as actual evaporation, AE, and the associated physical processes are more complex and less understood. The calculation of actual evaporation is important for many geotechnical engineering applications. Soil suction and the corresponding water content at which the AE rate begins to depart from the PE rate during a drying process are re-assessed using a series of laboratory tests (i.e., thin soil section drying tests and soil column drying tests). Laboratory results show that the suction at which the actual rate of evaporation begins to depart from PE rate for soil columns (or thick soil layers) may be different than for thin soil layers. The suction at the “evaporation-rate reduction point”, (ERRP) appears to be approximately 3,000 kPa for thin soil layers, but is between the air-entry value and residual soil suction for thick soil layers or soil columns. The analyses presented in this paper have resulted in the development of a methodology for the estimation of the suction corresponding to the ERRP in soil columns. Equations are also proposed to calculate the coefficient of surface moisture availability, the vapour pressure and “surface resistance” at ground surface. The paper also presents an equation (i.e., new soil-atmosphere moisture flux equation) for predicting the evaporation rate from a soil surface using “surface resistance” to vapour water diffusion from the soil to the atmosphere. The proposed soil-atmosphere model is verified using evaporation rate data collected from various drying tests on thin soil layers and soil columns. Reasonably good agreement was found between the computed and measured rates of evaporation. The findings and recommendations in this paper contribute to an improved understanding of the prediction of AE from unsaturated soil surfaces.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
A Welfare Consensus? Social Policy from Thatcher to Blair
No full textResearch Abstract
A Welfare Consensus?
Social Policy from Thatcher to Blair
This thesis examines two central aspects of asset management by central government with special reference to health and education. First, it analyses the nature, structure and procedural legacy inherited by New Labour after eighteen years of Conservative control, and carries this analysis forward to determine the influence that this has on New Labour’s policy orientation. Second, with a view to the significance of institutionalist theories, which underline the potential importance of ‘path dependency’, the thesis seeks to determine what, if any, major policy differences developed with the transition from the Conservative governments of 1979-97 to the New Labour governments of 1997-2007.
From a wealth of documentary evidence this thesis concludes that New Labour, throughout its ten years period in office, while it softened the well entrenched Thatcherite policies inherited it did not reform the core objectives of ‘rolling back the state’ which had led to the introduction of market-style competition designed to drive up standards, choice and availability accompanied by the driving down of unit costs. Over a time span of almost thirty years all governments have placed health and education as twin focal points of their policy initiatives. This thesis has therefore chosen these two political drivers as major examples of continuity and changes in social policy over that period, stretching from the late 20th century and into the 21st century.
New Labour’s pragmatic acceptance in 1997 of its Thatcherite legacy with its compounded bipartisan approach led to a new welfare consensus coupled to enhanced strategic public expenditure priorities. In doing so, New Labour, under Blair, set aside its traditional, historical policies and embedded its own legacy so deeply into the economic fabric and culture of the UK that any future government, of whatever political persuasion will find the forward momentum of these policies powerful inhibitors of change. Thirty years of rolling back the state has achieved its outcome.
John D Holland
St Cuthbert’s Society
School of Applied Social Sciences,
Department of Sociology
Durham University
November 200
Permeability function for oil sands tailings undergoing volume change during drying
No full textThe coefficient of permeability function is an important unsaturated soil property required when modeling seepage and contaminant transport phenomena. Inaccuracies in the estimation of the permeability function can lead to significant errors in numerical modeling results. Changes in void ratio and degree of saturation are factors that influence the permeability function. Presently available methodologies for estimating the unsaturated permeability function make the assumption that there is no volume change as soil suction is changed. As a result, volume changes are interpreted as changes in degree of saturation. The commonly used estimation techniques for the permeability function are reasonable for soils such as sands that experience little volume change as soil suction is changed. On the other hand, inaccurate results are generated when soils undergo volume change as is the case with oil sands tailings. Revisions to previous methodologies are proposed to render the estimation of the permeability function more suitable for simulating the drying process associated with high volume-change soils. The revised methodology independently analyzes the effect of volume changes (i.e., changes in void ratio), and degree of saturation changes (i.e., changes in S-SWCC). Laboratory data on thickened oil sands tailings are presented and interpreted within the context of the proposed methodology.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author
Value change in adolescents: school effectiveness in the affective domain
No full textFactors contributing to school effectiveness in the affective domain have been largely ignored in recent research in spite of a transnational concern about value disorientation. This thesis explores the influence a secondary school has on adolescent value formation. Current theories on "effective schooling" and "valuing" provide a framework for the research. Following an introduction to the issue of values in schools, the thesis reviews the literature on "values", "effective schools", and "school climate" before proceeding to a description of a two site, longitudinal study. The creation of a value change-effective schools (VCES) model enabled local school issues to be analysed in conjunction with an overarching theory and principles which are relevant to a broad educational community. The four complementary surveys of parents, students and staff included a wide range of items which address frequently voiced methodological criticisms of the "effective schools” approach. Subsequent chapters summarise and discuss the findings of the surveys and place them in the context of current research. The thesis demonstrates that a school has a significant, unique role to play in adolescent value formation. Value change did not emerge as a cause and effect phenomenon, but as a complex interaction of change agents operating within the terms of the value change-effective schools model. Programmes and strategies, which have meaning at the local level, can be developed for the affective domain based on insights provided by the model. The factors associated with effectiveness were determined and defined primarily by the local schools. They crossed over domains from the cognitive to the affective, coalescing to form an effective learning environment
