Bayesian Inference of Ice Softness and Basal Sliding Parameters at Langjökull

We develop Bayesian statistical models that are designed for the inference of ice softness and basal sliding parameters, important glaciological quantities. These models are applied to Langjökull, the second largest temperate ice cap in Iceland at about 900 squared kilometers in area. The models make use of a relationship between physical parameters and ice velocity as stipulated by a shallow ice approximation that is generally applicable to Langjökull. The posterior distribution for ice softness concentrates around 18.2 × 10−25s−1Pa−3; moreover, spatially varying basal sliding parameters are inferred allowing for the decomposition of velocity into a deformation component and a sliding component, with spatial variation consistent with previous studies. Bayesian computation is conducted with a Gibbs sampling approach. The paper serves as an example of statistical inference for ice softness and basal sliding parameters at temperate, shallow glaciers using surface velocity data.

Topography-correlated atmospheric signal mitigation for InSAR applications in the Tibetan plateau based on global atmospheric models

<p>Atmospheric heterogeneity mainly exposes itself as tropospheric phase delay in satellite interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) observations, which smears or even overshadows the deformation component of InSAR measurements. In this study, we estimated the performance of four global atmospheric models (GAMs), i.e. ERA5, ERA-Interim (ERA-I), MERRA2 and GACOS, for tropospheric phase delay reduction in InSAR applications in the Tibetan plateau, of which ERA5 is the latest global atmospheric model released by ECMWF. We demonstrated the effectiveness of atmospheric phase screen (APS) correction using the four GAMs for more than 700 Sentinel-1 TOPS interferograms covering two study areas in the southern (R1) and northwest margins (R2) of the Tibetan plateau. Topography-correlated signals have been widely observed in these interferograms, which are most likely due to the APS effects. We calculated the standard deviations (STD) and correlation coefficients between InSAR Line of Sight (LOS) measurements and topography before and after applying APS correction. The results show that the STDs of non-deformation areas from the GAMs decrease to ~4 mm from ~10 mm and ~12 mm originally on average for R1 and R2, respectively, and the correlation coefficients after the APS correction are reduced below 0.4 from ~0.8 for the selected interferometric pairs. In addition, as the newly released GAM, ERA5 has similar performance with GACOS products and outperforms other models generally. This suggests that GAMs, particularly ERA5, have great potentials in the APS correction for InSAR applications in the Tibetan plateau.</p>

Characteristics of Slow Slip Event in March 2020 Revealed From Borehole and DONET Observatories

We have detected an event of pore pressure change (hereafter, we refer it to “pore pressure event”) from borehole stations in real time in March 2020, owing to the network developed by connecting three borehole stations to the Dense Oceanfloor Network System for Earthquakes and Tsunamis (DONET) observatories near the Nankai Trough. During the pore pressure event, shallow very low-frequency events (sVLFEs) were also detected from the broadband seismometers of DONET, which suggests that the sVLFE migrated toward updip region along the subduction plate boundary. Since one of the pore pressure sensors have been suffered from unrecognized noise after the replacement of sensors due to the connecting operation, we assume four cases for crustal deformation component of the pore pressure change. Comparing the four possible cases for crustal deformation component of the volumetric strain change at C0010 with the observed sVLFE migration and the characteristic of previous SSEs, we conclude that the pore pressure event can be explained from SSE migration toward the updip region which triggered sVLFE in the passage. This feature is similar to the previous SSE in 2015 and could be distinguished from the unrecognized noise on the basis of t-test. Our new finding is that the SSE in 2020 did not reach very shallow part of the plate interface because the pore pressure changes at a borehole station installed in 2018 close to the trough axis was not significant. In the present study, we estimated the amount, onset and termination time of the pore pressure change for the SSE in 2020 by fitting regression lines for the time history. Since the change amount and duration time were smaller and shorter than the SSE in 2015, respectively, we also conclude that the SSE in 2020 had smaller magnitude that the SSE in 2015. These results would give us a clue to monitor crustal deformation along the Nankai Trough directly from other seafloor observations.

Design and technological provision of wear resistance of elastomer surface of rubber-cord casings of damping devices

Two main factors are considered that determining the friction between non-lubricated surfaces of an elastomer and a solid base during their relative motion. The first one is adhesion in the areas of real (actual) catalysis and the second factor is the deformation component, which is due to the delay of recovery of the elastomer after the irregularity is introduced and it is called the hysteresis component of friction. One of the main problems of increasing the resource of pneumatic dampers is minimizing the wear of the covering layer of the rubber-cord casing (RCC). The wear of the RCC is due to the fact that sliding friction occurs in the process of contact between the metal surface and the surface of the RCC, as a result of which the cover layer of the RCC (in some cases with the first cord layer) wears out, depending on the chemical composition of the rubber and the features of the operation of the pneumatic shock absorber. In order to minimize the wear of rubber, it is proposed to change the design of the pneumatic damper so that rolling friction dominates in the contact between the surfaces of rubber and metal

Determination of the optimal strength of contact interaction of the tool and the part during finishing-hardening treatment by diamond smoothing

The main factors of the process of diamond smoothing are considered in the work: the force of the contact interaction of the tool and the part in the deformation zone and the friction on the contact surface of the part and the smoother. The technique of analytical determination of the optimal smoothing force for the finishing-hardening treatment mode is presented. The calculated values were obtained for some characteristic grades of materials of small and medium hardness (≤ 210 HB, indenter radius 3.4 mm) and a number of hardened steels of high hardness (indenter radius 2.0 mm). The force values are also determined using expressions for the deformation component of the friction coefficient. A comparative analysis of the results indicates that the calculation options are adequate for practical purposes. On specific examples of processed materials, graphical dependencies are shown, which reflect the relationship between the coefficient of friction, including its deformation component, and the smoothing force. With an increase in the leveling force, the friction coefficient increases, this is explained by an increase in the depth of penetration of the diamond tip and, consequently, an increase in the deformation component. The depth of penetration of the indenter into the surface to be treated, and therefore the coefficient of friction during ironing, depends on the hardness of the material being processed. With increasing hardness, the penetration depth decreases, which leads to a decrease in the deformation component and in general the coefficient of friction. The friction coefficient is also affected by the radius of the working part of the tool, since the indenter penetration depth also depends on its value. The research results can be used in the development of technology for finishing and hardening diamond smoothing, the development of the process and its introduction into production.

Analysis of the Residual Deformation of Yingxian Wood Pagoda

Cumulative damage and residual deformation of structural components of Yingxian Wood Pagoda over its existence have caused widespread concern. Because Yingxian Wood Pagoda is a very complex ancient wooden structure, previous studies on single-storey and multistorey ancient structures are not very applicable. In this study, the deformation to the pagoda at the components, storey, and overall structure levels was monitored considering residual deformation, component cracking, and component connection conditions. The effects of different factors were preliminarily identified, including the structural weight, external impacts such as earthquakes and artillery shells, differences in moisture content according to sunlight exposure, and the prevailing wind direction. The study findings are useful in diagnosing the health and causes of deformation of unique buildings such as this in order to develop effective repair and restoration measures.

Three-dimensional deformation time series of glacier motion from multiple-aperture DInSAR observation

The previously presented Multidimensional Small Baseline Subset (MSBAS-2D) technique computes two-dimensional (2D), east and vertical, ground deformation time series from two or more ascending and descending Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (DInSAR) data sets by assuming that the contribution of the north deformation component is negligible. DInSAR data sets can be acquired with different temporal and spatial resolutions, viewing geometries and wavelengths. The MSBAS-2D technique has previously been used for mapping deformation due to mining, urban development, carbon sequestration, permafrost aggradation and pingo growth, and volcanic activities. In the case of glacier ice flow, the north deformation component is often too large to be negligible. Historically, the surface-parallel flow (SPF) constraint was used to compute the static three-dimensional (3D) velocity field at various glaciers. A novel MSBAS-3D technique has been developed for computing 3D deformation time series where the SPF constraint is utilized. This technique is used for mapping 3D deformation at the Barnes Ice Cap, Baffin Island, Nunavut, Canada, during January–March 2015, and the MSBAS-2D and MSBAS-3D solutions are compared. The MSBAS-3D technique can be used for studying glacier ice flow at other glaciers and other surface deformation processes with large north deformation component, such as landslides. The software implementation of MSBAS-3D technique can be downloaded from http://insar.ca/.

A wear model for subrough surface contacts of martensitic steels

This article includes an analysis of techniques for determining wear of contact areas to show two lines of wear research – due to deformations and adhesion forces. It has been established that surface subroughness is not presently taken into account in calculations of wear despite the fact that this surface property is of increasing research interest. The paper aims to develop a mathematical model of wear for subrough surface contacts in the context of deformation and theories of adhesion. Mathematical wear modelling for subrough surfaces is based on studies on causes of their formation due to phase and structural heterogeneity of the material. The article considers contact interaction at the level of surface subroughness; physics of interaction of contact areas at the level of surface subroughness; a mathematical model of deformation and adhesive wear for subrough surface contacts of martensitic steels; some analytical dependences of the theoretical model for a body-centred tetragonal lattice. Analysis of the theoretical concepts shows that wear of subrough surface contacts depends largely on the deformation component, while the adhesive component is significant only during the ‘bedding-in’ period for a friction couple. The materials of the article can be used to calculate the wear for contact areas at the level of surface subroughness.