Landslides in Pleistocene sediments along the Thompson River, south of Ashcroft, British Columbia have been known since before the Canadian Pacific (CP) railway was built through the valley in the 1880s. The Canadian National (CN) mainline railway, built in the early twentieth century, also follows the valley. Since the CP mainline was open to traffic in 1886, landslides have occurred along both sides of the Thompson valley and have resulted in derailments and traffic disruption along this strategic railway corridor. Past work identified a critical interbedded glaciolacustrine silt and clay unit at the base of the valley fill in which the sliding planes of the landslides were located. In our geotechnical characterization of this unit we identify the clay as the main contributing factor towards the instability of slopes in the Thompson River Valley due to its low residual strength parameters. Ring shear testing of this unit indicate residual friction angles between 10o and 15o. The use of residual shear strength parameters is necessitated by the presence of pre-sheared surfaces in the valley fill material caused by historical landsliding and glacial overriding. An additional contributing factor to slope instability in Thompson River Valley is the presence of artesian pore water pressures located below the failure surfaces of landslides in the valley. Previously suggested explanations for development of the elevated pore pressures include dynamic change in the Thompson River stage, and over irrigation of upslope farm lands. Groundwater models of Thompson River Valley were constructed using the advanced modeling tool HydroGeoSphere in order to determine the origin of these elevated pressures, and to explore additional influences on the regional groundwater flow system, including irrigation and river stage. Analysis of groundwater simulations showed that due to its low permeability, the glaciolacustrine silt and clay unit is important in controlling groundwater flow patterns, and explains the development of artesian pressures in the valley bottom. Further, it was shown that fluctuation in river stage and additional infiltration due to irrigation of upslope farm lands had minimal impact on pore water pressures, and cannot explain the development of landslides in the study area. Groundwater simulations were coupled with slope stability analyses in order to assess the slope Factor of Safety associated with certain groundwater conditions. This was achieved by using SLOPE/W and SEEP/W. Slopes were found to be unstable under natural conditions with a Factor of Safety close to unity. Significant changes to the Factor of Safety were noted for scenarios where precipitation was doubled and halved, but irrigation was again shown to have a minimal effect on the stability of Thompson Valley slopes.

Knowledge about the current road slope can improve several applications in a heavy-duty vehicle such as predictive cruise control and automated gearbox control. In this thesis the possibility of estimating the road slope based on signals from a vehicles air suspension system has been studied. More specifically, the measurement consists of a pressure signal measuring the axle load, and a vertical distance sensor. A variety of suspension systems can be mounted on a Scania truck. During this thesis, two discrete-time models based on two different rear axle air suspension systems have been proposed. The models use the effect of alternating axle load during a change in the road slope and the estimates are computed using an extended Kalman filter. The first model is based on a rear axle suspension known as the 2-bellow system. This type of suspension is strongly affected by the driveshaft torque, which results in a behaviour where the rear end is pushed upwards and thus decreasing the rear axle load during uphill driving. A model was developed in order to compensate for this behaviour. Unfortunately, the estimates showed less promising results and all attempts to determine the error was unsuccessful. The latter model is based on the 4-bellow system. This suspension system is not affected by the driveshaft torque and a less complex model could be derived. The experimental results indicated that road slope estimation was possible and with a fairly accurate result. However, more work is needed since the estimate is affected by road surface irregularities and since the algorithm requires knowledge about the vehicles mass and the location of the centre of gravity. All the presented results have been estimated based on real data from a test track at Scania Technical Centre in Södertälje.

Orientering är en sport som går ut på att besöka ett antal förutbestämda kontrollpunkter med hjälp av en karta. Orienteringskartan redovisar olika objekt som finns i verkligheten så som stenar, gropar, höjder och branter. Att tillverka en orienteringskarta är dyrt och tidskrävande. Omkring 120 000–150 000 kr och mellan 20–30 h/km2 fältarbete läggs ner på varje karta som skapas. Eftersom orienteringskartorna framställs av ideella föreningar är alla sätt som gör kartframställningen billigare välkomna.   I detta examensarbete har en funktion skapats i ett befintligt program vid namn OL Laser. Funktionens syfte är att automatiskt identifiera branter i laserdata för användning som grundmaterial vid framställning av orienteringskartor. För att räknas som en orienteringsbrant krävs det att tre stycken kriterier uppfylls, nämligen minst 1 m höjdskillnad, minst 1 m utbredning och en lutning större än 85°. Dessa kriterier bestämdes genom att komplettera de befintliga avgränsningarna som anges i Internationella Orienteringsförbundets regleringar för orienteringskartor med egna mätningar i tre stycken olika referensområden kring Gävle. Därefter programmerades funktionen så att genom att klicka på en knapp startas en sökning i ett höjdraster. Steg för steg söks höjdrastret igenom efter pixlar som uppfyller de givna parametrarna för höjdskillnad, utbredning och lutning. Värdet på parametrarna för lutning, höjdskillnad och utbredning bestämdes genom att kalibrera funktionen mot referensområdena. Kalibrering gjordes för att det skulle vara möjligt att automatiskt identifiera branter. De inställningar på parametrarna som användes i funktionen efter kalibrering var 42,5° lutning, 0,6 m höjdskillnad och en utbredning över minst två sammanhängande pixlar. Resultatet utgörs av de pixlar som funktionen identifierar som en brant.   Resultatet visar att funktionen klarar av att hitta branter automatiskt, även i områden som den inte kalibrerats mot. För att använda branterna till en orienteringskarta krävs det att en kartritare verifierar resultat av funktionen ute i fält. Med hjälp av funktionen sparas både tid och pengar i framställningen av orienteringskartor. / Orienteering is a sport where the purpose is to visit a number of predefined control points using a map. The orienteering map shows various objects such as rocks, pits, knolls and cliffs. It is expensive and time consuming to produce an orienteering map. Approximately 120.000-150.000 SEK and 20–30 h/km2 field work is invested in every map produced. Considering orienteering maps are financed by non-profit orienteering organizations every time and money saving process is welcome.   In this degree project a function has been created in a software called OL Laser. The aim of the function is to automatically identify cliffs in laser data for the usage as base maps in the production of orienteering maps. First the definition for cliffs in orienteering was defined. To be classified as a cliff three requirements had to be fulfilled, namely at least 1 m in height difference, at least 1 meter wide and a gradient greater than 85°. These requirements were determined by supplementing the existing restrictions specified in the regulations for orienteering maps with own measurements in three different reference areas around Gävle. The function was programmed so that a search in a height raster was started. Step by step the raster was scanned for pixels that meet the given parameters of the height difference, the width and gradient. The values of the parameters were determined by calibrating the function in the reference areas. The calibration was made to make it possible to automatically identify cliffs. The settings of the parameters used in the function after the calibration were 42.5° gradient, 0.6 m height difference and a propagation of at least two consecutive pixels. The pixels that the function identified as a cliff is the result.   The result shows that the function is able to automatically find the cliffs, even in areas which it is not calibrated against. To be able to use the cliffs on an orienteering map, the cartographer has to verify the result of the function in the field. Both time and money is saved by using the function when producing orienteering maps.

Landslides in Pleistocene sediments along the Thompson River, south of Ashcroft, British Columbia have been known since before the Canadian Pacific (CP) railway was built through the valley in the 1880s. The Canadian National (CN) mainline railway, built in the early twentieth century, also follows the valley. Since the CP mainline was open to traffic in 1886, landslides have occurred along both sides of the Thompson valley and have resulted in derailments and traffic disruption along this strategic railway corridor. Past work identified a critical interbedded glaciolacustrine silt and clay unit at the base of the valley fill in which the sliding planes of the landslides were located. In our geotechnical characterization of this unit we identify the clay as the main contributing factor towards the instability of slopes in the Thompson River Valley due to its low residual strength parameters. Ring shear testing of this unit indicate residual friction angles between 10o and 15o. The use of residual shear strength parameters is necessitated by the presence of pre-sheared surfaces in the valley fill material caused by historical landsliding and glacial overriding. An additional contributing factor to slope instability in Thompson River Valley is the presence of artesian pore water pressures located below the failure surfaces of landslides in the valley. Previously suggested explanations for development of the elevated pore pressures include dynamic change in the Thompson River stage, and over irrigation of upslope farm lands. Groundwater models of Thompson River Valley were constructed using the advanced modeling tool HydroGeoSphere in order to determine the origin of these elevated pressures, and to explore additional influences on the regional groundwater flow system, including irrigation and river stage. Analysis of groundwater simulations showed that due to its low permeability, the glaciolacustrine silt and clay unit is important in controlling groundwater flow patterns, and explains the development of artesian pressures in the valley bottom. Further, it was shown that fluctuation in river stage and additional infiltration due to irrigation of upslope farm lands had minimal impact on pore water pressures, and cannot explain the development of landslides in the study area. Groundwater simulations were coupled with slope stability analyses in order to assess the slope Factor of Safety associated with certain groundwater conditions. This was achieved by using SLOPE/W and SEEP/W. Slopes were found to be unstable under natural conditions with a Factor of Safety close to unity. Significant changes to the Factor of Safety were noted for scenarios where precipitation was doubled and halved, but irrigation was again shown to have a minimal effect on the stability of Thompson Valley slopes.

The primary objective of this thesis is to develop a model for quantification of weather-related railway embankments hazards. The model for quantification of embankment hazards constitutes an essential component of a decision support system that is required for the management of railway embankment hazards. A model for the deterministic and probabilistic assessment of weather-related geo-hazards (W-GHA model) is proposed based on concepts of unsaturated soil mechanics and hydrology. The model combines a system of two-dimensional partial differential equations governing the thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour of saturated/unsaturated soils and soil-atmosphere coupling equations. A Dynamic Programming algorithm for slope stability analysis (Safe-DP) was developed and incorporated into the W-GHA model. Finally, an efficient probabilistic and sensitivity analysis framework based on an alternative point estimate method was proposed. According to the W-GHA model framework, railway embankment hazards are assessed based on factors of safety and probabilities of failures computed using soil property variability and case scenarios. <p> A comprehensive study of unsaturated property variability is presented. A methodology for the characterization and assessment of unsaturated soil property variability is proposed. Appropriate fitting equations and parameter were selected. Probability density functions adequate for representing the unsaturated soil parameters studied were determined. Typical central tendency measures, variability measures, and correlation coefficients were established for the unsaturated soil parameters. The inherent variability of the unsaturated soil properties can be addressed using the probabilistic analysis framework proposed herein. <p> A large number of hypothetical railway embankments were analysed using the proposed model. The embankment analyses were undertaken in order to demonstrate the application of the proposed model and in order to determine the sensitivity of the factor of safety to the uncertainty in several input variables. The conclusions drawn from the sensitivity analysis study resulted in important simplifications of the W-GHA model. It was shown how unsaturated soil mechanics can be applied for the assessment of near ground surface stability hazards. The approach proposed in this thesis forms a protocol for application of unsaturated soil mechanics into geotechnical engineering practice. This protocol is based on predicted unsaturated soil properties and based on the use of case scenarios for addressing soil property uncertainty. Other classes of unsaturated soil problems will benefit from the protocol presented in this thesis.

In the study, the thickness of wave moved-sediment layers was measured under regular wave conditions as well as the initial slope of sea bed with grain size of medium diameter 0.237mm and 0.128mm. The initial bottom slope ( tan£\) is 1/45, and nineteen wave conditions were studied. For each case, we analyzed the results after about 28800 waves were made. Sands are similar density and grain size but different colors. After wave action, the clear boundary between the two layers (two different colors) of sands will be mixed into gray color by wave-induced vortex.According to unmoved-layer(white) and gray-layer to get the total wave-moved sediment quantity. Finally, we get the relationship between the wave-moved sediment quantity per wave( q) and two parameters( £`b and £Kb ) which were established by Liao (2005, doctorate draft). The grain size does not affect £`b , and we get the q= 6.486*10^-5*£`b . The relationships between and ¡G 0.110mm gets q=5.103*10^-6£Kb , 0.128mm gets q=1.139*10^-5*£Kb, and 0.237mm gets q=1.933*10^-5*£Kb .

While shoaling from deepwater in a stratified ocean, an interfacial solitary wave (ISW) may experience waveform inversion on a continental margin. Although many oceanographers have believed that the inversion from depression to elevation may commence at the turning point where the upper and bottom layers are equal in depth, this phenomenon has not been fully verified in field observations nor in a laboratory. In this study, a series of laboratory experiments and numerical modeling were conducted on the evolution of an ISW of depression across uniform slope joining a horizontal plateau which resembles pseudo slope-shelf topography, in order to clarify this fascinating phenomenon and the variations of wave properties associated with the process. In the laboratory experiments, a depression ISW was produced by a collapse mechanism in a stratified two-layer fluid system within a steel-framed wave flume (12 m long, 0.7 m high by 0.5 m wide) at the National Sun Yat-sen University in Taiwan. The fluid density in the upper (fresh) and bottom (brine) layers was 996 and 1030 kg/m3, respectively. A series of experiments were conducted upon varying the magnitude of the most important physical factors (i.e., nominal thickness of pycnocline, depth ratio between upper and bottom layer, front gradient and shape of pseudo slope-shelf), from which the results are now discussed in four separate chapters in this thesis. Present laboratory results indicate that the process of waveform inversion took place after an ISW had experienced internal run-down, hydraulic jump, vortex motion and surge-up on the front slope, prior to its propagation onto the plateau. Moreover, the fundamental wave period of leading wave on the plateau was significantly smaller than that in the preceding sections on the front slope and the incident stage earlier, thus representing frequency downshift. Amongst the factors involved, the depth ratio between the upper and bottom layer was the most significant one for waveform inversion. Only when the upper layer was thicker than the bottom layer on the plateau of pseudo slope-shelf, waveform inversion could occur, besides the length of the plateau. On the other hand, the front gradient and shape of pseudo slope-shelf also affected the magnitude of the transmitted wave over the plateau as the wave across this specific topography. In the case of a steeper front gradient, waveform inversion became insignificant due to stronger wave reflection and intense energy dissipation caused by turbulent mixing while a depression ISW propagated over a slope-shelf; particularly against a submerged vertical cliff. As a depression ISW across pseudo slope-shelf with short plateau, intense wave breaking might occur again with vortex motion at its rear end as the newly inversed waveform reentering deep water. In this region, the upper layer was smaller than the bottom layer, hence it could not support the continuous existence of an ISW in elevation. Again, energy dissipation occurred due to turbulent mixing beyond the rear end of a short plateau. Finally, a different mode of ISW appeared within pycnocline, while its nominal thickness was larger than the amplitude of the incident wave. In addition to the laboratory investigations, numerical model was also adopted to study the variations in the flow field as an ISW propagated over a pseudo slope-shelf, in order to complement the experimental results. The results of numerical modeling revealed that the horizontal velocity in the bottom layer increased when the wave encountered the front slope, even if the depth of upper layer was thinner than that of the bottom layer on the plateau. Consequently, the velocity in the upper layer became less than that in the bottom layer when the former was thicker than that of the latter on the plateau. On the other hand, the vertical velocity within the self-generated vortex switched direction as waveform inversion commenced after the wave across the shoulder of pseudo slope-shelf where the local depth of the upper layer was larger than that of bottom part. Overall, the significance of the four pertinent factors (i.e., nominal thickness of pycnocline, water depth ratio, front slope, and plateau length) that affected a depression ISW across pseudo slope-shelf is discussed in detail in this thesis, as well as the variation of flow field calculated by the numerical mode presented.

Though Nd:YAG has been widely used as the traditional high power solid-state laser gain medium, Yb:YAG has more advantages such as lower quantum defect, wider absorption and emission bandwidth, and longer fluorescence lifetime, which can be used in Q-switched lasers to storage more energy. In addition, a higher doping concentration Yb:YAG with thinner thickness reduces the shift of optical path, which reduces the ring cavity stability. Therefore Yb:YAG is an eminently suitable gain medium for the two-mirror ring laser. Due to the quasi-three-level characteristic of Yb:YAG, the thermal effect influences the re-absorption loss and deteriorates the laser performance, i.e. lower slope efficiency of laser. In this thesis, we improve the laser efficiency by using Yb:YAG crystal with proper thickness, and various round-trip transmittances with different output couplers were tried. The slope efficiency with 50.3 % has been achieved. We also tried to reduce the thermal loading of Yb:YAG by crystal fiber with Cu-Al alloy package. The fabrication process of Yb:YAG crystal fiber, including sample preparation, and coating design, and the experiment result of Yb:YAG crystal fiber ring laser will be presented in detail. Furthermore, we use numerical analysis to modify the passively Q-switched Yb:YAG ring laser rate equation with FDTD (finite difference time domain) method. The simulated repetition rate, pulse width and peak power were compared to the experimental results in order to optimaize laser performance.

The major purpose of this study is focused on the characteristics of the breaker and the impulse caused by wave breaking. Two-dimensional surface regular gravity water waves propagating on a gentle sloping bottom are considered and the consecutively temporal-spatial evolution of wave traveling form deep water to shallow water is also investigated. Two perturbation parameters, bottom slope and the deep water wave amplitude , proposed by Chen et al.(1992~2005), are introduced in this problem. Also, two different systems in fluid mechanics are used and the theoretical results are corrected to order , including nonlinear quantities, in both of Eulerian and Lagrangian systems. Considering the point of view that the horizontal velocity of a specified fluid particle is equal to the wave celerity while the wave begins to break, some important physical phenomena, such as the evolution of wave profile, the trajectory of fluid particle, and the water wave pressure, are described in this analytical analysis. Furthermore, the wave length, wave height, water depth and wave steepness of breaking wave are solved. To modify the insufficiency of former semi-empirical formula for the impulse due to wave breaking, a theoretical formula is proposed by integrating the resulting water wave pressure form mean still water level to free surface. Previous experimental studies are employed to verify the theoretical results. For wave for a further verification on the characteristics of wave breaking, some measurements on the movement of fluid particle, wave force and impulse wave conducted. Reasonable agreements can be found from the comparisons. It is concluded that consideration of wave nonlinearity is necessary while dealing with wave breaking problem.

In this study, the failure mechanism of the shore landslide which occured at Degirmendere coast region during 17 August 1999 Kocaeli (Izmit) - Turkey earthquake is analyzed. Geotechnical studies of the region are at hand, which reveal soil properties and geological formation of the region as well as the topography of the shore basin after deformations. The failure is analyzed as a landslide and permanent displacements are calculated by Newmark Method under 17 August 1999 Izmit record, scaled to a maximum acceleration of 0.4g. There are discussions on the main dominating mechanism of failure / landslide, liquefaction, fault rupture and lateral spreading. According to the studies, the failure mechanism is a seismically induced shore landslide also triggered by liquefaction and fault rupture, accompanied by the mechanism of lateral spreading by turbulence. A seismically induced landslide is discussed and modeled in this study. The finite element programs TELSTA and TELDYN are employed for static and dynamic analyses. Slope stability analyses are performed with the program SLOPE. The permanent displacements are calculated with Newmark Method, with the help of a MATLAB program, without considering the excess pore pressures.