Showing papers on "Stress field published in 2019"

Longitudinal vibrations of nano-rods by stress-driven integral elasticity

Abstract: In elastic continuous structures defined on bounded domains, Eringen strain-driven integral model leads to ill-posed elastostatic problems since the constitutive stress field, got by convoluting th...

A stress-driven local-nonlocal mixture model for Timoshenko nano-beams

Abstract: A well-posed stress-driven mixture is proposed for Timoshenko nano-beams. The model is a convex combination of local and nonlocal phases and circumvents some problems of ill-posedness emerged in strain-driven Eringen-like formulations for structures of nanotechnological interest. The nonlocal part of the mixture is the integral convolution between stress field and a bi-exponential averaging kernel function characterized by a scale parameter. The stress-driven mixture is equivalent to a differential problem equipped with constitutive boundary conditions involving bending and shear fields. Closed-form solutions of Timoshenko nano-beams for selected boundary and loading conditions are established by an effective analytical strategy. The numerical results exhibit a stiffening behavior in terms of scale parameter.

Volumetric and shear processes in crystalline rock approaching faulting

Abstract: Understanding the approach to faulting in continental rocks is critical for identifying processes leading to fracturing in geomaterials and the preparation process of large earthquakes. In situ dynamic X-ray imaging and digital volume correlation analysis of a crystalline rock core, under a constant confining pressure of 25 MPa, are used to elucidate the initiation, growth, and coalescence of microfractures leading to macroscopic failure as the axial compressive stress is increased. Following an initial elastic deformation, microfractures develop in the solid, and with increasing differential stress, the damage pervades the rock volume. The creation of new microfractures is accompanied by propagation, opening, and closing of existing microfractures, leading to the emergence of damage indices that increase as powers of the differential stress when approaching failure. A strong spatial correlation is observed between microscale zones with large positive and negative volumetric strains, microscale zones with shears of opposite senses, and microscale zones with high volumetric and shear strains. These correlations are attributed to microfracture interactions mediated by the heterogeneous stress field. The rock fails macroscopically as the microfractures coalesce and form a geometrically complex 3D volume that spans the rock sample. At the onset of failure, more than 70% of the damage volume is connected in a large fracture cluster that evolves into a fault zone. In the context of crustal faulting dynamics, these results suggest that evolving rock damage around existing locked or future main faults influences the localization process that culminates in large brittle rupture events.

Solids Under Extreme Shear: Friction‐Mediated Subsurface Structural Transformations

Abstract: Tribological contacts consume a significant amount of the world's primary energy due to friction and wear in different products from nanoelectromechanical systems to bearings, gears, and engines. The energy is largely dissipated in the material underneath the two surfaces sliding against each other. This subsurface material is thereby exposed to extreme amounts of shear deformation and often forms layered subsurface microstructures with reduced grain size. Herein, the elementary mechanisms for the formation of subsurface microstructures are elucidated by systematic model experiments and discrete dislocation dynamics simulations in dry frictional contacts. The simulations show how pre-existing dislocations transform into prismatic dislocation structures under tribological loading. The stress field under a moving spherical contact and the crystallographic orientation are crucial for the formation of these prismatic structures. Experimentally, a localized dislocation structure at a depth of ≈100-150 nm is found already after the first loading pass. This dislocation structure is shown to be connected to the inhomogeneous stress field under the moving contact. The subsequent microstructural transformations and the mechanical properties of the surface layer are determined by this structure. These results hold promise at guiding material selection and alloy development for tribological loading, yielding materials tailored for specific tribological scenarios.

Tribological behavior of coated spur gear pairs with tooth surface roughness

Abstract: Coating is an effective way to reduce friction and wear and to improve the contact-fatigue lives of gear components, which further guarantees a longer service life and better reliability of industrial machinery. The fact that the influence coefficient linking the tractions and stress components could not be expressed explicitly increases the difficulty of coated solids contact analysis. The complicated tribological behavior between tooth surfaces influenced by lubrication and surface roughness further adds difficulty to the coated gear pair contact problems. A numerical elastohydrodynamic lubricated (EHL) contact model of a coated gear pair is proposed by considering the coupled effects of gear kinematics, coating properties, lubrication, and surface roughness. The frequency response function and the discrete convolute, fast Fourier transformation (DC-FFT) method are combined to calculate the surface deformation and the subsurface stress fields at each meshing position along the line of action (LOA). The Ree-Eyring fluid is assumed to incorporate the non-Newtonian effect, which is represented in the generalized Reynolds equation. Influences of the ratio between the Young’s modulus of the coating and the substrate on the contact performance, such as pressure, film thickness, tooth friction coefficient, and subsurface stress field, are studied. The effect of the root mean square (RMS) value of the tooth surface roughness is studied by introducing the roughness data, deterministically measured by an optical profiler.

Correlation between tectonic stress regimes and methane seepage on the western Svalbard margin

Abstract: . Methane seepage occurs across the western Svalbard margin at water depths ranging from < 300 m, landward from the shelf break, to > 1000 m in regions just a few kilometres from the mid-ocean ridges in the Fram Strait. The mechanisms controlling seepage remain elusive. The Vestnesa sedimentary ridge, located on oceanic crust at a depth of 1000–1700 m, hosts a perennial gas hydrate and associated free gas system. The restriction of the occurrence of acoustic flares to the eastern segment of the sedimentary ridge, despite the presence of pockmarks along the entire ridge, indicates a spatial variation in seepage activity. This variation coincides with a change in the faulting pattern as well as in the characteristics of the fluid flow features. Due to the position of the Vestnesa Ridge with respect to the Molloy and Knipovich mid-ocean ridges, it has been suggested that seepage along the ridge has a tectonic control. We modelled the tectonic stress regime due to oblique spreading along the Molloy and Knipovich ridges to investigate whether spatial variations in the tectonic regime along the Vestnesa Ridge are plausible. The model predicts a zone of tensile stress that extends northward from the Knipovich Ridge and encompasses the zone of acoustic flares on the eastern Vestnesa Ridge. In this zone the orientation of the maximum principal stress is parallel to pre-existing faults. The model predicts a strike-slip stress regime in regions with pockmarks where acoustic flares have not been documented. If a certain degree of coupling is assumed between deep crustal and near-surface deformation, it is possible that ridge-push forces have influenced seepage activity in the region by interacting with the pore-pressure regime at the base of the gas hydrate stability zone. More abundant seepage on the eastern Vestnesa Ridge at present may be facilitated by the dilation of faults and fractures favourably oriented with respect to the stress field. A modified state of stress in the past, due to more significant glacial stress for instance, may explain vigorous seepage activity along the entire Vestnesa Ridge. The contribution of other mechanisms to the state of stress (i.e. sedimentary loading and lithospheric flexure) remain to be investigated. Our study provides a first-order assessment of how tectonic stresses may be influencing the kinematics of near-surface faults and associated seepage activity offshore of the western Svalbard margin.

Heterogeneities in Stress and Strength in Tohoku and Its Relationship with Earthquake Sequences Triggered by the 2011 M9 Tohoku-Oki Earthquake

Abstract: Inland Tohoku has been recognized as under the WNW-ESE compressional stress state before the 2011 M9 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. Earthquakes that occurred there were characterized by reverse faulting with the compressional axis oriented in almost the WNW-ESE direction. The Tohoku-Oki earthquake reduced this WNW-ESE compressional stress and, therefore, should have suppressed the earthquake occurrence. However, several intensive earthquake sequences were triggered in inland Tohoku. In this study, we investigated the triggering mechanism of these remote earthquake sequences in the stress shadow based on the detailed distribution of stress orientations newly determined from pre-mainshock focal mechanism data. The spatial distribution of stress orientations shows that there exist some regions with anomalous stress fields even before the Tohoku-Oki earthquake on the spatial scale of a few tens of kilometers. This spatial heterogeneity in the stress field suggests that the differential stress magnitude in inland Tohoku is low (a few tens of MPa). Locations of the earthquake clusters tend to correspond to regions where the principal stress axis orientations of the pre-mainshock period are similar to those of the static stress change by the Tohoku-Oki earthquake. This observation suggests that these earthquake sequences were triggered by a local increase in differential stress due to the static stress change. However, a few swarm sequences occurred in central Tohoku with delays ranging from a few days to few weeks after the Tohoku-Oki earthquake despite the reduction in differential stress. These sequences have notable characteristics including upward migration of hypocenters. Such features are similar to the fluid-injection induced seismicity. The source regions of these swarms are located near the ancient caldera structures and major geological boundaries. The swarm activities were probably triggered by the upward fluid movement along such pre-existing structures. These observations demonstrate that information about the temporal evolutions of both stress and frictional strength is necessary to understand the triggering mechanism of earthquakes.

Hydraulic fracture propagation in a heterogeneous stress field in a crystalline rock mass

Abstract: . As part of the In-situ Stimulation and Circulation (ISC) experiment, hydraulic fracturing (HF) tests were conducted in a moderately fractured crystalline rock mass at the Grimsel Test Site (GTS), Switzerland. The aim of these injection tests was to improve our understanding of processes associated with high-pressure fluid injection. A total of six HF experiments were performed in two inclined boreholes; the surrounding rock mass was accessed with 12 observation boreholes, which allows for the high-resolution monitoring of fracture fluid pressure, strain, and microseismicity in an exceptionally well-characterized rock mass. A similar injection protocol was used for all six experiments to investigate the complexity of the fracture propagation processes. At the borehole scale, these processes involved newly created tensile fractures intersecting the injection interval, while at the cross-hole scale, the natural network of fractures dominated the propagation process. The six HF experiments can be divided into two groups based on their injection location (i.e., south or north to a brittle–ductile shear zone), their similarity of injection pressures, and their response to deformation and pressure propagation. The injection tests performed in the south connect upon propagation to the brittle–ductile shear zone. Thus, the shear zone acts as a dominant drain and a constant pressure boundary. The experiments executed north of the shear zone show smaller injection pressures and larger backflow during bleed-off phases. From a seismic perspective, the injection tests show high variability in seismic response independently of the location of injection. For two injection experiments, we observe reorientation of the seismic cloud as the fracture propagated away from the wellbore. In both cases, the main propagation direction is normal to the minimum principal stress direction. The reorientation during propagation is interpreted to be related to a strong stress heterogeneity and the intersection of natural fractures striking differently than the propagating hydraulic fracture. The seismic activity was limited to about 10 m of radial distance from the injection point. In contrast, strain and pressure signals reach further into the rock mass, indicating that the process zone around the injection point is larger than the zone illuminated by seismic signals. Furthermore, strain signals indicate not just single fracture openings but also the propagation of multiple fractures. Transmissivities of injection intervals increase about 2–4 orders of magnitudes.

Stress Field Distribution and Deformation Law of Large Deformation Tunnel Excavation in Soft Rock Mass

Abstract: The problem of large deformation is very prominent in deep-buried tunnel excavation in soft rock, which brings serious potential safety hazards and economic losses to projects. Knowledge of the stress field distribution and deformation law is the key to ensuring rational design and safe construction in large deformation tunnels of soft rock. As described in this paper, theoretical analysis, numerical simulation and field monitoring were employed to investigate the surrounding rock stress and displacement state in the Dongsong hydropower station in Sichuan Province, China. The results show that the short-bench construction method can effectively control the deformation of surrounding rock and range of the plastic zone. In order to reserve enough working space, the optimum bench length in the actual construction was 10 to 14 m. The peripheral displacement and plastic radius decreased with the increase of tunnel support strength and the advance of supporting time. The displacement can be effectively controlled by applying the second lining in time at a position about twice the diameter of the hole (16 m) from the working face. A reasonable reserved deformation should be adopted to avoid secondary expanding excavation. The values of different positions in the tunnel laterally and longitudinally may be different, and adjustments are needed according to the actual situation.

Seismic and Aseismic Fault Growth Lead to Different Fault Orientations

Abstract: Orientations of natural fault systems are subject to large variations. They often contradict classical Andersonian faulting theory as they are misoriented relative to the prevailing regional stress field. This is ascribed to local effects of structural or stress heterogeneities and reorientations of structures or stresses on the long-term. To better understand the relation between fault orientation and regional stresses, we simulate spontaneous fault growth and its effect on the stress field. Our approach incorporates earthquake rupture dynamics, visco-elasto-plastic brittle deformation and a rate-and state- dependent friction formulation in a continuum mechanics framework. We investigate how strike slip faults orient according to local and far-field stresses during their growth. We identify two modes of fault growth, seismic and aseismic, distinguished by different fault angles and slip velocities. Seismic fault growth causes a significant elevation of dynamic stresses and friction values ahead of the propagating fault tip. These elevated quantities result in a greater strike angle relative to the maximum principal regional stress than that of a fault segment formed aseismically. When compared to the near-tip time-dependent stress field the fault orientations produced by both growth modes follow Anderson’s classical faulting theory. We demonstrate how the two types of fault growth may be distinguished in natural faults by comparing their angles relative to the original regional max- imum principal stress. A stress field analysis of the Landers-Mojave fault suggests that an angle greater than approximately 25° between two faults indicates seismic fault growth.

In Situ Stress State of the Northwest Region of the Jiaodong Peninsula, China from Overcoring Stress Measurements in Three Gold Mines

Abstract: The northwest region of the Jiaodong Peninsula has a complex geological environment that experiences frequent microseismic activity. In situ stress magnitudes and orientations in three underground gold mines (i.e., Sanshandao, Xincheng, and Linglong gold mines) were obtained by an improved overcoring technique with a hollow inclusion strain gauge from 53 measuring points, and the distribution characteristics of the in situ stress field were analyzed. The results show that the stress field is characterized by σH > σh > σv and σH > σv > σh (where σH, σh, and σv are maximum horizontal, minimum horizontal, and vertical principal stresses, respectively). The regional stress field is dominated by the horizontal principal stress in the measurement depth ranges. The σH is dominantly oriented in the NWW–SEE or near E–W direction, which is, in general, in agreement with those interpreted by focal mechanism solutions, geodesic leveling analysis, and GPS data. The stress accumulation in the study area is at moderate and low levels under the present tectonic stress state, and the superficial crust is in a relatively stable state. The stress accumulation in the thrust stress state and the strike-slip stress state are mostly moderate.