scholarly journals Evolution of shear zones in granular packings under pressure

Soft Matter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mahnoush Madani ◽  
Maniya Maleki ◽  
János Török ◽  
M. Reza Shaebani

Stress transmission in realistic granular media often occurs under external load and in the presence of boundary slip. We demonstrate how the shear strain is localized in a split-bottom Couette cell with smooth walls subject to a confining pressure.

Solid Earth ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 2141-2167
Author(s):  
Nicolas Mansard ◽  
Holger Stünitz ◽  
Hugues Raimbourg ◽  
Jacques Précigout ◽  
Alexis Plunder ◽  
...  

Abstract. Syn-kinematic mineral reactions play an important role for the mechanical properties of polymineralic rocks. Mineral reactions (i.e., nucleation of new phases) may lead to grain size reduction, producing fine-grained polymineralic mixtures, which have a strongly reduced viscosity because of the activation of grain-size-sensitive deformation processes. In order to study the effect of deformation–reaction feedback(s) on sample strength, we performed rock deformation experiments on “wet” assemblages of mafic compositions in a Griggs-type solid-medium deformation apparatus. Shear strain was applied at constant strain rate (10−5 s−1) and constant confining pressure (1 GPa) with temperatures ranging from 800 to 900 ∘C. At low shear strain, the assemblages that react faster are significantly weaker than the ones that react more slowly, demonstrating that reaction progress has a first-order control on rock strength. With increasing strain, we document two contrasting microstructural scenarios: (1) the development of a single throughgoing high-strain zone of well-mixed, fine-grained aggregates, associated with a significant weakening after peak stress, and (2) the development of partially connected, nearly monomineralic shear bands without major weakening. The lack of weakening is caused by the absence of interconnected well-mixed aggregates of fine-grained reaction products. The nature of the reaction products, and hence the intensity of the mechanical weakening, is controlled by the microstructures of the reaction products to a large extent, e.g., the amount of amphibole and the phase distribution of reaction products. The samples with the largest amount of amphibole exhibit a larger grain size and show less weakening. In addition to their implications for the deformation of natural shear zones, our findings demonstrate that the feedback between deformation and mineral reactions can lead to large differences in mechanical strength, even at relatively small initial differences in mineral composition.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Mansard ◽  
Holger Stünitz ◽  
Hugues Raimbourg ◽  
Jacques Précigout ◽  
Alexis Plunder ◽  
...  

Abstract. Syn-kinematic mineral reactions play an important role for the mechanical properties of polymineralic rocks. Mineral reactions (i.e. nucleation of new phases) may lead to grain size reduction producing fine-grained polymineralic mixtures, which have a strongly reduced viscosity because of the activation of grain-size sensitive deformation processes. In order to study the effect of deformation-reaction feedback(s) on sample strength, we performed rock deformation experiments on wet assemblages of mafic compositions in a Griggs-type solid-medium deformation apparatus. Shear strain was applied at constant strain rate (10−5 s−1) and constant confining pressure (1 GPa) with temperatures ranging from 800 to 900 °C. At low shear strain, the assemblages that react faster are significantly weaker than the ones that react more slowly, demonstrating that reaction progress has a first-order control on rock strength. With increasing strain, we document two contrasting microstructural scenarios: (1) the development of a single through-going high-strain-zone of well-mixed, fine-grained aggregates, associated with a significant weakening after peak stress and (2) the development of partially connected, nearly monomineralic shear bands without major weakening. The lack of weakening is caused by the absence of interconnected well-mixed aggregates of fine-grained reaction products. The nature of the reaction products, and hence the intensity of the mechanical weakening, is controlled by the microstructures of the reaction products to a large extent, e.g., the amount of amphibole and the phase distribution of reaction products. The samples with the largest amount of amphibole exhibit a larger grain size and show less weakening. In addition to their implications for the deformation of natural shear zones, our findings demonstrate that the feedback between deformation and mineral reactions can lead to large differences in mechanical strength, even at relatively small initial differences in mineral composition.


2011 ◽  
Vol 105-107 ◽  
pp. 1426-1432 ◽  
Author(s):  
De Gao Zou ◽  
Tao Gong ◽  
Jing Mao Liu ◽  
Xian Jing Kong

Two of the most important parameters in dynamic analysis involving soils are the dynamic shear modulus and the damping ratio. In this study, a series of tests were performed on gravels. For comparison, some other tests carried out by other researchers were also collected. The test results show that normalized shear modulus and damping ratio vary with the shear strain amplitude, (1) normalized shear modulus decreases with the increase of dynamic shear strain amplitude, and as the confining pressure increases, the test data points move from the low end toward the high end; (2) damping ratio increases with the increase of shear strain amplitude, damping ratio is dependent on confining pressure where an increase in confining pressure decreased damping ratio. According to the test results, a reference formula is proposed to evaluate the maximum dynamic shear modulus, the best-fit curve and standard deviation bounds for the range of data points are also proposed.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Paraskevi Io Ioannidi ◽  
Laetitia Le Pourhiet ◽  
Philippe Agard ◽  
Samuel Angiboust ◽  
Onno Oncken

<p>Exhumed subduction shear zones often exhibit block-in-matrix structures comprising strong clasts within a weak matrix (mélanges). Inspired by such observations, we create synthetic models with different proportions of strong clasts and compare them to natural mélange outcrops. We use 2D Finite Element visco-plastic numerical simulations in simple shear kinematic conditions and we determine the effective rheology of a mélange with basaltic blocks embedded within a wet quartzitic matrix. Our models and their structures are scale-independent; this allows for upscaling published field geometries to km-scale models, compatible with large-scale far-field observations. By varying confining pressure, temperature and strain rate we evaluate effective rheological estimates for a natural subduction interface. Deformation and strain localization are affected by the block-in-matrix ratio. In models where both materials deform viscously, the effective dislocation creep parameters (A, n, and Q) vary between the values of the strong and the weak phase. Approaching the frictional-viscous transition, the mélange bulk rheology is effectively viscous creep but in the small scale parts of the blocks are frictional, leading to higher stresses. This results in an effective value of the stress exponent, n, greater than that of both pure phases, as well as an effective viscosity lower than the weak phase. Our effective rheology parameters may be used in large scale geodynamic models, as a proxy for a heterogeneous subduction interface, if an appropriate evolution law for the block concentration of a mélange is given.</p>


2011 ◽  
Vol 374-377 ◽  
pp. 1391-1395
Author(s):  
Xue Song Lu ◽  
Wei Xiang

Based on the red clay of Wuhan reinforced by Ionic Soil Stabilizer, the red clay soil is treated by different matches of ISS at first, then is tested in the Atterberg limits test and dynamic triaxia test. The results show that the plastic index decreases, and the red clay were greatly improved under the dynamic condition, the maximum dynamic shear modulus ratio acquired an incensement of 27.72% on average after mixing the ISS into the red clay. In addition, It was concluded that the confining pressure influenced the dynamic shear modulus and damping ratio to a certain extent. Given the same strain conditions, with the incensement of confining pressure increases, the dynamic shear modulus increased and the damping ratio decreased. Moreover, when plotting the dynamic shear modulus versus the dynamic shear strain, the similar curve can be formed for both the natural soil and the modified one, the dynamic shear modulus monotonously decreased with the incensement of the dynamic shear strain. However, the value of dynamic shear modulus differed in the same shear strain between the natural soil and the soil modified by ISS.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 1616 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xianwen Huang ◽  
Aizhao Zhou ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Pengming Jiang

In order to support the dynamic design of subgrade filling engineering, an experiment on the dynamic shear modulus (G) and damping ratio (D) of clay–gravel mixtures (CGMs) was carried out. Forty-two groups of resonant column tests were conducted to explore the effects of gravel content (0%, 10%, 20%, 30%, 40%, 50%, and 60%, which was the mass ratio of gravel to clay), gravel shape (round and angular gravels), and confining pressure (100, 200, and 300 kPa) on the dynamic shear modulus, and damping ratio of CGMs under the same compacting power. The test results showed that, with the increase of gravel content, the maximum dynamic shear modulus of CGMs increases, the referent shear strain increases linearly, and the minimum and maximum damping ratios decrease gradually. In CGMs with round gravels, the maximum dynamic shear modulus and the maximum damping ratio are greater, and the referent shear strain and the minimum damping ratio are smaller, compared to those with angular gravels. With the increase of confining pressure, the maximum dynamic shear modulus and the referent shear strain increase nonlinearly, while the minimum and maximum damping ratios decrease nonlinearly. The predicting equation for the dynamic shear modulus and the damping ratio of CGMs when considering confining pressure, gravel content, and shape was established. The results of this research may put forward a solid foundation for engineering design considering low-strain-level mechanical performance.


Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 1779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaogui Zhou ◽  
Haiming Liu ◽  
Yintong Guo ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
Zhenkun Hou ◽  
...  

Shale reservoir has an initial unloading effect during the natural uplift and erosion process, which causes the shale brittleness to change, affecting the design of the fracturing scheme. To consider this, the axial compression loading and confining pressure unloading experiment of shale is carried out, and then the influence of unloading rate on the mechanical parameters, failure characteristics, and the brittleness of rock are analyzed. What is more, a new evaluation method of brittleness characteristics that take the unloading effect into consideration is proposed. The conclusions are as follows: (1) The unloading rate has a weakening effect on the mechanical parameters, such as the destructive confining pressure and the residual strength of the samples. (2) The failure characteristics of shale specimens are a single shear failure in an oblique section under low unloading rate, and multiple shear zones accompanied with bedding fracture under high unloading rate. (3) The brittleness of shale samples is well verified by the brittleness index B d 1 and B d 2 during the loading path; nevertheless, it has shortage at the unloading path. This paper proposes a new brittleness evaluation method which can consider the influence of the different unloading rates and unloading points. Furthermore, there is a nice characterization between the brittleness damage and this method.


2012 ◽  
Vol 58 (207) ◽  
pp. 11-22 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christopher J.L. Wilson ◽  
Mark Peternell

AbstractLayered and polycrystalline ice was experimentally deformed in general shear involving axial compression (strain magnitude 0.5-17%) and simple shear (strain magnitude γ = 0.1-1.4). As the temperature is increased from -20°C to -2°C, there is at least a twofold enhancement in octahedral shear strain rate, which coincides with the onset of extensive dynamic recrystallization and a change in grain-size distribution at -15°C. Between -150C and -10°C the c-axis preferred orientation rapidly evolves with the initiation of two-maxima fabrics in shear zones. From -10°C to -2°C there is progressive evolution of a final c-axis pattern that is asymmetric with respect to the direction of shortening, with a strong maximum at ~5° to the pole of the shear zone, a sense of asymmetry in the direction of the shear, and a secondary maximum inclined at ~45° to the plane of shearing. An initial c-axis preferred orientation plays a critical role in the initial mechanical evolution. In contrast to established ideas, a strong alignment of basal planes parallel to the plane of easy glide inhibited deformation and there was an increased component of strain hardening until recrystallization processes become dominant.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Incel ◽  
Jörg Renner ◽  
Bjørn Jamtveit

<p>Plagioclase-rich lower crustal granulites exposed on the Lofoten archipelago, N Norway, display pseudotachylytes, reflecting brittle deformation, as well as ductile shear zones, highlighting plastic deformation. Pristine pseudotachylytes often show no or very little difference in mineral assemblage to their host-rocks that exhibit limited, if any, metamorphic alteration. In contrast, host-rock volumes that developed ductile shear zones exhibit significant hydration towards amphibolite or eclogite-facies assemblages within and near the shear zones. We combine experimental laboratory results and observations from the field to characterize the structural evolution of brittle faults in plagioclase-rich rocks at lower crustal conditions. We performed a series of deformation experiments on intact granulite samples at 2.5 GPa confining pressure,  a strain rate of 5×10<sup>-5</sup> s<sup>-1</sup>,  temperatures of 700 and 900 °C, and total strains of either ~7-8 % or ~33-36 %. Samples were either deformed ‘as-is’, i.e. natural samples without any treatment, or with ~2.5 wt.% H<sub>2</sub>O added. Striking similarities between the experimental and natural microstructures suggest that the transformation of precursory brittle structures into ductile shear zones at eclogite-facies conditions is most effective when hydrous fluids are available in excess.</p>


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 555-566
Author(s):  
Jianfeng Li ◽  
Zhourong Cai ◽  
Qiangtai Huang ◽  
Tongbin Shao ◽  
Maoshuang Song ◽  
...  

Nanoparticles have been extensively found in brittle faults or ductile shear zones, and their formation is closely related to shear movement along the fault plane. However, the formation mechanisms of these nanoparticles are not yet clear. In this study, dolomite samples were triaxially compressed, at a confining pressure of 200–300 MPa, a temperature between 27 °C and 900 °C and a strain rate of approximately 10−5s−1, with a Paterson designed gas medium high-temperature and high-pressure deformation apparatus (HTPDA). Samples deformed at room temperature were characterized by universal microcracks and undulatory extinctions in some grains; when at a temperature between 300 °C and 500 °C, well-developed mechanical twins dominated the microstructure, while at a temperature ≥800 °C, displacements of twin lamellae along a cleavage and a well-developed fracture zone could be seen. Nanoparticles of different shapes were discovered on the slip surfaces of a shear fracture or in microcracks by field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM). Nanoparticles on deformed samples under low differential stress were usually of sporadic spherical shapes and uneven distribution; while deformed samples under high differential stress had more dense distributions that were identified. Moreover, grain-overlap and nanofine granulation could be recognized in high strain samples. Based on a mechanical data analysis and microstructural observations, it was suggested that the initial formation of nanoparticles was macroscopically determined by the differential stress subjected to the host rocks, and had nothing to do with temperature; whereas the aggregation morphology of the nanoparticles was related to the temperature during the formation and evolution processes of the nanoparticles.


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