scholarly journals Lateral clay injection into normal faults

GeoArabia ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
pp. 501-522
Author(s):  
Wouter van der Zee ◽  
Janos L. Urai ◽  
Pascal D. Richard

ABSTRACT The clay content of fault gouge is one of the main factors controlling transport and mechanical properties of a fault zone. This paper addresses the process of lateral clay injection into normal faults, which is one of the many processes contributing to the development of clay smear, and can lead to local enrichment of clay in a fault gouge. We combined field observations with geomechanical models to quantify the parameters leading to lateral clay injection into fault zones. Detailed field study shows that a releasing fault bend in a clay layer is required for clay injection to occur. The clay injection process is often associated with the formation of a branch in the fault and the development of a “squeezing block” which injects the clay into the fault zone. A simple analytical model predicts the onset of clay injection when C = σ'v (1 - sin ϕ) / (2 cos ϕ), where C is cohesion (MPa), σ'v is vertical stress (MPa) and ϕ (°) is friction angle. More detailed analysis using 2-D geomechanical finite element models is in good agreement with the analytical models and allows study of the system at higher fault throw. Results of sandbox models containing layers of an elastoplastic clay analogue also compare well with field observations and numerical models, and show the initiation of the releasing step and the evolution of the clay injection process with increasing fault throw. Using our results it is possible to predict the likelihood of lateral clay injection in the subsurface, in settings like the Gharif formation of the Haushi group of Central and South Oman or the Natih formation of North Oman. This requires an estimation of the mechanical properties of the clays at the time of faulting; data which can be obtained from wireline logs and cuttings. This approach to fault seal analysis emphasizes the mechanical aspects of the clay smear process, in addition to the kinematics which were considered in previous analyses. Its application should lead to improved prediction of fault seal processes in the subsurface.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyriaki Drymoni ◽  
John Browning ◽  
Agust Gudmundsson

<p>Dykes and inclined sheets are known occasionally to exploit faults as parts of their paths, but the conditions that allow this to happen are still not fully understood. Here we report field observations from a well-exposed dyke swarm of the Santorini volcano, Greece, that show dykes and inclined sheets deflected into faults and the results of analytical and numerical models to explain the conditions for deflection. The deflected dykes and sheets belong to a local swarm of 91 dyke/sheet segments that was emplaced in a highly heterogeneous and anisotropic host rock and partially cut by some regional faults and a series of historic caldera collapses, the caldera walls providing, excellent exposures of the structures. The numerical models focus on a normal-fault dipping 65° with a damage zone composed of parallel layers or zones of progressively more compliant rocks with increasing distance from the fault rupture plane. We model sheet-intrusions dipping from 0˚ to 90˚ and with overpressures of alternatively 1 MPa and 5 MPa, approaching the fault. We further tested the effects of changing (1) the sheet thickness, (2) the fault-zone thickness, (3) the fault-zone dip-dimension (height), and (4) the loading by, alternatively, regional extension and compression. We find that the stiffness of the fault core, where a compliant core characterises recently active fault zones, has pronounced effects on the orientation and magnitudes of the local stresses and, thereby, on the likelihood of dyke/sheet deflection into the fault zone. Similarly, the analytical models, focusing on the fault-zone tensile strength and energy conditions for dyke/sheet deflection, indicate that dykes/sheets are most likely to be deflected into and use steeply dipping recently active (zero tensile-strength) normal faults as parts of their paths.</p>


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agust Gudmundsson ◽  
Kyriaki Drymoni ◽  
Mohsen Bazargan ◽  
Kayode Adeoye-Akinde

<p>It is of great importance in many fields to be able to forecast the likely propagation paths of fluid-driven factures. These include mineral veins, human-made hydraulic fractures, and dikes/inclined sheets. The physical principles that control the propagation of all fluid-driven fractures are the same. Here the focus is on dikes and inclined sheets where the selected path determines whether, where, and when a particular dike/sheet reaches the surface to erupt. Here we provide analytical and numerical models on dike/sheet paths in crustal segments (including volcanoes) that include layers of various types (lava flows, pyroclastic flows, tuff layers, soil layers, etc) as well as mechanically weak contacts and faults. The modelling results are then compared with, and tested on, actual data of two types. (a) Seismic data on the paths of dikes/sheets as well as human-made hydraulic fractures, and (b) field data on the actual propagation paths of dikes/sheets in layered and faulted rocks</p><p>The numerical results show that, particularly in stratovolcanoes, the paths are likely to be complex with common deflections along layer contacts, in agreement with field observations.  Also, some dikes/sheets may use existing faults as parts of their paths, primarily steeply dipping and recently active normal faults. The propagation path is thus not entirely in pure mode I but rather partly in a mixed mode. The energy required to propagate the dike/sheet is mainly the surface energy needed to rupture the rock, to form two new surfaces and move them apart as the fracture propagates. The energy available to drive the fracture is the stored elastic energy in the hosting crustal segment.</p><p>From its point of initiation in the magma-chamber roof, a dike/sheet can, theoretically, select any one of an infinite number of paths to follow to its point of arrest or eruption. It is shown that the eventual path selected is the one of least action, that is, the path along which the time integral of the difference between the kinetic and potential energies is an extremum (normally a minimum) relative to all other possible paths with the same endpoints. If the kinetic energy is omitted, and there are no constraints, then least action becomes the minimum potential energy, which was postulated as a basis for understanding dike propagation by Gudmundsson (1986). Here it is shown how this theoretical framework can help us make reliable forecasts of dike/sheet paths and associated volcanic eruptions.</p><p>Gudmundsson, A., 1986. Formation of dykes, feeder-dykes, and the intrusion of dykes from magma chambers. Bulletin of Volcanology, 47, 537-550.</p><p>Gudmundsson, A., 2020. Volcanotectonics: Understanding the Structure, Deformation, and Dynamics of Volcanoes. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.</p><p>Drymoni, K., Browning, J. Gudmundsson, A., 2020. Dyke-arrest scenarios in extensional regimes: insights from field observations and numerical models, Santorini, Greece. Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research (in press).</p><p> </p>


2007 ◽  
Vol 23 ◽  
pp. 9-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Stefanescu

This paper is a review of the marvelous development of mathematical and computer models that describe the fundamentals of microstructure evolution during the solidification of cast alloys, from the 1966 seminal paper by Oldfield, the first to attempt computational modeling of microstructure evolution during solidification, to the current prediction of mechanical properties. The latest analytical models for irregular eutectics such as cast iron, as well as numerical models with microstructure output, to include cellular automaton, will be discussed. Phase field models will not be discussed because of their inapplicability to casting solidification at the present time.


Author(s):  
Antonio Maria D’Altri ◽  
Francesco Cannizzaro ◽  
Massimo Petracca ◽  
Diego Alejandro Talledo

AbstractIn this paper, a simple and practitioners-friendly calibration strategy to consistently link target panel-scale mechanical properties (that can be found in national standards) to model material-scale mechanical properties is presented. Simple masonry panel geometries, with various boundary conditions, are utilized to test numerical models and calibrate their mechanical properties. The calibration is successfully conducted through five different numerical models (most of them available in commercial software packages) suitable for nonlinear modelling of masonry structures, using nonlinear static analyses. Firstly, the panel stiffness calibration is performed, focusing the attention to the shear stiffness. Secondly, the panel strength calibration is conducted for several axial load ratios by attempts using as reference the target panel strength deduced by well-known analytical strength criteria. The results in terms of panel strength for the five different models show that this calibration strategy appears effective in obtaining model properties coherent with Italian National Standard and Eurocode. Open issues remain for the calibration of the post-peak response of masonry panels, which still appears highly conventional in the standards.


Author(s):  
Bahaa Shaqour ◽  
Mohammad Abuabiah ◽  
Salameh Abdel-Fattah ◽  
Adel Juaidi ◽  
Ramez Abdallah ◽  
...  

AbstractAdditive manufacturing is a promising tool that has proved its value in various applications. Among its technologies, the fused filament fabrication 3D printing technique stands out with its potential to serve a wide variety of applications, ranging from simple educational purposes to industrial and medical applications. However, as many materials and composites can be utilized for this technique, the processability of these materials can be a limiting factor for producing products with the required quality and properties. Over the past few years, many researchers have attempted to better understand the melt extrusion process during 3D printing. Moreover, other research groups have focused on optimizing the process by adjusting the process parameters. These attempts were conducted using different methods, including proposing analytical models, establishing numerical models, or experimental techniques. This review highlights the most relevant work from recent years on fused filament fabrication 3D printing and discusses the future perspectives of this 3D printing technology.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 70
Author(s):  
Marco Ferroni ◽  
Beatrice Belgio ◽  
Giuseppe M. Peretti ◽  
Alessia Di Giancamillo ◽  
Federica Boschetti

The menisci of the knee are complex fibro-cartilaginous tissues that play important roles in load bearing, shock absorption, joint lubrication, and stabilization. The objective of this study was to evaluate the interaction between the different meniscal tissue components (i.e., the solid matrix constituents and the fluid phase) and the mechanical response according to the developmental stage of the tissue. Menisci derived from partially and fully developed pigs were analyzed. We carried out biochemical analyses to quantify glycosaminoglycan (GAG) and DNA content according to the developmental stage. These values were related to tissue mechanical properties that were measured in vitro by performing compression and tension tests on meniscal specimens. Both compression and tension protocols consisted of multi-ramp stress–relaxation tests comprised of increasing strains followed by stress–relaxation to equilibrium. To better understand the mechanical response to different directions of mechanical stimulus and to relate it to the tissue structural composition and development, we performed numerical simulations that implemented different constitutive models (poro-elasticity, viscoelasticity, transversal isotropy, or combinations of the above) using the commercial software COMSOL Multiphysics. The numerical models also allowed us to determine several mechanical parameters that cannot be directly measured by experimental tests. The results of our investigation showed that the meniscus is a non-linear, anisotropic, non-homogeneous material: mechanical parameters increase with strain, depend on the direction of load, and vary among regions (anterior, central, and posterior). Preliminary numerical results showed the predominant role of the different tissue components depending on the mechanical stimulus. The outcomes of biochemical analyses related to mechanical properties confirmed the findings of the numerical models, suggesting a specific response of meniscal cells to the regional mechanical stimuli in the knee joint. During maturation, the increase in compressive moduli could be explained by cell differentiation from fibroblasts to metabolically active chondrocytes, as indicated by the found increase in GAG/DNA ratio. The changes of tensile mechanical response during development could be related to collagen II accumulation during growth. This study provides new information on the changes of tissue structural components during maturation and the relationship between tissue composition and mechanical response.


2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 477-508 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. F.R. SANTOS ◽  
R. C. S. S. ALVARENGA ◽  
J. C. L. RIBEIRO ◽  
L. O CASTRO ◽  
R. M. SILVA ◽  
...  

Abstract This work developed experimental tests and numerical models able to represent the mechanical behavior of prisms made of ordinary and high strength concrete blocks. Experimental tests of prisms were performed and a detailed micro-modeling strategy was adopted for numerical analysis. In this modeling technique, each material (block and mortar) was represented by its own mechanical properties. The validation of numerical models was based on experimental results. It was found that the obtained numerical values of compressive strength and modulus of elasticity differ by 5% from the experimentally observed values. Moreover, mechanisms responsible for the rupture of the prisms were evaluated and compared to the behaviors observed in the tests and those described in the literature. Through experimental results it is possible to conclude that the numerical models have been able to represent both the mechanical properties and the mechanisms responsible for failure.


2003 ◽  
Vol 25 (9) ◽  
pp. 1471-1485 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Bellahsen ◽  
Jean-Marc Daniel ◽  
Laurent Bollinger ◽  
Evgenii Burov

1969 ◽  
Vol 59 (5) ◽  
pp. 1927-1936 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Page

abstract Field observations made ten years after the southeast Alaska earthquake (M = 7.9) of 10 July 1958 reveal environmental and geomorphic changes in the Fairweather fault zone. Faulting associated with the earthquake killed many trees in the Crillon Lake region. Trees were tilted and later fell, and possibly were drowned because of changes in drainage conditions. A nearly vertical, 2-meter scarp in soil has been eroded to a slope of 35° to 40° in the decade since 1958. Microearthquake activity sampled at a single site on the fault is at least equal to or possibly greater than that reported from active sites on the San Andreas and Denali faults. The distribution of S-P times is consistent with a uniform planar distribution of shocks on a segment of the fault that slipped in 1958. The expected seismicity from aftershocks of the 1958 earthquake is less, but not significantly less, than the observed seismicity.


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