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Title: Strain localization in dry sheared granular materials: A compactivity-based approach

Journal Article · · Physical Review E
 [1];  [1]
  1. Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)

Shear banding is widely observed in natural fault zones as well as in laboratory experiments on granular materials. Understanding the dynamics of strain localization under different loading conditions is essential for quantifying strength evolution of fault gouge, energy partitioning during earthquakes and characterizing rheological transitions and fault zone structure changes. To that end, we develop a physics-based continuum model for strain localization in sheared granular materials. The grain-scale dynamics is described by the Shear Transformation Zone (STZ) theory, a non-equilibrium statistical thermodynamic framework for viscoplastic deformation in amorphous materials. Using a finite strain computational framework, we investigate the initiation and growth of complex shear bands under a variety of loading conditions and identify implication for strength evolution and ductile to brittle transition. Our numerical results show similar localization patterns to field and lab observations and suggest that shear zones show more ductile response at higher confining pressures, lower dilatancy and loose initial conditions. Lower pressures, higher dilatancy and dense initial conditions favor a brittle response and larger strength drops. These findings shed light on a range of mechanisms for strength evolution in dry sheared granular materials and provide a critical input to physicsbased multiscale models of fault zone instabilities.

Research Organization:
Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Geologic Storage of CO2 (GSCO2); Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, IL (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
SC0012504; SC0C12504
OSTI ID:
1566381
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1467159
Journal Information:
Physical Review E, Vol. 98, Issue 2; ISSN 2470-0045
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 14 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

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  • Kurukuri, Srihari; Worswick, Michael J.; Ghaffari Tari, Dariush
  • Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences, Vol. 372, Issue 2015 https://doi.org/10.1098/rsta.2013.0216
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Cited By (1)

Seismic and Aseismic Fault Growth Lead to Different Fault Orientations journal August 2019

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