Sensor Size Effect on Rayleigh Wave Velocity on Cementitious Surfaces

Concrete properties and damage conditions are widely evaluated by ultrasonics. When access is limited, the evaluation takes place from a single surface. In this case, the sensor size plays a crucial role due to the “aperture effect”. While this effect is well documented regarding the amplitude or the frequency content of the surface (or Rayleigh) wave pulses, it has not been studied in terms of the wave velocity, although the velocity value is connected to concrete stiffness, porosity, damage degree, and is even empirically used to evaluate compressive strength. In this study, numerical simulations take place where sensors of different sizes are used to measure the surface wave velocity as well as its dependence on frequency (dispersion) and sensor size, showing the strong aperture effect and suggesting rules for reliable measurements on a concrete surface. The numerical trends are also validated by experimental measurements on a cementitious material by sensors of different sizes.

Effects of fracture connectivity on Rayleigh wave velocity dispersion

<p>The use of passive seismic techniques to monitor geothermal reservoirs allows to assess the risks associated with their exploitation and stimulation. One key characteristic of geothermal reservoirs is the degree of fracture connectivity and its evolution. The reason for this is that changes in the interconnectivity of the prevailing fractures affect the permeability and, thus, the productivity of the system. An increasing number of studies indicates that the Rayleigh wave velocity can be sensitive to changes in the mechanical and hydraulic properties of geothermal reservoirs. In this work, we explore the effects of fracture connectivity on Rayleigh wave velocity dispersion accounting for wave-induced fluid pressure diffusion effects. To this end, we consider a 1D layered model consisting of a surficial sandstone formation overlying a fractured and water-saturated granitic layer, which, in turn, is underlain by a compact granitic half-space. For the stochastic fracture network prevailing in the upper granitic layer, we consider varying levels of fracture connectivity, ranging from entirely unconnected to fully interconnected. We use an upscaling approach based on Biot’s poroelasticity theory to determine the effective properties associated with these scenarios. This procedure allows to obtain the frequency-dependent seismic body wave velocities accounting for fluid pressure diffusion effects. Finally, using these parameters, we compute the corresponding Rayleigh wave velocity dispersion. Our results show that Rayleigh wave phase and group velocities exhibit a significant sensitivity to the degree of fracture connectivity, which is mainly due to a reduction of the stiffening effect of the fluid residing in connected fractures in response to wave-induced fluid pressure diffusion. This suggests that time-lapse observations of Rayleigh wave velocity changes, which so far are commonly associated with changes in the fracture density, could also be related to changes in the interconnectivity of pre-existing fractures.</p>

The Correlation of Dynamic Cone Penetration Blow Count of Wind Carried Sand vs. Surface Wave Velocity in West Bank of Qinghai Lake

Based on a test of wind carried sand roadbed in the west bank of Qinghai Lake, Rayleigh wave method is introduced to measure roadbed compactness of the specific soil in China, and analysis is conducted to find correlation of Rayleigh wave velocity (VR) vs. the blow count (N10) of dynamic cone penetration, then a regression formula is presented.

Anomalous statistics of aftershock sequences generated by supershear ruptures

Most earthquake ruptures propagate with speeds smaller than the Rayleigh wave velocity of the medium. These are called sub- Rayleigh ruptures. However, under suitable conditions, segments of otherwise sub- Rayleigh seismogenic ruptures can occasionally accelerate to speeds higher than the local shear wave velocity, giving rise to so-called supershear ruptures. The occurrence of supershear ruptures is usually associated with a locally higher value of pre-stress on the fault segment compared to the sub-Rayleigh segments of the same fault. Additionally, shear stress changes generated by the supershear rupture are radiated out unattenuated to distances comparable to the depth of rupture instead of rapidly decaying at much smaller distances from the rupture. This leads to aftershocks being distributed away from the fault on the supershear segment. This study attempts to verify whether these pre- and postseismic stress conditions and the resultant spatial aftershock distributions lead to discernible features in the statistical properties of the aftershock sequences of the earthquakes known to be associated with supershear ruptures. We analyze the Gutenberg-Richter scaling, the modified Omori law and Båth’s law for the aftershock sequences of two supershear mainshocks: the 1979 <em>M</em>_W 6.5 Imperial Valley (California) and 2002 <em>M</em>_W 7.9 Denali (Alaska) earthquakes. We observe that the <em>b</em>-value is always higher in the supershear zone than the rest of the sequence. We also observe that there is no systematic trend in the exponent of the modified Omori law when comparing the aftershocks in the supershear zone with the rest of the aftershocks. We argue that the <em>b</em>-value anomaly can be explained in terms of the off-fault distribution of aftershocks around the supershear segment of the rupture.