Volatile-consuming reactions fracture rocks and self-accelerate fluid flow in the lithosphere

Hydration and carbonation reactions within the Earth cause an increase in solid volume by up to several tens of vol%, which can induce stress and rock fracture. Observations of naturally hydrated and carbonated peridotite suggest that permeability and fluid flow are enhanced by reaction-induced fracturing. However, permeability enhancement during solid-volume–increasing reactions has not been achieved in the laboratory, and the mechanisms of reaction-accelerated fluid flow remain largely unknown. Here, we present experimental evidence of significant permeability enhancement by volume-increasing reactions under confining pressure. The hydromechanical behavior of hydration of sintered periclase [MgO + H2O → Mg(OH)2] depends mainly on the initial pore-fluid connectivity. Permeability increased by three orders of magnitude for low-connectivity samples, whereas it decreased by two orders of magnitude for high-connectivity samples. Permeability enhancement was caused by hierarchical fracturing of the reacting materials, whereas a decrease was associated with homogeneous pore clogging by the reaction products. These behaviors suggest that the fluid flow rate, relative to reaction rate, is the main control on hydromechanical evolution during volume-increasing reactions. We suggest that an extremely high reaction rate and low pore-fluid connectivity lead to local stress perturbations and are essential for reaction-induced fracturing and accelerated fluid flow during hydration/carbonation.

Oxidation behaviors of carbon fiber reinforced multilayer SiC-Si3N4 matrix composites

Oxidation behaviors of carbon fiber reinforced SiC matrix composites (C/SiC) are one of the most noteworthy properties. For C/SiC, the oxidation behavior was controlled by matrix microcracks caused by the mismatch of coefficients of thermal expansion (CTEs) and elastic modulus between carbon fiber and SiC matrix. In order to improve the oxidation resistance, multilayer SiC-Si3N4 matrices were fabricated by chemical vapor infiltration (CVI) to alleviate the above two kinds of mismatch and change the local stress distribution. For the oxidation of C/SiC with multilayer matrices, matrix microcracks would be deflected at the transition layer between different layers of multilayer SiC-Si3N4 matrix to lengthen the oxygen diffusion channels, thereby improving the oxidation resistance of C/SiC, especially at 800 and 1000 °C. The strength retention ratio was increased from 61.9% (C/SiC-SiC/SiC) to 75.7% (C/SiC-Si3N4/SiC/SiC) and 67.8% (C/SiC-SiC/Si3N4/SiC) after oxidation at 800 °C for 10 h.

Spatiotemporal Variations of Focal Mechanism Solutions and Stress Field of the 2019 Changning Ms 6.0 Earthquake Sequence

The June 17, 2019, MS 6.0 Changning earthquake is the largest recorded event in the Sichuan basin, spatiotemporal variations of stress field may shed light on the seismogenic mechanism of the earthquake. We determined the focal mechanism solutions (FMSs) of 124 earthquakes with MS ≥ 3.0 occurring in the Changning area from April 1, 2007, to February 29, 2020, and analyzed changes of FMSs and stress field before and after Changning earthquake. The Changning aftershocks were predominantly thrust fault earthquakes, followed by strike slip. The P-axis azimuths of the aftershock FMSs were oriented predominantly in the NEE direction, notably differing from the NWW-oriented P-axis azimuths of pre-earthquake FMSs; it shows the rotation of local stress field before and after the Changning earthquake, it is speculated that the change of stress field in Changning area may be caused by long-term water injection and salt mining activities. From the southeast to the northwest of the aftershock zone, the azimuths of principal compressive stress (S1) change from NEE to near-EW in both horizontal and vertical planes. Significant changes occurred in the FMS types and stress field of the aftershock zone following the Changning earthquake, the FMSs became diverse, the S1 azimuth of the Changning area changed from NWW to NEE, and then EW, the plunge and stress tensor variances increased, it reflects that the stress field of the Changning area adjusts continually with time.

Understanding the Failure Mechanism of Thermal Barrier Coatings Considering the Local Bulge at the Interface between YSZ Ceramic and Bond Layer

The TC/BC interface morphology in APS TBC is one of the important factors leading to crack propagation and coating failure. Long cracks are found near the bulge on the TC/BC interface. In this study, the TBC model with the bulge on the interface is developed to explore the influence of the bulge on the coating failure. Dynamic TGO growth and crack propagation are considered in the model. The effects of the bulge on the stress state and crack propagation in the ceramic layer are examined. Moreover, the effects of the distribution and number of bulges are also investigated. The results show that the bulge on the interface results in the redistribution of local stress. The early cracking of the ceramic layer occurs near the top of the bulge. One bulge near the peak or valley of the interface leads to a coating life reduction of about 75% compared with that without a bulge. The increase in the number of bulges further decreases the coating life, which is independent of the bulge location. The results in this work indicate that a smooth TC/BC interface obtained by some possible surface treatments may be an optional scenario for improving coating life.

A Micromechanical Anisotropic Damage Model for Brittle Rocks With Non-Associated Plastic Flow Rule Under True Triaxial Compressive Stresses

A micromechanical anisotropic damage model with a non-associated plastic flow rule is developed for describing the true triaxial behaviors of brittle rocks. We combine the Eshelby’s solution to the inclusion problem with the framework of irreversible thermodynamics. The main dissipative mechanisms of inelastic deformation due to the frictional sliding and damage by microcrack propagation are strongly coupled to each other. A Coulomb-type friction criterion is formulated in terms of the local stress applied onto the microcracks as the yielding function. The back-stress term contained in this local stress plays a critical role in describing the material’s hardening/softening behaviors. With a non-associated flow rule, a potential function is involved. Some analytical analysis of the non-associated micromechanical anisotropic damage model are conducted, which are useful for the model parameters calibration. The proposed model is used to simulate the laboratory tests on Westerly granite under true triaxial stresses. Comparing the numerical simulation results provided by the models with associated/non-associated plastic flow rule and experimental results, it is clear that the proposed non-associated model gives a better prediction than the previous associated model.

Finite Element Analysis of a Spur Gear Considering Mass Relief Strategies

This paper deals with analyzing the structural influence of mass reliefs in spur gears. For this purpose, a system composed of pinion and a gear was designed, such that for gear several geometries were designed with different reliefs shapes and soul thicknesses. From the proposed geometries, finite element analysis (FEA) was performed, and the tooth stresses of each model were compared with the solid gear. From the results, it was observed that the tooth stresses are reduced in some cases. Besides, from the aforementioned cases, it is possible to observe that the maximum stresses may take place in its core instead of the teeth (rim area). On the other hand, based on other cases, the core thickness plays an important role as a criterion that defines the local stress.

Molecular dynamic simulations of plasticity and phase transition in Mg polycrystalline under shock compression

We have investigated the shock-induced plasticity and phase transition in the hexagonal columnar nanocrystalline (HCN) Mg by large-scale nonequilibrium molecular dynamics simulations (NEMD). The preexisting grain boundaries (GBs) induce the nucleation of the {10-12} twins for the local stress relaxation. The twins grow up in grains leading to the orientation rotation. The phase transition from the hexagonal close-packed (HCP) phase to the body-centered cubic (BCC) phase begins when the migrating twin grain boundaries (TGBs) meet in A- and C-type grains, and continues in the plastic deformation regions. The phase-transition pathway involves two steps: the reorientation and phase transformation.

MUYAKAN EARTHQUAKE SEQUENCE in 2015 (Northern Baikal Region)

We present the results of studies of the seismic regime, focal mechanisms, and macroseismic data in the area of the largest Muyakan activation in 2015 (northern Baikal region). Due to the deployment of a network of temporary seismic stations, the number of registered earthquakes (KR≥3) increased significantly in 2015 and reached  30 thousand. Spatio-temporal development of the considered activation is characterized by stable low values of earthquake hypocenters and dividing the epicentral field into two clusters – eastern and north-western ones. Both clusters are connected with local stress-strain field (rift type and strike-slip, respectively), while the general regime of seismotectonic deformations of the crust in the activation area, calculated from the statistical analysis of 77 focal mechanisms of Muyakan earthquakes (KR≥9.2), demonstrates the predominance of submeri-dional horizontal extension. Macroseismic effects from the largest earthquakes of the Muyakan sequence were felt, predominantly, in Severomuysk settlement (=10–15 km, I=5). New data on strong motions, obtained from the records of the seismic station with the same name, have significantly complemented the database for the territory of the north-eastern flank of the Baikal rift zone. In general, the obtained results could be used to clarify the seismic hazard of the considered area and to improve the instrumental part of seismic scales.