Spatial and Temporal Stress Variations before and after the 2008 Wenchuan M_(w)7.9 Earthquake and its Implications:A Study based on Borehole Stress Data

In situ stress measurement data was analyzed to estimate the temporal and spatial stress variations at shallow depths in the Longmenshan fault zone(LMSF),prior to and following the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake(WCEQ).Analysis of the stress field related to fault strength and behavior is useful for understanding geodynamic processes and conducting hazard assessments.The shallow stress changes after the WCEQ show clear along-strike variations.Degrees of stress orientation rotations have a negative correlation with the horizontal principal stress ratios and the WCEQ apparently reduced the magnitude difference between horizontal principal stresses.Taking stress magnitudes and orientation distribution relative to the fault strike into account,we propose an intermediate-strength of LMSF,with a friction coefficient generally constrained between 0.35 and 0.6.In addition,high-pressure fluids in the fault zone reduce the effective normal stress and to a certain degree weaken the fault strength.The accumulated stress over a certain period following release of the WCEQ indicates the start of another earthquake cycle.The changing crustal stress field makes the LMSF stable or slipping optimally during geodynamic processes.The segmentation feature of the shallow crustal stress field in the LMSF may imply a different tectonic loading and seismic release processes along the fault.The southwestern section to the epicenter of the WCEQ favors the occurrence of future earthquakes,as highμm in a state of critical failure was present in this area,which indicates that the Wenchuan and Lushan earthquakes did not release the accumulated stress to a sufficient extent there.

Stress Variation Model of Bond Stress-Slip Relationship Between Steel Bar and Concrete

-Based on the experimental data, a stress variation model of the bond stress-slip relationship between steel bar and concrete is established. The characteristic of the model is that the boundary conditions are satisfied very well; the effects of the material properties, the concrete cover, the crack spacing and the distance from the cracked cross section are considered. Good agreement between measured and calculated bond stress-slip relationship is found. This model is useful for the study of the stiffness, deformation and crack width of reinforced concrete members, and for the nonlinear analysis of reinforced concrete structures by the finite element method.

Micro sliding friction model considering periodic variation stress distribution of contact surface and experimental verification

Micro sliding phenomenon widely exists in the operation process of mechanical systems,and the micro sliding friction mechanism is always a research hotspot.In this work,based on the total reflection method,a measuring device for interface contact behavior under two-dimensional(2D)vibration is built.The stress distribution is characterized by the light intensity distribution of the contact image,and the interface contact behavior in the 2D vibration process is studied.It is found that the vibration angle of the normal direction of the contact surface and its fluctuation affect the interface friction coefficient,the tangential stiffness,and the fluctuation amplitude of the stress distribution.Then they will affect the change of friction state and energy dissipation in the process of micro sliding.Further,an improved micro sliding friction model is proposed based on the experimental analysis,with the nonlinear change of contact parameters caused by the normal contact stress distribution fluctuation taken into account.This model considers the interface tangential stiffness fluctuation,friction coefficient hysteresis,and stress distribution fluctuation,whose simulation results are consistent well with the experimental results.It is found that considering the nonlinear effect of a certain contact parameter alone may bring a greater error to the prediction of friction behavior.Only by integrating multiple contact parameters can the accuracy of friction prediction is improved.

Entry and Exit Stress Variation of Cold Rolling Strip

The shortcomings of an exit stress variation formula which has been well accepted are analyzed~ it is found that the exit stress variation formula violates the premise of the law of volume constancy. The shortcomings of an en- try stress variation formula are analyzed too, and the basic assumption of the formula is uniform exit velocity. How- ever, for a rigid-plastic material uniform exit velocity implies that the lateral distributioi1 of elongation is uniform, so the exit stress must be uniform and any type of flatness defect is impossible, which is contrary to the practice. In fact, entry and exit velocity variation influence entry and exit stress variation, and entry and exit stress variation in- fluence entry and exit velocity variation too, so a precise explicit stress variation formula cannot be got easily. Con- sidering the relationship between stress variation and velocity variation, an iteration method is presented to calculate entry and exit stress variation of cold rolling strip. To avoid divergent phenomenon of the iteration course, a relaxa- tion factor method is adopted. The calculation results are compared with the entry and exit stress variation formula commonly used by many researchers. The difference is remarkable, while the result calculated agree more well with measured result if the exit elastic recovery zone is considered. Specially, the incoming flatnessI propagate efficiency calculated ~ives a more realistic result.

Interaction between in situ stress states and tectonic faults:A comment

Understanding the in situ stress state is crucial in many engineering problems and earth science research.The present article presents new insights into the interaction mechanism between the stress state and faults.In situ stresses can be influenced by various factors,one of the most important being the existence of faults.A fault could significantly affect the value and direction of the stress components.Reorientation and magnitude changes in stresses exist adjacent to faults and stress jumps/discontinuities across the fault.By contrast,the change in the stress state may lead to the transformation of faulting type and potential fault reactivation.Qualitative fault reactivation assessment using characteristic parameters under the current stress environment provides a method to assess the slip tendency of faults.The correlation between in situ stresses and fault properties enhances the ability to predict the fault slip tendency via stress measurements,which can be used to further refine the assessment of the fault reactivation risk.In the future,stress measurements at greater depths and long-term continuous real-time stress monitoring near/on key parts of faults will be essential.In addition,much attention needs to be paid to distinguishing the genetic mechanisms of abnormal stress states and the type and scale of stress variations and exploring the mechanisms of pre-faulting anomaly and fault reactivation.

The stress field variation caused by faulting and the prediction for seismic risk

The stress field caused by faulting has an effect on the stability of the neighboring faults, and the study on the fault interaction has a close relation with the prediction of seismic risk. Stress field caused by the rectangle fault in the semi-infinite elastic medium is calculated on the basis of the elastic dislocation theory. The result shows that most of the successive large earthquakes, in the southwestern part of China and North China, occurred in the increasing area of shear stress S(xy) and the decreasing area of normal stress S(yy) The increasing of earthquake occurrence probability has a function relation with the increasing of stress. Earthquake triggering is resulted from the increasing of shear stress and the decreasing of normal stress. An activation coefficient A, of the earthquake is defined to express the change of seismic activity. The concrete risk region can be obtained through space scanning of At value. Finally, the fault interaction in a large scope is discussed in this paper.

Variation of stress during the rupture process of the 1995 M_L=4.1 Shacheng, Hebei, China, earthquake sequence

According to the rupture dynamics of earthquakes, variations of the apparent stress and the difference between the static stress drop and the dynamic stress drop during the rupture of earthquakes are analyzed for the July 20, 1995 ML=4.1 Shacheng, Hebei, China, earthquake sequence. Results obtained show that the apparent stress for main-shock is about 5 MPa, and the average apparent stress for aftershocks 0.047 MPa. During the rupture of the main-shock, the dynamic stress drop is approximately 1.6 times greater than the static stress drop with the difference of nearly 2.7 MPa. The dynamic stress drop is less than the static stress drop for all aftershocks with the average difference of -0.75 MPa. Therefore, when the mainshock occurs the final stress on the focal fault is higher than the dynamic frictional stress, corresponding to that the fault is abruptly locked. When the aftershocks occur the final stress on the focal fault is lower than the dynamic frictional stress, corresponding to that the fault overshoots. It can be seen from the above results that there could be some differences in the physic processes between the mainshock and the aftershocks.

Potential triggers for large earthquakes in open-pit mines:A case study from Kuzbass,Siberia

The extraction and movement of rock during mining operations is considered a possible trigger for slip along the fault.In this study,possible anthropogenic causes were analyzed for triggering the earthquake with the local magnitude ofML=6.1(at a depth of 4km just beneath the quarry),in the vicinity of the large coal open-pit mine in Russia.This event was the largest earthquake associated with a quarry(an open pit).A sufficiently deep occurrence of the source testified that seismic vibrations were produced in a dynamic slip along a preexisting and prestressed tectonic fault.Analytical calculations were conducted of increments of normal and shear stresses at fault planes with several dip angles at depths corresponding to the probable location of the hypocenter of the Bachat earthquake.As the results show,long-term rock excavations bring a prestressed thrust fault closer to the ultimate Coulomb strength,and stress variations at those depths may suffice to initiate a movement along the fault.By measuring seismic vibrations at different quarries and mines in Russia,the dynamic effect at the supposed depth of the source occurrence could be reliably estimated.As is shown,the ultimate anticipated dynamic deformations are noticeably lower than corresponding values produced by seismic waves of distant earthquakes in the case when the effects of dynamic triggering were observed.Accordingly,the seismic effect of explosions cannot trigger a large earthquake with deep source occurrence.Operations in open-pit mines can only bring forward the moment of an earthquake at a potentially seismogenic fault.At the same time,the numerical calculations reveal that a branching network of underground tunnels located at several horizons can noticeably reduce the effective shear modulus of the host rock.This effect can even provoke a dynamic movement at a previously aseismic fault.

Species-specific traits determine shrub-annual interactions during a growing season

Stress gradient hypothesis predicted that facilitative interactions usually increase in intensity and are importance with abiotic stress.By contrast,facilitation may be lost in time,when it involves the growth of benefactors or beneficiaries.Less is known about which response pattern is more common in arid desert.We present an empirical study to explore shrub-annual interactions at the community and individual level along the course of a single growing season in a desert steppe in northwest China.Here the severity of drought stress may increase in time due to uneven precipitation during plant growing season.We assessed growth responses of annuals in understory where two dominant shrubs were removed.Annuals responses showed a switch from weakly positive to more strongly positive beneath Calligonum mongolicum,whereas from positive to negative beneath Nitraria sphaerocarpa during the growing season.Additionally,annual species with contrasting functional traits showed distinct growth responses to canopies removal.There was evidence of an increase in soil moisture below the canopy of shrubs,but a decrease in potential evaporation rate and photosynthetically active radiation,which can partly explain these species-specific responses.We conclude that the balance between competitive and facilitative effects in shrub-annual interactions is not only governed by the severity of stress but also determined by plant traits,such as canopy structure of shrubs and functional traits of their understory annuals.

Controls of fault geometry and thermal stress on fault slip modes:Implications for permeability enhancement and injection-induced seismicity

Fluid pressurization within the fault zone generates increasing pore pressure and stress change which is liable to create shear and/or brittle fractures within the reservoir volumes and subsequently generating earthquakes of varying magnitudes.Here,we explored time-dependent fault weakening processes in the fault zone which are dependent on several factors,including the rate of cold-water injection,modes of injection(hydromechanical(HM)and thermo-hydro-mechanical(THM)interactions),and changing fault spatial configurations using data from Niger Delta Basin.The variation in the stability of different fault models in withstanding stresses induced by HM and THM fluid interactions is evident.Fault permeability enhancement and the behaviour of slip event under isothermal and non-isothermal conditions revealed that stress and pore pressure perturbations have a first order control on the rate of fault dilation and compression.It is observed that the progressive cooling of the reservoir induced thermal stress which induced the timing of slip by unloading the fault to earlier seismic rupture in the non-isothermal case,and accelerates the magnitude of the fault reactivation and the accompanied induced seismicity.Owing to increased tendency of shear failure during injection,fracture opening through shear dilation is more enhanced in THM simulation as the fracture permeability is significantly higher than in HM.This effect becomes increasingly more dominant with intermediate fault angle and joint orientation.Certain fault/joint configurations which were resistant to shear failure under isothermal injection had their frictional resistance broken by thermal stress.The results also indicate that there is higher pore pressure build-up in THM than in HM as the injection rate increases and reservoir temperature drops during cold injections..This study has demonstrated the importance of fully characterizing the fracture geometries and configurations of normal faulting regime in addition to fluid injection conditions when developing fractured reservoirs to mitigate seismic risks and hazards that could result from early fault reactivation.