Experimental studies on the evolution process of microcrack patterns in concrete samples con-taining hard inclusions

Under biaxial pressure, the microcrack patterns of concrete samples with hard inclusion are as followings: Microcracks generate around the sample at the early pressured period, and gap is formed in the middle part with the increase of σ 1; microcrack gap is becoming smaller gradually with σ 1 increase again; microcracks become active within the original gap, but they in an original active area become small. Approaching the main fracture, microcracks form as a belt and jump back and forth in the belt. The spatial fractal D s of microcracks changes from small to big, but turns decrease when approaching the main fracture. All of the features were seldom mentioned in the past experiment, however, which have some similarities with the long seismicity patterns before strong earthquakes. In this paper, Lancang Gengma earthquake was taken as an example to analyse.〖KH*2D]

An experimental study on fractural features of concrete samples containing hard inclusion

The final fractural forms and variation status of hard inclusion samples under biaxial compression have been primarily studied in this paper. The lateral fractural forms of samples are mainly compressive shear fracture, two kinds appear on surface: one is strike slip fault with reversed thrust, and another is thrust. Some hard inclusions rupture and some do not while hard contact serves between hard inclusions and sample; main fracture bypasses hard inclusion while soft contact serves. Finally, process of stress concentration, yield, softening until failure for hard inclusions have been analysed under a certain condition.

Paterns and regularity of ring distribution of seismic activity before great earthquakes in China

A systematic study on ″ring phenomena″ frequently occurring before great earthquakes has made in this paper, which has analyzed the features of ring distributions before 16 great earthquakes and part of large earthquakes in China and its boundary areas, and discussed their features of generality, regularity and predictive meaning. The results have showed that moderate earthquakes or larger earthquakes distribute around the epicenter like a ring from decades to hundred years before the great earthquakes of magnitude more than 7, which is a general phenomenon of great earthquakes without an exception. The active ring generally occurs in the areas from hundreds to thousands of kilometers from the epicenter(according to the magnitude). The seismicity in the ring has three basic stages with different features. in the first stage, seismicity remains at low level and the earthquakes distribute scatteredly, while the source area of the future great earthquake remains quiet; in the second stage, the seismicity strengthens, whose frequency, intensity, concentrated degree, released rate of strain and ratio of distributed area etc. increase, while the quiet area decreases or disappears; in the third stage, the seismicity is weaker than in the former stage, and the quiet area appears again. The source area surrounded by the active ring might have three periods of activity(called as early term, medium term and late term foreshocks activity). The length of the quiet area undergoes the process from large to small, then to large. Therefore, we can estimate the occurring place, magnitude and seismogenic stage of great earthquake according to the area,length and the seismicity in the active ring, which is valuable to make a long term prediction of great earthquakes. At last, we had a preliminary discussion on the mechanism of active ring formation.

Dynamic simulation for tempo-spatial distribution of strain energy density in inhomogeneous stratified crust

Through simulating the research on dynamic variations of strain energy density (SED) in seismogenic model with hard inclusion, the authors have gained further knowledge to such problems as the process of earthquake preparation, initial rupture, conditions of the initial rupture and fracture propagation direction, etc. Results of the research show that SED (strain energy density) in soft inclusion is very high during the initial period of earthquake preparation. And the increment of SED in the soft area decreases at the later stage of the process. Meanwhile, the increment increases quickly in hard inclusion and in the intersection zone of the inclusion with an erecting fault, where the increment of SED is maximum. Thus, the intersection zone between hard inclusion with larger elastic modulus and erecting fault becomes the place where the initial rupture or earthquake occurs. The fracture in the end part of the hard inclusion spreads along a direction nearly vertical to the erecting fault, so the theoretical fracture direction is consistent with that calculated by digital simulation.