Dissipative pressure waves and the mechanics of granular materials

Summary

This project will experimentally investigate damage zones around seismogenic faults. This will be achieved through examining a novel basic mechanism for instability in solids: volumetric collapse due to a dissipative pressure wave. It is predicted that this pressure wave controls damage-zone geometry and relates to earthquake stress and rock material properties.

Supervisor

Dr Benjy Marks.

Research location

Civil Engineering

Program type

PHD

Synopsis

The behaviour of faults controls the movement of plate tectonics. This project will examine the behaviour of damage zones near faults experimentally using dynamic X-ray radiography to study the time evolution of damage zones. This information will be used to calibrate thermomechanical analytic models which will then be used to interpret field studies of damage zones around faults.

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Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is 2288