Related papers: Intermittent Granular Dynamics at a Seismogenic Pl…
A characteristic feature of the Earth is that diffuse thermal convection in the mantle produces localized deformation at the surface: Plate Tectonics. However, modelling this phenomenon remains a challenge, due to inability to simulate…
A fundamental mystery in earthquake physics is ``how can an earthquake be triggered by distant seismic sources?'' Here, we use discrete element method simulations of a granular layer, during stick-slip, that is subject to transient…
Frictional sliding, e.g., earthquakes along geological faults, are mediated either by frictional crack-like ruptures, where interfacial (fault) slip is accumulated during the entire sliding event, or by frictional pulse-like ruptures,…
Over the last two decades, strain and GPS measurements have shown that slow slip on earthquake faults is a widespread phenomenon. Slow slip is also inferred from correlated small amplitude seismic signals known as nonvolcanic tremor and low…
When turbulent boundary layer flows encounter abrupt roughness changes, an Internal Boundary Layer (IBL) forms. Equilibrium theory breaks down in the nonequilibrium IBL, which may extend O(10) km for natural atmospheric flows. Here, we find…
This article investigates penetrative turbulence in the atmospheric boundary layer. Using a large eddy simulation approach, we study characteristics of the mixed layer with respect to surface heat flux variations in the range from 231.48…
Twist grain boundaries are widely observed in lamellar phases of block copolymers. A mesoscopic model of the copolymer is used to obtain stationary configurations that include a twist grain boundary, and to analyze their stability against…
In earthquake-prone regions, the accumulation of geophysical stress during the aseismic period plays a critical role in determining which faults are more likely to be reactivated in future seismic events. In this model, we consider an…
We report results of 3D Discrete Element Method (DEM) simulations aiming at investigating the role of the boundary vibration in inducing frictional weakening in sheared granular layers. We study the role of different vibration amplitudes…
Symmetry-breaking instability of a laterally uniform granular cluster (strip state) in a prototypical driven granular gas is investigated. The system consists of smooth hard disks in a two-dimensional box, colliding inelastically with each…
Soft solids with tunable mechanical response are at the core of new material technologies, but a crucial limit for applications is their progressive aging over time, which dramatically affects their functionalities. The generally accepted…
Recent experimental results on the static or quasistatic response of granular materials have been interpreted to suggest the inapplicability of the traditional engineering approaches, which are based on elasto-plastic models (which are…
Direct numerical simulations are conducted to study the receptivity and transition mechanisms in a solitary wave boundary layer developing over randomly organized wave-like bottom topography. The boundary layer flow shows a selective…
A recently introduced model describing -on a 1d lattice- the velocity field of a granular fluid is discussed in detail. The dynamics of the velocity field occurs through next-neighbours inelastic collisions which conserve momentum but…
Fault-zone fluids control effective normal stress and fault strength. While most earthquake models assume a fixed pore fluid pressure distribution, geologists have documented fault valving behavior, that is, cyclic changes in pressure and…
Stress paths in granular matter often suffer sudden large-scale rearrangements when the system is slightly perturbed, i.e. granular systems are unstable. We show in this paper that the observed instability is due to the minimally rigid, or…
Capturing the dynamics of granular flows at intermediate length scales can often be difficult. We propose studying the dynamics of contact networks as a new tool to study fracture at intermediate scales. Using experimental three-dimensional…
Potential energy stored during the inter-seismic period by tectonic loading around faults is released during earthquakes as radiated energy, heat and fracture energy. The latter is of first importance since it controls the nucleation,…
The complex interactions between turbulence and the free surface, including air entrainment processes, in boundary layer shear flows created by vertical surface-piercing plates are considered. A laboratory-scale device was built that…
The dynamical interactions of planetary systems may be a clue to their formation histories. Therefore, the distribution of these interactions provides important constraints on models of planet formation. We focus on each system's apsidal…