1,450 research outputs found
A damage model based on failure threshold weakening
A variety of studies have modeled the physics of material deformation and
damage as examples of generalized phase transitions, involving either critical
phenomena or spinodal nucleation. Here we study a model for frictional sliding
with long range interactions and recurrent damage that is parameterized by a
process of damage and partial healing during sliding. We introduce a failure
threshold weakening parameter into the cellular-automaton slider-block model
which allows blocks to fail at a reduced failure threshold for all subsequent
failures during an event. We show that a critical point is reached beyond which
the probability of a system-wide event scales with this weakening parameter. We
provide a mapping to the percolation transition, and show that the values of
the scaling exponents approach the values for mean-field percolation (spinodal
nucleation) as lattice size is increased for fixed . We also examine the
effect of the weakening parameter on the frequency-magnitude scaling
relationship and the ergodic behavior of the model
Near mean-field behavior in the generalized Burridge-Knopoff earthquake model with variable range stress transfer
Simple models of earthquake faults are important for understanding the
mechanisms for their observed behavior in nature, such as Gutenberg-Richter
scaling. Because of the importance of long-range interactions in an elastic
medium, we generalize the Burridge-Knopoff slider-block model to include
variable range stress transfer. We find that the Burridge-Knopoff model with
long-range stress transfer exhibits qualitatively different behavior than the
corresponding long-range cellular automata models and the usual
Burridge-Knopoff model with nearest-neighbor stress transfer, depending on how
quickly the friction force weakens with increasing velocity. Extensive
simulations of quasiperiodic characteristic events, mode-switching phenomena,
ergodicity, and waiting-time distributions are also discussed. Our results are
consistent with the existence of a mean-field critical point and have important
implications for our understanding of earthquakes and other driven dissipative
systems.Comment: 24 pages 12 figures, revised version for Phys. Rev.
Simulation of the Burridge-Knopoff Model of Earthquakes with Variable Range Stress Transfer
Simple models of earthquake faults are important for understanding the
mechanisms for their observed behavior, such as Gutenberg-Richter scaling and
the relation between large and small events, which is the basis for various
forecasting methods. Although cellular automaton models have been studied
extensively in the long-range stress transfer limit, this limit has not been
studied for the Burridge-Knopoff model, which includes more realistic friction
forces and inertia. We find that the latter model with long-range stress
transfer exhibits qualitatively different behavior than both the long-range
cellular automaton models and the usual Burridge-Knopoff model with nearest
neighbor springs, depending on the nature of the velocity-weakening friction
force. This result has important implications for our understanding of
earthquakes and other driven dissipative systems.Comment: 4 pages, 5 figures, published on Phys. Rev. Let
Structure of neodymium sulfate octahydrate
The problems of X-ray crystal structure determination require some type of automatic computing machinery. An evaluation of these problems has lead to the conclusions that a parallel channel relay digital computer operating in conjunction with the standard I. B. M. units will meet the calculation needs of a structure determination and greatly shorten the time and labor involved. A brief description of a relay computer designed to meet these needs has been given. The computer will be able to perform all of the calculations required with the exception of the Patterson and electron density calculations. The latter may be carried out efficiently on standard I. B. M. units
Space-Time Clustering and Correlations of Major Earthquakes
Earthquake occurrence in nature is thought to result from correlated elastic
stresses, leading to clustering in space and time. We show that occurrence of
major earthquakes in California correlates with time intervals when
fluctuations in small earthquakes are suppressed relative to the long term
average. We estimate a probability of less than 1% that this coincidence is due
to random clustering.Comment: 5 pages, 3 figures. Submitted to PR
Earthquake forecasting and its verification
No proven method is currently available for the reliable short time
prediction of earthquakes (minutes to months). However, it is possible to make
probabilistic hazard assessments for earthquake risk. These are primarily based
on the association of small earthquakes with future large earthquakes. In this
paper we discuss a new approach to earthquake forecasting. This approach is
based on a pattern informatics (PI) method which quantifies temporal variations
in seismicity. The output is a map of areas in a seismogenic region
(``hotspots'') where earthquakes are forecast to occur in a future 10-year time
span. This approach has been successfully applied to California, to Japan, and
on a worldwide basis. These forecasts are binary--an earthquake is forecast
either to occur or to not occur. The standard approach to the evaluation of a
binary forecast is the use of the relative operating characteristic (ROC)
diagram, which is a more restrictive test and less subject to bias than maximum
likelihood tests. To test our PI method, we made two types of retrospective
forecasts for California. The first is the PI method and the second is a
relative intensity (RI) forecast based on the hypothesis that future
earthquakes will occur where earthquakes have occurred in the recent past.
While both retrospective forecasts are for the ten year period 1 January 2000
to 31 December 2009, we performed an interim analysis 5 years into the
forecast. The PI method out performs the RI method under most circumstances.Comment: 10(+1) pages, 5 figures, 2 tables. Submitted to Nonlinearl Processes
in Geophysics on 5 August 200
Crystal structure and magnetic properties of LiCuCl3-2H2O
Interest in the study of the effect of cation size upon the configuration assumed by a complex anion led to the determination of the crystal structure of LiCuCl3 • 2H2O. A unique (Cu2Cl6)= dimer ion was discovered in the structure that was determined by conventional X-ray diffraction techniques. These dimer ions are linked together into a zigzag chain by means of long Cu-Cl bonds between the dimers. The chains in any given unit cell of the crystal are related to each other by a two-fold screw axis. Each dimer has two water molecules associated with it through long Cu-O interactions, giving a distorted octahedral array about each copper ion. There are two additional water molecules per dimer ion which are lattice waters and which, along with one of the other oxygens and a chlorine ion, form a tetrahedral hole in which the lithium ion is probably located
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