123 research outputs found
Dynamic induced softening in frictional granular material investigated by DEM simulation
A granular system composed of frictional glass beads is simulated using the
Discrete Element Method. The inter-grain forces are based on the Hertz contact
law in the normal direction with frictional tangential force. The damping due
to collision is also accounted for. Systems are loaded at various stresses and
their quasi-static elastic moduli are characterized. Each system is subjected
to an extensive dynamic testing protocol by measuring the resonant response to
a broad range of AC drive amplitudes and frequencies via a set of diagnostic
strains. The system, linear at small AC drive amplitudes has resonance
frequencies that shift downward (i.e., modulus softening) with increased AC
drive amplitude. Detailed testing shows that the slipping contact ratio does
not contribute significantly to this dynamic modulus softening, but the
coordination number is strongly correlated to this reduction. This suggests
that the softening arises from the extended structural change via break and
remake of contacts during the rearrangement of bead positions driven by the AC
amplitude.Comment: acoustics, nonlinearity, granular medi
Acoustically-induced slip in sheared granular layers: application to dynamic earthquake triggering
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 vibrational excitation to gain further insight into the physics of
dynamic earthquake triggering. Using Coulomb friction law for grains
interaction, we observe delayed triggering of slip in the granular gouge. We
find that at a critical vibrational amplitude (strain) there is an abrupt
transition from negligible time-advanced slip (clock advance) to full clock
advance, {\it i.e.}, transient vibration and triggered slip are simultaneous.
The critical strain is order of , similar to observations in the
laboratory and in Earth. The transition is related to frictional weakening of
the granular layer due to a dramatic decrease in coordination number and the
weakening of the contact force network. Associated with this frictional
weakening is a pronounced decrease in the elastic modulus of the layer. The
study has important implications for mechanisms of triggered earthquakes and
induced seismic events and points out the underlying processes in response of
the fault gouge to dynamic transient stresses
Are megaquakes clustered?
We study statistical properties of the number of large earthquakes over the
past century. We analyze the cumulative distribution of the number of
earthquakes with magnitude larger than threshold M in time interval T, and
quantify the statistical significance of these results by simulating a large
number of synthetic random catalogs. We find that in general, the earthquake
record cannot be distinguished from a process that is random in time. This
conclusion holds whether aftershocks are removed or not, except at magnitudes
below M = 7.3. At long time intervals (T = 2-5 years), we find that
statistically significant clustering is present in the catalog for lower
magnitude thresholds (M = 7-7.2). However, this clustering is due to a large
number of earthquakes on record in the early part of the 20th century, when
magnitudes are less certain.Comment: 5 pages, 5 figure
The natural history of regional wall motion in the acutely infarcted canine ventricle
Two-dimensional echocardiography was employed to define the natural history of regional wall motion abnormalities in a canine model of acute experimental myocardial infarction. Serial short-axis two-dimensional echocardiograms were recorded in 11 closed chest dogs before coronary occlusion and 10, 30, 60, 180 and 360 minutes after permanent coronary ligation. Radiolabeled microsphere-derived blood flows were obtained in each study period and the histochemical (triphenyltetrazolium chloride) extent of infarction was determined at 6 hours. Previously published methods were used to quantitate field by field (every 16.7 ms) excursion of 36 evenly spaced endocardial targets. The circumferential extent of abnormal wall motion was followed sequentially using previously published definitions of abnormality: 1) systolic fractional radial change of less than 20%; 2) dyskinesia (systolic bulging) at the point in time (echocardiographic field) in which there is maximal dyskinesia; and 3) correlation with composite normal ray motion falling outside the 95 % confidence limits defined in the control period. On the basis of the triphenyltet razolium chloride staining pattern, the ventricle was divided into five zones: central infarct zone, zone with greater than 25% transmural infarction, total infarct zone, border zones and normal zone. Mean systolic fractional radial change was calculated for each zone and used as an index of the magnitude of abnormal wall motion.Regardless of the definition of abnormality employed, the circumferential extent of abnormal wall motion manifested at 10 minutes after occlusion did not significantly change, even up to 6 hours later. Similarly, 10 minutes after coronary occlusion the three infarct zones and border zones demonstrated significantly reduced systolic fractional radial change. This remained stable over the remainder of the 6 hour study period.It is concluded that once established at 10 minutes after coronary occlusion, the circumferential extent and magnitude of abnormal wall motion do not significantly change in the immediate postinfarct (6 hour) period
Climate Change Modulates Multitrophic Interactions Between Maize, A Root Herbivore, and Its Enemies
How climate change will modify belowground tritrophic interactions is poorly understood, despite their importance for agricultural productivity. Here, we manipulated the three major abiotic factors associated with climate change (atmospheric CO2, temperature, and soil moisture) and investigated their individual and joint effects on the interaction between maize, the banded cucumber beetle (Diabrotica balteata), and the entomopathogenic nematode (EPN) Heterorhabditis bacteriophora. Changes in individual abiotic parameters had a strong influence on plant biomass, leaf wilting, sugar concentrations, protein levels, and benzoxazinoid contents. Yet, when combined to simulate a predicted climate scenario (Representative Concentration Pathway 8.5, RCP 8.5), their effects mostly counter-balanced each other. Only the sharp negative impact of drought on leaf wilting was not fully compensated. In both current and predicted scenarios, root damage resulted in increased leaf wilting, reduced root biomass, and reconfigured the plant sugar metabolism. Single climatic variables modulated the herbivore performance and survival in an additive manner, although slight interactions were also observed. Increased temperature and CO2 levels both enhanced the performance of the insect, but elevated temperature also decreased its survival. Elevated temperatures and CO2 further directly impeded the EPN infectivity potential, while lower moisture levels improved it through plant- and/or herbivore-mediated changes. In the RCP 8.5 scenario, temperature and CO2 showed interactive effects on EPN infectivity, which was overall decreased by 40%. We conclude that root pest problems may worsen with climate change due to increased herbivore performance and reduced top-down control by biological control agents
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