Premium
Machine stiffness appropriate for experimental simulation of earthquake processes
Author(s) -
Kikuchi Masayuki,
McNally Karen,
Tittmann Bernard R.
Publication year - 1981
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/gl008i004p00321
Subject(s) - stiffness , geology , deformation (meteorology) , acoustic emission , scaling , constraint (computer aided design) , structural engineering , seismology , mechanics , materials science , physics , geometry , mathematics , engineering , composite material , oceanography
Loading machine stiffness is considered in an attempt to simulate strain accumulation processes prior to failure in earthquakes. We impose the similarity condition that the inelastic deformation in a test specimen relative to the loading machine corresponds with that in a spherical seismic region relative to the surrounding earth. From this constraint the appropriate ratio between the stiffnesses of machine and specimen is determined to be 1.5 ∼ 2.3. Preliminary experiments were carried out for sandstone samples. A qualitative difference between acoustic emission sequences was observed depending on whether the conditions were similar or dissimilar to the earth based on the scaling assumption. In the former case, a subsidence in acoustic emission activity prior to the main fractures was clearly and systematically observed.