Coupled Simulation of Seismic Wave Propagation and Failure Phenomena by Use of an MPS Method

The failure of brittle materials, for example glasses and rock masses, is commonly observed to be discontinuous. It is, however, difficult to simulate these phenomena by use of conventional numerical simulation methods, for example the finite difference method or the finite element method, because of the presence of computational grids or elements artificially introduced before the simulation. It is, therefore, important for research on such discontinuous failures in science and engineering to analyze the phenomena seamlessly. This study deals with the coupled simulation of elastic wave propagation and failure phenomena by use of a moving particle semi-implicit (MPS) method. It is simple to model the objects of analysis because no grid or lattice structure is necessary. In addition, lack of a grid or lattice structure makes it simple to simulate large deformations and failure phenomena at the same time. We first compare analytical and MPS solutions by use of Lamb’s problem with different offset distances, material properties, and source frequencies. Our results show that analytical and numerical seismograms are in good agreement with each other for 20 particles in a minimum wavelength. Finally, we focus our attention on the Hopkinson effect as an example of failure induced by elastic wave propagation. In the application of the MPS, the algorithm is basically the same as in the previous calculation except for the introduction of a failure criterion. The failure criterion applied in this study is that particle connectivity must be disconnected when the distance between the particles exceeds a failure threshold. We applied the developed algorithm to a suspended specimen that was modeled as a long bar consisting of thousands of particles. A compressional wave in the bar is generated by an abrupt pressure change on one edge. The compressional wave propagates along the interior of the specimen and is visualized clearly. At the other end of the bar, the spalling of the bar is reproduced numerically, and a broken piece of the bar is formed and falls away from the main body of the bar. Consequently, these results show that the MPS method effectively reproduces wave propagation and failure phenomena at the same time.     

Possible variation in methane flux caused by gas hydrate formation on the northeastern continental slope off Sakhalin Island, Russia

The Sakhalin Slope Gas Hydrate Project (SSGH) is an international collaborative effort by scientists from Japan, Korea, and Russia to investigate natural gas hydrates (GHs) that have accumulated on the continental slope off Sakhalin Island, Okhotsk Sea. From 2009 to 2011, field operations of the SSGH-09, -10, and -11 projects were conducted. GH-bearing and -free sediment cores were retrieved using steel hydro- and gravity corers. The concentrations of sulfate ions in sediment pore waters were measured to investigate sulfate concentration–depth profiles. Seventeen cores showed linear depth profiles of sulfate concentrations. In contrast, eight cores and two cores showed concave-up and -down profiles plausibly explained by sudden increase and decrease in methane flux from below, respectively, presumably caused by the formation of gas hydrate adjacent to the core sampling sites.     

Seismic response of a cut‐and‐cover tunnel isolated by polymer material

An effective method for the seismic retrofitting of the sidewalls of cut‐and‐cover tunnels has not yet been established. Thus, a new method of seismic retrofitting for cut‐and‐cover tunnels, called the ‘polymer isolation method’, is developed here. In this method, thin walls made of polymer materials, called ‘isolation walls’, are inserted between the ground and the sidewalls of a tunnel. We demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed method in reducing the seismic response of tunnels by using some numerical simulations. It is found that the proposed method depends on the thickness of the soil cover over the tunnel and the ratio of the stiffness between the soil and the structure. Furthermore, a simple chart is proposed for convenience to represent the applicability of the polymer isolation method to the design of seismic retrofits for cut‐and‐cover tunnels. Although this particular chart has been obtained through a limited case, some other typical cases in which the chart can also be implemented for special conditions are addressed, and the applicability and the limitations of this chart are suggested for possible conditions of the ground and of tunnel structures. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An efficient method to compute the dynamic response of a fluid-filled crack

The vibration of a fluid-filled crack is considered to be one of the most plausible source mechanisms for the long-period events and volcanic tremors occurring around volcanoes. As a tool for the quantitative interpretation of source process of such volcanic seismic signals, we propose a method to numerically simulate the dynamic response of a fluid-filled crack. In this method, we formulate the motions of the fluid inside and the elastic solid outside of the crack, using boundary integrals in the frequency domain and solve the dynamic interactions between the fluid and the elastic solid using the point collocation method. The present method is more efficient compared with the time-domain finite difference method, which has been used in simulations of a fluid-filled crack and enables us to study the dynamics of a fluid-filled crack over a wide range of physical parameters. The method also allows us direct calculation of the attenuation quality factor of the crack resonance, which is an indispensable parameter for estimating the properties of the fluid inside the crack. The method is also designed to be flexible to many applications, which may be encountered in volcano seismology, and thus, extensions of the method to more complicated problems are promising.     

Gas hydrate saturation at Site C0002, IODP Expeditions 314 and 315, in the Kumano Basin,Nankai trough

The degree of gas hydrate saturation at Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Site C0002 in the Kumano Basin, Nankai Trough, was estimated from logging‐while‐drilling logs and core samples obtained during IODP Expeditions 314 and 315. Sediment porosity data necessary for the calculation of saturation were obtained from both core samples and density logs. Two forms of the Archie equation (‘quick‐look’ and ‘standard’) were used to calculate gas hydrate saturation from two types of electrical resistivity log data (ring resistivity and bit resistivity), and a three‐phase Biot‐type equation was used to calculate gas hydrate saturation from P‐wave velocity log data. The gas hydrate saturation baseline calculated from both resistivity logs ranges from 0% to 35%, and that calculated from the P‐wave velocity log ranges from 0% to 30%. High levels of gas hydrate saturation (>60%) are present as spikes in the ring resistivity log and correspond to the presence of gas hydrate concentrations within sandy layers. At several depths, saturation values obtained from P‐wave velocity data are lower than those obtained from bit resistivity data; this discrepancy is related to the presence of free gas at these depths. Previous research has suggested that gas from deep levels in the Kumano Basin has migrated up‐dip towards the southern and seaward edge of the basin near Site C0002. The high saturation values and presence of free gas at site C0002 suggest that a large gas flux is flowing to the southern and seaward edge of the basin from a deeper and/or more landward part of the Kumano Basin, with the southern edge of the Kumano Basin (the location of site C0002) being the main area of fluid accumulation.     

Preferred orientation of the trace fossil Entradichnus meniscus in eolian dune strata (Djadokhta Formation) at Tugrikiin Shiree,southern Mongolia and its paleoecological implications

Eolian sand dune deposits of the Upper Cretaceous Djadokhta Formation at Tugrikiin Shiree, southern Mongolia, yield not only dinosaur skeletal remains but also numerous trace fossils produced by invertebrates. This paper describes the trace fossil Entradichnus meniscus, a long unlined and unbranched trail that is filled with meniscate laminae and occurs characteristically in positive epirelief. The trail is straight to gently meandering, parallel to the foreset laminae of the eolian dunes, and exhibits a significant preferred orientation parallel to the depositional dip of the cross‐stratification laminae. In addition, almost all the crescentic internal laminae of the trail show concave down‐dips. These features indicate that the trails were produced beneath the slipface of eolian dunes by the downward burrowing of the trace‐makers. This occurrence mode of E. meniscus of the Mongolian Cretaceous is very similar to that described from the Jurassic eolian dune deposits in North America. Hence, the downward burrowing of the E. meniscus animal might be a common feature in arid eolian dune deposits at least during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, and possibly reflecting a behavioral response to the morphology of large sand dunes under an arid climate.     

Isotopic composition of gas hydrates in subsurface sediments from offshore Sakhalin Island, Sea of Okhotsk

Hydrate-bearing sediment cores were retrieved from recently discovered seepage sites located offshore Sakhalin Island in the Sea of Okhotsk. We obtained samples of natural gas hydrates and dissolved gas in pore water using a headspace gas method for determining their molecular and isotopic compositions. Molecular composition ratios C₁/_C2+ from all the seepage sites were in the range of 1,500–50,000, while δ¹³C and δD values of methane ranged from ?66.0 to ?63.2‰ VPDB and ?204.6 to ?196.7‰ VSMOW, respectively. These results indicate that the methane was produced by microbial reduction of CO₂. δ¹³C values of ethane and propane (i.e., ?40.8 to ?27.4‰ VPDB and ?41.3 to ?30.6‰ VPDB, respectively) showed that small amounts of thermogenic gas were mixed with microbial methane. We also analyzed the isotopic difference between hydrate-bound and dissolved gases, and discovered that the magnitude by which the δD hydrate gas was smaller than that of dissolved gas was in the range 4.3–16.6‰, while there were no differences in δ¹³C values. Based on isotopic fractionation of guest gas during the formation of gas hydrate, we conclude that the current gas in the pore water is the source of the gas hydrate at the VNIIOkeangeologia and Giselle Flare sites, but not the source of the gas hydrate at the Hieroglyph and KOPRI sites.