Reaction softening by dissolution–precipitation creep in a retrograde greenschist facies ductile shear zone,New Hampshire,USA

We describe strain localization by a mixed process of reaction and microstructural softening in a lower greenschist facies ductile fault zone that transposes and replaces middle to upper amphibolite facies fabrics and mineral assemblages in the host schist of the Littleton Formation near Claremont, New Hampshire. Here, Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite progressively replace first staurolite, then garnet, and finally biotite porphyroblasts as the core of the fault zone is approached. Across the transect, higher grade fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is also progressively replaced by fabric‐forming Na‐poor muscovite. The mineralogy of the new phyllonitic fault‐rock produced is dominated by Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite together with late albite porphyroblasts. The replacement of the amphibolite facies porphyroblasts by muscovite and chlorite is pseudomorphic in some samples and shows that the chemical metastability of the porphyroblasts is sufficient to drive replacement. In contrast, element mapping shows that fabric‐forming Na‐rich muscovite is selectively replaced at high‐strain microstructural sites, indicating that strain energy played an important role in activating the dissolution of the compositionally metastable muscovite. The replacement of strong, high‐grade porphyroblasts by weaker Na‐poor muscovite and chlorite constitutes reaction softening. The crystallization of parallel and contiguous mica in the retrograde foliation at the expense of the earlier and locally crenulated Na‐rich muscovite‐defined foliation destroys not only the metastable high‐grade mineralogy, but also its stronger geometry. This process constitutes both reaction and microstructural softening. The deformation mechanism here was thus one of dissolution–precipitation creep, activated at considerably lower stresses than might be predicted in quartzofeldspathic rocks at the same lower greenschist facies conditions.     

The influence of stress history on the grain size and microstructure of experimentally deformed quartzite

Deformation of middle crustal shear zones likely varies with time as a result of the stress build-up and release associated with earthquakes and post-seismic deformation, but the processes involved and their microstructural signature in the rock record are poorly understood. We conducted a series of experiments on quartzite at 900 °C to characterize microstructures associated with changes in stress and strain rate, and to investigate the feasibility of carrying out grain size piezometry in natural rocks that experienced analogous changes. Differential stress (referred to simply as “stress”) was varied in two-stage experiments by changing strain rate and by stopping the motor and allowing stress to relax. The two-stage samples preserve a microstructural record that can be interpreted quantitatively in terms of stress history. The microstructure associated with a stress increase is a bimodal distribution of recrystallized grain sizes. The smaller grains associated with the second deformation stage accurately record the stress of the second stage, and the surviving coarse grains remain similar in size to those formed during the earlier stage. The transient microstructure associated with stress decrease is a “partial foam” texture containing a larger concentration of stable 120° triple junctions than occur in samples deformed at a relatively constant strain rate. Our results indicate that microstructures preserved in rocks that experienced relatively simple, two-stage deformation histories can be used to quantitatively assess stress histories.Grain growth rates during deformation are similar to rates observed in previous isostatic growth experiments, supporting theoretical approaches to recrystallized grain size, such as the wattmeter theory (Austin and Evans, 2007), that incorporate static growth rates. From an analysis of the experimental data for quartz recrystallized grain size, we find: 1) Recrystallized grain size quickly reaches a value consistent with ambient deformation conditions. We argue that this explains a good match between average grain sizes predicted by the wattmeter after complete recrystallization and the recrystallized grain sizes of the experiments. 2) The present formulation of the wattmeter overestimates the rates at which porphyroclasts recrystallize by as much as an order of magnitude, and 3) owing to problems with extrapolation of grain growth data for quartz, the wattmeter is not presently applicable to natural samples deformed at low temperatures. We present a simplified flow law for quartz, and suggest that the change in slope of the quartz piezometer at high stress (regime 1) is related to a switch to a linear viscous rheology.     

Strain partitioning into dry and wet zones and the formation of Ca-rich myrmekite in syntectonic syenites: A case for melt-assisted dissolution-replacement creep under granulite facies conditions

The formation of Ca-rich myrmekites is described in syntectonic syenites crystallized and progressively deformed under granulite facies conditions. The syenites are found in high- and low-strain zones where microstructure and mineral composition are compared. Heterogeneously distributed water-rich, late-magmatic liquids were responsible for strain partitioning into dry and wet high-strain zones at outcrop scale, where contrasting deformation mechanisms are reported. In dry high-strain zones K-feldspar and clinopyroxene are recrystallized under high-T conditions. In wet high-strain zones, the de-stabilization of clinopyroxene and pervasive replacement of relatively undeformed K-feldspar porphyroclasts by myrmekite and subordinate micrographic intergrowths indicate dissolution-replacement creep as the main deformation mechanism. The reworking of these intergrowths is observed and is considered to contribute significantly to the development of the mylonitic foliation and banding. A model is proposed for strain partitioning relating a positive feedback between myrmekite-forming reaction, continuous inflow of late-magmatic liquids and dissolution-replacement creep in the wet zone at the expenses of original mineralogy preserved in the dry zones. Melt-assisted dissolution-replacement creep in syntectonic environments under granulite-facies conditions may extend the field of operation of dissolution-replacement creep, changing significantly the rheology of the lower continental crust.     

The Effect of Concrete Deformation on Displacement of an Axially Loaded Drilled Shaft

This article presents the settlement of drilled shafts resulting from their structural deformations. Although drilled shafts are widely used as foundations for settlement-sensitive structures such as bridges and high-rise buildings, the structural deformations of drilled shafts are not typically taken into account in the design process. However, if unexpected structural deformations of drilled shafts cause additional settlement to the foundation, the serviceability of the superstructure can be jeopardized. Unfortunately, very few research efforts have been made to quantify the structural deformation of drilled shafts; this needs to be addressed to accurately predict the settlement of drilled shafts. In this study, we investigate the effect of structural deformation on displacement of axially loaded drilled shafts. Finite element analyses were performed to quantify the structural deformation of drilled shafts. The analysis results indicated that the structural deformation of drilled shafts could be quite significant for long drilled shafts. The main factors that affected the structural deformation of drilled shafts were found to be pile length, the material properties of drilled shafts, and the relative humidity of surrounding soil. An approximate equation is proposed to estimate the long-term deformation of drilled shafts.     

Effect of loading duration on uncertainty in creep analysis of clay

Some studies suggest that creep parameters should be determined using a greater quantity of creep test data to provide more reliable prediction regarding the deformation of soft soils. This study aims to investigate the effect of loading duration on model updating. One‐dimensional consolidation data of intact Vanttila clay under different loading durations collected from the literature is used for demonstration. The Bayesian probabilistic method is used to identify all unknown parameters based on the consolidation data during the entire consolidation process, and their uncertainty can be quantified through the obtained posterior probability density functions. Additionally, the optimal models are also determined from among 9 model candidates. The analyses indicate that the optimal models can describe the creep behavior of intact soft soils under different loading durations, and the adopted method can evaluate the effect of loading duration on uncertainty in the creep analysis. The uncertainty of a specific model and its model parameters decreases as more creep data are involved in the updating process, and the updated models that use more creep data can better capture the deformation behavior of an intact sample. The proposed method can provide quantified uncertainty in the process of model updating and assist engineers to decide whether the creep test data are sufficient for the creep analysis.     

岩石蠕变声发射特性研究现状与展望

蠕变是岩石一种重要的力学特性,与工程的长期安全稳定和安全密切相关。声发射技术作为一种无损检测手段,被广泛应用于岩石变形破坏研究领域。本文阐述了近年来基于声发射技术开展岩石蠕变特性方面的研究进展,主要包括不同岩性、加载方式、应力水平下岩石蠕变声发射特性,岩石蠕变破坏声发射前兆特征。在此基础上,提出了几点今后需要进一步深入研究的问题。     

基于轨迹偏移算法的居民就医时空特征与空间格局分析

居民就医时空特征与空间格局反映了医疗设施的服务能力与布局合理性.本文以厦门岛为例,采用出租车轨迹数据,探讨了居民就医的时空特征和空间格局.论文提出了基于道路中心线的研究单元划分方法;提出OD轨迹偏移算法,更精细地提取出三级医院的就医OD数据,改善传统的缓冲区分析法中精确度较低的问题;对居民就医行为进行时空特征分析;基于...     

云母石英片岩的三轴蠕变试验研究

在三轴蠕变试验的基础上,通过对径向蠕变和轴向蠕变的比较研究,得出云母石英片岩的蠕变变形和长期强度特点:径向蠕变变形比轴向蠕变变形敏感,以径向蠕变长期强度作为长期强度更合理;围压越大,对径向变形的约束能力越强,径向蠕变长期强度和轴向蠕变长期强度均增加,径向蠕变长期强度与轴向蠕变长期强度的比值减小。同时指出进行径向蠕变研究的意义。     

高地应力围岩分区碎裂化的时间效应分析和相关参数研究

本文阐述了高地应力围岩分区碎裂化现象的形成需要经过一定的时间,但这段时间不会很长;采用蠕变理论对岩石分区碎裂化的时间效应进行了分析;推导了能够描述加速蠕变阶段的流变模型-改进的西原模型的本构方程和蠕变方程,在此基础上求出了岩石分区碎裂化发生时破裂带半径(破碎带距巷道中心的距离)的公式。