Pre-failure precursors of the locked strike-slip fault model based on strain-acoustic emission coupling
NIU Yao1, 2, TAO Zhigang1, 2, SU Zhandong3, 4, HE Manchao1, 2, REN Shulin5
(1. State Key Laboratory for Tunnel Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China;
2. School of Mechanics and Civil Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China;
3. Department of Geological Engineering, Institute of Disaster Prevention, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, China; 4. Hebei Key
Laboratory of Earthquake Disaster Prevention and Risk Assessment, Sanhe, Hebei 065201, China;
5. College of Civil Engineering, Tongji University, Shanghai 200092, China)
Abstract：The locked segment is a critical seismogenic tectonic unit controlling the transition of a fault from stable slipping to unstable rupture. To investigate precursory characteristics of fault instability (e.g., stress disturbance, rupture damage near the locked segment), a 2 m × 1 m × 0.6 m locked strike-slip fault model was fabricated using river sand, cement, barite powder, and gypsum. Embedded strain cubes and acoustic emission (AE) technology were used to monitor the locked segment?s local strain and model rupture nucleation process under horizontal uniaxial loading. The study focused on local principal stress deflection near the locked segment, temporal variations of AE events, and accelerated strain release phenomenon before model instability. The results indicate that the instability process of the model can be divided into a stable, sub-stable, sub-unstable and unstable stages, based on the stress state. Abrupt strain rate increase and abnormal high value of the loading-unloading response ratio (LURR) at the end of the sub-unstable stage predict fault instability. Shear stress at locked segment’s ends undergoes an abrupt change before model instability. The surge in AE events acts as an early precursor for the fault entering the sub-unstable stage, and the b-value maintains a low level until fault instability manifests. Cumulative Benioff strain (CBS) release of AE events adheres to the accelerating strain release (ASR) model, suggesting that the locked strike-slip fault model features sudden instability. The strong negative correlation between the deflection angle in dilatation stress quadrants and CBS suggests sensitive decay of this deflection angle may predict the fault system instability. The above results provide experimental evidence for understanding the local stress evolution, strain release, and activity characteristics of locked strike-slip faults.
牛 耀1，2，陶志刚1，2，苏占东3，4，何满潮1，2，任树林5. 基于应变–声发射耦合的锁固型走滑断裂模型失稳前兆特征研究[J]. 岩石力学与工程学报, 2025, 44(11): 2975-2988.
NIU Yao1, 2, TAO Zhigang1, 2, SU Zhandong3, 4, HE Manchao1, 2, REN Shulin5. Pre-failure precursors of the locked strike-slip fault model based on strain-acoustic emission coupling. , 2025, 44(11): 2975-2988.
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