Year: 2023
Type: preprint
Abstract: The stability of a granular material is a collective phenomenon controlled by individual particles through their interactions. Forecasting when granular materials will undergo an abrupt failure is an ongoing challenge due to the intricate interactions between particles. Here, we report experiments on photoelastic disks undergoing intermittent stick-slip dynamics in a quasi-2D annular shear apparatus, with the evolving network of contact forces made visible via polarized light. We characterize the system by interpreting the interparticle forces as a multilayer network, and apply GenLouvin community detection to identify strongly correlated groups of particles. We observe that the community structure becomes increasingly volatile as the material approaches failure, and that this volatility provides a forecast that precedes what is detectable by considering the forces alone. We additionally observe that both weak and strong forces contribute to the strength of this forecast. These findings provide a new approach to detect patterns of causality and forecast impending failures.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Institution: North Carolina State University
Language: English
Subfield: Statistical and Nonlinear Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G4602359778, G4721745416, PREEVENTS Track 2: Collaborative Research: Defining precursors of ground failure: a multiscale framework for early landslide prediction through geomechanics and remote sensing, Mechanics of Granular Materials: Rigidity, Nonlocality, and Activated Failure, Acoustic Probes of Granular States
OpenAlex ID: W4384616277