Avalanche shapes in fiber bundle model

TL;DR

This study investigates the evolution of avalanche shapes in the fiber bundle model under different loading protocols, revealing universal asymmetry behavior near critical failure that can serve as a precursor indicator.

Contribution

It introduces a universal measure of avalanche shape asymmetry that predicts imminent failure, independent of disorder, and analyzes different loading protocols including mean field and variable range load sharing.

Findings

Asymmetry of avalanche shapes becomes symmetric near critical point under quasi-static loading.

Asymmetry measure follows a universal power law with exponent ~0.25.

Avalanche shapes remain asymmetric under discrete loading, with similar behavior in variable range load sharing.

Abstract

We study the temporal evolution of avalanches in the fiber bundle model of disordered solids, when the model is gradually driven towards the critical breakdown point. We use two types of loading protocols: (i) the quasi-static loading, and (ii) loading by a discrete amount. In the quasi-static loading, where the load is increased by the minimum amount needed to initiate an avalanche, the temporal shapes of avalanches are asymmetric away from the critical point and become symmetric as the critical point is approached. A measure of asymmetry follows a universal form $A\sim (\sigma-\sigma_c)^{\theta}$, with $\theta\approx 0.25$, where $\sigma$ is the load per fiber and $\sigma_c$ is the critical load per fiber. This behavior is independent of the disorder present in the system in terms of the individual failure threshold values. Thus it is possible to use this asymmetry measure as a precursor to imminent failure. For the case of discrete loading, the load is always increased by a fixed amount. The dynamics of the model in this case can be solved in the mean field limit. It shows that the avalanche shapes always remain asymmetric. We also present a variable range load sharing version of this case, where the results remain qualitatively similar.