Anomalous Creep as a Precursor to Failure in Granular Materials

TL;DR

This paper investigates how slow, anomalous creep in granular materials, driven by frictional contact dynamics, can serve as an early warning indicator for imminent failure such as earthquakes or landslides.

Contribution

It uncovers the frictional mechanisms behind creep and its role in the stability and failure of granular materials, highlighting the importance of aging and acceleration of creep near failure points.

Findings

Creep originates from frictional contact dynamics.

Stability depends on creep and contact aging interplay.

Accelerating creep signals imminent failure.

Abstract

Granular materials, composed of discrete solid grains, can be modeled as simple mechanical systems. However, these materials can undergo spontaneous slow deformation, or creep, even under small forces and while in apparent mechanical equilibrium; a phenomenon central to understanding soil mechanics and the behavior of earthquake faults. We show that creep in granular materials originates from frictional dynamics at the contact points between grains. We reveal that the stability of these materials is governed by the interplay between creep and aging at these frictional contacts. Near the yield threshold, the frictional interactions result in anomalously accelerating creep, eventually leading to the delayed failure of the fragile packing. This behavior may serve as an early warning signal for catastrophic events like earthquakes and landslides.