Academia.eduAcademia.edu

Fig. 8. Example plots of data collected during the experiments showing the four stages of crack propagation where a vertical propagating crack turned to propagate horizontally into the interface. Stage 1: a vertically propagating crack with constant velocity begins to decelerate as it approaches a more rigid horizontal layer. Stage 2: vertical propagation of the crack is inhibited, the propagation continues along the breadth of the crack. Stage 3: horizontal crack propagation into the interface is initiated, sometimes with contemporary inclined propagation into the upper more rigid layer (characterised by an initial acceleration and then rapid deceleration). The crack propagation accelerates as it intrudes the interface. Stage 4: The propagation of the crack into the interface rapidly decelerates when the horizontal crack dimension becomes comparable to the size of the experimental tank. (a) Distance versus time plot of experimental sill formation in a hydrostatic two-layered system, with E,,/E,=1.10 (Experiment 11). (b) Plot of length velocity versus length of intrusion during experimental sill propagation.  propagation velocity along the crack breadth is unaffected (see Fig. 8). Stage two of experimental sill formation is characterised by pure lateral propagation along the breadth of the crack (see Fig. 5). Experimental sill nucleation is initiated at the start of stage three,

Figure 8 Example plots of data collected during the experiments showing the four stages of crack propagation where a vertical propagating crack turned to propagate horizontally into the interface. Stage 1: a vertically propagating crack with constant velocity begins to decelerate as it approaches a more rigid horizontal layer. Stage 2: vertical propagation of the crack is inhibited, the propagation continues along the breadth of the crack. Stage 3: horizontal crack propagation into the interface is initiated, sometimes with contemporary inclined propagation into the upper more rigid layer (characterised by an initial acceleration and then rapid deceleration). The crack propagation accelerates as it intrudes the interface. Stage 4: The propagation of the crack into the interface rapidly decelerates when the horizontal crack dimension becomes comparable to the size of the experimental tank. (a) Distance versus time plot of experimental sill formation in a hydrostatic two-layered system, with E,,/E,=1.10 (Experiment 11). (b) Plot of length velocity versus length of intrusion during experimental sill propagation. propagation velocity along the crack breadth is unaffected (see Fig. 8). Stage two of experimental sill formation is characterised by pure lateral propagation along the breadth of the crack (see Fig. 5). Experimental sill nucleation is initiated at the start of stage three,