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Mikko J. Alava

Publications and source records attributed to Mikko J. Alava.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
arXiv2013

Damage accumulation in quasi-brittle fracture

The strength of quasi-brittle materials depends on the ensemble of defects inside the sample and on the way damage accumulates before failure. Using large scale numerical simulations of the random fuse model, we investigate the evolution of the microcrack distribution that is directly related to the strength distribution and its size effects. We show that the broadening of the distribution tail originates from the dominating microcracks in each sample and is related to a tendency of crack coalescence that increases with system size. We study how the observed behavior depends on the disorder present in the sample.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2013

Avalanches in 2D Dislocation Systems: Plastic Yielding is not Depinning

We study the properties of strain bursts (dislocation avalanches) occurring in two-dimensional discrete dislocation dynamics models under quasistatic stress-controlled loading. Contrary to previous suggestions, the avalanche statistics differs fundamentally from predictions obtained for the depinning of elastic manifolds in quenched random media. Instead, we find an exponent τ=1 of the power-law distribution of slip or released energy, with a cut-off that increases exponentially with the applied stress and diverges with system size at all stresses. These observations demonstrate that the avalanche dynamics of 2D dislocation systems is scale-free at every applied stress and, therefore, can not be envisaged in terms of critical behavior associated with a depinning transition.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2013

Role of the sample thickness in planar crack propagation

We study the effect of the sample thickness in planar crack front propagation in a disordered elastic medium using the random fuse model. We employ different loading conditions and we test their stability with respect to crack growth. We show that the thickness induces characteristic lengths in the stress enhancement factor in front of the crack and in the stress transfer function parallel to the crack. This is reflected by a thickness-dependent crossover scale in the crack front morphology that goes from from multi-scaling to self-affine with exponents in agreement with line depinning models and experiments. Finally, we compute the distribution of crack avalanches which is shown to depend on the thickness and the loading mode.

cond-mat.dis-nn↗
arXiv2013

Transient Shear Banding in Time-dependent Fluids

We study the dynamics of shear-band formation and evolution using a simple rheological model. The description couples the local structure and viscosity to the applied shear stress. We consider in detail the Couette geometry, where the model is solved iteratively with the Navier-Stokes equation to obtain the time-evolution of the local velocity and viscosity fields. It is found that the underlying reason for dynamic effects is the non-homogeneous shear distribution, which is amplified due to a positive feedback between the flow field and the viscosity response of the shear thinning fluid. This offers a simple explanation for the recent observations of Transient Shear Banding in time-dependent fluids. Extensions to more complicated rheological systems are considered.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2012

Dynamic hysteresis in cyclic deformation of crystalline solids

The hysteresis or internal friction in the deformation of crystalline solids stressed cyclically is studied from the viewpoint of collective dislocation dynamics. Stress-controlled simulations of a dislocation dynamics model at various loading frequencies and amplitudes are performed to study the stress - strain rate hysteresis. The hysteresis loop areas exhibit a maximum at a characteristic frequency and a power law frequency dependence in the low frequency limit, with the power law exponent exhibiting two regimes, corresponding to the jammed and the yielding/moving phases of the system, respectively. The first of these phases exhibits non-trivial critical-like viscoelastic dynamics, crossing over to intermittent viscoplastic deformation for higher stress amplitudes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2012

Droplet spreading and pinning on heterogeneous substrates

The contact angle of a fluid droplet on an heterogeneous surface is analysed using the statistical dynamics of the spreading contact line. The statistical properties of the final droplet radius and contact angle are obtained through applications of depinning transitions of contact lines with non-local elasticity and features of pinning-depinning dynamics. Such properties not only depend on disorder strength and surface details, but also on the droplet volume and disorder correlation length. Deviations from Wenzel or Cassie/Baxter behaviour are particularly apparent in the case of small droplet volumes and small contact angles.

cond-mat.soft↗
arXiv2011

Fracture strength of disordered media: Universality, interactions and tail asymptotics

We study the asymptotic properties of fracture strength distributions of disordered elastic media by a combination of renormalization group, extreme value theory, and numerical simulation. We investigate the validity of the `weakest-link hypothesis' in the presence of realistic long-ranged interactions in the random fuse model. Numerical simulations indicate that the fracture strength is well described by the Duxbury-Leath-Beale (DLB) distribution which is shown to flow asymptotically to the Gumbel distribution. We explore the relation between the extreme value distributions and the DLB type asymptotic distributions, and show that the universal extreme value forms may not be appropriate to describe the non-universal low-strength tail.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2011

Spatial fluctuations in transient creep deformation

We study the spatial fluctuations of transient creep deformation of materials as a function of time, both by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) measurements of paper samples and by numerical simulations of a crystal plasticity or discrete dislocation dynamics model. This model has a jamming or yielding phase transition, around which power-law or Andrade creep is found. During primary creep, the relative strength of the strain rate fluctuations increases with time in both cases - the spatially averaged creep rate obeys the Andrade law $ε_t \sim t^{-0.7}$, while the time dependence of the spatial fluctuations of the local creep rates is given by $Δε_t \sim t^{-0.5}$. A similar scaling for the fluctuations is found in the logarithmic creep regime that is typically observed for lower applied stresses. We review briefly some classical theories of Andrade creep from the point of view of such spatial fluctuations. We consider these phenomenological, time-dependent creep laws in terms of a description based on a non-equilibrium phase transition separating evolving and frozen states of the system when the externally applied load is varied. Such an interpretation is discussed further by the data collapse of the local deformations in the spirit of absorbing state/depinning phase transitions, as well as deformation-deformation correlations and the width of the cumulative strain distributions. The results are also compared with the order parameter fluctuations observed close to the depinning transition of the 2$d$ Linear Interface Model or the quenched Edwards-Wilkinson equation.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2010

From Brittle to Ductile Fracture in Disordered Materials

We introduce a lattice model able to describe damage and yielding in heterogeneous materials ranging from brittle to ductile ones. Ductile fracture surfaces, obtained when the system breaks once the strain is completely localized, are shown to correspond to minimum energy surfaces. The similarity of the resulting fracture paths to the limits of brittle fracture or minimum energy surfaces is quantified. The model exhibits a smooth transition from brittleness to ductility. The dynamics of yielding exhibits avalanches with a power-law distribution.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2010

Fluctuations and scaling in creep deformation

The spatial fluctuations of deformation are studied in creep in the Andrade's power-law and the logarithmic phases, using paper samples. Measurements by the Digital Image Correlation technique show that the relative strength of the strain rate fluctuations increases with time, in both creep regimes. In the Andrade creep phase characterized by a power law decay of the strain rate $ε_t \sim t^{-θ}$, with $θ\approx 0.7$, the fluctuations obey $Δε_t \sim t^{-γ}$, with $γ\approx 0.5$. The local deformation follows a data collapse appropriate for an absorbing state/depinning transition. Similar behavior is found in a crystal plasticity model, with a jamming or yielding phase transition.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2010

Dynamical correlations near dislocation jamming

Dislocation assemblies exhibit a jamming or yielding transition at a critical external shear stress value $σ=σ_c$. Nevertheless the nature of this transition has not been ascertained. Here we study the heterogeneous and collective nature of dislocation dynamics within a crystal plasticity model close to $σ_c$, by considering the first-passage properties of the dislocation dynamics. As the transition is approached in the moving phase, the first passage time distribution exhibits scaling, and a related peak {\it dynamical} susceptibility $χ_4^*$ diverges as $χ_4^* \sim (σ-σ_c)^{-α}$, with $α\approx 1.1$. We relate this scaling to an avalanche description of the dynamics. While the static structural correlations are found to be independent of the external stress, we identify a diverging dynamical correlation length $ξ_y$ in the direction perpendicular to the dislocation glide motion.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2009

Optimization and plasticity in disordered media

We study the plastic yielding of disordered media using the perfectly plastic random fuse model. The yield surfaces are shown to be different from those obtained minimizing the sum of the local yield thresholds, i.e. the so-called minimum 'energy' surfaces. As a result, the global yield stress is lower than expected from naive optimization and the difference persists as the sample size increases. At variance with minimum energy surfaces, height-height fluctuations of yield surfaces exhibit multiscaling. We provide a theoretical argument that explains how this behavior arises from the very different nature of the optimization problem in both cases.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2009

Size effects in statistical fracture

We review statistical theories and numerical methods employed to consider the sample size dependence of the failure strength distribution of disordered materials. We first overview the analytical predictions of extreme value statistics and fiber bundle models and discuss their limitations. Next, we review energetic and geometric approaches to fracture size effects for specimens with a flaw. Finally, we overview the numerical simulations of lattice models and compare with theoretical models.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

The effect of thresholding on temporal avalanche statistics

We discuss intermittent time series consisting of discrete bursts or avalanches separated by waiting or silent times. The short time correlations can be understood to follow from the properties of individual avalanches, while longer time correlations often present in such signals reflect correlations between triggerings of different avalanches. As one possible source of the latter kind of correlations in experimental time series, we consider the effect of a finite detection threshold, due to e.g. experimental noise that needs to be removed. To this end, we study a simple toy model of an avalanche, a random walk returning to the origin or a Brownian bridge, in the presence and absence of superimposed delta-correlated noise. We discuss the properties after thresholding of artificial timeseries obtained by mixing toy avalanches and waiting times from a Poisson process. Most of the resulting scalings for individual avalanches and the composite timeseries can be understood via random walk theory, except for the waiting time distributions when strong additional noise is added. Then, to compare with a more complicated case we study the Manna sandpile model of self-organized criticality, where some further complications appear.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗
arXiv2008

Line creep in paper peeling

The dynamics of a "peeling front" or an elastic line is studied under creep (constant load) conditions. Our experiments show an exponential dependence of the creep velocity on the inverse force (mass) applied. In particular, the dynamical correlations of the avalanche activity are discussed here. We compare various avalanche statistics to those of a line depinning model with non-local elasticity, and study various measures of the experimental avalanche-avalanche and temporal correlations such as the autocorrelation function of the released energy and aftershock activity. From all these we conclude, that internal avalanche dynamics seems to follow "line depinning" -like behavior, in rough agreement with the depinning model. Meanwhile, the correlations reveal subtle complications not implied by depinning theory. Moreover, we also show how these results can be understood from a geophysical point of view.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

Fracture size effects from disordered lattice models

We study size effects in the fracture strength of notched disordered samples using numerical simulations of lattice models for fracture. In particular, we consider the random fuse model, the random spring model and the random beam model, which all give similar results. These allow us to establish and understand the crossover between a regime controlled by disorder-induced statistical effects and a stress-concentration controlled regime ruled by fracture mechanics. The crossover is described by a scaling law that accounts for the presence of fracture process zone which we quantify by averaging over several disordered configurations of the model. The models allow to study the development of the fracture process zone as the load is increased and to express this in terms of crack resistance (R-curve).

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗
arXiv2008

Driven particle in a cloud of mobile impurities

The dynamics of a test particle interacting with diffusing impurities in one dimension is investigated analytically and numerically. In the absence of an applied external force, the dynamics of the particle can be characterized by a distribution of monotonic excursions $Δx$, which scales as a power law with an exponent $τ_{Δx} = 4/3$. When the particle is driven at a slow constant velocity, there is again a power law distribution for the monotonic changes of the force $ΔF$, which is characterized by a similar exponent $τ_{ΔF}=4/3$. These results can be understood from the theory of random walks.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗