Experimental and model data of aggregate compaction by pressure solution

van den Ende, Martijn;

2017-11 || GFZ Data Services

Intergranular pressure solution creep is an important deformation mechanism in the Earth’s crust. The phenomenon has been frequently studied and several analytical models have been proposed that describe its constitutive behavior. These models require assumptions regarding the geometry of the aggregate and the grain size distribution in order to solve for the contact stresses, and often neglect shear tractions. Furthermore, analytical models tend to overestimate experimental compaction rates at low porosities, an observation for which the underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated.



Here we present a conceptually simple, 3D Discrete Element Method (DEM) approach for simulating intergranular pressure solution creep that explicitly models individual grains, relaxing many of the assumptions that are required by analytical models. The DEM model is validated against experiments by direct comparison of macroscopic sample compaction rates. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the overall DEM compaction rate to the grain size and applied stress is tested. The effects of the interparticle friction and of a distributed grain size on macroscopic strain rates are subsequently investigated.



Overall, we find that the DEM model is capable of reproducing realistic compaction behavior, and that the strain rates produced by the model are in good agreement with uniaxial compaction experiments. Characteristic features, such as the dependence of the strain rate on grain size and applied stress, as predicted by analytical models, are also observed in the simulations. DEM results show that interparticle friction and a distributed grain size affect the compaction rates by less than half an order of magnitude.


The zip-file Van-den-Ende_2017.018.zip contains several folders with raw data from the laboratory experiments, output data from Discrete Element Method simulations, and Python 2.7 script files that read and process these data. All data are stored in ASCII format.



Originally assigned keywords

Corresponding MSL vocabulary keywords

MSL enriched keywords

Originally assigned sub domains
  • rock and melt physics
MSL enriched sub domains
  • rock and melt physics
  • analogue modelling of geologic processes
  • microscopy and tomography
Source http://dx.doi.org/doi:10.5880/fidgeo.2017.018
Source publisher GFZ Data Services
DOI 10.5880/fidgeo.2017.018
License CC BY 4.0
Authors
References
  • van den Ende, M. P. A., Marketos, G., Niemeijer, A. R., & Spiers, C. J. (2018). Investigating Compaction by Intergranular Pressure Solution Using the Discrete Element Method. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, 123(1), 107–124. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017jb014440
  • 10.1002/2017JB014440
  • IsSupplementTo
Contact
  • van den Ende
  • Utrecht University
  • m.p.a.vandenende@uu.nl
Citation van den Ende, M. (2017). Experimental and model data of aggregate compaction by pressure solution [Data set]. GFZ Data Services. https://doi.org/10.5880/FIDGEO.2017.018