Experimental Review of Fluid Pressure Effects on Sheared Granular Materials (Internship) King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)

Overview

Natural faults are typically viewed as rock surfaces filled with fluids and wear detritus, called fault gouge. In the laboratory, there is an apparent discrepancy in frictional behavior between observations of sliding on bare rock surfaces and shearing granular gouge materials. 

Key Facts

Experiments on bare rock surfaces and rock surfaces separated by a thin layer of gouge indicate that slip between two rock surfaces is much more stable at high than at low fluid pressure. In contrast, the majority of experiments on granular gouge materials indicate that slip is less stable at high than at low fluid pressure. 

While some studies speculate on the role of dilatancy in the frictional behavior of fluid-filled gouge materials, the exact explanation behind this discrepancy is unclear. You'll discover everything on this  Experimental Review of Fluid Pressure Effects on Sheared Granular Materials (Internship) project at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) .