Rheology I

Rheology

Part of mechanics that deals with the flow of rocks,

or matter in general
Deals with the relationship of the following:
(in terms of constitutive equations):
stress,
strain, e
strain rate e. (hence time, t)
material properties
other external conditions
Rocks flow given time and other conditions!

Linear Rheologies
The ratios of stress over strain or stress over
strain rate is constant, e.g.:

Elastic behavior: = Ee

Viscous behavior: = e.

Rheology Explains Behavior

Drop onto a concrete floor four objects:

a gum eraser
a cube of halite
a ball of soft clay
one cm3 of honey

When they fall, they behave the same by following the

Newtons Second Law (F = mg)
Their difference is when they reach the ground:
The eraser rebounds and bounces (elastic)
The clay flattens and sticks to the floor (ductile)
The halite fractures and fragments scatter (brittle)
The honey slowly spreads on the floor (viscous)

Material Parameters

Rheology depends on:

Extrinsic (external) conditions such as:
P, T, t, chemistry of the environment

Intrinsic (internal) material properties such as:

rock composition, mass, density

Material Parameters

Are actually not purely material constants

Are related to the rheological properties of a body, e.g.:
rigidity
compressibility
viscosity, fluidity
elasticity

These depend on external parameters

Are scalars in isotropic material and tensors of higher

order in anisotropic material

Constitutive Equations

Mechanical state of a body is specified by:

Kinematic quantities such as:
strain, e
displacement, d
velocity, v
acceleration, a
Dynamic quantities such as:
force, F
stress,

Constitutive Equations, Example

F = ma
= E e

The constitutive equations involve both

mechanical and material parameters:
f (e, e., . , , M ) = 0

M is material property depending on P, T, etc.

Law of Elasticity - Hookes Law

A linear equation, with no intercept, relating

stress ( to strain (e)
For longitudinal strain:

=Ee

(e/t = 0)

The proportionality constant E between stress and

longitudinal strain is the Youngs modulus
Typical values of E for crustal rocks are on the
order of 10-11 Pa
Elasticity is typical of rocks at room T and pressures
observed below a threshold stress (yield stress)

Characteristics of Elasticity

Instantaneous deformation upon application of a

load
Instantaneous and total recovery upon removal of
load (rubber band, spring)
It is the only thermodynamically reversible
rheological behavior
Stress and strains involved are small
Energy introduced remains available for returning
the system to its original state (internal strain
energy)

It does not dissipate into heat; i.e., strain is recoverable

Typically, elastic strains are less than a few percents of

the total strain

Law of Elasticity
.

Shear Modulus

For shear stress and strains

s = G

The proportionality constant G between stress

and shear strain is the shear modulus
(rigidity)

Bulk Modulus

For volume change under pressure:

P = Kev

K = P/ev is the bulk modulus; ev is dilation

K is the proportionality constant between
pressure and volumetric strain
The inverse of the bulk modulus is the
compressibility:

k = 1/K

Units of the proportionality constants

The proportionality constants E, G, and K

are the slope of the line in the -e diagram
(slope = /e)

Since E, ,G, and K are the ratio of stress

over strain (/e), their units are stress (e.g., Pa,
Mpa, bar) because e is dimensionless

Poisson Ratio, nu

Under uniaxial load, an elastic rock will shorten under

compression while expanding in orthogonal direction

Poisson ratio: The ratio of the elongation perpendicular to

the compressive stress (called: transverse, et, or lateral
strain, elat) and the elongation parallel to the compressive
stress (longitudinal strain, el)

= elat/elong = et/el [no dimension]

It shows how much a core of rock bulges as it is

shortened

http://silver.neep.wisc.edu/~lakes/PoissonIntro.html

| el

_ et
= et /el
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poisson's_ratio

Poisson Ratio

Because rocks expand laterally in response to an

axially applied stress, they exert lateral stress
(Poisson effect) on the adjacent material

If no lateral expansion is allowed, such as in a

confined sedimentary basin or behind a retaining
wall, the tendency to expand laterally produces
lateral stress

Poisson Ratio = et/el

By setting the lateral (i.e., transverse, et) strains to zero, and

loading a column of earth, describing its tendency to expand by
Poisson's ratio and translating these lateral strains into stresses
by Young's modulus we can show that (assume 1 is vertical):
2 = 3 = lateral = vertical /(1-)
or

h = v /(1-) (h =horizontal, v =vertical)

For a material that expands as much as it is compressed (fully

incompressible), for example a fluid ( = 0.5), this leads to:
h = v
(hydrostatic response)

The second equation is used by engineers in calculating

stresses behind retaining walls to estimate lateral stresses in
mine shafts or in sedimentary basins. This is an elastic model,
other options can be used to estimate stress at plastic failure

Material become narrower when they are stretched!

http://silver.neep.wisc.edu/~lakes/PoissonIntro.html

Poisson ratio, =et/el ranges

between 0.0 and 0.5

= 0.0 for fully compressible material, i.e.,

those that change volume under stress without
extending laterally (i.e., et=0):
if et=0.0 =et/el=0.0
Note: Sponge has a low

= 0.5 for fully incompressible material (e.g.,

fluid) which maintain constant volume irrespective
of stress (material extends laterally): i.e.,
=et/el=0.5 et=0.5el
Note: lead cylinder a high

Values of the Poisson ratio in natural rocks

range between 0.25 and 0.35
( 0.25 for most rocks)

For a 0.25 , the magnitude of lateral stress

( h = 2 = 3) for most rocks (i.e., the Poisson
effect) is 1/3 of the greatest principal stress
( l is vertical), i.e., 3 = 1/3 l because:
h = v /(1-)
3 = 0.25/(1-0.25)

or

3 = /(1-) l
3 = 1/3 l