This paper analyzes the effects of structures and loads on the static bending and free vibration problems of bilayer beams. Based on static mechanical equilibrium and energy equilibrium, the static and dynamic governing equations of bilayer beam are established. It is found that the value of the thickness ratio has a significant effect on the static and dynamic responses of the beam, and the st...

Plate motions are governed by equilibrium between basal and edge forces. Great earthquakes may induce differential static stress changes across tectonic plates, enabling a new equilibrium state. Here we consider the torque balance for idealized circular plates and find a simple scalar relationship for changes in relative plate speed as a function of its size, upper mantle viscosity, and coseism...

The potential effects of continental crust on mantle convection are explored using threedimensional numerical simulations. The simulations model the coupling between a thin, deformable layer of chemically buoyant crust and a deep layer of thermally convecting and chemically dense mantle. Simulations begin with a crustal layer embedded within the upper thermal boundary layer of a mantle convecti...

We present a quantitative assessment of the thermal and dynamic response of an amphibolitic lower crust to the intrusion of basaltic dike swarms in an arc setting. We consider the effect of variable intrusion geometry, depth of intrusion, and basalt flux on the production, persistence, and interaction of basaltic and crustal melt in a stochastic computational framework. Distinct melting and mix...