Stochastic simulation of fracture systems is an interesting approach to build a set of dense and complex networks. However, discrete fracture models made of planar fractures generally fail to reproduce the complexity of natural networks, both in terms of geometry and connectivity. In this study a pseudogenetic method is developed to generate stochastic fracture models that are consistent with p...

INTRODUCTION Stress fractures are common during military training but femoral neck stress fractures are uncommon and sometimes pose diagnostic and therapeutic challenges. An incomplete stress fracture with excellent prognosis, if left unprotected, can lead to displaced femoral neck fracture with almost 63% complication rate even with best of the treatment. The aim of this study was to analyze v...

In order to characterize the fatigue behaviour and determine the fracture energy of polysilicon used in micro-systems, an on-chip testing device has been designed and fabricated. The experimental set-up is able to continuously measure the elastic stiffness decrease and therefore to evidence fatigue of polysilicon 15-μm thick films and to allow for the introduction of a sharp crack at the notch ...

Chemically strengthened glass features a surface compression and a balancing central tension (CT) in the interior of the glass. A greater CT is usually associated with a higher level of stored elastic energy in the glass. During a fracture event, release of a greater amount of stored energy can lead to frangibility, i.e., shorter crack branching distances, smaller fragment size, and ejection of...

Dual three-dimensional networks of structural and transport elements were combined to model the effect of fracture on mass transport in quasi-brittle geomaterials. Element connectivity of the structural network, representing elasticity and fracture, was defined by the Delaunay tessellation of a random set of points. The connectivity of transport elements within the transport network was defined...

The fracture resistance of structures is optimised using the level-set method. Fracture resistance is assumed to be related to the elastic energy released by a crack propagating in a normal direction from parts of the boundary which are in tension, and is calculated using the virtual crack extension technique. The shape derivative of the fracture-resistance objective function is derived. Two il...

In the past few years, the fast proliferation of available XML documents has stimulated a great deal of interest in discovering hidden and nontrivial knowledge from XML repositories. However, to the best of our knowledge, none of existing work on XML mining has taken into account the dynamic nature of XML documents as online information. The present article proposes a novel type of frequent pat...

The potential hydraulic behaviour of the fracture network in a major Triassic sandstone aquifer in the UK has been evaluated. The properties of the fracture network were determined using results from detailed scan line surveys at 10 sites, television and geophysical borehole logging, and packer testing. Six sets of discontinuities common to all sites were identified and statistically characteri...