Physics of Earth materials - SIO 225
http://sioviz.ucsd.edu/~fialko/cont_mech/
An introduction to the mechanics of continua, including theory of elasticity, brittle failure, fluid dynamics, and viscoelasticity, with applications to geodynamic problems.
Prerequisite: some familiarity with (or willingness to learn) partial differential equations and tensor algebra.

Yuri Fialko; 321 IGPP; yfialko@ucsd.edu; Ph. 822-5028
Lecture course, 4-units, letter grade or S/U grade, homework, final exam.
Time: Mon Wed Fri, 1:00-1:50 PM, 303 IGPP - Munk Conference Room

class@ucsd.edu



 
 

SYLLABUS

Date Topic Reading/Homework Lecturer
25 SEP Introduction Homework 0
Read: Malvern, Chapter 1
YF
27 SEP Tensors Read: Notes; Malvern, Chapter 2 YF
29 SEP Elements of tensor algebra Read: Notes; Malvern, Chapter 2 YF
02 OCT Coordinate transformations Homework 1
Read: Malvern, Chapter 2
YF
04 OCT Deformation and rigid body motion Read: Malvern, Chapter 2 YF
Stress and strain; Conservation laws
06 OCT Strain and rotation Read: Web notes; Ranalli Ch. 1.4-1.6 YF
09 OCT Conservation laws Homework 2 (assigned in class)
Read:
YF
11 OCT Stress Read: Notes YF
13 OCT Stress cont'd Read: YF
16 OCT Eigenvalues and eigenvectors of 2nd rank tensors Homework 3: Problems 10 and 20 in Malvern Section 3.2 Read: Notes YF
18 OCT Principal axes of deformation; Mohr's diagrams
Read: Ranalli, Ch. 2; Malvern, 3.2-3.3; Class notes
YF
Elasticity
20 OCT Quiz on tensors and stress/strain
Generalized Hooke's Law
Read: Malvern Ch. 6.1-6.2 YF
23 OCT Generalized Hooke's Law cont'd
Compatibility equations
Homework 4 Read: Notes YF
25 OCT Linear elastic solutions for homogeneous deformation Read: Malvern Ch. 8.1-8.2 YF
27 OCT Navier-Cauchy equations of motion Read: Malvern Ch. 8.3-8.4 YF
30 OCT Elastodynamics Read: Class notes YF
01 NOV Strain energy function; Strain compatibility Read: Class notes YF
03 NOV St. Venant principle Homework 5
Read: Class notes
YF
06 NOV Theory of dislocations Read: Class notes YF
Fluid mechanics
08 NOV
Navier-Stokes equations
Read: Malvern Ch. 7.1 YF
10 NOV No class: Veterans Day Holiday Read:
13 NOV Plane Couette and Poiseuille flows; geologic applications (mantle convection, magma flow) Homework 6
Read: Read: Malvern Ch. 7.3-7.4; Class notes
YF
Viscoelasticity and plasticity
15 NOV Constitutive equations for the Maxwell and standard linear solids Read: Ranalli Ch. 4.6; Class notes YF
17 NOV Transient deformation in the Earth's crust and mantle; Post-glacial rebound, post-seismic relaxation
Read: Class notes
YF
20 NOV Harmonic excitation and Q; Attenuation of travelling waves Read: Class notes YF
22 NOV Deformation of rocks in the ductile regime; Power-law rheology; Dislocation and diffusion creep
Read: Class notes
YF
24 NOV No class: Thanksgiving Holiday Read: YF
Brittle deformation
27 NOV Stress concentration; Brittle failure; Elements of fracture mechanics Read: Class notes YF
29 NOV Frictional sliding; Mohr-Coulomb failure Homework 7
Read: Suppe, pp. 289-294
YF
01 DEC Rate and state friction; physics of friction at high sliding velocities Read: Class notes YF
06 DEC Final exam 1-4 pm YF

 



SIO 225 SUGGESTED BOOKS (some on reserve at SIO Library):

Textbooks:

Introduction to the mechanics of a continuum medium,  L. E. Malvern, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1969.
 
 

Reference Books:

Rheology of the Earth. Deformation and flow processes in geophysics and geodynamics Ranalli, G., Allen & Unwin, Boston, MA, 1986.
 

Theory of Elasticity, Landau, L., and E. Lifshitz, Oxford University Press, 1986; (Chapters 1, 3)
 

Principles of structural geology,  J. Suppe, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, NJ, 1985.
 

An introduction to fluid dynamics, Batchelor, G.K., Cambridge University Press
 

Computer Homework:

Computer homework can be done most easily by using MATLAB which runs on most machines.  If you do not have a computer account we will set you up.
 


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Last modified: Mon Oct 9 17:23:10 PDT 2006