Dynamic rupture behavior revealed by laboratory experiments using ultrahigh-speed digital image correlation

Dr. Vito Rubino
California Institute of Technology

Shear cracks along interfaces are ubiquitous in engineering applications, ranging from the failure of composite materials and bonded joints to bimaterial systems. They are also relevant to the study of earthquakes occurring as ruptures along faults in the Earth’s crust. This presentation will discuss recent advances in the study of dynamic shear ruptures, using laboratory experiments. Our newly developed imaging technique, based on ultrahigh-speed digital image correlation (DIC), has transformed the capabilities of observing highly transient phenomena and has allowed addressing fundamental questions in rupture dynamics. One of the highlights of this new approach is its ability to capture the full-field evolution of particle velocities, strains, and strain rates of spontaneously propagating dynamic ruptures.