Joël Piraux

Bruno Lombard, Joël Piraux

This paper deals with the numerical modeling of transient mechanical waves in linear viscoelastic solids. Dissipation mechanisms are described using the generalized Zener model. No time convolutions are required thanks to the introduction of memory variables that satisfy local-in-time differential equations. By appropriately choosing the relaxation parameters, it is possible to accurately describe a large range of materials, such as solids with constant quality factors. The evolution equations satisfied by the velocity, the stress, and the memory variables are written in the form of a first-order system of PDEs with a source term. This system is solved by splitting it into two parts: the propagative part is discretized explicitly, using a fourth-order ADER scheme on a Cartesian grid, and the diffusive part is then solved exactly. Jump conditions along the interfaces are discretized by applying an immersed interface method. Numerical experiments of wave propagation in viscoelastic and fluid media show the efficiency of this numerical modeling for dealing with challenging problems, such as multiple scattering configurations.

Guillaume Chiavassa, Bruno Lombard, Joël Piraux

Propagation of transient mechanical waves in porous media is numerically investigated in 1D. The framework is the linear Biot's model with frequency-independant coefficients. The coexistence of a propagating fast wave and a diffusive slow wave makes numerical modeling tricky. A method combining three numerical tools is proposed: a fourth-order ADER scheme with time-splitting to deal with the time-marching, a space-time mesh refinement to account for the small-scale evolution of the slow wave, and an interface method to enforce the jump conditions at interfaces. Comparisons with analytical solutions confirm the validity of this approach.

Bruno Lombard, Joël Piraux

The propagation of elastic waves in a fractured rock is investigated, both theoretically and numerically. Outside the fractures, the propagation of compressional waves is described in the simple framework of one-dimensional linear elastodynamics. The focus here is on the interactions between the waves and fractures: for this purpose, the mechanical behavior of the fractures is modeled using nonlinear jump conditions deduced from the Bandis-Barton model classicaly used in geomechanics. Well-posedness of the initial-boundary value problem thus obtained is proved. Numerical modeling is performed by coupling a time-domain finite-difference scheme with an interface method accounting for the jump conditions. The numerical experiments show the effects of contact nonlinearities. The harmonics generated may provide a non-destructive means of evaluating the mechanical properties of fractures.