As a research-oriented university, U of T has seen a lot of firsts. The brand new Rock Fracture Dynamics Laboratory, constructed to study how rocks break under stress, can now be added to that list.
This groundbreaking facility allows researchers to test rock samples under simulated force and temperature conditions (up to 200 degrees Celsius) found on Earth, while providing detailed images of the process. Part of the Lassonde Institute for Engineering Geoscience, it will provide researchers with a realtime account of what occurs inside the samples being tested. Researchers will be able to track fractures and cracks as they occur, leading to a greater understanding of this previously difficult to study phenomenon. Researchers can simulate conditions up to four kilometres deep in the Earth’s crust, using the carefully controlled environment in the facility.
“The facility enables us to perform geophysical imaging on samples of rocks, so we can now visualize what’s going on inside the rock as it is happening,” said professor Paul Young, Keck Chair of Seismology and Rock Mechanics and vice president of research at U of T, in an interview with the Bulletin.
The heart of this laboratory is electronic in nature: a beastly 256- processor computing cluster provides the necessary processing power for the immense amounts of data collected by sensing instruments. The cluster is capable of performing trillions of calculations per second—necessary, considering the constant stream of data gathered by the sensors as they “listen” to the samples crushed and fractured.
In the past, researchers would have to sift through a great deal of data in order to understand any given fracturing experiment. This could mean waiting months for a clear picture. With the new laboratory, U of T geologists can visualize the data gathered mere minutes after the fact.
Scientists will be able to measure a great variety of information regarding material fractures, including, most importantly, energy release. Young explained that the instruments are extremely sensitive, able to measure the equivalent force needed to break pencil lead.
Fractures become clearly visible when shifting tectonic plates form faults. The pressure upon rocks in many situations can reach incredible levels, causing solid pieces of stone to snap in half. Areas with heavily fractured rock can form aquifers, as the increased permeability allows fl uids to fl ow between the cracks.
Studying rocks under extreme stress allows for a better understanding a particularly stressful natural occurrence— earthquakes.
This heavy-duty processing power will help researchers compare mathematical models of rock behaviour to real-life experiments. Researchers can then refine their predictions to forecast the various processes involved in earthquakes, faults, and other geological situations.
Additionally, the data will be useful for the construction industry, as engineers seek to understand how and why materials fail in certain situations.
“We will be able to see how cement, as well as rock, reacts [to fractures], and measure that growth. This will help the construction industry understand better what happens with critical infrastructure,” said Young.
