An arbitrarily small defect of phase change in density and change in moduli can nucleate and grow at constant potential energy under high pressure at a critical loading. The self-similarly expanding ellipsoid possesses the “lacuna” property: the particle velocity vanishing in the interior domain. We derive the flow of energies across the moving phase boundary of this type of inclusion. The solution explains the generation of a shear seismic source radiation in deep focus earthquakes under “volume collapse”; also the generation of failure waves (producing a zone with micro-fractures under compression in lima glass), and has wider applications to amorphization defects, defects in alloys, planetary impacts, etc.
The seminar will be held on May 21st in Aula Caminetto from 3 to 4pm