Quasi-statically Self-chosen Faulting Path Modeling in Heterogeneous Medium: FEM-beta Approach

We apply FEM-β, a newly proposed Finite Element Method (Hori, Oguni and Sakaguchi, JMPS, 2005), to quasi-statically self-chosen faulting path modeling. The method, FEM-β, is based on particle discretization of a displacement field with non-overlapping shape function and it provides an easy way to express displacement discontinuities between any two adjacent nodes: This is an advantage of FEM-β for self-chosen failure path modeling. FEM-β, originally developed for the analysis on tensile failure within a structural material containing local imperfection, is here tested for earthquake shear faulting in strongly heterogeneous medium. In order to investigate the effect of elastic heterogeneity in the crust on the formation of geometrically complex fault traces, we first analyze the static stress field in a heterogeneous medium containing a shear crack and then simulate the quasi-static crack growth for which rupture path is self-chosen.