Statistical Properties of Shear Deformation of Granular Media and Analogies with Natural Seismic Processes

In this paper, the process of shear deformation of the medium formed by the cubic grains is investigated experimentally. It is demonstrated that the deformation process is intermittent and accompanied by the radiation of acoustic perturbations. These perturbations obey statistical laws that are inherent in natural seismic processes: the frequency-energy scaling relation (the Gutenberg–Richter law) and the generalized Omori law for temporal decay of aftershocks. The weak perturbations influence on the process of shear deformation is studied for the mono-dispersed medium. During the granular medium stimulation by weak periodic signals, the existence of a critical frequency providing the smallest number of critical events in the granular medium is identified. We also developed the algorithm providing smaller stresses inside the granular massif by means of external perturbations during shear deformation. Taking into account the statistical similarity between shear and seismic processes, these results open prospects for the ability to affect the natural seismic processes.