Scaling Laws for Fracture of Heterogeneous Materials and Rock

Using computer simulation we show that, near the global failure point, the cumulative elastic energy released during fracturing of heterogeneous solids follows a power law with log-periodic corrections to the leading term. This is consistent with a recently proposed scaling law that relates the dynamics of the precursors of large earthquakes to their occurrence time, thus providing a rational basis for it in terms of rupture of the rock. It is also consistent with the scaling of acoustic emissions that precede fracture of composite materials, with the time to failure, and may thus provide a basis for predicting fracture of materials.