Vito Rubino
Research Interests
My research interests focus on rupture dynamics, frictional processes, and on the relation between fluids and faulting through laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. In particular, I am interested in understanding rupture phenomena encompassing the full spectrum of slip behavior from slow slip to dynamic events; the evolution of dynamic friction and how it affects rupture propagation; and the effects of fault inhomogeneities on rupture behavior.
To investigate these topics I have developed and employed highly instrumented laboratory experiments of frictional ruptures featuring ultrahigh-speed digital image correlation, as well as a range of other high-fidelity diagnostics, including laser velocimeters and strain gages.
These experiments have recently enabled capturing the full-field behavior of spontaneously propagating dynamic ruptures, the evolution of local dynamic friction and several other rupture features that were undetectable with previous techniques, such as the formation of pressure shock fronts, the near-rupture-tip pattern, and the spatiotemporal characteristics associated with dynamic shear ruptures. These measurements provide a crucial input in the modeling of earthquake source processes.
Current and Past Research Topics
- Full-field imaging of dynamic ruptures using ultrahigh-speed digital image correlation
- Quantifying the spatiotemporal properties of sub-Rayleigh and supershear ruptures
- Tracking the evolution of dynamic friction by means of local measurements of spontaneously propagating dynamic ruptures
- Investigating the role of fluids on rupture behavior
- Measuring pressure shock fronts associated with the propagation of dynamic shear ruptures
- Exploring the feasibility of dynamic full-field earthquake measurements from space (part of a project with JPL/NASA)
- Studying the relation between fluids and faulting using controlled laboratory experiments
- Neutron imaging of hydraulic fracturing in shale
- Enhancing the digital image correlation method with traction continuity conditions along interfaces
- Quantifying the digital image correlation measurement errors to capture propagating dynamic ruptures
Imaging laboratory earthquake ruptures with ultrahigh-speed digital image correlation. Earthquakes are mimicked in the laboratory through dynamic rupture propagating along an inclined frictional interface (a,b) . Full-field maps of the displacement, velocity and shear stress (c-e), experimentally obtained by processing the sequence of ultrahigh-speed digital images with pattern-matching algorithms and highly tailored analysis . (a) is modified from www.sanandreasfault.org. Credit: Rubino, Rosakis, Lapusta, Nature Communications (2017).