Inequalities of energy release rates in compression of nano-porous materials predict its imminent breakdown

Abstract

We show that the divergent acoustic energy release rate in a quasi-statically compressed nano-porous material can be used as a precursor to failure in such materials. A quantification of the inequality of the energy release rate using social inequality measure indices help constructing a warning signal for large bursts of energy release. We also verify similar behavior for simulations of viscoelastic fiber bundle models that mimic the strain-hardening dynamics of the samples. The results demonstrate experimental applicability of the precursory signal formulation for any diverging response function near a transition point using social inequality indices.