Annotation "This book covers a wide range of topics in localized damage with particular emphasis on recent advances in computational methods. It forms the proceedings of the Fourth International Conference on Localized Damage: Computer-Aided Assessment and Control, which took place on 3-5 June 1996, in Fukuoka, Japan. The Localized Damage conferences are now well-established as the preeminent forum for presentation of the research on advanced computational methods to problems in fracture, fatigue and damage mechanics."--BOOK JACKET. Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

The many kinds of porous geomaterials (rocks, soils, concrete, etc.) exhibit a range of responses when undergoing inelastic deformation. In doing so they commonly develop well-ordered fabric elements, forming fractures, shear bands and compaction bands, so creating the planar fabrics that are regarded as localization. Because these induced localization fabrics alter the bulk material properties (such as permeability, acoustic characteristics and strength), it is important to understand how and why localization occurs, and how it relates to its setting. The concept of damage (in several uses) describes both the precursor to localization and the context within which it occurs. A key theme is that geomaterials display a strong material evolution during deformation, revealing a close linkage between the damage and localization processes. This volume assembles perspectives from a number of disciplines, including soil mechanics, rock mechanics, structural geology, seismic anisotropy and reservoir engineering. The papers range from theoretical to observational, and include contributions showing how the deformed geomaterial's emergent bulk characteristics, like permeability and seismic anisotropy, can be predicted.