Geomechanics has a marked impact on the safe and sustainable use of the subsurface. Along with an ongoing demand for hydrocarbon resources there is also a growing emphasis on sustainable subsurface exploitation and development, storage of carbon, hydrogen, energy and (radioactive) waste, as well as sustainable geothermal resource utilization. Such activities are accompanied by an ever-increasing need for higher resolution, fit-for-purpose solutions, workflows and approaches to constrain present-day subsurface stresses and minimize associated uncertainties. Building high fidelity geomechanical-numerical models provides critical input and understanding for diverse engineering designs and construction as well as geoscience applications. Such models greatly contribute towards uncertainty reduction, risk management and risk mitigation during the operational life of a given subsurface development and associated infrastructures (both on and below the surface). This Special Publication contains contributions detailing the latest efforts and perspectives in present-day in-situ stress characterization, prediction and modelling from the borehole to plate-tectonic scale. There is particular emphasis on the uncertainties that are often associated with data and models.

This thesis focuses on the contemporary stress state of a continental rift structure, the Upper Rhine Graben, and its present-day reactivation and kinematic behaviour. The graben is currently characterised by relatively slow tectonic deformation accompanied by low to medium seismicity and ongoing subsidence. In this context, the reactivation potential of pre-existing faults associated with the graben structure is one of the main goals of this thesis. Three dimensional finite element modelling is used for simulating the stress state of the study area. Based on the evaluation of the fault reactivation potential, a possible contribution of mechanical earth modelling to earthquake hazard assessment is also investigated. Another task of this thesis is the development of a method and work process for the construction of complex model geometries based on the different data types available. In order to establish a procedure that is independent of local computing and software facilities, the work-flow used is predominantly based on commercial software packages. A brief introduction is given on crustal stresses, their definition, determination and classification. Two approaches of shear failure reactivation evaluation, independent of the rheological parameter of fault surfaces, are discussed. In addition, a summary of the finite element method is given. This includes the influence of mesh quality and the implementation of contact problems as well as the ABAQUS implementation of the material models used (elasticity and elasto-plasticity). The thesis also refers to the approach of multi-scale modelling, nesting or sub-modelling using ABAQUS. The consequences of this approach on the boundary conditions and the model geometries are discussed.

This book covers seismic probabilistic risk assessment (S-PRA) and related studies which have become more important to increase the safety of nuclear facilities against earthquakes and tsunamis in the face of the many uncertainties after the Fukushima accident. The topics are (1) Active faults and active tectonics important for seismic hazard assessment of nuclear facilities,(2) Seismic source modeling and simulation and modeling techniques indispensable for strong ground motion prediction, and (3) PRA with external hazard and risk communication. The Fukushima accident has showed us the limitations of the deterministic evaluation approach to external events (an earthquake and tsunami) in which there are many uncertainties. Furthermore, public anxiety regarding nuclear safety because of an unexpected threat caused by an earthquake or tsunami is growing. The current policy on the estimation of the design basis of ground motion as well as tsunami height still has not been improved following the Fukushima accident. In particular, the risk concept in a nuclear system regarding seismic motion and a tsunami beyond the design basis is indispensable. Therefore, research and development for PRA enhancing nuclear safety are being actively pursued not only in Japan but also worldwide. This book provides an opportunity for readers to consider the future direction of nuclear safety vis-à-vis natural disasters.

The service performance and life of metal parts are closely related to the surface integrity of materials. Shot peening (SP) is a well-known surface strengthening technique and is widely used for the improvement of the component surface integrity in industrial fields, such as aerospace,vehicle, construction machinery and etc. With the rapid development of science and technology, numerous new SP techniques have been developed from the conventional mechanical shot peening, such as the laser shock peening (LSP), ultrasonic shot peening (USP),surface mechanical attrition treatment (SMAT) and etc. Different from the other mechanical processing techniques, a considerable number of process parameters have an influence on the surface strengthening effects of shot-peened metal parts. Therefore, the selection of the SP process parameters with respect to the different metal parts has always been a challenge. With the rapid development of the computer technology, the numerical simulation has increasingly attracted the more and more attentions both from the academy and the industry. Compared to the experimental investigations, the numerical simulations are not only timesaving and economical, but also can provide an insight into the surface strengthening mechanisms of SP.

This the fifth volume of five from the 28th IMAC on Structural Dynamics and Renewable Energy, 2010,, brings together 146 chapters on Structural Dynamics. It presents early findings from experimental and computational investigations of on a wide range of area within Structural Dynamics, including studies such as Simulation and Validation of ODS Measurements made Using a Continuous SLDV Method on a Beam Excited by a Pseudo Random Signal, Comparison of Image Based, Laser, and Accelerometer Measurements, Modal Parameter Estimation Using Acoustic Modal Analysis, Mitigation of Vortex-induced Vibrations in Long-span Bridges, and Vibration and Acoustic Analysis of Brake Pads for Quality Control.

In the Earth Sciences, the concept of fractals and scale invariance is well-recognized in many natural objects. However, the use of fractals for spatial and temporal analyses of natural hazards has been less used (and accepted) in the Earth Sciences. This book brings together twelve contributions that emphasize the role of fractal analyses in natural hazard research, including landslides, wildfires, floods, catastrophic rock fractures and earthquakes. A wide variety of spatial and temporal fractal-related approaches and techniques are applied to 'natural' data, experimental data, and computer simulations. These approaches include probabilistic hazard analysis, cellular-automata models, spatial analyses, temporal variability, prediction, and self-organizing behaviour. The main aims of this volume are to present current research on fractal analyses as applied to natural hazards, and to stimulate the curiosity of advanced Earth Science students and researchers in the use of fractals analyses for the better understanding of natural hazards.

Stress Field of the Earth’s Crust is based on lecture notes prepared for a course offered to graduate students in the Earth sciences and engineering at University of Potsdam. In my opinion, it will undoubtedly also become a standard reference book on the desk of most scientists working with rocks, such as geophysicists, structural geologists, rock mechanics experts, as well as geotechnical and petroleum en- neers. That is because this book is concerned with what is probably the most pe- liar characteristic of rock – its initial stress condition. Rock is always under a natural state of stress, primarily a result of the gravitational and tectonic forces to which it is subjected. Crustal stresses can vary regionally and locally and can reach in places considerable magnitudes, leading to natural or man-made mechanical failure. P- existing stress distinguishes rock from most other materials and is at the core of the discipline of “Rock Mechanics”, which has been developed over the last century. Knowledge of rock stress is fundamental to understanding faulting mechanisms and earthquake triggering, to designing stable underground caverns and prod- tive oil fields, and to improving mining methods and geothermal energy extraction, among others. Several books have been written on the subject, but none has atte- ted to be as all-encompassing as the one by Zang and Stephansson.

The evaluation of in-situ rock stress is not only important in the exploration and engineering involving rock masses for mining, hydropower, tunneling, oil and gas production, and stone quarrying, but also in the geodynamics and earthquake prediction. The methods of determining these stresses for shallow crust in the engineering practice, including

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