A strike-slip fault physical simulation device and simulation method

Abstract

The application discloses a strike-slip fault physical simulation device and a simulation method, and belongs to the technical field of geological structures; the device comprises a bearing platform, a strike-slip movement assembly and a strike-slip simulation assembly; the device can splice out any required fault plane form through a plurality of strip simulation pieces which are arranged in parallel and can be independently axially moved; compared with a traditional fixed bottom plate or a simple form bottom plate, the device can simulate the profile of the bottom plate joint end surface of a complex strike-slip fault, so that a physical simulation experiment can more truly restore the complex fault structure under geological conditions; meanwhile, any strip simulation piece is independently moved by a driving unit, so that any component does not need to be replaced, and only the distribution positions of the strip simulation pieces need to be changed, so that completely different fault forms can be reconstructed in a short time, a large amount of material cost and processing time for individually manufacturing customized bottom plates for each experiment are saved, comparison experiments of multiple groups of different forms of faults can be quickly carried out, and the research efficiency is greatly improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of geological structure technology, and in particular to a physical simulation device and method for strike-slip faults. Background Technology

[0002] Structural physics simulation technology is a key technical means to study the formation mechanism and evolution process of geological structures. As one of the three basic fault types, strike-slip faults control basins and structures that contain rich oil and gas resources. A deep understanding of their evolution laws has important guiding significance for oil and gas exploration.

[0003] While existing physical simulation devices for strike-slip fault structures can effectively simulate straight or relatively simple strike-slip faults, they have significant limitations in simulating more complex fault morphologies. These devices typically require the manual fabrication of a base plate to simulate the strike-slip fault, which compromises the accuracy of the base plate when dealing with complex fault shapes. Furthermore, the morphology of strike-slip faults varies greatly across different regions, necessitating the fabrication of a suitable base plate before each experiment, thus increasing both labor and time costs.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a physical simulation device and method for strike-slip faults to solve the technical problems of inaccurate experimental models and high experimental costs in existing technologies. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This invention provides a physical simulation device and method for strike-slip faults to solve the technical problems of inaccurate experimental models and high experimental costs in the prior art.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, the technical solution adopted by the present invention is as follows: This invention provides a physical simulation device and method for strike-slip faults, including a support platform, a strike-slip motion component, and a strike-slip simulation component; both the strike-slip motion component and the strike-slip simulation component are mounted on the support platform. The strike-slip simulation assembly includes a drive unit and multiple strip-shaped simulation elements arranged in parallel with each other. The sides of adjacent strip-shaped simulation elements are closely attached, and the top surfaces of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements are coplanar to simulate the base plate of the strike-slip fault. The drive unit can drive any one of the strip-shaped simulation elements to reciprocate along the axial direction of the strip-shaped simulation element, so that the contour formed by the distal ends of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements simulates the contour of the joint end face of the base plate. The strike-slip motion assembly is used to drive the strip-shaped simulation elements to move in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip-shaped simulation element to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault.

[0007] Furthermore, the strip-shaped simulation component is a horizontally arranged support rod, all of which are located on the bearing platform, and any adjacent support rods are in frictional engagement, with the upper surfaces of multiple support rods being coplanar to form a support surface; The output end of the slip-slip motion component abuts against the outermost support rod to push all the support rods to move in the same direction, thereby simulating the movement of the base plate of the slip-slip fault.

[0008] Furthermore, the cross-section of the support rod is rectangular.

[0009] Furthermore, the supporting platform is provided with a groove parallel to the movement direction of the sliding motion component; The drive unit includes a base slidably mounted in the slide groove and a first drive motor disposed on the base. The first drive motor is used to drive the support rod to reciprocate along the axial direction of the support rod.

[0010] Furthermore, the slip-flying simulation component also includes a transmission unit, which includes a guide rod, a moving plate, a screw, and a transmission rod; The guide rod is fixedly installed on the base and arranged parallel to the support rod, and the guide rod and the support rod are respectively located on both sides of the base; The screw is installed at the output end of the first drive motor, and the first drive motor drives the screw to rotate; The movable plate has a through hole adapted to the guide rod and a threaded hole that is threaded to the screw. The movable plate is slidably mounted on the guide rod and is threaded to the screw. The base is also provided with a guide hole, the transmission rod is slidably installed in the guide hole, and one end of the transmission rod is connected to the moving plate, and the other end is connected to the support rod.

[0011] Furthermore, the sliding motion component is provided in two sets, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the sliding simulation component.

[0012] Furthermore, the sliding simulation component includes a push plate and a second drive motor that moves the push plate.

[0013] Furthermore, it also includes a camera and a scanner, which are mounted above the slip-and-go simulation assembly via a bracket.

[0014] A simulation method using a strike-slip fault physical simulation device, characterized by comprising the following steps: After obtaining the strike-slip fault morphology information under actual geological conditions, the model is scaled up to the size of the strike-slip simulation component. The position of the strip simulation component is adjusted by the driving unit, and all the strip simulation components are assembled to form a strike-slip fault base plate shape that is completely consistent with the preset fault morphology. Experimental materials are laid in the experimental area formed by the strip simulation components to simulate the strata. The strike-slip motion component drives the strip simulation components to move in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip simulation components to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault and obtain the deformation data of the experimental materials.

[0015] Furthermore, the experimental material was quartz sand.

[0016] Compared with the prior art, the technical solution disclosed in this invention has the following beneficial effects: By employing the above-mentioned scheme, this invention, through multiple parallel and independently axially movable strip-shaped simulation components, can assemble any desired fault planar shape. Compared to traditional fixed base plates or simple base plates, it can simulate the contour of the base plate joint end face of complex strike-slip faults, enabling physical simulation experiments to more realistically reproduce complex fault structures under geological conditions. Simultaneously, the driving unit drives any strip-shaped simulation component to move independently, thus eliminating the need to replace any parts. Simply changing the distribution position of each strip-shaped simulation component allows for the reconstruction of completely different fault morphologies in a short time, saving significant material costs and processing time associated with custom-made base plates for each experiment. Furthermore, it enables rapid comparative experiments of multiple sets of faults with different morphologies, significantly improving research efficiency. In addition, during strike-slip movement, the entire strip-shaped simulation component group is pushed as a whole, maintaining its shape and ensuring the stability of the fault morphology during movement. The close-fitting and coplanar design prevents leakage of experimental materials, and the coplanar base plate surface more closely approximates the real geological interface. Attached Figure Description

[0017] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention or the prior art, the drawings used in the embodiments will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without creative effort.

[0018] Fig. 1 This is a schematic diagram of the physical simulation device for strike-slip faults in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 2 This is a schematic diagram of the sliding motion component in an embodiment of the present invention; Fig. 3 This is a schematic diagram of the slip-and-go simulation component in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] The components include: 1. Support platform; 2. Sliding motion assembly; 201. Push plate; 202. Second drive motor; 3. Sliding simulation assembly; 301. Support rod; 302. Base; 303. First drive motor; 304. Guide rod; 305. Moving plate; 306. Screw; 307. Transmission rod; 308. Fixing block; 4. Camera; 5. Scanner; 6. Fill light; 7. Control unit; 8. Processing system. Detailed Implementation

[0020] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0021] To make the above-mentioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention more apparent and understandable, the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0022] This invention provides a physical simulation device and method for strike-slip faults to solve the technical problems of inaccurate experimental models and high experimental costs in the prior art.

[0023] refer to Figs. 1 to 3 The strike-slip fault physical simulation device disclosed in this embodiment of the invention includes a support platform 1, a strike-slip motion component 2, and a strike-slip simulation component 3. Both the strike-slip motion component 2 and the strike-slip simulation component 3 are mounted on the support platform 1. The strike-slip simulation component 3 includes a drive unit and multiple strip-shaped simulation elements arranged in parallel to each other. The sides of adjacent strip-shaped simulation elements are closely attached, and the top surfaces of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements are coplanar to simulate the base plate of the strike-slip fault. The drive unit can drive any strip-shaped simulation element to reciprocate along the axial direction of the strip-shaped simulation element so that the contour formed by the distal ends of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements simulates the contour of the joint end face of the base plate. The strike-slip motion component 2 is used to drive the strip-shaped simulation elements to move in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip-shaped simulation elements to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault.

[0024] This application utilizes multiple parallel, independently movable strip-shaped simulation elements to assemble any desired fault planar morphology (such as curved, irregular, or branching fault traces). This solves the fundamental problem that traditional fixed or simple base plates cannot simulate complex strike-slip faults, enabling physical simulation experiments to more realistically reproduce complex fault structures under geological conditions. It is important to note that this application maps the fault planar morphology traces using the end-face contour lines of the strip-shaped simulation elements. The contour lines formed by multiple parallel, independently movable strip-shaped simulation elements are not perfectly smooth. However, when the width of the strip-shaped simulation elements is sufficiently small, it approaches a smooth curve. Therefore, by using a sufficiently high discretization density, i.e., sufficiently narrow strip-shaped simulation elements, the macroscopically serrated boundary infinitely approximates the ideal smooth curve boundary, thus achieving the physical reconstruction of any complex fault morphology. Furthermore, the drive unit can move any strip-shaped simulation component independently, so there is no need to replace any parts. By simply changing the distribution of each strip-shaped simulation component, completely different fault morphologies can be reconstructed in a short time. This saves a lot of material costs and processing time compared to making customized base plates for each experiment. At the same time, it can quickly conduct comparative experiments on multiple sets of faults with different morphologies, greatly improving research efficiency. In addition, during strike-slip motion, the entire strip-shaped simulation component group is pushed as a whole, and its shape remains unchanged, ensuring the stability of the fault morphology during the movement. The close fit and coplanar design prevents leakage of experimental materials, and the coplanar surface of the base plate is closer to the real geological interface.

[0025] The simulation method is as follows: After obtaining the strike-slip fault morphology information under actual geological conditions, the model is scaled up to the size of the strike-slip simulation component 3. The position of the strip simulation component is adjusted by the drive unit, and all the strip simulation components are combined to form a strike-slip fault base plate shape that is completely consistent with the preset fault morphology. Experimental materials are laid in the experimental area formed by the strip simulation components to simulate the strata. The strike-slip motion component 2 drives the strip simulation components to move in the horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip simulation components to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault and obtain the deformation data of the experimental materials. Quartz sand can be selected as the experimental material.

[0026] In this embodiment, the strip-shaped simulation component is a horizontally arranged support rod 301. All support rods 301 are located on the bearing platform 1, and any adjacent support rods 301 are in frictional engagement. The upper surfaces of multiple support rods 301 are coplanar to form a support surface. The output end of the slip motion component 2 abuts against the outermost support rod 301 to push all support rods 301 to move in the same direction, thereby simulating the movement of the bottom plate of the slip fault. This application uses "frictional engagement between adjacent support rods 301" so that when the slip motion component 2 pushes the outermost support rod 301, the static friction between the support rods 301 can drive all support rods 301 to move together as a whole. Moreover, the speed, direction, and displacement of all support rods 301 are exactly the same, thereby simulating the rigid movement of a real slip fault. That is, all points on one side of the fault move in the same amount. At the same time, during the slip motion, the simulated contour formed by the different axial positions of each support rod 301 will not change. The shape and movement do not interfere with each other, thereby improving the accuracy and stability of the simulation.

[0027] It is important to note that in the real Earth's crust, the base plates on both sides of the fault plane are continuous and flat. The coplanar support surface realistically simulates this geological condition, avoiding non-structural deformation of the experimental material due to uneven support surface, which could introduce other variables and affect the accuracy of the actual experimental data.

[0028] In this embodiment, the cross-section of the support rod 301 is rectangular, with straight sides. When multiple rectangular support rods 301 are arranged side by side and closely, the sides of adjacent support rods 301 can achieve complete surface-to-surface contact. When the sliding motion component 2 pushes the outermost support rod 301, the rectangular side can efficiently and stably transmit the thrust inward through static friction, ensuring that all support rods 301 move synchronously without rotation or tilting. Furthermore, it ensures that the formed support surface is relatively smooth, providing a flat and stable deposition base for the experimental material and effectively preventing the experimental material laid on top from leaking out through the gaps in the support rods 301. For those skilled in the art, the support rod 301 can also be configured with an isosceles trapezoidal cross-section, but the support rods 301 need to be arranged in a combination of forward and reverse arrangements. Of course, other types of support rods 301 can also be selected, as long as they meet the usage requirements.

[0029] In this embodiment, the support platform 1 is provided with a groove parallel to the movement direction of the sliding motion component 2; the drive unit includes a base 302 slidably installed in the groove, and a first drive motor 303 installed on the base 302. The first drive motor 303 is used to drive the support rod 301 to reciprocate along the axial direction of the support rod 301. This method realizes the decoupling of the drive unit and the sliding motion component 2 and the reuse of space, ensuring that the drive unit can follow the support rod 301 as a whole during the sliding motion, thereby maintaining independent, continuous and precise control over the axial position of each support rod 301. As a further optimization scheme, in order to improve the stability of the support rod 301, the sliding simulation component 3 in this embodiment also includes a transmission unit. The transmission unit includes a guide rod 304, a moving plate 305, a screw 306 and a transmission rod 307; the guide rod 304 is fixedly installed on the base 302 and is arranged parallel to the support rod 301, and the guide rod 304 and the support rod 301 are respectively located on the base. The base 302 has two sides; a screw 306 is installed at the output end of the first drive motor 303, which drives the screw 306 to rotate; a movable plate 305 has a through hole adapted to the guide rod 304 and a threaded hole threaded to the screw 306, the movable plate 305 is slidably installed on the guide rod 304 and threaded to the screw 306; the base 302 also has a guide hole, a transmission rod 307 is slidably installed in the guide hole, one end of the transmission rod 307 is connected to the movable plate 305 and the other end is connected to the support rod 301. In use, the first drive motor 303 drives the screw 306 to rotate, and the screw 306 drives the movable plate 305 to move. Because the movable plate 305 is fixedly connected to the transmission rod 307, the movement of the movable plate 305 can drive the support rod 301 to move. It should be noted that each support rod 301 in this application is equipped with an independent drive unit and a transmission unit to meet the independent adjustment needs of each support rod 301.

[0030] As a further optimization, the transmission unit in this embodiment is also provided with a fixing block 308. The fixing block 308 is installed at the end of the guide rod 304 away from the base 302, and the fixing block 308 is fixedly connected to the guide rod 304. At the same time, the distal end of the screw 306 is rotatably installed in the groove opened in the fixing block 308, and a rotating bearing is correspondingly provided. The function of the fixing block 308 is to stabilize the screw 306 and the guide rod 304, and maintain the parallelism between the screw 306 and the guide rod 304, thereby improving the running accuracy of the support rod 301.

[0031] In this embodiment, the sliding motion component 2 is provided in two sets, respectively arranged on both sides of the sliding simulation component 3. During the simulation experiment, only one set provides a pushing force to the support rod 301, while the position of the other set is adjusted to move it away from the support rod 301, reserving experimental space for the movement of the support rod 301. As a further optimization, the sliding simulation component 3 includes a push plate 201 and a second drive motor 202 that drives the push plate 201 to move. It also includes a gear set and a rack mounted on the back of the push plate 201. The output end of the second drive motor 202 is equipped with a drive wheel, which transmits torque to the rack through the gear set, driving the rack to reciprocate along its axial direction, thereby driving the push plate 201 to move. In use, when it is necessary to move one of the push plates 201 away from the support rod 301, it is only necessary to reverse the second drive motor 202. For those skilled in the art, the driving logic of the push plate 201 is not explicitly limited, and cylinder drive or linkage drive can also be used, as long as the movement of the push plate 201 can be satisfied.

[0032] This embodiment also includes a camera 4 and a scanner 5. The camera 4 and scanner 5 are mounted above the strike-slip simulation component 3 via a bracket. The camera 4 is mainly used to capture the horizontal movement changes of the simulated experimental surface. During use, it records the movement trajectory of the surface during the experiment by taking photos or recording videos at regular intervals, visually showing how the strike-slip motion is transmitted and attenuated to both sides. When the material has a large thickness or undergoes significant vertical deformation, relying solely on the camera 4 may result in the loss of height information. The scanner 5 can completely reconstruct the three-dimensional morphology. Through the cooperation of the camera 4 and the scanner 5, the three-dimensional strain field and fracture evolution process during the strike-slip fault activity of the complete component can be obtained. As a further optimization, this application also includes a supplementary light 6 to improve the image clarity.

[0033] This embodiment also includes a control unit 7 and a processing system 8. The processing system 8 is electrically connected to the control unit 7, the first drive motor 303, the second drive motor 202, the camera 4, and the scanner 5. In use, the processing system 8 acquires the strike-slip fault morphology under actual geological conditions and converts it to the size of the experimental area according to the ratio. The experimental area referred to in this application is the area between the two push plates 201, including the support surface formed by the support rod 301 and the upper surface of the bearing platform 1 extending a distance along the axial direction of the support rod 301. The experimental material covers the support surface and part of the upper surface of the corresponding bearing platform 1. Then, the processed data is sent to the control unit 7. The control unit 7 controls the first drive motor 303 to move the support rod 301 along the axial direction and form a strike-slip fault base plate after proportional scaling. After the support rod 301 is moved into place, the experimental material is laid in the experimental area; After the experimental materials are laid out, the control unit 7 controls the second drive motor 202 to move one of the push plates 201. It should be noted that only one push plate 201 operates in each experiment, and before the push plate 201 moves, the control unit 7 controls the second drive motor 202 to drive the other push plate 201 to move away from the support rod 301, leaving experimental space and ensuring the smooth progress of the experiment. After the experiment is completed, the camera 4 and scanner 5 suspended above the support platform 1 take pictures and scan the experiment to record the results for subsequent analysis.

[0034] It should be noted that, for those skilled in the art, it is obvious that the present invention is not limited to the details of the above exemplary embodiments, and that the present invention can be implemented in other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics of the present invention. Therefore, the embodiments should be regarded as exemplary and non-limiting in all respects, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing description. Therefore, all changes falling within the meaning and scope of equivalents of the claims are intended to be included within the present invention, and no reference numerals in the claims should be construed as limiting the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A physical simulation device for strike-slip faults, characterized in that, include: Support platform, slip motion components, and slip simulation components; Both the slip-slip motion component and the slip-slip simulation component are mounted on the support platform; The strike-slip simulation assembly includes a drive unit and multiple strip-shaped simulation elements arranged in parallel with each other. The sides of adjacent strip-shaped simulation elements are closely attached, and the top surfaces of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements are coplanar to simulate the base plate of the strike-slip fault. The drive unit can drive any one of the strip-shaped simulation elements to reciprocate along the axial direction of the strip-shaped simulation element, so that the contour formed by the distal ends of the multiple strip-shaped simulation elements simulates the contour of the joint end face of the base plate. The strike-slip motion assembly is used to drive the strip-shaped simulation elements to move in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip-shaped simulation element to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault.

2. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 1, characterized in that, The strip-shaped simulation component is a horizontally arranged support rod, all of which are located on the bearing platform, and any adjacent support rods are in frictional contact with each other, with the upper surfaces of multiple support rods being coplanar to form a support surface; The output end of the slip-slip motion component abuts against the outermost support rod to push all the support rods to move in the same direction, thereby simulating the movement of the base plate of the slip-slip fault.

3. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 2, characterized in that, The cross-section of the support rod is rectangular.

4. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 2, characterized in that, The support platform is provided with a groove parallel to the direction of movement of the sliding motion component; The drive unit includes a base slidably mounted in the slide groove and a first drive motor disposed on the base. The first drive motor is used to drive the support rod to reciprocate along the axial direction of the support rod.

5. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 4, characterized in that, The slip-walking simulation component also includes a transmission unit, which includes a guide rod, a moving plate, a screw, and a transmission rod. The guide rod is fixedly installed on the base and is arranged parallel to the support rod, and the guide rod and the support rod are respectively located on both sides of the base; The screw is installed at the output end of the first drive motor, and the first drive motor drives the screw to rotate; The movable plate has a through hole adapted to the guide rod and a threaded hole that is threaded to the screw. The movable plate is slidably mounted on the guide rod and is threaded to the screw. The base is also provided with a guide hole, the transmission rod is slidably installed in the guide hole, and one end of the transmission rod is connected to the moving plate, and the other end is connected to the support rod.

6. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 1, characterized in that, The sliding motion component is provided in two sets, which are respectively arranged on both sides of the sliding simulation component.

7. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 6, characterized in that, The slip-and-go simulation component includes a push plate and a second drive motor that moves the push plate.

8. The physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to claim 1, characterized in that, It also includes a camera and a scanner, which are mounted on top of the slip-and-go simulation assembly via a bracket.

9. A simulation method using the physical simulation device for strike-slip faults according to any one of claims 1-8, characterized in that, Includes the following steps: After obtaining the strike-slip fault morphology information under actual geological conditions, the model is scaled up to the size of the strike-slip simulation component. The position of the strip simulation component is adjusted by the driving unit, and all the strip simulation components are assembled to form a strike-slip fault base plate shape that is completely consistent with the preset fault morphology. Experimental materials are laid in the experimental area formed by the strip simulation components to simulate the strata. The strike-slip motion component drives the strip simulation components to move in a horizontal direction perpendicular to the axis of the strip simulation components to simulate the movement of the strike-slip fault and obtain the deformation data of the experimental materials.

10. The simulation method according to claim 9, characterized in that, The experimental material was quartz sand.

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