Avalanche shapes in the fiber bundle model

We study the temporal evolution of avalanches in the fiber bundle model of disordered solids, when the model is gradually driven towards the critical breakdown point. We use two types of loading protocols: (i) quasistatic loading and (ii) loading by a discrete amount. In the quasistatic loading, where the load is increased by the minimum amount needed to initiate an avalanche, the temporal shapes of avalanches are asymmetric away from the critical point and become symmetric as the critical point is approached. A measure of asymmetry (A) follows a universal form A∼(σ-σ_{c})^{θ}, with θ≈0.25, where σ is the load per fiber and σ_{c} is the critical load per fiber. This behavior is independent of the disorder present in the system in terms of the individual failure threshold values. Thus it is possible to use this asymmetry measure as a precursor to imminent failure. For the case of discrete loading, the load is always increased by a fixed amount. The dynamics of the model in this case can be solved in the mean field limit. It shows that the avalanche shapes always remain asymmetric. We also present a variable range load sharing version of this case, where the results remain qualitatively similar.