Statistical analysis of physico-mechanical parameters of sandstones occurring in orogenic settings

In northeastern Sicily(Italy),sandstone rock masses widely crop out as cover deposits over crystalline terrains belonging to the orogenic belt.Despite being part of the same geological formation,these sandstones are characterized by highly different features in terms of texture and physico-mechanical properties.This poses a scientific question on the possibility of tracing these rocks to a single statistical model,which could be representative of their main engineering geological properties.Therefore,it is worth investigating on the possible reasons of such differences,that should be searched either in the current geographical sandstone distribution or in the rock texture.For this study,sandstone samples were collected from different sites and were analyzed at both the hand and thin section scales.Three sandstone types were recognized,characterized by a different texture.Then,the laboratory characterization allowed estimating their main physico-mechanical and ultrasonic properties,such as porosity,density,mechanical strength,deformability,and ultrasonic velocities.The rock mechanical strength proved linked to the rock compactness and to the presence of lithic fragments,while pores and a pseudo-matrix between grains represent weakening features.Rock data were also statistically analyzed by grouping the specimens according to a geographical criterion,with respect to their sampling area,but no link was found between location and rock properties.Finally,with the aim of achieving mathematical laws that could be used to predict some rock properties from others,useful for practical purposes when dealing with such a high property variability,single and multiple regression analyses were carried out.Results show that the Uniaxial Compressive Strength,porosity,and P-wave velocity are the best predictors for a quick,indirect estimation of the main physico-mechanical parameters.The methodological approach developed for this research can be taken as reference to study other worldwide cases,involving rocks characterized by a wide range of physico-mechanical properties and covering large regional territories.

Effects of dry-wet cycles on the mechanical properties of sandstone with unloading-induced damage

Sandstone is the fundamental material in various engineering and construction projects.However,the mechanical integrity of sandstone can be compromised by initial unloading damage resulting from activities such as engineering excavations.Furthermore,this degradation is further exacerbated under periodic dry-wet environmental conditions.This study investigated the effects of dry-wet cycles and unloading on the mechanical properties of jointed fine sandstone using uniaxial and triaxial compression tests.These tests were performed on rock samples subjected to varying unloading degrees and different numbers of dry-wet cycles.The results demonstrate that with an increase in the unloading degree from 0%to 70%,there is a corresponding decrease in peak stress ranging from 10%to 33%.Additionally,the cohesion exhibits a reduction of approximately 20%to 25%,while the internal friction angle experiences a decline of about 3.5%to 6%.These findings emphasize a significant unloading effect.Moreover,the degree of peak stress degradation in unloading jointed fine sandstone diminishes with an increase in confining pressure,suggesting that confining pressure mitigates the deterioration caused by dry-wet cycles.Additionally,as the number of dry-wet cycles increases,there is a notable decline in the mechanical properties of the sandstone,evidencing significant dry-wet degradation.Utilizing the Drucker Prager criterion,this study establishes a strength criterion and fracture criterion,denoted as σ_(1)(m,n) and K_(T)^(Ⅱ)(m, n), to quantify the combined impacts of dry-wet cycles and unloading on jointed fine sandstone,which provides a comprehensive understanding of its mechanical behavior under such conditions.

Strength prediction model for water-bearing sandstone based on nearinfrared spectroscopy

The strength of water-bearing rock cannot be obtained in real time and by nondestructive experiments,which is an issue at cultural relics protection sites such as grotto temples.To solve this problem,we conducted a near-infrared spectrum acquisition experiment in the field and laboratory uniaxial compression strength tests on sandstone that had different water saturation levels.The correlations between the peak height and peak area of the nearinfrared absorption bands of the water-bearing sandstone and uniaxial compressive strength were analyzed.On this basis,a strength prediction model for water-bearing sandstone was established using the long short-term memory full convolutional network(LSTM-FCN)method.Subsequently,a field engineering test was carried out.The results showed that:(1)The sandstone samples had four distinct characteristic absorption peaks at 1400,1900,2200,and 2325 nm.The peak height and peak area of the absorption bands near 1400 nm and 1900 nm had a negative correlation with uniaxial compressive strength.The peak height and peak area of the absorption bands near 2200 nm and 2325 nm had nonlinear positive correlations with uniaxial compressive strength.(2)The LSTM-FCN method was used to establish a strength prediction model for water-bearing sandstone based on near-infrared spectroscopy,and the model achieved an accuracy of up to 97.52%.(3)The prediction model was used to realize non-destructive,quantitative,and real-time determination of uniaxial compressive strength;this represents a new method for the non-destructive testing of grotto rock mass at sites of cultural relics protection.

The law of strength damage and deterioration of jointed sandstone after dry-wet cycles

Under the periodic rise and fall of the water level in the Three Gorges Reservoir in China,the rock mass in the ebb and flow zone of the slope is always in a state of a dry-wet cycle.In order to explore the influence of dry-wet cycle on mechanical properties of jointed sandstone,the triaxial and uniaxial compression tests of dry-wet cycle of jointed sandstone were carried out.For the experiment,four groups of samples with different numbers of joints were set up,and the jointed rock samples were subjected to 20 dry-wet cycles.Using both the triaxial compression test and the Mohr-Coulomb(M-C)rock fracture criterion,the strength envelope of the sandstone samples was fitted,and their strength degradation was further analyzed and studied.The results show that:(1)The peak intensity and elastic modulus of the sandstone samples decrease with increased number of dry-wet cycles.(2)The total deterioration of mechanical properties of intact rock samples is bigger than that of jointed sandstone samples as the number of dry-wet cycles increases.(3)With the increase of confining pressure,the peak intensity of intact sandstone samples increases much more than that of jointed sandstone samples,which indicates that joints and their numbers have obvious influence.(4)Joints and their numbers play an important role in guiding the damage effects of sandstone samples,which weaken the damage caused by dry-wet cycles.Therefore,the envelope of the M-C strength criterion of intact sandstone samples moves more than that of jointed sandstone samples.

Strength behaviour of sandstone subjected to polyaxial state of stress

The paper presents an experimental investigation on the strength behaviour of natural rock subjected to polyaxial state of stress. The polyaxial tests were conducted on cubical specimens of sandstone obtained from the Shivpuri district in Madhya Pradesh state of India, The specimens having nominal dimensions of100 mm x 100 mm x 100 mm were tested using a polyaxial testing machine. Twenty-five combinations of intermediate and minor principal stresses were applied and the specimens were loaded till failure occurs. It was observed that the intermediate principal stress has a substantial effect on the strength of the Shivpuri sandstone. A database of rock strength under various combinations of σ_2 and σ_3 was obtained for the Shivpuri sandstone. The database was used to study the predictability of five most commonly used strength criterion. Root mean square error(RMSE), average absolute relative error percentage(AAREP) and coefficient of accordance(COA) were used as indices for the measure of goodness of fit. It was observed that the least error in the prediction was shown by modified Mohr Coulomb criterion followed by modified Weibols and Cook criterion. A probability analysis of the error in prediction was also done.

Exploration of weakening mechanism of uniaxial compressive strength of deep sandstone under microwave irradiation

Traditional mechanical rock breaking method is labor-intensive and low-efficient,which restrictes the development of deep resources and deep space.As a new rock-breakage technology,microwave irradiation is expected to overcome these problems.This study examines the failure characteristics,weakening law,and breakdown mechanism of deep sandstone(depth=1050 m)samples in a microwave field.The macroscopic and microscopic properties were determined via mechanical tests,mesoscopic tests,and numerical simulations.Microwave application at 1000 W for 60 s reduced the uniaxial compressive strength of the sandstone by 50%.Thermal stress of the sandstone was enhanced by uneven expansion of minerals at the microscale.Moreover,the melting of some minerals in the high-temperature environment changed the pore structure,sharply reducing the macroscopic strength.The temperature remained high in the lower midsection of the sample,and the stress was concentrated at the bottom of the sample and along its axis.These results are expected to improve the efficiency of deep rock breaking,provide theoretical and technical support for similar rock-breakage projects,and accelerate advances in deep-Earth science.

Inconsistency of changes in uniaxial compressive strength and P-wave velocity of sandstone after temperature treatments

It is generally accepted that the uniaxial compressive strength(UCS)and P-wave velocity of rocks tend to decrease simultaneously with increasing temperature.However,based on a great number of statistical data and systematic analysis of the microstructure variation of rocks with temperature rising and corresponding propagation mechanism of elastic wave,the results show that(1)There are three different trends for the changes of UCS and P-wave velocity of sandstone when heated from room temperature(20C or 25C)to 800C:(i)Both the UCS and P-wave velocity decrease simultaneously;(ii)The UCS increases initially and then decreases,while the P-wave velocity decreases continuously;and(iii)The UCS increases initially and then fluctuates,while the P-wave velocity continuously decreases.(2)The UCS changes at room temperaturee400C,400Ce600C,and 600Ce800C are mainly attributed to the discrepancy of microstructure characteristics and quartz content,the transformation plasticity of clay minerals,and the balance between the thermal cementation and thermal damage,respectively.(3)The inconsistency in the trends of UCS and P-wave velocity changes is caused by the change of quartz content,phase transition of water and certain minerals.

Strength and failure characteristics of sandstone containing two circular holes filled with two types of inclusions under uniaxial compression

Plate shaped sandstones containing two fabricated circular holes that were filled with gypsum and high-strength concrete respectively were prepared for studying the effects of ligament length L ligament incline angle α, as well as filling modes on their strength properties and failure modes. The results show that the initial cracks can be categorized as wing crack, axial tensile crack and curved tensile crack. The failure modes of ligaments can be categorized as mode of single inclined crack, mode of single axial crack and mode of two parallel cracks. The final failure modes of all specimens can be categorized as the tension-shear mixed failure and shear failure. The strength of inclusions shows little influence on the final failure modes of specimens, while the failure modes vary with L and α. When α is a fixed value, the peak strength σc and elastic modulus Ec of tested specimens increase firstly with increasing L and reaches to the maximum value at L of 16 mm, then declines. When L is a fixed value, σc declines firstly and then turns to increase as α increases to 75° from 45°, while Ec increases linearly. The axial stress σp performs the similar variation trends with those of σc versus increasing L and α when ligaments fail.

Dynamic tensile strength and failure mechanisms of thermally treated sandstone under dry and water-saturated conditions

To study the tensile strength and failure mechanisms of rock with hydro-thermal coupling damage under different loading rates,a series of static and dynamic splitting tests were conducted on thermally treated sandstone under dry and water-saturated conditions.Experimental results showed that high temperatures effectively weakened the tensile strength of sandstone specimens,and the P-wave velocity declined with increasing temperature.Overall,thermal damage of rock increased gradually with increasing temperature,but obvious negative damage appeared at the temperature of 100℃.The water-saturated sandstone specimens had lower indirect tensile strength than the dry ones,which indicated that water-rock interaction led to secondary damage in heat-treated rock.Under both dry and water-saturated conditions,the dynamic tensile strength of sandstone increased with the increase of strain rate.The water-saturated rock specimens showed stronger rate dependence than the dry ones,but the loading rate sensitivity of thermally treated rock decreased with increasing treatment temperature.With the help of scanning electron microscopy technology,the thermal fractures of rock,caused by extreme temperature,were analyzed.Hydro-physical mechanisms of sandstone under different loading rate conditions after heat treatment were further discussed.

Strength failure and crack coalescence behavior of sandstone containing single pre-cut fissure under coupled stress, fluid flow and changing chemical environment

In order to study the strength failure and crack coalescence characteristics of cracked rocks, uniaxial compression experiments were conducted on cylindrical sandstone specimens, sampled from Longyou Grottoes of Zhejiang Province, China, with a single pre-cut crack soaking in different chemical solutions. Based on the results of uniaxial compressive test under different chemical solutions and velocities of flow, the effect of strength and deformation characteristics and main modes of crack coalescence for cracked rocks under chemical corrosion were analyzed. The results show that the pH value and velocity of the chemical solutions both have great influence on the sandstone sample's uniaxial compressive strength and deformation characteristics. Cracked sandstone samples are tension-destructed under uniaxial compression, and the crack propagation directions are consistent with the loading direction. The phenomena of crack initiation, propagation and coalescence of sandstone are well observed. Four different crack types are identified based on the crack propagation mechanism by analyzing the ultimate failure modes of sandstone containing a single pre-cut fissure. The failure process of specimen in air is similar with the specimen under chemical solutions, however, the initial time of crack occuring in specimen under chemical solutions is generally earlier than that in the natural specimen, and the crack propagation and coalescence process of specimen under chemical solutions are longer than those of the natural specimen due to softening of structure of rock caused by hydro-chemical action. Immersion velocity of flow and chemical solutions does not have influence on the ultimate modes of crack coalescence.

Dynamic compressive strength and failure mechanisms of microwave damaged sandstone subjected to intermediate loading rate

To investigate the influence of microwave heating on the dynamic behavior and failure mechanisms of rock,dynamic compression tests were conducted on microwave-irradiated sandstone specimens using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar(SHPB)system.Experimental results show that microwave radiation can effectively weaken the compressive strength of sandstone.Rock specimens show three different failure modes under impact load:tensile failure,tensile−shear composite failure and compressive−shear failure.The dynamic Poisson’s ratio,calculated using the measured P-and S-wave velocities,is introduced to describe the deformation characteristics of sandstone.With the increase in microwave power and heating time,the Poisson’s ratio declines first and then increases slightly,and the turning point occurs at 244.6℃.Moreover,the microstructural characteristics reveal that microwave radiation produces dehydration,pore expansion,and cracking of the rock.The damage mechanisms caused by microwave radiation are discussed based on thermal stress and steam pressure inside the rock,which provides a reasonable explanation for the experimental results.

Characteristic strength and acoustic emission properties of weakly cemented sandstone at different depths under uniaxial compression

As coal mining is extended from shallow to deep areas along the western coalfield,it is of great significance to study weakly cemented sandstone at different depths for underground mining engineering.Sandstones from depths of 101.5,203.2,317.3,406.9,509.9 and 589.8 m at the Buertai Coal Mine were collected.The characteristic strength,acoustic emission(AE),and energy evolution of sandstone during uniaxial compression tests were analyzed.The results show that the intermediate frequency(125-275 kHz)of shallow rock mainly occurs in the postpeak stage,while deep rock occurs in the prepeak stage.The initiation strength and damage strength of the sandstone at different depths range from 0.23 to 0.50 and 0.63 to 0.84 of peak strength(σ_(c)),respectively,decrease exponentially and are a power function with depth.The precursor strength ranges from 0.88σ_(c)to 0.99σ_(c),increases with depth before reaching a depth of 300 m,and tends to stabilize after 300 m.The ratio of the initiation strength to the damage strength(k)ranges from 0.25 to 0.62 and decreases exponentially with depth.The failure modes of sandstone at different depths are tension-dominated mixed tensile-shear failure.Shear failure mainly occurs at the unstable crack propagation stage.The count of the shear failure bands before the peak strength increases gradually,and increases first and then decreases after the peak strength with burial depth.The cumulative input energy,released elastic energy and dissipated energy increase with depth.The elastic release rate ranges from 0.46×10^(-3)to 198.57×10^(-3)J/(cm^(3)s)and increases exponentially with depth.

Basic Facts Concerning Strength of Sandstone

Investigation results regarding three kinds of sandstones of different ages, geneses and composihons are given in this article The experiments were carried out in the St-Petersburg Milling Institute with the usage of a shear box. The influences of basic facts defining the angle of internal friction and cohesion are shown .The results of inveshgations made it possible to determine the angles of internal friction for any given moisture contents and density. Reliability and natural strength are the main factors for evaluation in design and engineering conduction.

Dynamic property tests of frozen red sandstone using a split hopkinson pressure bar

In this study, frozen red sandstone specimens were impacted by a Split Hopkinson bar (SHPB), with a velocity of 4.558 ~ 6.823 ms-1. The temperature of the specimens was maintained at -15℃ during the experiment. For comparison purposes, static uniaxial compression tests were conducted in advance using a freezing triaxial test machine. Four stress-strain curves were obtained in diff erent average strain rates. The test results suggested that when the average strain rate is low, the specimen strength changes gradually;but when it is high, its strength changes rapidly. When the average strain rate is 120.73 s-1, the peak value of stress is as high as 82.96 MPa, which is about two times that of the static compressive strength of 44.1 MPa. A constitutive model was established that was composed of the damaged, viscoelastic and spring bodies, and revealed the variations of compressive strength and strain for the frozen red sandstone under diff erent high strain rates. The test results also showed that the failure form was correlated to the average strain rate of the frozen red sandstone. When the average strain rate is low, the damage was only distributed on the specimen’s edges. However, as the average strain rate increases, the damage range extended to the central parts of the specimen. When the average strain rate reached 107.34s-1, the specimen was smashed.

Mechanical behavior and failure analysis of brittle sandstone specimens containing combined flaws under uniaxial compression

Based on the axial stress-axial strain curves,the effect of fissure angle on the strength and deformation behavior of sandstone specimens containing combined flaws is analyzed.The mechanical parameters of sandstone specimens containing combined flaws are all lower than that of intact specimen,but the reduction extent is distinctly related to the fissure angle.The results of sandstone specimens containing combined flaws are obtained by the acoustic emission,which can be used to monitor the crack initiation and propagation.The ultimate failure mode and crack coalescence behavior are evaluated for brittle sandstone specimens containing combined flaws.Nine different crack types are identified on the basis of their geometry and crack coalescence mechanism(tensile crack,hole collapse,far-field crack and surface spalling)for combined flaws.The photographic monitoring was also adopted for uniaxial compression test in order to confirm the sequence of crack coalescence in brittle sandstone specimens containing combined flaws,which recorded the real-time crack coalescence process during entire deformation.According to the monitored results,the effect of crack coalescence process on the strength and deformation behavior is investigated based on a detailed analysis for brittle sandstone specimens containing combined flaws by using digital photogrammetry.

Effect of cyclic wetting-drying on tensile mechanical behavior and microstructure of clay-bearing sandstone

The understanding of the weakening mechanism of tensile strength of rock subjected to cyclic wetting-drying is critical for rock engineering.Tensile strength tests were conducted on a total of 35 sandstone specimens with different wetting-drying cycles.The crack propagation process and acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples were obtained through a high-speed camera and acoustic emission system.The results indicate that the tensile strength is observably reduced after cyclic wetting-drying,and the extent of the reduction is not only related to the number of wettingdrying cycle,but also closely related to the clay mineral content of the sample.In addition,as the cycles of wetting-drying increase,the effect of each single cycle on tensile strength get reduced until it becomes constant.Moreover,the crack initiation and penetration time is prolonged as the number of wetting-drying cycle increases,which indicates that cyclic wetting-drying weakens the rock stiffness and enhances the ductility of sandstone.Meanwhile,the acoustic emission characteristics of the tested samples further confirmed the ductile behaviour of the sandstone samples with increasing wetting-drying cycle.Furthermore,through the analysis of the microstructure and mineral composition of the samples with different wetting-drying cycles,it is concluded that the main weakening mechanisms of sandstones containing clay minerals are frictional reduction,chemical and corrosive deterioration.

Physical and mechanical properties of sandstone containing a single fissure after exposure to high temperatures

In order to investigate the physical and mechanical properties of sandstone containing fissures after exposure to high temperatures,fissures with different angles α were prefabricated in the plate sandstone samples,and the processed samples were then heated at 5 different temperatures.Indoor uniaxial compression was conducted to analyze the change rules of physical properties of sandstone after exposure to high temperature,and the deformation,strength and failure characteristics of sandstone containing fissures.The results show that,with increasing temperature,the volume of sandstone increases gradually while the quality and density decrease gradually,and the color of sandstone remains basically unchanged while the brightness increases markedly when the temperature is higher than 585 ℃;the peak strength of sandstone containing fissures first decreases then increases when the temperature is between 25℃and 400℃.The peak strain of sandstone containing fissures increases gradually while the average modulus decreases gradually with increasing temperature,and the mechanical properties of sandstone show obvious deterioration after 400 ℃.The peak strain of sandstone containing fissures increases gradually while the average modulus decreases gradually with increasing temperature;with increasing angle αof the fissure,the evolution characteristics of the macro-mechanical parameters of sandstone are closely related to the their own mechanical properties.When the temperature is 800 ℃,the correlation between the peak strength and average modulus of sandstone and the angle α of the fissure is obviously weakened.The failure modes of sandstone containing fissures after high temperature exposure are of three different kinds including:tensile crack failure,tensile and shear cracks mixed failure,and shear crack failure.Tensile and shear crack mixed failure occur mainly at low temperatures and small angles;tensile crack failure occurs at high temperatures and large angles.

Effects of mineralogical composition on uniaxial compressive strengths of sedimentary rocks

Figuring out rock strength plays essential roles in the sub ground mining activities,such as oil and gas well drilling and hydraulic fracturing,coal mining,tunneling,and other civil engineering scenarios.To help understand the effects of the mineralogical composition on evaluating the rock strength,this research tries to establish indirect prediction models of rock strength by specific input mineral contents for common sedimentary rocks.Using rock samples collected from the outcrops in the Sichuan Basin,uniaxial compression tests have been conducted to sandstone,carbonate,and shale cores.Combining with statistical analysis,the experimental data prove it true that the mineralogical composition can be utilized to predict the rock strength under specific conditions but the effects of mineralogical composition on the rock strength highly depend on the rock lithologies.According to the statistical analysis results,the predicted values of rock strengths by the mineral contents can get high accuracies in sandstone and carbonate rocks while no evidences can be found in shale rocks.The best indicator for predicting rock strength should be the quartz content for the sandstone rocks and the dolomite content for the carbonate rocks.Especially,to improve the evaluation accuracy,the rock strengths of sandstones can be obtained by substituting the mineral contents of quartz and clays,and those of carbonates can be calculated by the mineral contents of dolomite and calcite.Noticeably,the research data point out a significant contrast of quartz content in evaluating the rock strength of the sandstone rocks and the carbonate rocks.Increasing quartz content helps increase the sandstone strength but decrease the carbonate strength.As for shale rocks,no relationship exists between the rock strength and the mineralogical composition(e.g.,the clay fractions).To provide more evidences,detailed discussion also provides the readers more glances into the framework of the rock matrix,which can be further studied in the future.These findings can help understand the effects of mineralogical composition on the rock strengths,explain the contrasts in the rock strength of the responses to the same mineral content(e.g.,the quartz content),and provide another indirect method for evaluating the rock strength of common sedimentary rocks.

温度和湿度对文物砂岩修复材料强度的影响

为了寻求一种合适的修复材料对砂岩质文物进行有效修复及保护,本文选取环氧树脂、水硬性石灰5%、水硬性石灰12%等3种修复材料分别对砂岩试样进行修复,并设定在不同恒温温度、冻融循环次数和饱和条件下测定砂岩试样的抗拉强度和抗剪强度,研究修复后的砂岩试样在不同温度和湿度条件下的强度和耐久性。试验结果表明:短时期(10余d)内,黏结岩样受温度影响并不显著;在饱和条件下,岩样的力学强度随着饱和度的增大呈现降低的趋势;使用环氧树脂黏结的试样抗拉与抗剪强度均高于2种水硬性石灰,水硬性石灰12%的黏结强度高于水硬性石灰5%;多次冻融后,环氧树脂黏结岩样的抗拉强度一直处于较高的水平。相对于其他两种材料,环氧树脂黏结具有更好的耐久性。

基于形状改变能密度的岩石强度准则研究

分析砂岩在常规三轴压缩试验过程中弹性应变能密度、体积改变能密度和形状改变能密度的演化规律,根据峰值形状改变能密度与围压的线性变化关系建立形状改变能密度岩石强度准则。结果表明:(1)体积改变能密度与形状改变能密度,在峰前阶段逐渐增加,峰后急剧下降;(2)形状改变能密度强度准则参数物理意义明确,且可通过参数变换转化为经典的Hoek-Brown准则;(3)形状改变能密度强度准则计算结果与8种不同类型岩石的常规三轴压缩试验结果基本一致,验证了准则的精确性和适用性。