Experimental Study on Tensile Characteristics of Layered Carbonaceous Slate Subject to Water–Rock Interaction and Weathering

Erqiang Li, Yanqing Wei (), Zhanyang Chen, Paul Archbold and Brian Mullarney
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Erqiang Li: School of Civil Engineering, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
Yanqing Wei: School of Civil Engineering, Luoyang Institute of Science and Technology, Luoyang 471023, China
Zhanyang Chen: School of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Henan University of Urban Construction, Pingdingshan 467036, China
Paul Archbold: School of Engineering & Materials Research Institute, Technological University of the Shannon, N37 HD68 Westmeath, Ireland
Brian Mullarney: School of Engineering & Materials Research Institute, Technological University of the Shannon, N37 HD68 Westmeath, Ireland

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-17

Abstract: The transverse isotropy of rock masses formed by sedimentation is a common stratum environment in engineering, and the physical–mechanical properties can degrade due to water–rock interaction (WRI) and natural weathering, which potentially lead to the instability or collapse of tunneling, slopes and mining. Taking the carbonaceous slate of the Muzhailing tunnel as the research object, two types of specimens, which include oven-drying (instant drying in oven after fabrication) and natural air-drying (static weathering for 60 days after fabrication) were prepared, respectively, after which Brazilian tests were carried out and the tensile properties were analyzed under the two conditions. The experimental results showed that the two kinds of carbonaceous slate all show brittle failure, but the mechanical response such as failure displacement and peak load is obviously different. The tensile strength of the specimens is significantly all affected by the bedding, while the cleavage failure patterns of the two kinds are affected to different degrees. The softening coefficient of the natural air-drying specimen is 0.11–0.13, which implies that WRI and natural weathering play a vital role in the course of rock failure but have little influence on the transverse isotropy tensile property of bedding. Moreover, the mechanisms of specimen failure subject to WRI and 60 days’ weathering were explained by the SEM technique, which analyzed the micro-components and observes the process of specimen deterioration due to physicochemical reaction, the gradual development of cracks and erosion by weathering.

Keywords: carbonaceous slate; bedding; tensile strength; failure morphology; water–rock interaction; weathering; mechanism (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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