Effect of Water Saturation on Stress-Strain Curve of Rocks in Uniaxial Compression

Abstract

The effect of water on the mechanical properties of rocks, such as strength and Young's modulus, has been investigated in many studies. To understand the mechanism of the effect of water on the mechanical behavior of rocks, not only these mechanical properties but also the stress-strain curve, which is one of the most basic data showing the mechanical behavior, should be focused on, and the change of the stress-strain curve with the different water conditions is needed to be known. In this study, the effect of water saturation on the uniaxial compressive strength and the stress-strain curve of rocks was investigated. The uniaxial compression test with alternating loading rate was performed using Sanjome andesite, Tage tuff, Kimachi sandstone and Akiyoshi marble. Inada granite was used for the uniaxial compression test with constant loading rate. The tests were conducted under various water conditions: oven-dried, vacuum-dried, air-dried, air-dried for one day, immersed in water and watersaturated conditions. The test results showed that the stress-strain curve of the andesite, tuff, sandstone and granite changed with the water saturation. On the other hand, the effect of water saturation on the stress-strain curve of the marble was not observed. From the test results, the increase in strength due to decrease in water saturation was discussed. A shift of the peak strength point with the water condition change was investigated, and the relation between the stress-strain curves under the different water conditions was considered based on it.

Keywords

• rock
• water saturation
• uniaxial compressive strength
• stress-strain curve