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An Experimental Study of the Rate Dependence of Tensile Strength Softening of Longyou Sandstone

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Abstract

It is well-known that the strengths of sandstones measured under fully saturated conditions are smaller than those measured under nominally dry conditions. This strength softening phenomenon has profound implications to rock engineering. In this work we investigate the tensile strength softening of Longyou sandstone from China. Defining the strength softening factor as the ratio of the strength under nominally dry conditions over that under saturated conditions, the static compressive strength softening factor of Longyou sandstone is close to 2 and the static tensile strength softening factor is about 7.9. To further address the applications, where the load may be dynamic, we examine the rate dependence of the tensile strength softening of this sandstone. The dynamic tensile strength is measured using the split Hopkinson pressure bar system in combination with the Brazilian disc sample geometry. The results show that the tensile strength softening factor decreases with the loading rate. Because the saturated sample shows stronger loading rate sensitivity than the dry sample, the softening factor decreases with the loading rate.

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Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the support by the CAS/SAFEA International Partnership Program for Creative Research Teams and the NSERC/Discovery Grant No. 72031326.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil Engineering and Lassonde Institute, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, M5S 1A4, Canada

    Sheng Huang & Kaiwen Xia

  2. Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiaohongshan, Wuhang, Wuhan, 430071, People’s Republic of China

    Sheng Huang, Fei Yan & Xiating Feng

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  1. Sheng Huang
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  2. Kaiwen Xia
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  3. Fei Yan
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  4. Xiating Feng
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Correspondence to Kaiwen Xia.

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Huang, S., Xia, K., Yan, F. et al. An Experimental Study of the Rate Dependence of Tensile Strength Softening of Longyou Sandstone. Rock Mech Rock Eng 43, 677–683 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-010-0083-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-010-0083-8

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