Abstract
Gypsum is a soft rock with low strength and high propensity to plastic deformation. Its mechanical properties are relevant in a wide range of technical application (e.g. tunnel excavation, stability assessment of underground quarries, oil and gas accumulation). The micro-mechanisms involved in the deformation of gypsum rock have for long time interested the scientific world and are still not completely understood. The peculiar crystallographic structure of this bi-hydrate salt, with water molecules layered in the salt structure, favours the development of plastic structures in the rock. The present work proposes an experimental investigation of strain accommodation mechanisms in gypsum rock, reporting data referred to uniaxial and triaxial stress conditions. The rock strain was studied with a multiscale approach, with the comparison of results from DIC and microstructural analyses.
Highlights
Gypsum is a soft rock that is involved in a wide range of industrial applications
Zucali et al [20] proposed a description of the microstructural changes induced to gypsum rock under large strains, Brantut et al [21] investigated the mechanisms involved in the strain of gypsum with microstructural analysis and acoustic emission, deepening the field of the transition between brittle and ductile regimes
The present paper proposes an experimental investigation of gypsum response under uniaxial and triaxial compression
Summary
Gypsum is a soft rock that is involved in a wide range of industrial applications (e.g. it is a main component of stucco, wallboards, cements, paints and soil conditioner/fertilizer; it is used in food industry as a flocculant and in several clinical applications as regenerative material for bone defects, dental plaster, or as a delivery vehicle for pharmaceutical agents [1]). Quarry sites, both open pit and underground, are largely exploited all over the world. The rock mechanics sign convention is adopted, with compressive stress and strains considered as positive
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