Electrical resistivity measurement to predict uniaxial compressive and tensile strength of igneous rocks

Abstract

Electrical resistivity values of 12 different igneous rocks were measured on core samples using a resistivity meter in the laboratory. The resistivity tests were conducted on the samples fully saturated with brine (NaCl solution) and the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Brazilian tensile strength, density and porosity values of the samples were determined in the laboratory. The test results were evaluated using simple and multiple regression analysis. It was seen that the UCS and tensile strength values were linearly correlated with the electrical resistivity. The correlation coefficients are generally higher for the multiple regression models than that of the simple regression models. It was concluded that the UCS and tensile strength of igneous rocks can be estimated from electrical resistivity. However, the derived relations are purely empirical and they should be checked for other igneous rocks. The effect of rock types such as sedimentary and metamorphic rocks on the derived equations also needs to be investigated.