Stress–Strain Model for Carbonate Rocks Based on Haldane’s Distribution Function

Abstract

This paper presents a model created by the author to predict stress–strain relationships for weak to strong carbonate rocks (σc < 100 MPa) exhibiting axial strains up to 1%. The stress–strain model based on Haldane’s distribution function (Haldane, 1919) relates the axial stress (or normalized axial stress) to the square of an exponential function where the exponent is axial strain. To obtain accurate stress–strain relationship over the whole pre-failure strain with the proposed stress–strain model, it is necessary to have only one datum point (peak axial stress and maximum axial strain at this peak stress). It is shown that the stress–strain relationships observed in laboratory compression tests on samples collected from six carbonate rock formations (chalk, dolomites and limestones) from different parts of Israel, agree well with the stress–strain prediction model proposed by the author.