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Changes in color and roughness of red sandstone at high temperatures

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Abstract

In this paper, thermal shock experiments at different temperatures and cycles were carried out on red sandstone. Its surface properties, including color and roughness, were systematically studied. The results show that the color change of sandstone is mainly related to two compositions: one is goethite, the other is calcium carbonate (CaCO3). The oxidation of goethite makes the sandstone redder, and the migration of CaCO3 makes it whiter. The sandstone is reddest at 550 °C and whitest at 700 °C. When the temperature is more than 550 °C, a white coat appeared on the surface of the sample. This process can be thought of as the migration of CaCO3 from the inside to the surface. The color parameters changed significantly around 550 °C and after 2, 3, and 4 cycles. The roughness variation of sandstone is not obvious due to not enough thermal shock cycles. The white coat can reduce the roughness of the sandstone to a small extent. The temperature of 550 °C is the critical threshold in this study which has important implications for red sandstone because it has a severe influence on the surface properties of red sandstone.

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Funding

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. 41672279, 41807233); and the Natural Science Foundation of Jiangsu Province (Grant No. BK20180662).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Geological Research Institute for Coal Green Mining, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, No. 58 Yanta Middle Road, Beilin District, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Zhihao Dong & Qiang Sun

  2. School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, 221116, China

    Zhihao Dong & Weiqiang Zhang

  3. College of Geology and Environment, Xi’an University of Science and Technology, No. 58 Yanta Middle Road, Beilin District, Xi’an, 710054, China

    Qiang Sun

  4. Faculty of Geoscience and Environmental Engineering, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, 611756, China

    Jian Ye

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  1. Zhihao Dong
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  2. Qiang Sun
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Correspondence to Qiang Sun.

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Dong, Z., Sun, Q., Ye, J. et al. Changes in color and roughness of red sandstone at high temperatures. Bull Eng Geol Environ 79, 1959–1966 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-019-01678-w

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