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The effect of high temperature and pressure on rock friction coefficient: a review

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Abstract

The coefficient of friction is a parameter of the mechanical state which has an important role in the shear failure of rock in the fields of earth sciences. In order to analyze the influence of temperature and pore pressure on the coefficients of friction between solid and gouge, data from studies carried out in both China and international contexts are applied, analyzed and discussed. The survey results show that the coefficient of friction mainly depends on the pore pressure, pressure and temperature. Under the supercritical water state, the framework of silicate minerals might be substantially disintegrated, which suggests a possible change in the frictional resistance from stick slip to stable sliding. The temperature range of 300–450 °C could constitute as the critical threshold for shear failure to collected rocks (i.e., gabbro gouge, pyroxene gouge, gabbro solid, biotite gouge, structured gouge, granitic mylonite, mylonite, plagioclase gouge, granite gouge, pre-fractured granite, westerly granite).

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by “National Natural Science Foundation of China” (No. 41672279; 51804203; 51904190) and “China Postdoctoral Science Foundation” (No. 2019M663087).

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Correspondence to Qiang Sun.

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Hu, J., Sun, Q. The effect of high temperature and pressure on rock friction coefficient: a review. Int J Earth Sci (Geol Rundsch) 109, 409–419 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00531-019-01810-x

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