Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Study on the change of physical properties of sandstone under action of acidic drying-wetting cycles and discrete element simulation

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Bulletin of Engineering Geology and the Environment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study investigated the changes in the physical parameters of sandstone (solution pH, mass, P-wave velocity, and porosity) and mechanical strength (tensile strength) under acidic drying-wetting cycles. Additionally, the particle flow code (PFC) was used to simulate the drying-wetting cycles. The results reveal that the pH range of the acidic solution is much larger than that of the neutral solution. The changes of the mass and P-wave velocity are consistent and both exhibit a decreasing trend, which slowed down in stage IV. Compared with the neutral solution, the acidic solution could accelerate the damage peak of the specimen and cause early destruction. The “S” curve variation of porosity indicates that the decrease of physical parameters in stage IV was caused by the slowdown of porosity growth. In turn, this indicates that the soluble material in the specimen decreased, and the number of drying-wetting cycles could not excite new crack generation, which resulted in the slowdown of the loss rate. The results obtained by the Brazilian splitting test (BTS) reveal that the damage in the acidic solution of the specimen first deformed by compression and then by splitting damage, which is different to the direct splitting damage in the neutral solution. The simulation also proves that the specimen mainly exhibited extrusion deformation in the y-direction and tensile damage in the x-direction. The contact between the particles inside the specimen gradually decreased as the cycles progressed. Finally, damage occurred under low pressure.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12
Fig. 13
Fig. 14
Fig. 15
Fig. 16
Fig. 17
Fig. 18
Fig. 19
Fig. 20
Fig. 21

Similar content being viewed by others

Availability of data and material

The datasets used or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.

References

  • Cai X, Zhou Z, Tan L, Zang H, Song Z (2020a) Fracture behavior and damage mechanisms of sandstone subjected to wetting -drying cycles. Eng Fract Mech 234:107109

  • Cai X, Zhou Z, Zang H, Song Z (2020b) Water saturation effects on dynamic behavior and microstructure damage of sandstone: phenomena and mechanisms. Eng Geol 276:105760

  • Chen R, Ng C (2013) Impact of wetting-drying cycles on hydro-mechanical behavior of an unsaturated compacted clay. Appl Clay Sci 86:38–46

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ciantia M, Castellanza R, Crosta G, Hueckel T (2015) Effects of mineral suspension and dissolution on strength and compressibility of soft carbonate rocks. Eng Geol 184:1–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Critelli T et al (2014) Dissolution rates of actinolite and chlorite from a whole-rock experimental study of metabasalt dissolution from 2 <= pH <= 12 at 25 degrees C. Chem Geol 390:100–108

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y, Nouri A, Chan D, Rahmati E (2016) A new approach to DEM simulation of sand production. J Petrol Sci Eng 147:56–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y, Chan D, Nouri A (2017) Coupling of solid deformation and pore pressure for undrained deformation – a discrete element method approach. Int J Numer Anal Meth Geomech 41(18):1943–1961

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cui Y (2019) Effect of joint type on the shear behavior of synthetic rock. Bull Eng Geol Env 78(5):3395–3412

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dehestani A, Hosseini M and Beydokhti A (2020) Effect of wetting-drying cycles on mode I and mode II fracture toughness of sandstone in natural (pH=7) and acidic (pH=3) environments. Theor Appl Fract Mech 107:102512

  • Deng H, Xiao Z, Li J (2015) Deteriorating change rule test research of damage sandstone strength under water-rock interaction. Chin J Rock Mechan Eng 34(Supp. 1):2690–2699

    Google Scholar 

  • Deng H, Zhou M, Li J, Sun X and Huang Y (2016) Creep degradation mechanism by water-rock interaction in the red-layer soft rock. Arab J Geosci 9:60112

  • Diel J, Vogel H, Schlueter S (2019) Impact of wetting and drying cycles on soil structure dynamics. Geoderma 345:63–71

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fang J et al (2019) Analysis of changes in the micromorphology of sandstone joint surface under dry-wet cycling. Adv Mater Sci Eng 8758203

  • Guo H, Aziz N, Schmidt L (1993) Rock fracture toughness determination by the Brazilian test. Eng Geol 33(3):177–188

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han G et al (2019) Experimental investigation on the mechanical behavior of red sandstone under the coupled effects of temperature and acidic etching. Arab J Geosci 12:58618

  • He S, Li Y, Aydin A (2018) A comparative study of UDEC simulations of an unsupported rock tunnel. Tunn Undergr Space Technol 72:242–249

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Huang X, Pang J, Liu G, Chen Y (2020) Experimental study on physicomechanical properties of deep sandstone by coupling of dry-wet cycles and acidic environment. Adv Civ Eng 2760952

  • Jiang Q et al (2019) The degradation effect and mechanism by water-rock interaction in the layered sandstone in the Three Gorges reservoir area. Arab J Geosci 12:72223

  • Kourkoulis S, Markides C, Chatzistergos P (2012) The Brazilian disc under parabolically varying load: theoretical and experimental study of the displacement field. Int J Solids Struct 49(7–8):959–972

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kourkoulis S, Markides C, Chatzistergos P (2013) The standardized Brazilian disc test as a contact problem. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 57:132–141

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liang H, Fu Y (2020) Fracture properties of sandstone degradation under the action of drying-wetting cycles in acid and alkaline environments. Arab J Geosci 13(2)

  • Liu C, Pollard D, Gu K, Shi B (2015) Mechanism of formation of wiggly compaction bands in porous sandstone: 2. Numerical simulation using discrete element method. J Geophys Res Solid Earth 120(12):8153–8168

  • Liu C, Xu Q, Shi B, Deng S, Zhu H (2017) Mechanical properties and energy conversion of 3D close-packed lattice model for brittle rocks. Comput Geosci 103:12–20

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu G, Huang X, Pang J (2020) The uniaxial creep characteristics of red sandstone under dry-wet cycles. Adv Civ Eng 8841773

  • Liu W, Song X, Huang F, Hu L (2019) Experimental study on the disintegration of granite residual soil under the combined influence of wetting-drying cycles and acid rain. Geomat Nat Haz Risk 10(1):1912–1927

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Jin M, Li D, Zhang L (2018) Strength deterioration of a shaly sandstone under dry-wet cycles: a case study from the Three Gorges Reservoir in China. Bull Eng Geol Env 77(4):1607–1621

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu X, Wang Z, Fu Y, Yuan W, Miao L (2016) Macro/microtesting and damage and degradation of sandstones under dry-wet cycles. Adv Mater Sci Eng 7013032

  • Luo Y et al (2020) Analysis of energy dissipation and crack evolution law of sandstone under impact load. Intern J Rock Mech Min Sci 132:104359

  • Luo Y (2020a) Influence of water on mechanical behavior of surrounding rock in hard-rock tunnels: An experimental simulation. Eng Geol 277:105816

  • Nian T, Zhang Y, Wu H, Chen G, Zheng L (2020) Runout simulation of seismic landslides using discontinuous deformation analysis (DDA) with state-dependent shear strength model. Can Geotech J 57(8):1183–1196

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shi H et al (2020) Failure characteristics of sandstone specimens with randomly distributed pre-cracks under uniaxial compression. Environ Earth Sci 79:1939

  • Sun Q, Zhang Y (2019) Combined effects of salt, cyclic wetting and drying cycles on the physical and mechanical properties of sandstone. Eng Geol 248:70–79

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tang C et al (2020) Effects of wetting-drying cycles and desiccation cracks on mechanical behavior of an unsaturated soil. Catena 194:104721

  • Tang S, Wang J, Qiu Z, Tan Y (2019) Effects of wet-dry cycle on the shear strength of a sandstone-mudstone particle mixture. International Journal of Civil Engineering 17(6B):921–933

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ulusay R, Hudson J (2007) The complete ISRM suggested methods for rock characterization, testing and monitoring; 1974–2006. ISRM

  • Wang C, Pei W, Zhang M, Lai Y, Dai J (2021) Multi-scale experimental investigations on the deterioration mechanism of sandstone under wetting-drying cycles. Rock Mech Rock Eng 54(1):429–441

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang F et al (2020) Effect of repeated wetting-drying-freezing-thawing cycles on the mechanic properties and pore characteristics of compacted loess. Adv Civ Eng 8839347

  • Wang G et al (2020a) Study on dynamic mechanical properties and meso-deterioration mechanism of sandstone under cyclic impact load. Arab J Sci Eng 45(5):3863–3875

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Cai M (2018) Modeling of brittle rock failure considering inter- and intra-grain contact failures. Comput Geotech 101:224–244

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wang X, Lian B, Wang J, Feng W, Gu T (2020b) Creep damage properties of sandstone under dry-wet cycles. J Mt Sci 17(12):3112–3122

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yang S, Yin P, Huang Y (2019) Experiment and discrete element modelling on strength, deformation and failure behaviour of shale under brazilian compression. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52(11):4339–4359

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yao W et al (2020) Multiscale study of physical and mechanical properties of sandstone in Three Gorges Reservoir region subjected to cyclic wetting-drying of Yangtze River water. Rock Mech Rock Eng 53(5):2215–2231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ying P et al (2020) Deterioration of dynamic fracture characteristics, tensile strength and elastic modulus of tight sandstone under dry-wet cycles. Theor Appl Fract Mech 109:102698

  • Yoon J (2007) Application of experimental design and optimization to PFC model calibration in uniaxial compression simulation. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 44(6):871–889

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zemenu G, Martine A, Roger C (2009) Analysis of the behaviour of a natural expansive soil under cyclic drying and wetting. Bulletin of Engineering Geology and Environment 68(3):421–436

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang B, Zhang J, Sun G (2015) Deformation and shear strength of rockfill materials composed of soft siltstones subjected to stress, cyclical drying/wetting and temperature variations. Eng Geol 190:87–97

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang Y, Shao Z, Wei W, Qiao R (2019) PFC simulation of crack evolution and energy conversion during basalt failure process. J Geophys Eng 16(3):639–651

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhao Y, Gao Y, Wu S (2020) Experimental and numerical studies of brittle rock-like samples with internal open fractures and cavities under uniaxial compression. Arab J Sci Eng 45(10):8349–8368

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou C et al (2019) Deterioration of mode II fracture toughness, compressive strength and elastic modulus of concrete under the environment of acid rain and cyclic wetting-drying. Constr Build Mater 228. (UNSP 116809)

  • Zhou Z et al (2017) Influence of cyclic wetting and drying on physical and dynamic compressive properties of sandstone. Eng Geol 220:1–12

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Z et al (2018) Dynamic tensile properties of sandstone subjected to wetting and drying cycles. Constr Build Mater 182:215–232

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhou Z, Cai X, Cao W, Li X, Xiong C (2016) Influence of water content on mechanical properties of rock in both saturation and drying processes. Rock Mech Rock Eng 49(8):3009–3025

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors acknowledge School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Science and Technology for their support to perform this research.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory for Geomechanics and Deep Underground Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, 221116, China

    Xin Huang

  2. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Anhui University of Science and Technology, Huainan, 232001, China

    Jianyong Pang

Authors
  1. Xin Huang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jianyong Pang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

Xin Huang performed the experiments and analyzed the test data; Xin Huang wrote the manuscript; Jianyong Pang conceived the experiment and provided guidance and suggestion.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Xin Huang.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no competing interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Huang, X., Pang, J. Study on the change of physical properties of sandstone under action of acidic drying-wetting cycles and discrete element simulation. Bull Eng Geol Environ 80, 7773–7790 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02451-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10064-021-02451-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation