Abstract
The aim of this study is to correlate the mechanical properties with rock burial depth. For this purpose, a series of sandstone specimens with burial depth varying from 460 to 900 m were collected from the same rock stratum in six coal mines of Huainan coalfield, China. Experimental results indicate that rock mechanical parameters (including tensile strength, uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), elastic modulus, cohesion, and internal friction angle) increase as the specimen burial depth increases. Empirical models describing the relationships between mechanical parameters and burial depth were established. Furthermore, the micro-mechanism behind the effect of burial depth on strength was investigated via XRD and SEM. The results show that a deeper burial depth is associated with a higher quartz content and a lower porosity. This is caused both by an increased effective stress and by temperature and is related to the secondary diagenesis process, which can result in increase in UCS and tensile strength. Finally, the empirical models were validated by four specimens with different burial depths.
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig1_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig2_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig3_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig4_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig5_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig6_HTML.png)
![](http://media.springernature.com/m312/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-020-05757-1/MediaObjects/12517_2020_5757_Fig7_HTML.png)
Similar content being viewed by others
![](https://media.springernature.com/w215h120/springer-static/image/art%3A10.1007%2Fs12517-021-07655-6/MediaObjects/12517_2021_7655_Fig1_HTML.png)
References
Bjørlykke K (2014) Relationships between depositional environments, burial history and rock properties. Some principal aspects of diagenetic process in sedimentary basins. Sediment. Geol 301:1–14
Han G, Jing H, Liu R, Su H, Wu J, Wei J (2019) Experimental investigation on the mechanical behavior of red sandstone under the coupled effects of temperature and acidic etching. Arab J Geosci 12(18):586
Hatzor YH, Palchik V (1997) The influence of grain size and porosity on crack initiation stress and critical flaw length in dolomites. Int J Rock Mech Min Sci 34(5):805–816
Huang S, Liu Y, Guo Y, Zhang Z, Cai Y (2019) Strength and failure characteristics of rock-like material containing single crack under freeze-thaw and uniaxial compression. Cold Reg Sci Technol 162:1–10
Joos J, Carraro T, Weber A, Ivers-Tiffée E (2011) Reconstruction of porous electrodes by FIB/SEM for detailed microstructure modeling. J Power Sources 196(17):7302–7307
Lanaro F, Sato T, Nakama S (2009) Depth variability of compressive strength test results of Toki granite from Shobasama and Mizunami construction sites, Japan. Rock Mech Rock Eng 42(4):611–629
Li D, Wang W (2019) Quantitative analysis of the influence of saturation on rock strength reduction considering the distribution of water. Geomech Geophys Geo-Energy Geo-Res 5(2):197–207
Li D, Li Z, Lv C, Zhang G, Yin Y (2018) A predictive model of the effective tensile and compressive strengths of concrete considering porosity and pore size. Constr Build Mater 170:520–526
Liu C, Shi B, Zhou J, Tang C (2011) Quantification and characterization of microporosity by image processing, geometric measurement and statistical methods: application on SEM images of clay materials. Appl Clay Sci 54(1):97–106
Liu X, Liu Q, Liu B, Kang Y, Pan Y (2018) Improved nonlinear strength criterion for jointed rock masses subject to complex stress states. Int J Geomech (ASCE) 18(3):04017164
Liu X, Liu Q, Liu B, Liu Q (2019) Acoustic emission characteristics of pre-cracked specimens under biaxial compression. J Geophys Eng 16(6):1164–1177
Liu X, Liu Q, Liu B, Kang Y, Zhu Y, Zhang P (2019a) Failure behavior for rocklike material with cross crack under biaxial compression. J Mater Civil Eng (ASCE) 31(2):06018025
Liu X, Liu Q, Liu B, Kang Y, He J (2019b) Numerical manifold method for thermal–hydraulic coupling in fractured enhance geothermal system. Eng Anal Bound Elem 101:67–75
Liu X, Liu Q, Liu B, Kang Y (2020) A modified bursting energy index for evaluating coal burst proneness and its application in Ordos coalfield, China. Energies 13(7):1729
Man K, Zhou H (2010) Research on dynamic fracture toughness and tensile strength of rock at different depths. Chin J Rock Mech Eng 29(8):1657–1663
Meng Z, Pan J (2007) Correlation between petrographic characteristics and failure duration in clastic rocks. Eng Geol 89(3–4):258–265
Meng F, Wong LNY, Zhou H, Yu J, Cheng G (2019) Shear rate effects on the Postpeak shear behaviour and acoustic emission characteristics of artificially split granite joints. Rock Mech Rock Eng 52(7):2155–2174
Meng F, Wong LNY, Zhou H, Wang Z, Zhang L (2020) Asperity degradation characteristics of soft rock-like fractures under shearing based on acoustic emission monitoring. Eng Geol 266(5):105392
Peltonen C, Marcussen Ø, Bjørlykke K, Jahren J (2009) Clay mineral diagenesis and quartz cementation in mudstones: the effects of smectite to illite reaction on rock properties. Mari Petrol Geol 26(6):887–898
Peng J, Rong G, Cai M, Yao MD, Zhou CB (2016) Physical and mechanical behaviors of a thermal-damaged coarse marble under uniaxial compression. Eng Geol 200:88–93
Peng J, Wong LN, Liu G, Teh CI (2019) Influence of initial micro-crack damage on strength and micro-cracking behavior of an intrusive crystalline rock. B Eng Geol Environ 78(4):2957–2971
Rama Sarma K, Sarsby RW (2005) Empirical relationship between rock structure rating and modulus of deformation. J Geotech Geoenviron Eng 131(3):390–397
Sabatakakis N, Koukis G, Tsiambaos G, Papanakli S (2008) Index properties and strength variation controlled by microstructure for sedimentary rocks. Eng Geol 97(1–2):80–90
Sarkar, P., Kumar, A., Singh, K. H., Ghosh, R., and Singh, T. N. 2018. “Pore system, 246–260
Song SB, Liu JF, Yang DS, Ni HY, Huang BX, Zhang K, Mao XB (2019) Pore structure characterization and permeability prediction of coal samples based on SEM images. J Nat Gas Sci Eng 67:160–171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jngse.2019.05.003
Tang ZC, Sun M, Peng J (2019a) Influence of high temperature duration on physical, thermal and mechanical properties of a fine-grained marble. Appl Therm Eng 156:34–50
Tang ZC, Zhang QZ, Peng J, Jiao YY (2019b) Experimental study on the water-weakening shear behaviors of sandstone joints collected from the middle region of Yunnan province. PR China Eng Geol 258:105161
Tuğrul A, Zarif IH (1999) Correlation of mineralogical and textural characteristics with engineering properties of selected granitic rocks from Turkey. Eng Geol 51(4):303–317
Yang SQ, Yin PF, Huang YH, Cheng JL (2019) Strength, deformability and X-ray micro-CT observations of transversely isotropic composite rock under different confining pressures. Eng Frac Mech 214:1–20
Zorn EU, Rowe MC, Cronin SJ, Ryan AG, Kennedy LA, Russell JK (2018) Influence of porosity and groundmass crystallinity on dome rock strength: a case study from Mt. Taranaki, New Zealand. B Volcanol 80(4):35
Funding
This work was supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos: 41602324 and 51774267), Natural Science Foundation of Hubei Province (Grant No: 2019CFB535), and China Scholarship Council (Grant No: 201804910219).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Additional information
Responsible Editor: Zeynal Abiddin Erguler
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Liu, X., Liu, Q., Kang, Y. et al. Investigation on relationship of the burial depth and mechanical properties for sedimentary rock. Arab J Geosci 13, 760 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05757-1
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12517-020-05757-1