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In situ tensile fracture toughness of surficial cohesive marine sediments

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Abstract

This study reports the first in situ measurements of tensile fracture toughness, K IC, of soft, surficial, cohesive marine sediments. A newly developed probe continuously measures the stress required to cause tensile failure in sediments to depths of up to 1 m. Probe measurements are in agreement with standard laboratory methods of K IC measurements in both potter’s clay and natural sediments. The data comprise in situ depth profiles from three field sites in Nova Scotia, Canada. Measured K IC at two muddy sites (median grain size of 23–50 μm) range from near zero at the sediment surface to >1,800 Pa m1/2 at 0.2 m depth. These profiles also appear to identify the bioturbated/mixed depth. K IC for a sandy site (>90% sand) is an order of magnitude lower than for the muddy sediments, and reflects the lack of cohesion/adhesion. A comparison of K IC, median grain size, and porosity in muddy sediments indicates that consolidation increases fracture strength, whereas inclusion of sand causes weakening; thus, sand-bearing layers can be easily identified in K IC profiles. K IC and vane-measured shear strength correlate strongly, which suggests that the vane measurements should perhaps be interpreted as shear fracture toughness, rather than shear strength. Comparison of in situ probe-measured values with K IC of soils and gelatin shows that sediments have a K IC range intermediate between denser compacted soils and softer, elastic gelatin.

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Notes

  1. Note that undrained is defined herein as insignificant water flow compared to the rate of applied strain, i.e., water does not flow even though is it technically allowed to flow in the unconstrained case.

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Acknowledgements

This research was funded by the US Office of Naval Research through grants N00014-08-0818 and N00014-05-1-0175 (project managers J. Eckman and T. Drake) and by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Council of Canada. The authors acknowledge constructive reviews by B. Dugan and two anonymous referees.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Oceanography, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3H 4R2, Canada

    Bruce D. Johnson, Mark A. Barry & Bernard P. Boudreau

  2. Darling Marine Center, University of Maine, Walpole, ME, 04573-3307, USA

    Peter A. Jumars

  3. Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UCSD, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0202, USA

    Kelly M. Dorgan

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  1. Bruce D. Johnson
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  2. Mark A. Barry
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  3. Bernard P. Boudreau
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  4. Peter A. Jumars
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  5. Kelly M. Dorgan
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Correspondence to Bernard P. Boudreau.

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Johnson, B.D., Barry, M.A., Boudreau, B.P. et al. In situ tensile fracture toughness of surficial cohesive marine sediments. Geo-Mar Lett 32, 39–48 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0243-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00367-011-0243-1

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