Abstract
The use of non-destructive testing methods is a well-known practice in civil engineering studies, Geotechnics, engineering geology, and building inspection. The Schmidt Hammer Rebound Test (SHRT) is the most prevalent of these and can be performed both in the field on rock outcrops and in the laboratory on the rock blocks and cores. During this investigation, by collecting sulfate rock blocks from the 4 under-construction, reservoir dam sites in Iran, experiments such as petrographic analysis, Uniaxial Compressive Test (UCT), and SHRT (both on rock blocks and cylindrical rock cores) were carried. Furthermore, the regression analysis of the results was performed. The investigations carried out in this study yielded several significant results. The use of ISRM criterion results in larger values of the SHRTs (N-Values) than ASTM standard criterion. In a rock consisting of gypsum-anhydrite, N-Value advances with increasing the amount of anhydrite. The presence of clay minerals in sulfate rocks can lessen the Schmidt hammer hardness. There were different correlations between the results of the SHRT and the sulfate rocks' strength properties, depending on the mineral composition of the rocks. Subsequently, because of the difficulty and time-consuming process of drying and saturating of sulfate rock samples, rock surface wetting can lead to an estimation of the saturated Uniaxial Compressive Strength (UCS) of the sulfate rocks.
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Abbreviations
- AAPGRB:
-
Alabaster Almost Pure Gypsum Rock Blocks
- AN:
-
Anhydrite
- ASTM:
-
American Society for Testing and Materials
- ATM:
-
Atmosphere
- BSHRT:
-
Block Schmidt Hammer Rebound Test
- CMs:
-
Clay minerals
- cm:
-
Centimeter
- cm/sec:
-
Centimeter/Second
- d:
-
Diameter
- E :
-
Young modulus
- Et 50% :
-
Tangent modulus
- Et 50% (dry) :
-
Tangent modulus in dry condition
- Et 50% (sat) :
-
Tangent modulus in saturated condition
- Eq.:
-
Equation
- Eqs:
-
Equations
- Fig:
-
Figure
- GP:
-
Gypsum
- GPa:
-
Giga-Pascal
- ISRM:
-
International Society for Rock Mechanics
- H:
-
Hour
- kg:
-
Kilogram
- kPa:
-
Kilo-Pascal
- L:
-
Length
- m:
-
Meter
- mm:
-
Millimeter
- MPa:
-
Mega-Pascal
- N:
-
Newton
- NB (Air-dried) :
-
Air-dried rock block N-Value
- NB (Wet) :
-
Wetted blocks N-Value
- Nm:
-
Newton meter
- NSB :
-
Steel Base N-Value
- NSB (Oven-dried) :
-
Oven-dried core steel base N-Value
- NSB (sat) :
-
Saturated core steel base N-Value
- P :
-
Pressure
- PAPGRB:
-
Porphyry Almost Pure Gypsum Rock Block
- P vac (dry) :
-
Dry vacuum pressure
- P vac (wet) :
-
Wet vacuum pressure
- Sec:
-
Second
- Sat:
-
Saturated
- SBSHRT:
-
Steel Base Schmidt Hammer Rebound Test
- SHRT:
-
Schmidt Hammer Rebound Test
- UCS:
-
Uniaxial compressive strength
- UCS (dry) :
-
Uniaxial compressive strength in dry condition
- UCS (sat) :
-
Uniaxial compressive strength in saturated condition
- UCT:
-
Uniaxial compressive test
- XRD:
-
X-ray diffraction
- γ :
-
Unit weight
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the president research office of Bu-Ali Sina University, Iran, (Grant No 4.95, 2016), that is gratefully acknowledged. Also, preparation of rock samples and conducting experiments was undertaken in the Engineering, Geological and Geotechnical Laboratory of Bu-Ali Sina University. Therefore, thanks and appreciation of the contributions made in this field.
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Rahimi, M.R., Mohammadi, S.D. & Beydokhti, A.T. Correlation between Schmidt Hammer Hardness, Strength Properties and Mineral Compositions of Sulfate Rocks. Geotech Geol Eng 40, 545–574 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-021-01878-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10706-021-01878-w