Abstract
This paper describes an on-going experimental and numerical modelling
research project on salt rock specimens. The experimental part of the study consists of a number of Mode I fracture tests with the WST (Wedge-Splitting Test) configuration, which are performed at different loading rates and complemented by a series of standard uniaxial creep tests. The preliminary WST results show a greater mechanical fracture work accompanied with
lower force peaks, for the slower tests. As a first attempt to represent the experimental results, an in-house Finite Element model has been used, which combines an inviscid discrete fracture approach with a Maxwell chain model for the continuum material. The simulations show a decrease of the mechanical work needed for opening the fracture and higher peak force, as
foreseen by the ongoing experimental results, but not with the same intensity, which seems to indicate that work dissipation may not be caused exclusively by the bulk viscosity.
research project on salt rock specimens. The experimental part of the study consists of a number of Mode I fracture tests with the WST (Wedge-Splitting Test) configuration, which are performed at different loading rates and complemented by a series of standard uniaxial creep tests. The preliminary WST results show a greater mechanical fracture work accompanied with
lower force peaks, for the slower tests. As a first attempt to represent the experimental results, an in-house Finite Element model has been used, which combines an inviscid discrete fracture approach with a Maxwell chain model for the continuum material. The simulations show a decrease of the mechanical work needed for opening the fracture and higher peak force, as
foreseen by the ongoing experimental results, but not with the same intensity, which seems to indicate that work dissipation may not be caused exclusively by the bulk viscosity.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Title of host publication | The Mechanical Behavior of Salt X |
| Subtitle of host publication | Proceedings of the 10th Conference on the Mechanical Behavior of Salt (SaltMech X), Utrecht, The Netherlands, 06-08 July 2022 |
| Editors | J.H.P. de Bresser, M.R. Drury, P. A. Fokker, M. Gazzani, S.J.T. Hangx, A.R. Niemeijer, C.J. Spiers |
| Publisher | CRC Press / Balkema - Taylor & Francis Group |
| Pages | 180-189 |
| Number of pages | 10 |
| ISBN (Print) | 978-1-032-28220-6 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 5 Jul 2022 |