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Siavash Ghabezloo

Publications and source records attributed to Siavash Ghabezloo.

15 recordsLinked to original sources
arXiv2022

Inducing tensile failure of claystone through thermal pressurization in a novel triaxial device

Complex coupled thermo-hydromechanical (THM) loading paths are expected to occur in clay rocks which serve as host formations for geological radioactive waste repositories. Exothermic waste packages heat the rock, causing thermal strains and temperature induced pore pressure build-up. The drifts are designed in such a way as to limit these effects. One has to anticipate failure and fracturing of the material, should pore pressures exceed the tensile resistance of the rock. To characterise the behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx) under effective tension and to quantify the tensile failure criterion, a laboratory program is carried out in this work. THM loading paths which correspond to the expected in situ conditions are recreated in the laboratory. To this end, a special triaxial system was developed, which allows the independent control of radial and axial stresses, as well as of pore pressure and temperature of rock specimens. More importantly, the device allows one to maintain axial effective tension on a specimen. Saturated cylindrical claystone specimens were tested in undrained conditions under constrained lateral deformation and under nearly constant axial stress. The specimens were heated until the induced pore pressures created effective tensile stresses and ultimately fractured the material. The failure happened at average axial effective tensile stresses around 3.0 MPa. Fracturing under different lateral total stresses allows one to describe the failure with a Hoek-Brown or Fairhurst's generalized Griffith criterion. Measured axial extension strains are analysed based on a transversely isotropic thermo-poroelastic constitutive model, which is able to satisfactorily reproduce the observed behaviour.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2020

Transversely isotropic poroelastic behaviour of the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone: A set of stress-dependent parameters

In the framework of a deep geological radioactive waste disposal in France, the hydromechanical properties of the designated host rock, the Callovo-Oxfordian claystone (COx), are investigated in laboratory tests. Experiments presented in this study are carried out to determine several coefficients required within a transversely isotropic material model. They include isotropic compression tests, pore pressure tests, and deviatoric loading tests parallel and perpendicular to the bedding plane. We emphasize the adapted experimental devices and testing procedures, necessary to detect small strains under high pressures, on a material, which is sensitive to water and has a very low permeability. In particular, we discovered a significant decrease of elastic stiffness with decreasing effective stress, which was observed to be reversible. In both isotropic and deviatoric tests, a notable anisotropic strain response was found. The Young modulus parallel to bedding was about 1.8 times higher than the one perpendicular to the bedding plane. A notably low Poisson ratio perpendicular to the bedding plane with values between 0.1 and 0.2 was evidenced. While the anisotropy of the back-calculated Biot coefficient was found to be low, a significant anisotropy of the Skempton coefficient was computed. The performed experiments provide an overdetermined set of material parameters at different stress levels. Using all determined parameters in a least square error regression scheme, seven independent elastic coefficients and their effective stress dependency are characterized. Parameters measured under isotropic loading are well represented by this set of coefficients, while the poroelastic framework with isotropic stress dependency is not sufficient to describe laboratory findings from triaxial loading.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2020

Thermo-poro-elastic behaviour of a transversely isotropic shale: Thermal expansion and pressurization

The Callovo-Oxfordian (COx) claystone is considered as a candidate host rock for a deep geological radioactive waste repository in France. Due to the exothermic waste packages, the rock is expected to be submitted to temperatures up to 90 °C. The temperature rise induces deformations of the host rock, together with an increase in pore pressures, involving complex thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) couplings. This study aims to better characterize the THM response of the COx claystone to temperature changes in the laboratory. To this end, claystone specimens were tested in a temperature controlled, high pressure isotropic compression cell, under stress conditions close to the in-situ ones. Thermal loads were applied on the specimens along different heating and cooling paths. A temperature corrected strain gage system provided precise measurements of the anisotropic strain response of the specimens. Drained and undrained thermal expansion coefficients in both transversely isotropic directions were determined. The measurement of pore pressure changes in undrained condition yielded the thermal pressurization coefficient. All parameters were analysed for their compatibility within the thermo-poro-elastic framework, and their stress and temperature dependency was identified.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2011

Micromechanics analysis of thermal expansion and thermal pressurization of a hardened cement paste

The results of a macro-scale experimental study of the effect of heating on a fluid-saturated hardened cement paste are analysed using a multi-scale homogenization model. The analysis of the experimental results revealed that the thermal expansion coefficient of the cement paste pore fluid is anomalously higher than the one of pure bulk water. The micromechanics model is calibrated using the results of drained and undrained heating tests and permits the extrapolation of the experimentally evaluated thermal expansion and thermal pressurization parameters to cement pastes with different water-to-cement ratios. It permits also to calculate the pore volume thermal expansion coefficient f a which is difficult to evaluate experimentally. The anomalous pore fluid thermal expansion is also analysed using the micromechanics model.

physics.class-ph↗
arXiv2010

Temperature induced pore fluid pressurization in geomaterials

The theoretical basis of the thermal response of the fluid-saturated porous materials in undrained condition is presented. It has been demonstrated that the thermal pressurization phenomenon is controlled by the discrepancy between the thermal expansion of the pore fluid and of the solid phase, the stress-dependency of the compressibility and the non-elastic volume changes of the porous material. For evaluation of the undrained thermo-poro-elastic properties of saturated porous materials in conventional triaxial cells, it is important to take into account the effect of the dead volume of the drainage system. A simple correction method is presented to correct the measured pore pressure change and also the measured volumetric strain during an undrained heating test. It is shown that the porosity of the tested material, its drained compressibility and the ratio of the volume of the drainage system to the one of the tested sample, are the key parameters which influence the most the error induced on the measurements by the drainage system. An example of the experimental evaluation of undrained thermoelastic parameters is presented for an undrained heating test performed on a fluid-saturated granular rock.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2010

Experimental artefacts in undrained triaxial testing

For evaluation of the undrained thermo-poro-elastic properties of saturated porous materials in conventional triaxial cells, it is important to take into account the effect of the dead volume of the drainage system. The compressibility and the thermal expansion of the drainage system along with the dead volume of the fluid filling this system, influence the measured pore pressure and volumetric strain during undrained thermal or mechanical loading in a triaxial cell. A correction method is presented in this paper to correct these effects during an undrained isotropic compression test or an undrained heating test. A parametric study has demonstrated that the porosity and the drained compressibility of the tested material and the ratio of the vol-ume of the drainage system to the one of the tested sample are the key parameters which influence the most the error induced on the measurements by the drainage system.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2010

Association of macroscopic laboratory testing and micromechanics modelling for the evaluation of the poroelastic parameters of a hardened cement paste

The results of a macro-scale experimental study performed on a hardened class G cement paste [Ghabezloo et al. (2008) Cem. Con. Res. (38) 1424-1437] are used in association with the micromechanics modelling and homogenization technique for evaluation of the complete set of poroelastic parameters of the material. The experimental study consisted in drained, undrained and unjacketed isotropic compression tests. Analysis of the experimental results revealed that the active porosity of the studied cement paste is smaller than its total porosity. A multi-scale homogenization model, calibrated on the experimental results, is used to extrapolate the poroelastic parameters to cement pastes prepared with different water-to-cement ratio. The notion of cement paste active porosity is discussed and the poroelastic parameters of hardened cement paste for an ideal, perfectly drained condition are evaluated using the homogenization model.

physics.gen-ph↗
arXiv2009

Evaluation of a permeability-porosity relationship in a low permeability creeping material using a single transient test

A method is presented for the evaluation of the permeability-porosity relationship in a low-permeability porous material using the results of a single transient test. This method accounts for both elastic and non-elastic deformations of the sample during the test and is applied to a hardened class G oil well cement paste. An initial hydrostatic undrained loading is applied to the sample. The generated excess pore pressure is then released at one end of the sample while monitoring the pore pressure at the other end and the radial strain in the middle of the sample during the dissipation of the pore pressure. These measurements are back analysed to evaluate the permeability and its evolution with porosity change. The effect of creep of the sample during the test on the measured pore pressure and volume change is taken into account in the analysis. This approach permits to calibrate a power law permeability-porosity relationship for the tested hardened cement paste. The porosity sensitivity exponent of the power-law is evaluated equal to 11 and is shown to be mostly independent of the stress level and of the creep strains.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2009

Effect of the volume of the drainage system on the measurement of undrained thermo-poro-elastic parameters

For evaluation of the undrained thermo-poro-elastic properties of saturated porous materials in conventional triaxial cells, it is important to take into account the effect of the dead volume of the drainage system. The compressibility and the thermal expansion of the drainage system along with the dead volume of the fluid filling this system, influence the measured pore pressure and volumetric strain during an undrained thermal or mechanical loading in a triaxial cell. The correction methods previously presented by Wissa (1969), Bishop (1976) and Ghabezloo and Sulem (2009) only permit to correct the measured pore pressures during an undrained isotropic compression test or an undrained heating test. An extension of these methods is presented in this paper to correct also the measured volumetric strain and consequently the measured undrained bulk compressibility and undrained thermal expansion coefficients during these tests. Two examples of application of the proposed correction method are presented on the results of an undrained isotropic compression test and an undrained heating test performed on a fluid-saturated granular rock. A parametric study has demonstrated that the porosity and the drained compressibility of the tested material, and the ratio of the volume of the drainage system to the one of the tested sample are the key parameters which influence the most the error induced on the measurements by the drainage system.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2009

Stress dependent thermal pressurization of a fluid-saturated rock

Temperature increase in saturated porous materials under undrained conditions leads to thermal pressurization of the pore fluid due to the discrepancy between the thermal expansion coefficients of the pore fluid and of the solid matrix. This increase in the pore fluid pressure induces a reduction of the effective mean stress and can lead to shear failure or hydraulic fracturing. The equations governing the phenomenon of thermal pressurization are presented and this phenomenon is studied experimentally for a saturated granular rock in an undrained heating test under constant isotropic stress. Careful analysis of the effect of mechanical and thermal deformation of the drainage and pressure measurement system is performed and a correction of the measured pore pressure is introduced. The test results are modelled using a non-linear thermo-poro-elastic constitutive model of the granular rock with emphasis on the stress-dependent character of the rock compressibility. The effects of stress and temperature on thermal pressurization observed in the tests are correctly reproduced by the model.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2008

The effect of undrained heating on a fluid-saturated hardened cement paste

The effect of undrained heating on volume change and induced pore pressure increase is an important point to properly understand the behaviour and evaluate the integrity of an oil well cement sheath submitted to rapid temperature changes. This thermal pressurization of the pore fluid is due to the discrepancy between the thermal expansion coefficients of the pore fluid and of the solid matrix. The equations governing the undrained thermo-hydro-mechanical response of a porous material are presented and the effect of undrained heating is studied experimentally for a saturated hardened cement paste. The measured value of the thermal pressurization coefficient is equal to 0.6MPa/°C. The drained and undrained thermal expansion coefficients of the hardened cement paste are also measured in the heating tests. The anomalous thermal behaviour of cement pore fluid is back analysed from the results of the undrained heating test.

physics.class-ph↗
arXiv2008

Numerical upscaling of the permeability of a randomly cracked porous medium

The equivalent permeability of a randomly cracked porous material is studied using a finite element program in which a four-nodes zero-thickness element is implemented for modelling the cracks. The numerical simulations are performed for geometries with different cracks densities and for different values of matrix permeability and cracks conductivity, but the cracks length are taken equal to one. The method used for determination of the equivalent permeability resulted in a perfectly symmetric equivalent permeability tensor for each case. Based on the obtained results a simple relation is presented for the equivalent permeability of a randomly cracked porous material as a function of the matrix permeability and the cracks density and conductivity. This relation is then generalized for the cracks of any length using a linear transformation.

physics.class-ph↗
arXiv2008

Numerical modelling of the effect of weathering on the progressive failure of underground limestone mines

The observations show that the collapse of underground limestone mines results from a progressive failure due to gradual weathering of the rockmass. The following stages can be considered for the limestone weathering and degradation process in underground mines: condensation of the water on the roof of the gallery, infiltration of water in the porous rock, migration of the air CO2 molecules in the rock pore water by convection and molecular diffusion, dissolution of limestone by CO2 rich water and consequently, reduction of the strength properties of rock. Considering this process, a set of equations governing different hydrochemo-mechanical aspects of the weathering phenomenon and progressive failure occurring in these mines is presented. Then the feasibility of numerical modelling of this process is studied and a simple example of application is presented.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2008

Poromechanical behaviour of hardened cement paste under isotropic loading

The poromechanical behaviour of hardened cement paste under isotropic loading is studied on the basis of an experimental testing program of drained, undrained and unjacketed compression tests. The macroscopic behaviour of the material is described in the framework of the mechanics of porous media. The poroelastic parameters of the material are determined and the effect of stress and pore pressure on them is evaluated. Appropriate effective stress laws which control the evolution of total volume, pore volume, solid volume, porosity and drained bulk modulus are discussed. A phenomenon of degradation of elastic properties is observed in the test results. The microscopic observations showed that this degradation is caused by the microcracking of the material under isotropic loading. The good compatibility and the consistency of the obtained poromechanical parameters demonstrate that the behaviour of the hardened cement paste can be indeed described within the framework of the theory of porous media.

physics.geo-ph↗
arXiv2008

Effective stress law for the permeability of a limestone

The effective stress law for the permeability of a limestone is studied experimentally by performing constant head permeability tests in a triaxial cell with different conditions of confining pressure and pore pressure. Test results have shown that a pore pressure increase and a confining pressure decrease both result in an increase of the permeability, and that the effect of the pore pressure change on the variation of the permeability is more important than the effect of a change of the confining pressure. A power law is proposed for the variation of the permeability with the effective stress. The permeability effective stress coefficient increases linearly with the differential pressure and is greater than one as soon the differential pressure exceeds few bars. The test results are well reproduced using the proposed permeability-effective stress law. A conceptual pore-shell model based on a detailed observation of the microstructure of the studied limestone is proposed. This model is able to explain the experimental observations on the effect of the total stress and of the pore pressure on the permeability of the limestone. Effective stress coefficients for the stress-dependent permeability which are greater than one are obtained. It is shown that the controlling factor is the ratio of the different bulk moduli of the various constituents of the rock. This ratio is studied experimentally by performing microhardness tests.

physics.geo-ph↗