ABSTRACT
The characterization of tensile and shear failure of rocks in a.chemically enhanced environment is the subject of an ongoing multi-year project Two distinct testing programs aim to characterize, respectively: (a) the tensile failure; and (b) the shear failure. Using rock mechanics and fracture mechanics techniques, rock specimens are being tested for fracture toughness, total work of fracture, crack propagation rate, elastic and plastic crack deformation, crack behavior under cyclic loading, coefficient of friction, shear strength, and shear stiffness. Rock specimens are tested under four different environments: air-dried atmospheric; saturated with distilled deionized water; saturated with aluminum chloride solution at ZPC concentration; and saturated with a nonionic polymer at ZPC concentration. For the design of the experiments, response surface methodology is being used. This paper presents the scientific rationale, the experimental set-up, procedure and design along with the data acquisition, reduction and analysis.
