Mechanical properties and energy mechanism of saturated sandstones

The effects of saturation on post-peak mechanical properties and energy features are main focal points for sandstones. To obtain these important attributes, post-peak cyclic loading and unloading tests were conducted on sandstone rock samples under natural and saturated states using the RMT-150B rock mechanics testing system. After successful processing of these tests, comparisons of stress-strain, strength, deformation, damage, and degradation of mechanical properties, wave velocity, and energy features of sandstone were conducted between natural and saturated states. The results show that saturation has evident weakening effects on uniaxial cyclic loading and unloading strength and elastic modulus of post-peak fracture sandstone. With the increase of post-peak loading and unloading period, the increases in amplitude of peak axial, lateral, and volumetric strains are all enhanced at approximately constant speed under the natural state. The increase in amplitude of axial peak strain is also enhanced at approximately constant speed, while the amplitudes of lateral and volumetric peak strains increase significantly under the saturated state. Compared with the natural state, the increase in amplitude of saturated samples’ peak lateral and volumetric strains, and the post-peak cyclic loading and unloading period all conform to the linearly increasing relationship. Under natural and saturated states, the damage factor (the plastic shear strain) of each rock sample gradually increases with the increase of post-peak cyclic loading and unloading period, and the crack damage stress of each rock sample declines rapidly at first and tends to reach a constant value later with the increase in plastic shear strain. Under natural and saturated states, the wave velocities of rock samples all decrease in the process of post-peak cyclic loading and unloading with the increase in plastic shear strain. The wave velocities of rock samples and plastic shear strain conform to the exponential relationship with a constant. Saturation reduces the total absorption energy, dissipated energy, and elastic strain energy of rock samples.