Experimental investigation of thermomechanical behaviour of clay-rich sandstone at extreme temperatures followed by cooling treatments

Abstract

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of extreme temperatures (from 25° to 1000°C) followed by two cooling methods (both rapid and slow) on the mechanical behaviour of clay-rich Hawkesbury sandstone under uniaxial conditions. A separate set of samples was tested under continuous heating conditions without cooling to compare the results with those for cooled samples. The stress-strain behaviours were analysed, with simultaneous recording of the acoustic signals and the failure mode. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses were also performed to understand the changes observed in the mechanical tests. According to the results, the mechanical, min..