Experimental Study of Stress-Seepage Coupling Properties of Sandstone under Different Loading Paths

The study on hydromechanical coupling properties of rocks is of great importance for rock engineering. It is closely related to the stability analysis of structures in rocks under seepage condition. In this study, a series of conventional triaxial tests under drained condition and hydrostatic compression tests under drained or undrained condition on sandstones were conducted. Moreover, complex cyclic loading and unloading tests were also carried out. Based on the experimental results, the following conclusions were obtained. For conventional triaxial tests, the elastic modulus, peak strength, crack initiation stress, and expansion stress increase with increased confining pressure. Pore pressure weakened the effect of the confining pressure under drained condition, which led to a decline in rock mechanical properties. It appeared that cohesion was more sensitive to pore pressure than to the internal friction angle. For complex loading and unloading cyclic tests, in deviatoric stress loading and unloading cycles, elastic modulus increased obviously in first loading stage and increased slowly in next stages. In confining pressure loading and unloading cycles, the Biot coefficient decreased first and then increased, which indicates that damage has a great impact on the Biot coefficient.

Automated summary

The study on hydromechanical coupling properties of rocks is crucial for rock engineering, with experimental results showing that various mechanical properties increase with increased confining pressure. Pore pressure weakens the effect of confining pressure, leading to a decline in rock mechanical properties.