Influences of uniaxial stress and moisture content on the thermal conductivity of rocks

This paper deals with the results of variation of thermal conductivity of rocks both with pressure and moisture content in laboratory scale tests. For this purpose, a steady-state test apparatus has been used and several unique tests have been carried out. The results show that the thermal conductivity of rocks increases with increasing uniaxial stress and moisture content and display digressive behaviour in all rock types being taken into consideration. The results clearly show that the thermal conductivity values vary depending on stress level, water content, and porosity- and elastic-modulus-dependent rock parameters. The developed equations on the basis of this study can be used for the prediction of heat flow amount to the surfaces of underground openings. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.