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Thermo-mechanical characterization of shale using nanoindentation
Yanbo Wang1, Debora Lyn Porter2, Steven E Naleway2
1Integrated Multi-Physics Lab, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Utah, Salt Lake City, 84102, USA.
Scientific Reports
|September 23, 2021
Summary
Shale
Area of Science:
- Geotechnical Engineering
- Materials Science
- Nuclear Waste Management
Background:
- Shale's potential as a buffer for high-level radioactive waste requires understanding its mechanical behavior under heat.
- Existing research on shale's mechanical properties is limited at the nano-scale and elevated temperatures.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temperature dependency of shale's nanomechanical properties.
- To determine how elevated temperatures affect shale's hardness, elastic modulus, anisotropy, and fracture toughness.
Main Methods:
- Experimental characterization of shale's mechanical and fracture properties from 25 °C to 300 °C.
- Numerical simulations to analyze shale's mechanical response at the nano-scale.
Main Results:
- Shale hardness and fracture toughness significantly increase between 100 °C and 300 °C.
- Elastic modulus shows no significant temperature dependency.
- Bedding plane orientation causes substantial anisotropy in mechanical and fracture properties below 100 °C.
Conclusions:
- Shale's nanomechanical properties are temperature-dependent, particularly hardness and fracture toughness at higher temperatures.
- Anisotropic behavior is pronounced at lower elevated temperatures.
- Numerical simulations validate experimental findings and can predict nano-scale shale deformation.
