Effect of Wet-Dry Cycles on the Mechanical Performances and Microstructure of Pisha Sandstone

The effects of the wet-dry cycles on the chemical compositions, microstructure, and mechanical properties of Pisha sandstone were experimentally investigated in the current study. A series of uniaxial compression tests were conducted to validate the deterioration of the mechanical property of specimens after wet-dry cycles. In addition, the evolutions of the mineral compositions and microstructure characteristics were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD) and scanning electron microscope (SEM). Experimental results indicated that with the increase of wet-dry cycles, the mechanical properties of Pisha sandstone gradually decrease. After five wet-dry cycles, the uniaxial compressive strength, elastic modulus, and fracture energy of specimens were reduced by 41.06%, 62.39%, and 31.92%, respectively. The failure mode of the specimen changes from inclined shear failure to peel failure. Compared to the initial specimens, the relative content of primary minerals after five wet-dry cycles declined by 5.94%, and the relative content of clay minerals after five wet-dry cycles increased by 54.33%. Additionally, the porosity of samples exhibits a positive correlation with wet-dry cycles. Compared to the initial specimens, the porosity of specimens after five wet-dry cycles increased by 176.32%. Finally, a prediction model of the correlation between uniaxial compressive strength and porosity is proposed and verified.