Effects of high temperatures and unloading confining pressures on granite

Abstract

The mechanical and permeability properties of rocks under unloading stress path and high temperature are critically important for hot dry rock. A series of unloading confining pressure and gas permeability tests were conducted on granite samples after heating and rapid cooling treatment. Five levels of temperature and three levels of confining pressures were used. The stress–strain curves of unloading confining pressure were obtained. The strength parameters and deformation parameters were further discussed and analysed. When the heat treatment temperature is higher than 600°C, the granite samples experience a significant degree of thermal damage. With the increase in heat treatment temperature and the decrease in confining pressure, the gas permeability increases. Beyond 600°C, the gas permeability of the samples increases significantly. With the increase in temperature, the internal friction angle decreases slightly from 25 to 400°C, while it increases beyond 400°C. The cohesion exhibits an inverse evolution. The initial unloading elastic modulus and deformation modulus decrease gradually during relief of confining pressure. The decrease rate of the deformation modulus increases with the increase in heating temperature. The experimental results could improve knowledge about the effect of thermal shock and stress on the physico-mechanical properties of granite.