Microcracking and Healing in Semibrittle Salt-Rock: Elastic and Plastic Behavior

Microcracking and healing during semibrittle deformation are important processes that affect physical properties such as elastic moduli and permeability. We study these processes through triaxial compression tests involving cyclic differential loading and isostatic-holds on synthetic salt-rock at room temperature and low confining pressure (Pc, 1 to 4 MPa). The salt samples are produced by uniaxial pressing of granular (300 µm dia.) halite to 75 MPa at 150˚C for 10^3 s, to create low-porosity ( 5%) aggregates of nearly equant, work-hardened grains. Alternating large- and small-load cycles are performed to track the evolution of plastic and elastic properties, respecitively, with progressive strain to 8% axial shortening. 24-hour holds are carried out at about 4% axial shortening followed by renewed cyclic loading to investigate healing. During large load cycles samples yield and exhibit distributed flow with dilatancy and small work hardening. Young's Modulus (YM) decreases and then tends to stabilize, while Poisson's Ratio (PR) increases at a reducing rate, with progressive strain. Microstructures at sequential stages show that opening-mode grain-boundary cracking, grain-boundary sliding, and some intracrystalline plasticity are the dominant deformation processes. Opening and shear occur preferentially on boundaries that are parallel and inclined to the shortening axis, respectively, leading to progressive redistribution of porosity. Opening-mode grain-boundary cracks increase in number and aperature with strain, and are linked by sliding grain-boundaries to form en echelon arrays. After a 24-hour hold, samples show yielding and flow behavior consistent with that prior to the hold, whereas YM and PR are reset to the same values documented at zero strain and subsequently evolve with additional strain similar to that documented at smaller strains prior to the hold. Open grain-boundary cracks are not closed or healed during the hold. Observations suggest that changes in elastic properties in the semibrittle salt-rock reflect weakening and healing of grain-boundaries undergoing sliding rather than progressive dilatancy or healing of opening-mode cracks. Findings are being used to inform and develop continuum damage mechanics models of semibrittle deformation in polycrystalline aggregates