RESERVOIR GEOMECHANICS

LGI
PRACTICAL LESSON N.3:
INTERPRETATION OF TRIAXIAL COMPRESSION TESTS AND OEDOMETER
TEST
Chiara Deangeli
a.y. 2016-2017
 Exercise n.1
Consider the following uniaxial and triaxial test results on dry
sandstone specimens:

s1 s3
(MPa) (MPa)
48 0
51 0
Interpret the results in terms of Mohr Coulomb
42 0
criterion plotting the results in (’3-’1). Find Co,
60 5
 and c. Evaluate the compatibility of the
88 10
following states of stress, with the strength
90 12
criterion of the intact rock, space:
92 15
98 15
115 20
120 20 1 3
(MPa) (MPa)

70 5
51 10
90 17
63 2
 Solution Exercise n.1
Co=47 MPa =34° and c=12 MPa
140
'1 (MPa)
120

100

80

60
y = 3,479x + 46,654
40
R² = 0,9766
20

0
0 5 10 15 20 25
'3 (MPa)

s1 s3
(MPa) (MPa)
70 5 not compatible
51 10 compatible
90 17 compatible
63 2 not compatible
 Exercise n.2
A CIU TX tests (type CL) were carried out on rock specimens:

B r (kPa) uo (kPa) (a-r) (kPa) u (MPa)

0,86 35 2 0,00 2,00
5,00 6,00
13,00 16,00
17,00 25,00

Report the ESP and the TSP of the of the test in (p, p’-q) space. Determine
the Skempton coefficient A
 Solution Exercise n.2

ESP TSP
30,00
q MPa
25,00

20,00

15,00

10,00

5,00

0,00
0,00 10,00 20,00 30,00 40,00 50,00
p' MPa

r (MPa) a (MPa) p (MPa) q (MPa) u (MPa) uo (MPa) p' (MPa) Du (MPa) p-uo (MPa) Da (MPa) B A
35,00 35,00 35,00 0,00 2,00 2,00 33,00 0,00 33,00 0,86
35,00 40,00 36,67 5,00 6,00 2,00 30,67 4,00 34,67 5,00 0,86 0,93
35,00 48,00 39,33 13,00 16,00 2,00 23,33 14,00 37,33 8,00 0,86 2,03
35,00 52,00 40,67 17,00 25,00 2,00 15,67 23,00 38,67 4,00 0,86 6,69
 Exercise n.3
A rock specimen was saturated with a back pressure uo=1 MPa. At the end of
the saturation phase a hydrostatic stress increment D=2 MPa was applied.
The pore pressure transducer measured Du=1,66 MPa.
After this phase a CIU TX test (type CL) has been carried out on the same
rock specimen. The back pressure was is uo=5 MPa. The state of stress
applied for the consolidation was r= a=20 MPa. In the deviatoric phase the
following quantities were measured:
(a-r) (MPa) u (MPa)
0,00 5,00
4,00 6,00
10,00 7,20
16,00 7,50
20,00 7,00
28,00 4,00

Plot the ESP and the TSP of the of the test in (p, p’-q) space. Find the
Skempton coefficient A and B.
 Solution Exercise n.3

30,00
q MPa
25,00

20,00 ESP

15,00

10,00

5,00

0,00
0,00 10,00 20,00 30,00
p' MPa

r (MPa) a (MPa) p (MPa) q (MPa) u (MPa) uo (MPa) p' (MPa) Du (MPa) Da (MPa) B A
20,00 20,00 20,00 0,00 5,00 5,00 15,00 0,00 0,83
20,00 24,00 21,33 4,00 6,00 5,00 15,33 1,00 4,00 0,83 0,30
20,00 30,00 23,33 10,00 7,20 5,00 16,13 2,20 6,00 0,83 0,44
20,00 36,00 25,33 16,00 7,50 5,00 17,83 2,50 6,00 0,83 0,50
20,00 40,00 26,67 20,00 7,00 5,00 19,67 2,00 4,00 0,83 0,60
20,00 48,00 29,33 28,00 4,00 5,00 25,33 -1,00 8,00 0,83 -0,15
 Exercise n.4
During the undrained phase of a TX test it is possible to determine the shear
strength of the material in terms of total stresses. By adopting the Tresca
criterion the undrained strength parameters are:

1
 max   1 -  3   Cu Undrained shear strength: undrained cohesion
2
u  0 Undrained friction angle
 Exercise n.4

A CAU TX test (type CL) has been carried out on a lightly OC clay specimen.
At the end of the consolidation the state of stress is: ’r= 120 kPa ’a=150 kPa.
During the deviatoric phase the radial stress is maintained constant and the axial
stress is increased. The following quantities have been recorded:

(a-r) (kPa) Du (kPa) ea %

43,40 5,80 0,35
56,70 17,90 0,95
83,50 42,50 3,80 failure

Find Cu (undrained shear strength). Determine Eu (undrained deformation

modulus) for the first deviatoric stress increment.
Plot deviatoric stress vs axial strain vs excess pore pressure
 Solution Exercise n.4

1 83,5
Cu   1 3f
 -    41, 75kPa
2 2
 1 -  3 c   1 -  3 c  150 - 120  30kPa
D a 43, 4 - 30
Eu    3,8MPa
De a 0, 0035 - 0

100 deviatoric
stress
80 excess pore
pressure (kPa)
60

40

20

0
0 0,5 1 1,5 2 2,5 3 3,5 4
-20

-40

-60
axial strain %
 Exercise n. 5

In the following are reported the results of an Oedometer test. The

DH100 measurements refer to the end of the primary consolidation
phase
• Determine the initial void ratio (e0);
• Calculate the axial strain and the corresponding void ratio for
each load step;
• Plot the oedometer curve in spaces: (log ’v - ev) (log ’v - e)
• Determine the value of the recompression, compression and
swelling index (Cr Cc Cs)
 Solution Exercise n. 5
Area of specimen cm2 5.003
Initial height (mm) 19
density of grains rs (g/cm3) 2.65
16.
Dry mass of specimen (g) 02
Initial void ratio e0 (-)

Effective axial stress (MPa) DH100 (mm) Axial strain e-  Void ratio, e (-)
0.22 0.10 0,00526316 0,56173684

0.54 0.19 0,01 0,5543

1.08 0.35 0,01842105 0,54107895

2.16 0.72 0,03789474 0,51050526

5.40 1.64 0,08631579 0,43448421

10.79 2.50 0,13157895 0,36342105

21.59 3.31 0,17421053 0,29648947

43.17 3.90 0,20526316 0,24773684

10.79 3.82 0,20105263 0,25434737

2.16 3.70 0,19473684 0,26426316

0.54 3.61 0,19 0,2717

 Solution Exercise n. 5
' v (MPa)
0,1 1 10 100
0

0,05

0,1

ev
0,15

0,2

0,25
0,6

0,5

0,4

0,3
e

Cr Cc Cs
0,2
0,0516 0,0981 0,0125
0,1

0
0,1 1 10 100
' v (MPa)