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Geological Society, London, Engineering Geology Special Publications; 1997; v. 12; p. 373-380;
DOI: 10.1144/GSL.ENG.1997.012.01.35
© 1997 Geological Society of London

Section 5: Laboratory studies

The use of ultrasonics to monitor long-term creep tests of salt rock samples

S. Guillaume1, J. du Mouza1 & J. Brulhet2

1 Centre de GÉologie de l’IngÉnieur — Ecole des Mines de Paris et Ecole Nationals des Ponts et ChaussÉes, 60 boulevard Saint-Michel, 75272 Paris cedex 06?, France
2 Agence nationals pour la Gestion des DÉchets Radioactifs, Parc de la Croix Blanche, 92290 Chatenay-Malabry, France

Over recent years, much attention has been focused on the geomechanical properties of salt rocks (halites) from the Bressan Basin, France. This paper presents the results of studies of the textural evolution of salt rocks during creep tests. Four samples were tested under various thermal and mechanical stresses, ranging from 25° to 70°C and under varying isotropic (2 to 5 MPa) and deviator stresses (5 to 20 MPa), in order to reproduce in situ conditions. A special experimental biaxial cell was set up in order to stress the samples in such conditions, and ultrasonics was used to monitor changes in rock texture and other properties and to control the experiments. Four tests were carried out on the two main facies of the halite of the Bressian Basin (France), each covering a threemonth period. All the ultrasonic parameters (velocity, attenuation, amplitude) proved to be sensitive to thermo-mechanical conditions. Their variations are functions of the rock type and the imposed stresses. The main result is that damage of the samples could be precisely determined. The limit between dilatant and non-dilatant creep is determined in terms of deviatoric stress. This limit depends on temperature and facies.