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Tensile Strength of Artificially Cemented Sandstone Generated via Microbially Induced Carbonate Precipitation

Published version
Peer-reviewed

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Authors

Konstantinou, Charalampos  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4662-5327
Biscontin, Giovanna  ORCID logo  https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4662-5650
Logothetis, Fotios 

Abstract

Artificially bio-cemented sands treated with microbially induced calcite precipitation are weakly cemented rocks representing intermediate materials between locked and carbonate sands. Variations in cementation significantly affect the strength of sample, particularly tensile stregth. The modes of fracture and the surface characteristics resulting from the indirect tensile strength tests (Brazilian tests) are strongly correlated with the specimen strength and consequently the degree of cementation. This study examines the tensile strength of bio-cemented fine and coarse sands (average particle diameter 0.18 and 1.82 mm, respectively) and investigates failure modes by recording fracture evolution at both sides of specimen and surface characteristics of the reconstructed surfaces. The dimensionless slope parameter Z2 provided the best fit with respect to tensile strength while the power spectral density was a good indicator of surface anisotropy. Finally, wavelet decomposition allowed for comparison of fracture surface characteristics of the two sands ignoring the grain size effects.

Description

Keywords

bio-cementation, sandstone, indirect tensile strength, fracture mechanics, fracture surface, grain size

Journal Title

Materials

Conference Name

Journal ISSN

1996-1944

Volume Title

14

Publisher

MDPI
Sponsorship
bp International Centre for Advanced Materials (bp-ICAM) (-)