The Effect of Flat Circular Pore Orientation on Engineering Properties of Rock-like Materials with Large Voids

摘要

This work extends previous research on macroporous materials using plaster with Styrofoam inclusions conducted by students and faculty from Montana Tech and the University of North Florida. It focuses on exploration of the stress-strain behavior of 3x6 inch cylindrical plaster samples with flat, circular inclusions placed in several different orientations suspended in plaster matrix. Techniques of how the inclusions are created are studied. Samples are uniaxially loaded until failure to determine the unconfined compression strength (UCS) and the modulus of elasticity (E). The stress and strain measurements made during the tests are plotted, with the slopes of the curves (E) and the peak stress value (UCS) being compared to solid specimen controls. The percent deviation from the solid is obtained. Although E and UCS did decrease with increasing porosity and number of voids, efforts to identify trends with respect to orientation of the inclusions were inconclusive.