Anisotropy of sand is mainly due to the geometrical arrangement of particles that depends on the orientation of applied load respect to the bedding plane. It is geologically due to micro-fabric created by the arrangement of the particles configured during deposition. Most of the models develop using stress/strain invariants are not capable of identifying this kind of anisotropy. This is mainly ...

A series of experiments were performed to determine rock mechanical parameters related to was studied. Experimental results show that the coal seam in the study areas has a relatively low elastic modulus, high Poisson’s ratio, high fragility and is easily broken and compressed. The coal seam is considered as a transversely isotropic medium, since the physical properties in the direction of bedd...

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements from thin sections of rock samples such as shales demand as great a scattering vector range as possible because the pores cover a wide range of sizes. The limitation of the scattering vector range for pinhole SANS requires slit-smeared ultra-SANS (USANS) measurements that need to be converted to pinhole geometry. The desmearing algorithm is onl...

Samples of Late Devonian/Early Mississippian New Albany Shale from the Illinois Basin, having maturities ranging from early mature to postmature, were analysed using micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, ImageJ processing software and scanning electron microscopic X-ray spectroscopy to explore the distribution, connectivity and chemical composition of organic matter, clay minera...

It is proposed that the usage of the term structural facing be extended to include fault structures. Fault facing is defined as the direction in a fault plane which is at right angles to the trace of the bedding and is directed towards the younger beds. Certain types of faulted structures are found to have diagnostic patterns of facing variation.

Conventional fracture data collection methods are usually implemented on planar surfaces or assuming they are planar; these methods may introduce sampling errors on uneven outcrop surfaces. Consequently, data collected on limited types of outcrop surfaces (mainly bedding surfaces) may not be a sufficient representation of fracture network characteristic in outcrops. Recent development of techni...