Application of nanoindentation for uncertainty assessment of elastic properties in mudrocks from micro- to well-log scales

Geophysics ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 82 (6) ◽  
pp. D327-D339 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clotilde Chen Valdes ◽  
Zoya Heidari

Uncertainty in estimates of elastic properties of soft mudrock components, such as clay minerals and kerogen, can influence well-log-based evaluation of effective elastic properties in organic-rich mudrocks. Existing methods, such as effective medium models for well-log-based assessment of elastic properties, assume a constant stiffness and an idealized shape for rock components. However, these characteristics might vary depending on the distribution and size of that particular component, as well as its adjacent components. Furthermore, there is a significant uncertainty in elastic properties of kerogen in the case of organic-rich mudrocks. The uncertainty associated with the aforementioned parameters on effective elastic properties of rocks has not been investigated in existing publications. In this paper, we quantified the variability in elastic properties of individual mudrock components caused by their spatial distribution, size, and rock fabric at the microscale and their impacts on well-log-based evaluation of effective elastic properties. We performed nanoindentation mechanical tests on samples from the Haynesville and the lower Eagle Ford Formations, to measure Young’s modulus and hardness at targeted locations. Then, we quantified the variability of Young’s modulus in the microscale and its impact on effective elastic properties at the micro- and well-log scales. Results reveal significant uncertainties in measurements of elastic properties of soft rock components, associated with their location and size. Young’s moduli of individual clay components are higher when located adjacent to stiff rock components, such as large quartz and calcite grains. Results reveal that 25% and 12% uncertainties in measured elastic properties of clay minerals affect well-log-based estimates of effective elastic stiffness coefficients up to 29% and 11% in the Haynesville and the lower Eagle Ford Formations, respectively. These uncertainties can be more significant in cases with a higher concentration of clay minerals and kerogen.

2015 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leon S. Dimas ◽  
Daniele Veneziano ◽  
Tristan Giesa ◽  
Markus J. Buehler

We investigate the effective elastic properties of disordered heterogeneous materials whose Young's modulus varies spatially as a lognormal random field. For one-, two-, and three-dimensional (1D, 2D, and 3D) rectangular blocks, we decompose the spatial fluctuations of the Young's log-modulus F=lnE into first- and higher-order terms and find the joint distribution of the effective elastic tensor by multiplicatively combining the term-specific effects. The analytical results are in good agreement with Monte Carlo simulations. Through parametric analysis of the analytical solutions, we gain insight into the effective elastic properties of this class of heterogeneous materials. The results have applications to structural/mechanical reliability assessment and design.


Geophysics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 84 (6) ◽  
pp. C281-C293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fei Gong ◽  
Bangrang Di ◽  
Jianxin Wei ◽  
Pinbo Ding ◽  
He Tian ◽  
...  

The elastic properties of rock are major factors affecting hydraulic fracturing. Static elastic properties can be estimated using geomechanical laboratory tests, whereas dynamic properties can be estimated from elastic-wave velocity and rock density. We prepared two synthetic shales containing different clay minerals and one natural shale and focused on the elastic properties for the full tensor of elasticity and their anisotropy. The static and dynamic properties of these dry samples were obtained based on triaxial tests during loading and unloading. The results suggest that the synthetic and natural shale indicate high similarity in the static and dynamic properties. The dynamic Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio increase with increasing axial stress during loading and unloading. For the static properties, the static Poisson’s ratio increases with axial stress during loading and unloading. However, differences exist between the static and dynamic Young’s moduli during loading, with the static Young’s modulus decreases with the increasing axial stress at a high stress level. In addition, the static Young’s modulus is consistently lower than the dynamic Young’s modulus during loading and unloading, but the static Poisson’s ratio is larger or smaller than the dynamic Poisson’s ratio. During loading and unloading, there could be approximately a 30% difference when estimating static elastic properties from the static-dynamic relations, depending on which static moduli are used. Furthermore, the static and dynamic properties of the samples are strongly anisotropic, and the anisotropy of elastic properties is sensitive to the axial stress and the clay minerals.


Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (9) ◽  
pp. 3010
Author(s):  
Raphael Lamprecht ◽  
Florian Scheible ◽  
Marion Semmler ◽  
Alexander Sutor

Ultrasound elastography is a constantly developing imaging technique which is capable of displaying the elastic properties of tissue. The measured characteristics could help to refine physiological tissue models, but also indicate pathological changes. Therefore, elastography data give valuable insights into tissue properties. This paper presents an algorithm that measures the spatially resolved Young’s modulus of inhomogeneous gelatin phantoms using a CINE sequence of a quasi-static compression and a load cell measuring the compressing force. An optical flow algorithm evaluates the resulting images, the stresses and strains are computed, and, conclusively, the Young’s modulus and the Poisson’s ratio are calculated. The whole algorithm and its results are evaluated by a performance descriptor, which determines the subsequent calculation and gives the user a trustability index of the modulus estimation. The algorithm shows a good match between the mechanically measured modulus and the elastography result—more precisely, the relative error of the Young’s modulus estimation with a maximum error 35%. Therefore, this study presents a new algorithm that is capable of measuring the elastic properties of gelatin specimens in a quantitative way using only the image data. Further, the computation is monitored and evaluated by a performance descriptor, which measures the trustability of the results.


2018 ◽  
Vol 233 ◽  
pp. 00025
Author(s):  
P.V. Polydoropoulou ◽  
K.I. Tserpes ◽  
Sp.G. Pantelakis ◽  
Ch.V. Katsiropoulos

In this work a multi-scale model simulating the effect of the dispersion, the waviness as well as the agglomerations of MWCNTs on the Young’s modulus of a polymer enhanced with 0.4% MWCNTs (v/v) has been developed. Representative Unit Cells (RUCs) have been employed for the determination of the homogenized elastic properties of the MWCNT/polymer. The elastic properties computed by the RUCs were assigned to the Finite Element (FE) model of a tension specimen which was used to predict the Young’s modulus of the enhanced material. Furthermore, a comparison with experimental results obtained by tensile testing according to ASTM 638 has been made. The results show a remarkable decrease of the Young’s modulus for the polymer enhanced with aligned MWCNTs due to the increase of the CNT agglomerations. On the other hand, slight differences on the Young’s modulus have been observed for the material enhanced with randomly-oriented MWCNTs by the increase of the MWCNTs agglomerations, which might be attributed to the low concentration of the MWCNTs into the polymer. Moreover, the increase of the MWCNTs waviness led to a significant decrease of the Young’s modulus of the polymer enhanced with aligned MWCNTs. The experimental results in terms of the Young’s modulus are predicted well by assuming a random dispersion of MWCNTs into the polymer.


Metals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (6) ◽  
pp. 968
Author(s):  
Fumitada Iguchi ◽  
Keisuke Hinata

The elastic properties of 0, 10, 15, and 20 mol% yttrium-doped barium zirconate (BZY0, BZY10, BZY15, and BZY20) at the operating temperatures of protonic ceramic fuel cells were evaluated. The proposed measurement method for low sinterability materials could accurately determine the sonic velocities of small-pellet-type samples, and the elastic properties were determined based on these velocities. The Young’s modulus of BZY10, BZY15, and BZY20 was 224, 218, and 209 GPa at 20 °C, respectively, and the values decreased as the yttrium concentration increased. At high temperatures (>20 °C), as the temperature increased, the Young’s and shear moduli decreased, whereas the bulk modulus and Poisson’s ratio increased. The Young’s and shear moduli varied nonlinearly with the temperature: The values decreased rapidly from 100 to 300 °C and gradually at temperatures beyond 400 °C. The Young’s modulus of BZY10, BZY15, and BZY20 was 137, 159, and 122 GPa at 500 °C, respectively, 30–40% smaller than the values at 20 °C. The influence of the temperature was larger than that of the change in the yttrium concentration.


2015 ◽  
Vol 35 (3) ◽  
pp. 257-266 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahim Eqra ◽  
Kamal Janghorban ◽  
Habib Daneshmanesh

Abstract Because of extraordinary physical, chemical and mechanical properties, graphene nanosheets (GNS) are suitable fillers for optimizing the properties of different polymers. In this research, the effect of GNS content (up to 1 wt.%) on tensile and flexural properties, morphology of fracture surface, and toughening mechanism of epoxy were investigated. Results of mechanical tests showed a peak for tensile and flexural strength of samples with 0.1 wt.% GNS such that the tensile and flexural strength improved by 13% and 3.3%, respectively. The Young’s modulus and flexural modulus increased linearly with GNS content, although the behavior of the Young’s modulus was more remarkable. Morphological investigations confirmed this behavior because the GNS dispersion in the epoxy matrix was uniform at lower contents and agglomerated at higher contents. Finally, microscopical observation showed that the major toughening mechanism of graphene-epoxy nanocomposites was crack path deflection, which changed the mirror fracture surface of the pure epoxy to rough surface.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan C Acosta ◽  
Mark E Curtis ◽  
Carl H Sondergeld ◽  
Chandra S Rai

Abstract Volcanic ash beds are thin layers commonly observed in the Eagle Ford, Niobrara and, Vaca Muerta formations. Because of their differences in composition, sedimentary structures, and diagenetic alteration, they exhibit a significant contrast in mechanical properties with respect to surrounding formation layers. This can impact hydraulic fracturing, affecting fracture propagation and fracture geometry. Quantifying the mechanical properties of ash beds becomes significant; however, it is a challenge with traditional testing methods. Common logging fails to identify the ash beds, and core plug testing is not possible because of their friability. In this study, nanoindentation was used to measure the mechanical properties (Young's modulus, creep, and anisotropy) in Eagle Ford ash beds, and to determine the contrast with the formation matrix properties. Two separate ash beds of high clay and plagioclase composition were epoxied in an aluminum tray and left for 48 hours curing time. Horizontal and vertical samples of ash beds were acquired and mounted on a metal stub, followed by polishing and broad beam ion milling. Adjacent samples were also prepared for high-resolution Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) microstructural analysis. The Young's modulus in ash beds ranged from 12 to 24 GPa, with the horizontal direction Young's modulus being slightly greater than that of the vertical samples. The Young's modulus contrast with adjacent layers was calculated to be 1:2 with clay-rich zones and 1:4 with calcite rich zones. The creep deformation rate was three times higher for ash beds compared to other zones. Using Backus averaging, it was determined that the presence of ash beds can increase the anisotropy in the formation by 15-25%. SEM results showed a variation in microstructure between the ash beds with evidence of diagenetic conversion of rhyolitic material into clays. Key differences between the two ash beds were due to the presence of plagioclase and the occurrence of porosity within kaolinite. Overall porosity varied between the two ash beds and adjacent carbonate layers showing a significant increase in porosity. Understanding the moduli contrast between adjacent layers can improve the hydraulic fracturing design when ash beds are encountered. In addition, the presence of these beds can lead to proppant embedment and loss in fracture connectivity. These results can be used for improving geomechanical models.


Nanoscale ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 10 (27) ◽  
pp. 13022-13027 ◽  
Author(s):  
Basant Chitara ◽  
Assaf Ya'akobovitz

The present study highlights the elastic properties of suspended GaS, GaSe and GaTe nanosheets using atomic force microscopy. GaS exhibited the highest Young's modulus (∼173 GPa) among these nanosheets. These materials can withstand maximal stresses of up to 8 GPa and a maximal strain of 7% before breaking, making them suitable for stretchable electronic and optomechanical devices.


Author(s):  
Mazeda Tahmeen ◽  
Geir Hareland ◽  
John P. Hayes

Abstract The multistage hydraulic fracturing is the best practice to stimulate unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs for optimal production. Recent studies suggested that selective stimulation design could significantly increase production rates at a reduced cost rather than using non-selective geometric stages. An optimal design needs detailed logging and core information to selectively perforate and optimize the stimulation treatment. In most cases, the non-selective evenly spaced geometric stimulation design is used, primarily due to the time consuming and expensive conventional logging tools and techniques. In this article, a 3D wellbore friction model is used to estimate the effective downhole weight on bit (DWOB) from the drilling data, directional survey data and drill string information. The estimated DWOB is used as an input to the inverted rate of penetration (ROP) model along with other drilling data, drill bit specifications and reservoir specific formation constants, to calculate rock mechanical and reservoir properties including, compressive strength, Young’s modulus, porosity, permeability and Poisson’s ratio without the use of expensive downhole logging tools. The rock brittleness index is calculated from the relationship between Young’s modulus and Poisson’s ratio based on the definitions of rock brittleness used in recent years. The field data from horizontal drilling of three sample wells were used to investigate the geomechanical properties in the Montney shale formation and the lower Eagle Ford formation in North America. The calculated geomechanical properties were compared to the corresponding test analysis on cores. The authors investigated the rock brittleness index from the sample well data drilled horizontally in the lower Eagle Ford formation. This novel technology could help geologists and reservoir engineers better exploit unconventional reservoirs leading to optimal selective stimulations and greater net present value (NPV).


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 607-620
Author(s):  
V. V. Manju ◽  
S. Divakara ◽  
R. Somashekar

The comprehensive elastic properties of Suvin cotton fibre have been estimated. The Linked Atom Least Square method (LALS) technique has been employed to compute the structural properties using the X-ray diffraction data. Using Treloar’s assumptions the elastic stiffness matrix |Cij| has been calculated, then by utilizing the Voigt theory the elastic constants like Young’s modulus (E), Bulk modulus (K), Shear modulus (G), Poisson’s ratio (ν) and linear compressibility (β) have been estimated. Further, the experimental results of elastic constants are obtained and compared with the computed results and a broad correlation between them has been observed. ELATE web application tool is used to obtain the 3-dimensional images of variation of elastic constants along their spatial axes. From these figures an attempt has been made to explain the anisotropic mechanical property with respect to directional dependent Young’s modulus (E) and Shear modulus properties (G).


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