Special Oil & Gas Reservoirs >

2026 , Vol. 33 >Issue 2: 143 - 150

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3969/j.issn.1006-6535.2026.02.016

Drilling & Production Engineering

Study on the deterioration behavior of shale mechanical strength under hydration

  • SHAO Xianyu ,
  • WANG Ke ,
  • WANG Zhiqiang ,
  • ZHAO Lingyun ,
  • LI Zhixuan ,
  • TAN Yongsheng ,
  • GAO Wei
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  • 1. College of Resources and Environment Engineering,Guizhou University Key Laboratory of Karst Georesources and Environment(Guizhou University),Ministry of Education,Guiyang,Guizhou 550025,China;
    2. CNPC Chuanqing Drilling Engineering Co.,Ltd. Chengdu,Sichuan 610051,China;
    3. Guizhou Oil and Gas Exploration and Development Engineering Research Institute, Guiyang, Guizhou 550081, China;
    4. Key Laboratory of Unconventional Natural Gas Evaluation and Development in Complex Tectonic Areas, Ministry of Natural Resources, Guiyang, Guizhou 550081, China;
    5. Sichuan Changning Natural Gas Development Co. LTD,Chengdu,Sichuan 610000,China;
    6. Institute of Rock and Soil Mechanics,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Wuhan,Hubei 430071,China;
    7. Guizhou Research Center of Shale Gas and CBM Engineering Technology,Guiyang,Guizhou 550014,China

Received date: 2024-11-19

  Revised date: 2026-01-19

  Online published: 2026-07-30

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Abstract

In response to the insufficient understanding of rock mass hydration on mechanical strength in underground engineering,a combined approach of rock mechanics experiments and numerical simulation was used,with Longmaxi Formation shale as the study object.Uniaxial compression tests and Abaqus finite element simulations were conducted on rock samples after different soaking times to investigate the impact of hydration on shale mechanical properties and its failure mechanism.The results show that hydration weakens the shale cohesion,thereby significantly reducing its peak stress and elastic modulus.Moreover,as hydration time increases,the failure mode of the rock transitions from brittle to plastic.Meanwhile,there exists a critical point in the deterioration of shale mechanical strength under hydration:the post-deterioration mechanical strength is about 69.19% of that in dry conditions.The findings are of great significance for understanding the hydration-induced mechanical deterioration behavior of underground engineering rock masses and guiding stability evaluations for engineering projects.

Key words： shale; hydration; uniaxial compressive strength; finite element analysis; mechanical strength deterioration

Cite this article

SHAO Xianyu , WANG Ke , WANG Zhiqiang , ZHAO Lingyun , LI Zhixuan , TAN Yongsheng , GAO Wei . Study on the deterioration behavior of shale mechanical strength under hydration[J]. Special Oil & Gas Reservoirs, 2026 , 33(2) : 143 -150 . DOI: 10.3969/j.issn.1006-6535.2026.02.016

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