Abstract:
Understanding the hydromechanical behaviour of porous rocks is key to different applications in reservoir engineering and geothermal energy. As most of the rocks are sedimentary based, they have an anisotropic internal structure that can affect their mechanical and hydraulic behaviour. Changes in stress caused by the retrieval or injection of fluids into the pores, can lead to strain localization such as the formation of compaction bands, that changes the internal structure of the rock. This talk presents the results of an experimental investigation with a calcareous porous sandstone. The tests include triaxial compression and extension tests as well as oedometer tests. The results demonstrate that the inherent anisotropy of a calcareous porous sandstone has a significant effect on the mechanical properties and that the induced anisotropy in the form of compaction bands lead to a reduction of the permeability.
Short bio:
Julia Leuthold works as an established researcher at ETH Zürich, Switzerland, in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geomatic Engineering, under the Chair of Underground Construction at the Geotechnical Engineering Institute since January 2025. In this role she is responsible for the rock laboratory. Her research focuses on the experimental investigation of the multiphysical behaviour of rocks in the context of underground construction with a special focus on shales and porous rocks.
Prior to this position she worked as a project leader for the National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste (NAGRA) in Switzerland. She obtained Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Civil Engineering and a PhD in Rock Mechanics from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) in Germany.
