Investigation on Mechanical Properties, AE Characteristics, and Failure Modes of Longmaxi Formation Shale in Changning, Sichuan Basin, China

At present, hydrofracture technology is mainly used for shale gas exploration and exploitation, and the effect of volume fracturing is tightly linked to the mechanical properties (including anisotropy and brittleness) of shale. Meanwhile, Sichuan Basin is also an important area for unconventional natural gas exploration and development in China. This work analyzed mineral composition and microstructure of outcrop shale matrix in Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation through XRD test, slice observation, and scanning electron microscope (SEM). How anisotropy affects shale deformation, strength and failure characteristics at different bedding angles (0°, 30°, 45°, 60°, and 90°) under diverse confining pressures (0 MPa, 25 MPa, 50 MPa, 75 MPa, and 100 MPa) in conventional uniaxial/triaxial experiments were discussed. The acoustic emission (AE) evolution was introduced to reveal the cracks closure and propagation of Longmaxi Formation shale and qualitatively characterized the brittleness of the shale. What’s more, based on the existing brittleness index, this study proposed an indicator BInew that considers the shape of the stress–strain curve before and after the peak stress to evaluate the brittleness of the Longmaxi Formation shale. The index BInew can better describe the changes of brittleness with confining pressure and bedding angle. Finally, this work elaborately explained the relationship between AE characteristics, brittleness, and failure modes of shale. AE characteristics can not only qualitatively characterize shale brittleness but also show the failure process and modes of shale samples. Change of failure modes rests with the difference in brittleness and also reflects the level of brittleness. The change of brittleness with failure modes can be expressed as shear along bedding plane (Sh-Al) > splitting through bedding plane (Sp-Th) > conjugate shear failure (Co-Sh) > shear along bedding plane (Sh-Al) > shear through bedding plane (Sh-Th).