Comparison of the static and dynamic elastic modulus in carbonate rocks

Young’s modulus is one of the most important mechanical parameters in building materials used to assess both the appropriateness of a material as well as its mechanical stability. The paper reports a study to predict the elastic modulus for ten carbonate rocks using the ultrasonic technique. The rocks varied from homogeneous limestones to rocks with abundant stylolite, veins and fissures and were subjected to both salt crystallization and thermal weathering tests in order to modify the number and features of their discontinuities. The dynamic and static elastic moduli were measured in both weathered and unweathered samples. The results confirmed the poor relationship between the static and dynamic moduli for the studied rocks. A new equation is proposed which uses both dynamic elastic modulus and spatial attenuation of compressive waves to provide an accurate prediction of static Young’s modulus. As spatial attenuation is highly sensitive to the presence of rock defects, the correlation is very useful for rocks with fractures, voids and/or which have suffered weathering.