Experimental study of brittle or ductile behaviour of mineral cements

Abstract

Calcium carbonate is one of the most abundant materials found in the Earth’s crust and very often it acts as a natural cement to form several rocks like limestone, chalk and marble. However, despite of its abundance and importance, its mechanisms to built-up strength are not fully understood yet. Understanding the mechanical properties of these naturally cemented rocks is also of key importance, not only because they have been traditionally used as construction materials but because the largest oil reservoirs are hosted by carbonate rocks. Under these conditions, these rocks are prone to deformation since they have to withstand loads for very long periods of time, but the deformation mechanisms still require further attention. Furthermore, calcium carbonate cements are also important for the health care industry since their high biocompatibility and solubility make them suitable candidates to replace traditional bio-cements to repair bones. In this thesis, artificial calcium carbonate cements have been synthesized and used as a proxy to shed some light to the strengthening mechanisms, creep deformation mechanisms and bioactive properties of carbonate cemented rocks.