Correlating Natural, Dry, and Saturated Ultrasonic Pulse Velocities with the Mechanical Properties of Rock for Various Sample Diameters

Abstract

P-wave velocity is employed in various fields of engineering to estimate the mechanical properties of rock, as its measurement is reliable, convenient, rapid, nondestructive, and economical. The present study aimed to (i) correlate natural, dry, and saturated P-wave velocities with the mechanical properties of limestone and (ii) investigate how the ultrasonic P-wave velocities and mechanical properties of limestone are affected by the sample diameter. This study reveals that P-wave velocities under different environmental conditions can be correlated with the mechanical properties of limestone. Further, the R-value variations with different P-wave velocities for a given sample diameter are (i) negligible in terms of the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) excluding 63.2 mm, (ii) limited for the diametrical point load index (PLID) except for 53.9 mm, (iii) perceived in case of the axial point load index (PLIA) for 47.7 mm, (iv) observed for the indirect tensile strength (ITS), but generally insignificant, and (v) detected in terms of Schmidt hammer value (SHV) except for 47.7 mm.