Lamination and Its Impact on the Physical and Mechanical Properties of the Permian and Triassic Terrestrial Sandstones

Abstract

The sandstones with a laminated structure are common building materials. Lamination is macroscopically expressed as colour and grain size variations observed both in the deposit and within individual beds; therefore, the properties of such sandstones are diverse depending on the spatial distribution of the binding mass and framework components. For the terrestrial sandstones of different genesis, four types of laminae have been distinguished based on petrographic studies. They have a siliceous binder or a mixed ferruginous–siliceous–argillaceous binder with different proportions of these components. In laminae of types I–III, the grain framework is built mainly of quartz grains, and in type IV, it is accompanied by numerous lithoclasts and feldspars. Knoop hardness and CERCHAR abrasivity were tested in each lamina variety, and the results were correlated with the equivalent quartz content and the longitudinal ultrasonic wave velocity measured perpendicular and parallel to the lamination. The proposed research methodology was not used in previous studies on terrestrial laminated sandstones. The results explain a strong dependence between mineral composition, structure of laminae, and technical parameters of rocks. The knowledge of this relationship facilitates the selection of rocks that meet the relevant technical requirements and helps to optimally manage the resources of sandstone deposits.