Investigation of elastic weakening in limestone and sandstone samples from moisture adsorption

Elastic and mechanical weakening from water saturation are widely known to occur in sedimentary rocks, and particularly in carbonate rocks. To improve our understanding of the physics underlying this phenomenon, ultrasonic (f ∼ 0.5 MHz) elastic properties are measured on a large suite of clean limestones and sandstones at very low saturations from relative humidity (RH) variations at ambient conditions. Measurements clearly highlight an elastic weakening (i.e. decrease in elastic wave velocity) from moisture adsorption. P- and S-wave velocities are similarly affected by adsorption, but in a different way for limestones and sandstone samples. While the elastic properties of limestone samples show almost no RH dependence, a large weakening is observed for samples of Fontainebleau sandstone that increases with the samples’ porosity. The main elastic weakening effect is likely to result from adsorption of fluid at grain contacts. It thus affects particularly granular rocks such as sandstones while well-cemented limestones are not affected. The granular model from Murphy et al., accounting for surface energy effects, proves to be appropriate. Applying this model, it is shown that (i) P- and S-wave velocities have the same dependence on surface energy, which is consistent with the measurements and (ii) surface energy values obtained from the ultrasonic data using this model correlate with RH, and are consistent with the expected value for quartz crystals at vapour pressure. Yet, porosity, which relates to degree of cementation in the particular case of Fontainebleau sandstone, appears to be an additional parameter. A modified model is thus derived using the cementation model from Digby, accounting for a bonding radius at grain contact. It proves to apply well to the measured data. The fundamental difference between limestones’ and sandstones’ dependence to RH appears to be related to a microstructural difference. Saturation variations from RH increase depend on specific surface area, which is particularly low in Fontainebleau sandstones and large in microporous limestones. However elastic weakening from RH is more important in sandstones owing to their granular microstructure.