Macroscopic experimental study and microscopic phenomenon analysis of damage self-healing in salt rock

Salt rock is characterized by a low porosity, low permeability and self-healing ability, and it is one of the most common materials used for underground energy storage and construction in underground nuclear waste repositories. Studying the healing of macroscopic cracks in salt rock under different conditions is important for ensuring the stability of the rock surrounding a salt cavern. To evaluate the healing ability and effect of cracks in salt rock at the macroscale, two tests were designed to directly assess the healing ability of salt rock by analyzing the tensile strength and permeability recovery of healed crack surface. Furthermore, the microstructure of the healed macroscopic fractures in salt rock was observed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and the microscopic mechanisms of salt rock damage healing were analyzed. (1) The results show that the presence of water is an important condition for the healing of cracks in salt rocks. Fully fractured salt rock cracks can heal at a low pressure of 160 kPa, and the uniaxial tensile strength of the healed specimens can reach a maximum of 121.1 kPa. It was found via computed tomography (CT) that a healed crack was still a weak surface in the whole specimen. (2) Increases in temperature, environmental humidity, and normal stress all promote the self-healing of salt rock fractures. Based on the experimental data, a model describing the evolution of salt rock damage healing variables with respect to temperature, humidity, and stress was established. It was also observed that the change in salt rock damage healing variables over time during the healing process can be represented by a first-order exponential decay function. (3) Using SEM, detailed micro healing experiments were conducted on NaCl single crystal and impurity-containing salt rock specimens. The healing characteristics of intracrystalline cracks and intercrystalline cracks were studied. It was observed that salt rock damage healing manifests at the microscopic level as the filling of microcracks and crack segmentation caused by grain growth. Additionally, the presence of a certain amount of impurities was found to promote the growth of internal structures that heal cracks within salt rock. These findings are of great significance for evaluating the stability and tightness of the surrounding rock of salt cavern reservoirs. •Laboratory tests on salt rock crack damage self-healing were conducted at both the macroscopic and microscopic levels.•