Mineralogical Characteristics and Mechanical Properties of Montney Formation Using Instrumented Indentation Test and SEM/EDS Analysis

ABSTRACT: Rocks are heterogeneous and anisotropic in nature, and the mineralogical characteristics and microstructures of the rock control the mechanical properties. The conventional methods to obtain the mechanical properties of the rock are the uniaxial test, triaxial test and Brazilian test et al. However, conventional tests have some shortcomings, which are expensive and time-consuming to make numerous specimens for repetitive tests. Meanwhile, specimens for these tests are inch-size, while the mineral grain size ranges from millimetres to micrometre size; the testing scale cannot match the study scale. This study investigates the impact of mineralogical characteristics on rock behaviour and properties in the Doig and Montney Formations. A series of instrumented indentation tests were performed on five rock samples from different depths, and the mineralogical characteristics and their change during the whole test were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis. Pearson correlation was employed to examine the relationships between individual mineralogical characteristics and rock behaviour, such as three typical indentation depths, Young's modulus and hardness. The findings of this study provide valuable insights into the effects of mineralogical characteristics on rock behaviours and properties.