Rocks undergo physical and chemical changes on account of interplay with water, their material characteristics undergo deterioration. This behavior is characterized as water-induced softening. Drilling in water-bearing rock layers is more susceptible to engineering accidents such as collapse and instability under the influence of ground stress. This study conducted drilling experiments on four types of rocks at three levels of saturation and four confining pressures to understand the mechanical response of rock in drilling engineering. The recorded drilling parameters were used to calculate the drilling strength (S) and drilling specific energy (E). A drilling softening coefficient (K) was defined based on the E. The relationship between E and S under varying confining pressures and saturation levels was examined. In addition, the depth-dependent evolution of K during drilling was analyzed. These analyses were then used to investigate the mechanism of water-induced rock softening under different confining pressures. The strength parameters of rocks at different saturation levels were introduced to confirm the dependability of the presented K. Experimental findings indicated that K decreases as saturation rises, while it increases with higher confining pressure. Among the rocks, red sandstone exhibited the largest reduction and increase as 46 % and 32 %. A rebound phenomenon in the K occurred with higher confining pressure for limestone, red sandstone and shale. This phenomenon is associated with the coupled effects of water-induced rock degradation and drilling-induced rock failure. These findings offer new insights into the study of water–rock–drill interactions. They contribute to improved efficiency and safety when drilling through deep water-rich rock formations.
扫码关注我们
求助内容:
应助结果提醒方式:
