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<p>Shallow Coral Reef Limestone (CRL) is a vital construction material for island and reef engineering. Understanding its long-term mechanical behavior under sustained loading is essential for ensuring the safety and durability of infrastructure. This study investigates the influence of aragonite-dominant structures on the key mechanical properties and long-term deformation mechanisms of CRL. Large-scale nanoindentation mapping, covering 1500 micro-regions, combined with the Mori–Tanaka homogenization model, reveals variations in the Young's modulus (<i>E</i>) ranging from 25.5 GPa to 43.77 GPa. The results indicate that increased calcite content enhances diagenesis, reduces crystal size, and consequently increases <i>E</i>. Further analysis using Weibull statistics quantified the critical threshold of mineral content: when the calcite and aragonite content reaches 99%, the stiffness difference of the CRL becomes pronounced (66.68 GPa vs 41.75 GPa, Δ59.8%). Additionally, the three-element Voigt model demonstrates that aragonite-dominant CRL exhibits consistent creep behavior, predominantly controlled by dislocation motion (average stress exponent <i>n</i> &gt; 3), implying complex deformation mechanisms influenced by both dislocations slip and climb. Notably, dimensionless analysis indicates that peak load, rather than loading rate, is the dominant factor influencing long-term deformation.</p>

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Nano-Scale Study of the Mechanical Behavior of Aragonite-Dominant Coral Reef Limestones

  • 期刊论文

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月6日

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  • Shanshan Zhang,
  • Dongsheng Xu,
  • Yang Liu,
  • Xuhai Tang

摘要

Shallow Coral Reef Limestone (CRL) is a vital construction material for island and reef engineering. Understanding its long-term mechanical behavior under sustained loading is essential for ensuring the safety and durability of infrastructure. This study investigates the influence of aragonite-dominant structures on the key mechanical properties and long-term deformation mechanisms of CRL. Large-scale nanoindentation mapping, covering 1500 micro-regions, combined with the Mori–Tanaka homogenization model, reveals variations in the Young's modulus (E) ranging from 25.5 GPa to 43.77 GPa. The results indicate that increased calcite content enhances diagenesis, reduces crystal size, and consequently increases E. Further analysis using Weibull statistics quantified the critical threshold of mineral content: when the calcite and aragonite content reaches 99%, the stiffness difference of the CRL becomes pronounced (66.68 GPa vs 41.75 GPa, Δ59.8%). Additionally, the three-element Voigt model demonstrates that aragonite-dominant CRL exhibits consistent creep behavior, predominantly controlled by dislocation motion (average stress exponent n > 3), implying complex deformation mechanisms influenced by both dislocations slip and climb. Notably, dimensionless analysis indicates that peak load, rather than loading rate, is the dominant factor influencing long-term deformation.