Assessing the geotechnical properties of peridotite rocks in dry and saturated conditions

The main objective of this research is to assess the effect of water saturation on the physical, dynamic and mechanical properties of peridotite rocks. For this purpose, 35 samples of peridotite rocks, taken from central Greece, were tested and the static and dynamic test results were determined in saturated condition. Also, dynamic elastic constants were calculated from wave velocity. Based on the results of unit weight, P-wave velocity and uniaxial compressive strength of the studied rocks, they were classified from very high to extremely strong. A comparative study between the obtained results and saturated properties from previous studies was conducted. The dynamic tests showed the P- and S-wave velocities increased averagely 4.61 and 5.01%, respectively, after saturation. According to the mechanical tests, UCS, E, and BTS are averagely decreased 8.19, 8.43 and 11.71%, respectively, after saturation. Moreover, regression analyses were applied to define the relations between the properties of the rocks in the two mentioned conditions. All the correlations between the properties are linear or logarithmic and the coefficient of determination (R²) ranges between 0.55 and 1. The obtained results revealed changes in the physical, dynamic and mechanical properties in the presence of water.