Physico-Mechanical Characteristics of Vindhyan Sandstone, India

Quick and reliable estimation of intact rock strength parameters is vital for the excavation and stability measurement. The present research details the assessment of a few physico-mechanical parameters of sandstone rocks from Eastern India, and their statistical correlation and swift prediction. The dataset consists of 150 experimentally evaluated values for dry density, porosity, uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength and Young’s modulus. Afterwards, the data were analyzed in the statistical environment “R” for correlation and distribution. For the ease of usage and implementation, density and porosity have been used as explanatory variables for the prediction of strength attributes. Initially, univariate linear regression models were devised, which yielded a coefficient of determination ranging between, 0.5 to 0.73. However, the r2 increased, in a range between 0.69 and 0.74, when multivariate analysis using the same independent variables was performed. In the present work, investigations and analysis have been done to predict the uniaxial compressive strength, tensile strength and Young’s modulus with dry density and porosity. Moreover, the statistical significance of the study has been discussed and compared with previous work. The present research can be used as a means to quickly and economically estimate strength parameters in the absence of a sophisticated testing setup. © 2021, The Institution of Engineers (India).