On the mechanical behaviour of a bonding-dominated soft rock

The role of bonding intensity in controlling the mechanical evolution of cemented carbonate formations towards an intrinsic reference state remains an open issue.This study investigates the behaviour of strongly cemented Palermo Calcarenite through drained triaxial and high-pressure oedometer tests on intact and reconstituted specimens, and compares the results with those previously obtained for the weakly bonded Marsala Calcarenite.Palermo Calcarenite undergoes progressive destructuration and approaches a well-defined reference state, with intact and reconstituted specimens converging in both one-dimensional compression and triaxial shearing.In contrast, the previously investigated Marsala Calcarenite shows no convergence between intact and reconstituted states under one-dimensional compression.The contrasting responses are associated with marked differences in the degree and distribution of cementation and in the resulting structure.These results show that the response to reconstitution is not unique among calcarenites with different structural characteristics and that a reference state cannot be assumed a priori for this class of geomaterials.