Paper contribution

Acid-Induced Physico-Mechanical Damage in Carbonate Rock

Azemeraw Wubalem; Chiara Caselle; Anna Maria Ferrero; Gessica Umili; Linda Pastero; Laurenz Schröer; Veerle Cnudde

Proceedings
EUROCK 2026
Pages
1105-1111
Submitted
28 January 2026
Accepted
15 June 2026
Published
12 August 2026

Summary

Abstract

Acid rain-induced chemical weathering causes a risk to the long-term stability of natural and engineered carbonate rock structures. This study investigates the physico-mechanical deterioration of Carrara marble exposed to sulfuric acid (pH 5) for 10, 20, and 30 days. Six samples (two per exposure duration) were analysed using a multi-scale experimental approach that integrated porosity, mass, and density measurements with microstructural and local mineralogical characterization through scanning electron microscopy coupled with energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM-EDS) and X-ray micro-computed tomography (µCT). Measurements were conducted before and after weathering, and dynamic µCT imaging was performed in situ during uniaxial compression to capture the evolution of internal damage and deformation. Progressive deterioration was observed in both microstructure and bulk properties. Grain-boundary opening and surface recession occurred alongside reductions in sample volume, mass, and density, as well as decreases in strength. Porosity and water absorption increased with exposure duration. The observations suggest that acid-induced dissolution progressively widens grain contacts, contributing to reduced cohesion and load-bearing capacity. The integrated dataset provides insight into coupled chemical degradation and mechanically driven damage evolution in carbonate rocks under acidic environmental conditions, and establishes a foundation for future quantitative analyses of porosity evolution and full-field strain localization using Digital Volume Correlation (DVC).

Contributors

Authors

  1. Azemeraw Wubalem Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, Italy; University of Gondar, Ethiopia ORCID 0000-0002-5965-6608
  2. Chiara Caselle Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
  3. Anna Maria Ferrero Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
  4. Gessica Umili Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
  5. Linda Pastero Department of Earth Sciences, University of Turin, Italy
  6. Laurenz Schröer Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium ORCID 0000-0003-3635-5180
  7. Veerle Cnudde Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; Utrecht University, Utrecht, Netherlands ORCID 0000-0002-3269-5914

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References

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