Journal des sciences de la Terre et du changement climatique

Abstrait

Slake Durability Test on Lower Oligocene Limestones from Al Ain City, United Arab Emirates

Hasan Arman*, Mohamed El Tokhi, Osman Abdelghany, Bahaa Mahmoud and Mahmoud Abu Saima

A term of durability, which controls the stability of surficial and underground cavities, is usually used to describe the resistance of a rock to weathering and the rate of occurrence of such changes. To assess the durability of rocks, the slake durability test was widely used for evaluation of physical changes and/or slaking behavior of rocks as result of wetting-drying processes. First time, large number of laboratory tests will be conducted to understand durability of the Lower Oligocene limestones, which have extensively fractured and cavernous features. Since Al Ain city is located on the foundational level of these limestones bedrock, it has been motivated to conduct a detailed laboratory study to characterize the durability behavior of the bedrocks. The area of Jabel Hafit and surrounding hills will be selected as a targeted study area due to the easily accessible of rock outcrops. This study is a unique and will tackle problems related to rock engineering such as underground openings and slope stability, which have been encountered in the study area during and after any engineering applications. Furthermore, this study may help better understanding of durability problems, mitigate any possible causality and reduce loss of property today and/or in the future too.