The Thermal Damage Properties of Mudstone, Gypsum and Rock Salt from Yingcheng, Hubei, China

The impacts of temperature on the surface thermal damage of rock salt, gypsum and mudstone from the Yingcheng salt mine, China were investigated by the surface crack growth and propagation tests at different temperatures. We found that: (a) high temperature could strengthen the rock salt molecular thermal motion and weaken the cohesion among the rock salt grains, so that the grain boundaries were more prone to slip and thus develop into cracks; (b) high temperature could make the water molecules evaporate from rock specimens, which should change the physical properties of gypsum and mudstone; and (c) high temperature had a significant effect on the interface between rock salt and gypsum and mudstone, therefore it should be easy to produce cracks with white or light yellow cumulate powder here. The surface crack growth and propagation of the rock salt, gypsum and mudstone have a positive correlation with the temperature by stereo microscope and the method of binary images, which could observe the surface thermal damage properties. Finally, the fractal dimension of the rock salt surface cracks was calculated based on fractal theory, and the evolution of the surface thermal damage was found from 50 to 260 °C.