Contact: Prof. Zehnder, atz2@cornell.edu
Shale is an abundant rock that plays important roles in several energy technologies (i.e., shale gas; a seal for sequestered CO2; a seal for geothermal fluids). Although the ability to predict accurately fracture behavior would facilitate minimization of environmental impacts, the mechanical behavior of shale is poorly understood. At the scale of tens of microns shale is a heterogeneous mix of organic and inorganic materials. Working with a team of students and faculty from materials science, geology and civil engineering, the student working on this project will design and execute a set of experiments designed to determine the fracture toughness, crack growth rate, and micro-scale fracture path. The influence of the chemical environment and of temperature will be assessed as well. The project is primarily experimental and is expected to last 2 semesters.
Qualifications of Student: MAE 3250 and 3272 (or equivalents).