Uniaxial strength testing of non-welded Calico Hills tuff, Yucca Mountain, Nevada

A detailed investigation of the strength properties of Calico Hills tuff was undertaken to further characterize the behavior of this unit. Uniaxial compression tests on 43 specimens of massive and reworked tuff show a dependence of peak strength and Young's modulus on the total porosity, and thereby on the geologic history of the Calico Hills tuff. The average Young's modulus, Poisson's ratio, and compressive (peak) strength of dry specimens of massive (and reworked) tuff are: 5.43±0.96 GPa (9.80±0.89 GPa), 0.194±0.052 (0.244±0.067), and 26.34±5.13 MPa (38.64±4.96 MPa). Wet specimens of massive tuff have compressive strengths of 15.34±0.70 MPa, lower than those of dry specimens. The post-peak region for this brittle tuff is characterized by rapid load drops and well-defined residual strengths associated with growth of macrocracks and small faults in the specimens.