Direct Shear Tests on Sedimentary Fault Gouges Under High Pressure and Velocity Steps

Eight direct shear experiments on simulated sedimentary fault gouges from Sicilian rock samples, conducted at the British Geological Survey. Data includes time, axial force, displacement, confining pressure, temperature, and derived shear stress and friction coefficients for each test. The experiments were performed at a confining pressure of 50 MPa with sliding velocity steps after an initial 4 mm displacement.

Use Cases

• Modeling rate-and-state friction parameters based on velocity step experiments.
• Analyzing the mechanical behavior of fault gouges under high confining pressure.
• Calibrating numerical simulations of fault slip with experimental shear stress and friction data.
• Comparing frictional properties across different sedimentary rock types (sandstone, limestone, clay).

Strengths

• Data from 8 distinct laboratory experiments with clearly labeled columns and units.
• Includes derived calculations for shear stress and coefficient of friction alongside raw measurements.
• Experimental conditions are precisely documented (50 MPa confining pressure, room temperature, specific displacement rates).

Limitations

• One of the eight tests is noted to have an issue with a recorded signal, though the data is still shared.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count and dataset size are unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.

Provenance

Source

British Geological Survey (BGS), Rock Mechanics and Physics Laboratory.

Collection Method

Laboratory experiments using an MTS815 Rock Testing System in triaxial configuration with homemade sliding holders.

Freshness

Last updated 2026-05-28 14:04:21.512415; freshness should be verified.

Geography

Samples are from Sicily (Monte Salici sandstone, 'Comiso' limestone, Quaternary Clays).