Direct Shear Strength Data for Sedimentary Gouges Under High Confining Pressure

Twelve direct shear experiments on simulated clay-bearing gouge samples from Sicily. The dataset contains raw time-series measurements including axial force, displacement, stress, confining pressure, and temperature, recorded using an MTS815 Rock Testing System. Experiments were conducted by researchers at the British Geological Survey's Rock Mechanics and Physics Laboratory.

Use Cases

• Modeling fault slip behavior based on shear stress and coefficient of friction data.
• Analyzing the influence of confining pressure (10-50 MPa) on gouge strength.
• Comparing the mechanical response of different rock types (sandstone, limestone, clay) under shear.
• Calibrating laboratory equipment or numerical models using detailed experimental time-series data.

Strengths

• Includes data from 12 distinct experiments on three different rock types.
• Experiments were conducted at three specific confining pressures: 10, 30, and 50 MPa.
• Raw data files are accompanied by a README and contain clearly labelled columns with units.
• Details of calculations for shear stress and coefficient of friction are provided.

Limitations

• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Data may reflect geographic bias inherent to samples sourced solely from Sicily.

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 14:04:22.475928; freshness should be verified

Geography

Samples are from the Pernicana Fault System (Mount Etna, Sicily), representing Monte Salici sandstone, 'Comiso' limestone, and Quaternary Clays.