Fracture Patterns in Laminated Mancos Shale: Pre- and Post-Triaxial Test X-Ray Scans

Mancos shale samples from The University of Texas at Austin were scanned using X-ray tomography before and after triaxial testing. Testing involved various stress loading paths and confining pressures from 100 to 500 psi on three sample types with different bedding orientations. The dataset includes videos of fracture network visualizations and images scanned at 4 fps with 2984 projections over 360 degrees, with resolution ranging from 65 to 75 microns.

Use Cases

• Training computer vision models for fracture segmentation based on the provided X-ray tomography images.
• Analyzing the influence of bedding orientation on fracture patterns based on the three sample types (Perpendicular, Directional, Parallel).
• Modeling rock failure under triaxial stress conditions based on the described confining pressures and loading paths.
• Visualizing 3D fracture network evolution using the linked video playlist of post-test visualizations.

Strengths

• Includes pre- and post-failure scans, enabling direct observation of fracture initiation and propagation.
• Testing covers a defined range of confining pressures from 100 to 500 psi across three distinct sample bedding orientations.
• Scan parameters are detailed, including resolution (65-75 microns), frame rate (4 fps), and exposure time (250 ms).

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Last update date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Provenance

Source

The University of Texas at Austin, Principal Investigator Dr. Nicolas Espinoza.

Collection Method

X-ray tomography scans of shale samples before and after laboratory triaxial testing.