Experimentally-Derived Mechanical and Flow Properties of Mudstones

We developed a systematic approach to predict mudstone compressibility and permeability as a function of composition. We prepared mixtures of natural Boston Blue Clay (BBC) and synthetic silt in four different proportions and resedimented these mixtures. From uniaxial consolidation tests we show that compressibility and permeability vary systematically with silt fraction. Compressibility linearly decreases with increasing silt fraction whereas permeability exponentially increases with increasing silt fraction. Normalizing the flow behavior by using effective void ratio allows the ability to predict permeability if porosity and composition are known.