Characterizing mechanical heterogeneity of coal at nano-to-micro scale using combined nanoindentation and FESEM-EDS

The variations of mechanical properties of coals in nano-to-micro scale play vital roles in defining the coal deformative and failure behaviors with a wide range of engineering applications, including coal stimulation for gas recovery and/or CO₂ sequestration in coal seams. Based on the assumption that the heterogeneity in the mechanical properties of coals is combinedly determined by the mineralogical/carbon compositions and microstructures, three coals were experimentally measured through combing nanoindentation test, X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and field emission scanning electron microscopy - energy dispersive spectroscopy (FESEM-EDS) imaging. Two sub-bituminous coals from Illinois basin and one bituminous coal from Pittsburgh No.8 seam from Pennsylvania were collected and prepared. The moduli, hardness, and energy dissipations were all analyzed for three coals. The mean Young's moduli and hardness of two sub-bituminous and bituminous coals are ~4.13 GPa, ~4.79 GPa, and ~ 5.56 GPa respectively and the mean hardness of which are ~0.38 GPa, ~0.49 GPa and ~ 0.58 GPa respectively. The results confirmed that the nanoscale mechanical properties are compositional and microstructural dependent. It was also observed that the heterogeneity of sub-bituminous coals is more apparent than the bituminous coal. Also, the bituminous coal is more harder and brittle than sub-bituminous coal, which can better withhold the mechanical response, but the deformations are relatively permanent due to brittle failure. The energy dissipation data showed that the irreversible work decreases with the increase in hardness, which confirmed that the plastic deformation is much more easily to be inducted. The mechanism-based phenomenon pop-in event on the load-displacement curve was also analyzed by linking with the characteristics of the morphology and composition beneath a pointed indenter or cracks formation due to the localized indent.