The effect of grain size, porosity and mineralogy on the compressive strength of tight sandstones: A case study from the eastern Ordos Basin, China

Abstract To better understand how textural properties and mineralogy control compressive strength, this work performed the grain size analysis, porosity measurement, X-ray diffraction, microscopic observation, and mechanical tests on deep-buried reservoir sandstones in the eastern Ordos Basin, China. The results suggest that uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) declines with increasing grain size. Meanwhile, the UCS is reduced by grains >250 μm and enhanced by grains