Abstract
This research aim to assess the effect of absorption on the mechanical properties of sandstone rocks using a servo-controlled testing machine, stress-strain curves were obtained from which the uni-axial compressive strength, Young's modulus and the brittleness index were measured for specimens prepared from a single block of Sandstone from the Hassi Messaoud site investigation, Algeria. To see how the strength properties were affected by changes in absorption content such as are likely to occur on site, the specimens were divided into three groups which were prepared for testing under different conditions of absorption equilibrium.