Characterization and mechanical properties of the Eocene Buda Marl

The mechanical behavior of the Buda Marl lies between those of rock and soil; it is therefore appropriate to define it as both weak rock and strong soil: some marl types behave like a weak rock and others like soil. In such cases the strength parameters of the material can be determined by rock mechanical or soil mechanical laboratory investigations. Often a problem occurs when the material cannot be assigned to either of these classes, in which case neither the commonly-used rock mechanical nor the soil mechanical tools are applicable to define the strength properties of the material. In this case the mechanical parameters of the material can only be estimated in an empirical fashion. The goal of this paper is to demonstrate the rock mechanical properties of the marl, using an empirical method, which can be use to determine the physical properties of a material that is neither rock nor soil.