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Experimental and Numerical Studies on Determination of Indirect Tensile Strength of Rocks

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Abstract

Indirect tension tests using Brisbane tuff Brazilian disc specimens under standard Brazilian jaws and various loading arcs were performed. The standard Brazilian indirect tensile tests caused catastrophic, crushing failure of the disc specimens, rather than the expected tensile splitting failure initiated by a central crack. This led to an investigation of the fracturing of Brazilian disc specimens and the existing indirect tensile Brazilian test using steel loading arcs with different angles. The results showed that the ultimate failure load increased with increasing loading arc angles. With no international standard for determining indirect tensile strength of rocks under diametral load, numerical modelling and analytical solutions were undertaken. Numerical simulations using RFPA2D software were conducted with a heterogeneous material model. The results predicted tensile stress in the discs and visually reproduced the progressive fracture process. It was concluded that standard Brazilian jaws cause catastrophic, crushing failure of the disc specimens instead of producing a central splitting crack. The experimental and numerical results showed that 20° and 30° loading arcs result in diametral splitting fractures starting at the disc centre. Moreover, intrinsic material properties (e.g. fracture toughness) may be used to propose the best loading configuration to determine the indirect tensile strength of rocks. Here, by using numerical outcomes and empirical relationships between fracture toughness and tensile strength, the best loading geometry to obtain the most accurate indirect tensile strength of rocks was the 2α = 30° loading arc.

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Abbreviations

ISRM:

International Society for Rock Mechanics

UCS:

Uniaxial compressive strength test

BTS:

Brazilian tensile strength

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Acknowledgments

Acknowledgement is made to Leighton Contractors, who provided core samples of Brisbane tuff from the CLEM7 Project, and to Professor Ted Brown AC, Les McQueen, Mark Funkhauser and Rob Morphet of Golder Associates Pty Ltd for their assistance and advice. The work described forms part of the first author’s PhD research carried out at the Golder Geomechanics Centre at The University of Queensland. The first author was supported by an Australian Postgraduate Award/UQRS and the Golder Geomechanics Centre.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Golder Geomechanics Centre, School of Civil Engineering, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, 4072, Australia

    Nazife Erarslan & David John Williams

  2. School of Civil and Hydraulic Engineering, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

    Zheng Zhao Liang

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  1. Nazife Erarslan
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  2. Zheng Zhao Liang
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  3. David John Williams
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Correspondence to Nazife Erarslan.

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Erarslan, N., Liang, Z.Z. & Williams, D.J. Experimental and Numerical Studies on Determination of Indirect Tensile Strength of Rocks. Rock Mech Rock Eng 45, 739–751 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-011-0205-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-011-0205-y

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