ROCK FRACTURE AND ITS CONTINUITY

The development of fracture during the separate unconfined compression of two contiguous sections of a Hawkesbury sandstone core was studied. The mechanical behavior of the specimens was followed beyond failure by means of a programmable servoframe, and the intact but fractured specimens then sectioned for fabric analysis. Both specimens failed by axial cleavage, linked with prominent internal fracture systems, mostly axially aligned. These cleavages possessed essentially the same absolute orientations in space despite the fact that in one case a plane of weakness with dangerous inclination existed, and in the other case an internal cone formed at one end. Both specimens showed essentially intergranular fracture. This internal microfracturing began at very low loads, but the immediate precursor of fracture was bulking due to the internal grain movements.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Presented at the First Australian Conference on Engineering Materials, Univ. of New South Wales, 1974.
• Corporate Authors:

  Commonwealth Scientific & Industrial Research Org

  314 Albert Street
  East Melbourne, Victoria,   Australia 
• Authors:
  • Ingles, O G
  • Hollingsworth, J A
• Publication Date: 1974

Media Info

• Features: References;
• Pagination: 11 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Failure; Fracture mechanics; Rock mechanics; Rocks; Sandstones; Test procedures; Testing equipment
• Uncontrolled Terms: Unconfined compression
• Old TRIS Terms: Axial movements; Intergranular pressures; Microfracturing; Orientation /particles/
• Subject Areas: Geotechnology; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00127104
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: No. 225 Res. Paper
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 14 1976 12:00AM