Edge crack growth of mortar plate specimens under uniaxial loading tests

摘要

In this paper, a compression-to-tension conversion technique is developed by applying predominant mode I loading test, using a servo-controlled compression system. The technique is applied to thin mortar plate specimens of different widths that include a prefabricated crack on either a single side to facilitate unilateral crack propagation, or prefabricated cracks positioned on both sides asymmetrically with respect to the specimen midpoint to facilitate bilateral crack propagation under direct tensile stress with a loading rate of 0.001 mm/s. The results show that the main pathways of unilateral crack propagation governing specimen failure are fluctuated locally, but present an approximately straight line overall in the absence of pre-existing internal defects. However, the pathways of bilateral crack propagation are relatively complex, although they present similar characteristics. Analysis results suggest that bilateral crack propagation can be basically divided into three stages, i.e. a stage of linear propagation, a stage representing deviation from the other crack, and a stage where one crack approaches either the other crack or approaches the opposite edge of the specimen, and thereby forming a continuous crack through the specimen. In addition, the stressestrain curves of bilateral crack specimens do not vary significantly around the point of peak stress prior to specimen failure, which means that the specimens do not fail instantaneously.