Experimental validations of cracked chevron notched Brazilian disc geometry specimen for rock fracture toughness testing

Abstract

The application of cracked Brazilian disc geometries to the measurement of rock fracture toughness is an active area of interest and research in rock mechanics. This paper introduces the theoretical foundation of the application and then gives a detailed description of the validation experiments for one of the cracked Brazilian disc geometrics: the cracked chevron notched Brazilian disc (CCNBD). The paper also provides a discussion of some of the relations between rock fracture toughness and conventional rock properties for the purpose of rough fracture toughness prediction.