Effects of surface cracks and strain rate on the tensile behavior of Balmoral Red granite

This paper presents an experimental procedure for studying the effects of surface cracks on the mechanical behavior of Balmoral Red granite under dynamic and quasi-static loading. Three different thermal shocks were applied on the surface of the Brazilian Disc test samples by keeping a flame torch at a fixed distance from the sample surface for 10, 30, and 60 seconds. Microscopy clearly shows that the number of the surface cracks increases with the duration of the thermal shock. After the thermal shock, the Brazilian Disc tests were performed using a servohydraulic materials testing machine and a compression Split Hopkinson Pressure Bar (SHPB) device. The results show that the tensile strength of the rock decreases and the rate sensitivity of the rock increases as more cracks are introduced to the structure. The DIC analysis of the Brazilian disc tests shows that the fracture of the sample initiates at the center of the samples or slightly closer to the incident bar contact point. This is followed by crushing of the samples at both contact points with the stress bars.