Abstract
Crack growth due to compression is being studied in photoelastic models and brittle crystalline rocks. It differs from cracking caused by tensile loading in several fundamental respects. Oriented test plates of pegmatite, with a mineralogy and texture similar to granite, enabled direct observations of crack growth during compression. The growth of inclined cleavage cracks in feldspar is towards the axis of compression, in agreement with the model studies. Crack growth begins at loads between half and two-thirds the ultimate fracture strength. However, axially oriented cleavage cracks in other feldspar grains begin to grow at nearly the same stress levels as the inclined cracks. The Griffith theory, modified to account for crack-wall friction, does not appear to predict crack growth in the pegmatite. However, within certain limits, crack-growth predictions derived from model studies of crack interaction appear to apply qualitatively to the rock tested.
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