Failure Transition and Validity of Brazilian Disc Test under Different Loading Configurations: A Numerical Study

Abstract

The Brazilian disc test is a popular tensile strength test method for engineering materials. The fracture behavior of specimens in the Brazilian disc test is closely related to the validity of the test results. In this paper, the fracture process of granite discs under different loading configurations is simulated by using a coupled finite–discrete element method. The results show that the maximum tensile stress value is located within 18 mm (0.7 times the disc radius) of the vertical range of the disc center under different loading configurations. In small diameter rods loading, the invalid tensile strength is obtained because the crack initiation and plastic strain is at the end of the disc. The crack initiation points of flat platen loading and curved jaws loading are all within the center of the disc, and the valid tensile strength can be obtained. The tensile strength test results under different loading configurations show that the error of small diameter rods loading is 13%, while the errors of flat platen loading and curved jaws loading are both 1%. The curved jaws loading is the most suitable for measuring the tensile strength of brittle materials such as rock, followed by flat platen loading. The small diameter rods loading is not recommended for the Brazilian test.