Abstract
Extensive experimental investigations were conducted on Gypsum and Quartz compression specimens of different sizes. They were brought to complete failure, showing two different failure modalities: (1) Very brittle loading drop for micro-crystalline Gypsum and Quartz; (2) Stable strain-softening behaviour for macro-crystalline Gypsum. All the tested specimens emitted acoustic and electromagnetic waves and the single events cumulated up to the peak load. On the other hand, neutron emissions were evident only for the largest specimens. The significant chemical composition changes occurring on the fracture surfaces are consistently explained by the assumption of Low-energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR), both fusion and fission. It is the first time that fusion reactions emerge from crushing tests, whereas fission reactions have already consistently explained the results related to other materials like the iron-rich natural rocks. Therefore, a correlation emerges between fusion nuclear reactions and strain-softening mechanical behaviour, as well as between fission nuclear reactions and brittle mechanical behaviour.
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