Abstract
The stress intensity factor and the T-stress describing the near-crack-tip fields for selected specimen shapes of a test geometry based on wedge splitting and three point bending tests with several variants of boundary conditions are computed using finite element software ANSYS. The test configuration in question is expected to be a convenient alternative to classical fracture tests (especially the tensile ones) for investigation of the quasi-brittle fracture of building materials, when low constraint is requested. These specimens are investigated within the framework of two-parameter fracture mechanics; near-crack-tip stress field parameters are determined and compared with those of the wedge splitting test due to their shape similarity. The sensitivity of the values of these parameters to the boundary conditions is also shown. Suitable choice of the shape of the specimens is discussed.
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