Determine of Shale Tensile Strength by Using Brazilian Disc Test

Abstract

The disc specimen subjected to compression is proposed for testing tensile strength of brittle materials such as rocks. The Brazilian disc test is an indirect measurement method of mechanical properties of rock, which theoretical foundation is the elasticity solution of stress of pressed disc. However, the distribution of contact load acting on the disc is not exactly known. Based on the complex function theory for elastic plane problem, the complex solution of stress is given under the condition that the distribution of contact load is general distribution. The theoretical formula of tensile strength is also presented. Discuss the influence of seven kinds of contact load distributions and different contact angles on stress field. Through the Brazilian disc test for shale from the depth of eight hundred, we obtain the tensile strength.