Measurement of rock fracture toughness under modes I and II and mixed-mode conditions by using disc-type specimens

Rock fracture mechanics has been widely applied to blasting, hydraulic fracturing, mechanical fragmentation, rock slope analysis, geophysics, earthquake mechanics, hot dry rock geothermal energy extraction and many other practical problems. But a standard method to accurately determine fracture toughness of rocks, one of the most important parameters in fracture mechanics as an intrinsic property of rock, has not been yet well established. To...