Cohesionless crack at peak load in a quasi-brittle material

A three point bending fracture test was performed on a typical quasi-brittle material (Berea sandstone). The loading was continued into the post-peak region where crack growth was visible along the center line of the beam. Subsequent inspection of a portion of the specimen showed that part of the fracture offered no resistance to loading – a cohesionless crack existed. Digital image correlation was used to study the nature of the displacement...