Water saturation effects on dynamic fracture behavior of sandstone

To understand combined effects of water saturation and loading rate on the fracture behavior of rock materials, dynamic notched semi-circular bending (NSCB) tests were conducted on dry and saturated sandstone specimens under a wide range of loading rates using a modified split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) setup. Test results revealed that, the dynamic fracture initiation, propagation toughness and crack propagation velocity of saturated...