Fracture toughness analysis of HCCD specimens of Longmaxi shale subjected to mixed mode I-II loading

Longmaxi shale exhibits strong anisotropy due to its bedding planes induced by diagenesis. The anisotropic properties of shale have a significant effect on the stability control of geotechnical engineering. To investigate the influence of anisotropy of shale on its mixed mode fracture toughness, we performed Brazilian disc splitting tests on hollow center cracked disc shale specimens with different bedding and crack inclination angles (α and β,...