ci Designation: D 3967 - 9a (Reapproved 2001) Standard Test Method for Splitting Tensile Strength of Intact Rock Core Specimens’ “Tis sanded isi ruck the fined designation 1.3967; the ume inmediely following te desiganon ints the year of rial notion onthe cae of revision the eu fs revision. sumer in patentee ade tbe Yeu Os approval A upersniptepclon ) ineaes an editor tangs since GL visa eaper 1. Scope 1.1 This test method covers testing apparatus, specimen preparation, and testing procedures for determining the split- {ing tensile strength of rock by diametral line compression of a disk, ons {—Thetensile strength of rock determined by tests ater than the sttaght pull tex designated as the “indicet™ tensile seength ond, Specially, the valve obtained in Section 8 of this testis tered the apising” tensile strength 1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as the standard. 1.3 This standard does not purport to address alt of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. Tt is the responsibilty of the user of this standard to establish appro- priate safety and health practices and determine the applica- bility of regulazory limitations prior 10 use. 2 Referenced Documents 2.1 ASTM Standards: 4 Practices for Force Verification of Testing Machines? 691-92 Practice for Conducting an Interlaboratory Study to Determine the Precision of a Test Method” Significance and Use 3.1 By definition the tensile strength is obtained by the direct uniaxial tensile test, But the tensile testis difficult and expensive for routine application. The spliting tensile test appears (0 offer a desirable alternative, because it is: much simpler and inexpensive, Furthermore, enginecrs involved in rock mechanics design usually deal with complicated stress fields, ine! various combinations of compressive and tensile stress fields. Under such conditions, the tensile strength should be obtained with the presence of compressive stresses to be represeptative of the field conditions. The splitting tensile strength testis one of the simplest tests in which such stress fields occur. Since it is widely used in practice, a uniform test ‘method is necded for data to be comparable, A uniform test is also needed to insure positively that the disk specimens break iametraly due to tensile pulling slong the loading diameter. "Tic test mth ner the jeition of ASTM Comite Dt Sil nt Mosk andthe ciect esponsbly of Susconume DI8.12 ot Reck Mecha ‘Cant whlon approve Dee. Il, 19S. Pablsied April 196, Orgy pained a D 3987 81. Las previous edison D357 98 onal Book of ASTM Suandands, VO 3.1 > Anal Book of ASTM Standards Vol 14.02, 1 Har en, West Conor, PA KE. Unb ie, Copy the AST emotion fm Oet 20 11:12:16 2006 4. Apparatus 4.1 Loading Device, to apply and measure axial load on the specimen, of sufficient capacity to apply the load at a rate conforming to the requirements in 7.3. It shall be verified at suitable time intervals in accordance with Practices E4 and shall comply with the requirements prescribed therein, 4.2 Bearing Surfaces—The testing machine shall be equipped with two steel bearing blocks having a Rockwell hhardness of not less than $8 HRC (see Note 2). Nore 2—Polse platens, wth bearing faces conforming to the roquire- ‘ments of this standard, may be ued. These shall be ofl hardened 1 more than 58 HRC, sod surlace ground. With abrasive rocks these platens tend to roughen aera namber of specimens have been tested, and hence aed to he surfaced from time ta time. 42.1 Flat Bearing Biocks—During testing the specimen ccan be placed in direct contact with the machine bearing plates (or false platens, if used) (see Fig. 1). The bearing faces shall rnot depart from’a plane by more than 0.0125 mm when the platens are new and shall be maintained within a permissible ‘variation of 0.025 mm. The bearing block diameter shall be at least as great as the specimen thickness, 4.2.2 Curved Bearing Blocks, may be used to reduce the contact stresses. The radius of curvature of the supplementary bearing plates shall be so designed that their are of contact with the specimen will in no case exceed 15° or that the width of contact js less than D/6, where D is the diameter of the specimen, Nore 3Since the equation used in 8.1 for splitting tensile strength is erivadhased om line lad, the applied lad shall be confined 0 avery ‘arrow strip if the splitingfeaile strength tes sto be wad. Bot a lng Toad creates extemely high contact stessos which cause prematine tricking. A wider conte! strip ean redace the problems signficontly Investigations show that an ae of cantcr smaller tha 15® sauses 0 moe® than 2% of ero in principal tensile stress wile reducing the incidence of prematire cracking grey 4.2.3 Spherical Seating—One of the bearing surfaces should be spherically seated and the other a plain rigid block, ‘The diameter of the spherical seat shall be at least a8 large as that of the test specimen, but shall not exceed twice the diameter of the test specimen. The center of the sphere in the spherical seat shall coincide with the center of the loaded side ‘of the specimen. The spherical seat shall be lubricated to assure free movement, The movable portion ofthe platen shall be held closely in the spherical seat, but the design shall be such that