An apparatus for tensile testing of concrete

This paper describes a test fixture and alignment jig used for testing small concrete or rock cylinders in uniaxial tension. The fixture may be easily modified to test cube specimens and is adaptable for use in any standard universal testing machine. A testing procedure is described and results presented for 3 in. × 6 in. (76 mm × 152 mm) concrete cylinders. The main virtues of the fixture are its ease of construction, simple alignment procedure for the test specimen, and accuracy comparable to that obtained from the standard compression test of concrete cylinders.