| Abstract: | A series of uniaxial compression specimens were tested over a range of applied ram displacement rates of 8.9 × 10−4 to 8.9 mm/sec to elucidate the effects of loading rate on the uniaxial compressive fracture stress of Witwatersrand quartzite. It was demonstrated that even within standard loading rate ranges, considerable scatter in the fracture strength (under uniaxial compression) existed in this particular quartzite rock. Nevertheless, a definite trend of increasing fracture resistance with increasing monotonic loading rate was evident inasmuch that increasing the loading rate (strain rate) by four orders of magnitude increase the fracture strength by almost 2.8 times. Prior fatigue loading also produced a significant strain strengthening as the uniaxial compressive fracture stress tended to increase in a sigmoidal fashion with increasing number of fatigue cycles prior to testing. Indeed, the fracture strength of quartzite was almost doubled in value after 10− cycles. Plane strain fracture toughness tests utilising three point bend specimens were conducted and an average of Klc = 1.7 MPa√m was realized. In both the uniaxial compression tests and the fracture toughness tests, failure occurred by crack extension predominantly by a transgranular flat cleavage-like mode through pure quartzite (silica) regions. However, crack extension was also observed to occur in an intergranular “ductile-like” mode through areas associated with inclusions prevalent in the quartzite. |
