On the effect of lateral grooves in wedge splitting test analyzed via digital image correlation

• Grant number: 21/03315-9
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: June 01, 2021
• End date: December 31, 2023
• Field of knowledge: Engineering - Materials and Metallurgical Engineering - Nonmetallic Materials
• Principal Investigator: Rodrigo Bresciani Canto
• Grantee: Matheus William Parmezani Cardoso
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Exatas e de Tecnologia (CCET). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Refractory castables are crucial materials for transformation industries due to their capacity to ensure functional properties of interest at high temperatures or corrosive environments. Although these materials are resistant, crack initiation is inevitable in such extreme conditions. Therefore, further understanding about crack propagation resistance is mandatory since these defects can compromise structural functionality. Moreover, studies that analyze toughening mechanisms through the R-curve have been carried out using wedge splitting test for characterizing crack propagation resistance in refractory materials. Lateral grooves can be used for guiding crack propagation in the central plane and decrease dispersion between samples. However, their effect on R-curve calculation using field measurements such as Digital Image Correlation (DIC) is not fully understood. In this context, this work aims to evaluate the impact of such grooves in two tests performed on grooved and ungrooved samples produced from the same material. For this purpose, conventional and integrated-DIC methods will be applied to obtain the fracture parameters to determine the R-curves on both samples' faces. Thus, it is expected to understand the influence of grooves' presence on crack propagation and the benefits and disadvantages for obtaining fracture parameters with the wedge splitting test setup.