Fracture Mechanics of Marble Using a Splitting Tension Test

A singular hybrid finite element with seven nodes and triangular shape is used to determine the stress intensity factors for the splitting tension test. For different types of marble the finite-element simulations were used to compute the fracture toughness values. The small-grained marble types exhibit a high fracture toughness and stable crack growth. The smallest toughness was obtained for the coarse grained Georgia marble.