This paper discusses the design and installation of devices for determining fracture energy in ceramic materials based on the patented wedge splitting test. Preliminary results of the maximum load and fracture energy for two different mortar compositions are also shown. To test the system and apply the method, mortars made of Portland cement, sand and water were molded and cured at 25 ºC for 7 days and dried at 50 ºC for 48 h. Two cement-sand composition ratios were characterized: 3:1 and 2:1. Preliminary tests were applied to establish stable crack propagation conditions. The crack was found to propagate through an imaginary plane defined by lateral grooves in the sample. The system is fully installed and ready for the development of systematic works correlating fracture energy and microstructure of refractory and ceramic materials in general, including materials for civil construction. In addition to demonstrating the efficiency of the method at room temperature, the results revealed that the technique is sensitive to microstructural aspects of the characterized material, since it successfully distinguished between the two mortars employed in this work.
wedge splitting method; stable crack propagation; fracture energy; mortar; Portland cement
