Double-torsion tests were carried out to ascertain whether a thin test specimen would affect the results of this test. The tests involved two test specimen sizes, one with a thickness five-fold greater than the particle size of the material and the other with a three-fold greater thickness. The width of both test specimens was ten times that of their thickness and their length was double their width. The material utilized was an alumina-based refractory castable without cement. It is important to ascertain the influence of the thickness of double-torsion test specimens when materials with a coarse microstructure are involved. Otherwise, test specimens would have to be very large, rendering the experimental procedure difficult, as in the case of the size of sintering furnaces and the size of accessories for the test. This study shows that test specimens with lower thicknesses are representative when one analyzes the calibration curve of the compliance, the length of the crack at which the break occurred (critical crack length), and the shapes of the R-curve and of the load (P) vs. displacement curves. However, the analysis of the mean values of R (R), obtained by the arithmetic average of the R values in the section of stable crack propagation and the total fracture energy (γwof), showed that these values are dependent on the size of the test specimens, indicating that this subject deserves further investigation.
mechanical properties; double-torsion test; fracture mechanics; refractory castable
