Compression Testing Machine with Aligning Jig
Applies smooth diametral compressive load with rigid guide frame to ensure coaxial alignment.
Civil Engineering / Splitting Tensile Strength
FREE TO EXPLORELABORATORY 04 · CIVIL ENGINEERING
Concrete Cylinder Splitting Tensile Strength Determination (Brazilian Test)
Determine the splitting tensile strength (f_ct) of standard concrete cylinders under diametral line compressive loading according to ASTM C496 / BS EN 12390-6. Explore interactive structural mechanics, materials simulation, and civil engineering telemetry.
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Your virtual civil engineering laboratory.
SPLITTING TENSILE STRENGTH F_CT—
CIVIL INFRASTRUCTURE TELEMETRY
Ready to sample with Failure Load = 160.0 kN.
Adjust Failure Load, then execute civil engineering measurement.
Civil engineering telemetry is evaluated rigorously using 64-bit IEEE 754 precision. Residuals reflect ordinary least-squares regression across successive observations. Continuous data structures support high-fidelity structural mechanics and geotechnical continuum modeling.
Civil engineering assumptions and boundary condition limits
The civil engineering physical models apply within the specified calibrated operational window (100.0 to 250.0 kN). Cylinder diameter D = 150 mm, length L = 300 mm. Bearing area parameter pi · L · D = pi · 300 · 150 = 141,371.67 mm^2. Theoretical formula: f_ct = 2 P / (pi L D) = 0.0141471 · P (MPa/kN).
Laboratory apparatus & testing equipment.
Standard Wood Bearing Strips
Sacrificial plywood strips 3.2 mm thick, 25 mm wide, and 300 mm long conforming to ASTM C496.
Supplementary Machined Steel Bearing Bar
Distributes platen force uniformly over the full 300 mm cylinder length.
Cylinder Alignment & Centering Fixture
Ensures diametral line load passes precisely through the center of the cylinder axis.
Precision Vernier Callipers
Measures specimen diameter at ends and middle, and length along generator lines.
Polycarbonate Safety Fragmentation Shield
Encloses specimen against high-energy shrapnel ejection upon sudden splitting failure.
FOLLOW THE METHOD
A reason behind every step.
Determine the splitting tensile strength (f_ct) of standard concrete cylinders under diametral line compressive loading according to ASTM C496 / BS EN 12390-6. Standardized parameter settings: 100.0, 130.0, 160.0, 190.0, 220.0, 250.0 kN.
01
Specimen Preparation & Scribe Marking
Retrieve 28-day moist-cured cylinder; wipe to saturated surface-dry state; draw diametral alignment lines across both ends using an alignment jig.
02
Dimensional Characterization
Measure diameter D at three points along the cylinder to 0.1 mm; measure length L along the diametral lines to 0.5 mm.
03
Lower Bearing Strip Positioning
Place lower plywood bearing strip centrally on the testing platen; position cylinder horizontally so marked diametral lines align vertically.
04
Upper Bearing Strip & Steel Bar Placement
Place upper plywood bearing strip along the top generator line; place the supplementary machined steel bearing bar directly over the strip.
05
Diametral Loading to Splitting Fracture
Apply compressive load continuously at a standardized stress rate of 0.7 to 1.4 MPa/min (approximately 0.8 to 1.6 kN/s) until brittle vertical splitting occurs.
06
Peak Force Logging & Failure Inspection
Record maximum applied load P; verify that vertical splitting plane propagated cleanly through the cylinder axis.
YOUR NOTEBOOK · 0 OBSERVATIONS
Turn measurements into civil engineering insight.
Points are your recorded observations. The solid regression line validates Splitting Tensile Strength mathematical scaling.
LINEAR REGRESSION FIT · y = mx + b
f_ct = 0.01415 · P
| # | Peak Failure Load P (kN) | Splitting Tensile Strength f_ct (MPa) | Diametral compressive load P (kN) | Splitting tensile strength f_ct (MPa) | Remove |
|---|
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CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING
Explain what the civil engineering metrics mean.
The theoretical formula for splitting tensile strength f_ct of a cylinder under load P is:
The standard thickness and width of sacrificial plywood bearing strips in ASTM C496 are approximately:
Splitting tensile strength of normal concrete is typically what fraction of its compressive strength f'c?
In the Brazilian test, the horizontal stress across the vertical loading diameter is predominantly:
THEORY AND STRUCTURAL CONTEXT
Civil engineering background & physical principles.
Direct uniaxial tension testing of concrete is notoriously difficult to execute because gripping specimens without inducing severe stress concentrations, eccentric bending, and premature end shearing is virtually impossible in routine testing. To circumvent these challenges, Fernando Carneiro and Akazawa independently developed the splitting tensile test (commonly termed the Brazilian test, standardized under ASTM C496 and BS EN 12390-6). In this test, a standard concrete cylinder (150 mm diameter by 300 mm length) is placed horizontally between the flat platens of a compression machine, with narrow sacrificial plywood bearing strips interposed along the top and bottom diametral generator lines. When a compressive line load P is applied, the elasticity solution derived by Hertz and Timoshenko shows that a state of nearly uniform transverse tensile stress develops across approximately 80% of the vertical diametral plane. Once this transverse tensile stress reaches the tensile capacity of the concrete, a clean vertical crack splits the cylinder into two halves. In this laboratory, splitting tensile tests are performed on standard concrete cylinders to evaluate the splitting tensile strength f_ct and calibrate the Brazilian split conversion factor.
f_ct = 0.01415 · P
Cylinder diameter D = 150 mm, length L = 300 mm. Bearing area parameter pi · L · D = pi · 300 · 150 = 141,371.67 mm^2. Theoretical formula: f_ct = 2 P / (pi L D) = 0.0141471 · P (MPa/kN).