The effect of anisotropy on the strength and failure patterns of Borujerd area slates under Brazilian test conditions

This study deal with the effect of anisotropy on strength behavior and failure patterns of Borujerd area slates under Brazilian test conditions. For this purpose, 6 rock blocks were taken from different locations in north and east of Borujerd. After sample preparation and assessment of mineralogical and physical properties, the Brazilian tensile strength test was performed on the disc-shaped samples in 7 anisotropy angles (between the loading direction and anisotropy plane) including 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 75 and 90°. The results indicate that the maximum BTS is observed at β = 90° for all samples. While, the lowest value of BTS corresponds to anisotropy angles (β) equal to 15° and 30°. The observation of failure patterns of samples after Brazilian test shows that there are three types of dominant failure patterns including parallel to the anisotropy (PA), across the anisotropy (AA) and curved fracture (CF). Transitional angle, which indicates the change in dominant failure pattern from parallel to the anisotropy to across the anisotropy, were also determined. Finally, the relationship between fractures length and Brazilian tensile strength was determined for selected slates.