Simultaneous Identification of Rock Strength and Fracture Properties Via Scratch Test

The scratch test method, on the other hand, has emerged as a promising alternative to determine the strength and fracture properties of various materials ranging from soft to hard, including butter, polymers, metals, ceramics and rocks, due to enhanced understanding of the failure mechanisms. The goal of this study was to test whether a scratch test could identify the strength and facture properties simultaneously with improved accuracy and reliability via the use of the size effect law (SEL) to distinguish ductile scratch failure from brittle scratch failure. Researchers have conducted scratch tests on two types of limestone and employed the size effect law to quantitatively determine the critical failure mode transition depth that distinguishes ductile mode cutting from brittle mode cutting. They have also evaluated how the determination of the critical depth benefited the accurate estimation of material properties by comparing the scratch-derived results with those by conventional testing methods.