3D modeling of fracture growth in solid under the penetration of rigid wedge

The authors have undertaken experimental and theoretical modeling of fracture growth under the penetration of rigid wedge in brittle rock. The test specimens were made of organic glass to facilitate measurement of size and shape of a fracture. The wedge loading was executed quasi-statically on a testing machine and dynamically by a drop wedge. The scheme developed in the framework of the theory of elasticity for the theoretical description of the fracture growth process accounts for the finite size of the wedge cutting point and the influence of free surface. The theoretical and experimental shapes of fractures are compared.