TENSILE-STRENGTH DETERMINATIONS OF CEMENT-TREATED MATERIALS

Differences in values of the tensile strength of cement-treated materials measured by using flexure, direct tension, and split tension tests are explained analytically by using Griffith failure theory; and predicted values are shown to agree well with the strength data available in the literature. The results indicate that the direct tension test provides the most reliable values of tensile strength of cement-treated materials, even when the failure surface is close to the interface between the cap and the specimen. Flexural strengths deduced from beam tests can be as much as twice the actual tensile strengths, depending on beam geometry, moduli in tension and compression, and degree of fixity at support and load-application points. The split tension test appears most suitable for practical use in evaluation of the tensile strength of cement-treated materials because it is simple to perform and yields measured values that do not deviate by more than 13 percent from the actual tensile strength.