Localized deformation in intensely fissured clays studied by 2D digital image correlation

This paper represents a further step in a longstanding research on the influence of fissuring on the mechanical behavior of natural clays. The results of an experimental investigation into the influence of fissure orientation on the evolution of strain localization in the intensely fissured scaly clay from Santa Croce di Magliano (south of Italy) are reported. The experimental program involved plane strain compression tests where the effects of the combination of different factors, such as the specimen size and the orientation of fissuring, were investigated. A key aspect to this work is that the standard global stress-strain measurements were augmented by full-field displacement and strain measurements through 2D digital image correlation. Access to incremental strain fields provided information about slight details or anomalies as well as the complexity of deformation processes, which is of crucial importance for proper interpretation of test results at the global, macroscopic level.