Experimental analysis of cement-based materials under shear stress

Mortar and plain concrete behavior under direct shear was investigated. Correlations between compressive and shear strength with ultrasonic pulse velocity were examined. Shear strength can be roughly estimated from longitudinal or transverse ultrasonic pulse velocity measured in the unloaded specimens, and both shear and elastic moduli calculated from ultrasonic pulse speeds can be correlated to shear and compressive strengths. Both longitudinal and transverse pulse speeds undergo little variation while applied shear stresses increase. Ultrasonic readings from specimens tested under splitting tension indicated that fracture mode in the losipescu test (mode II) differs from fracture in tension (mode I). (C) 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.