Ahmad Mardoukhi, Yousof Mardoukhi, Mikko Hokka, Veli-Tapani Kuokkala

• This paper presents a new experimental method for the characterization of the surface damage caused by a heat shock on a Brazilian disk test sample. Prior to mechanical testing with a Hopkinson Split Pressure bar device, the samples were subjected to heat shock by placing a flame torch at a fixed distance from the sample’s surface for periods of 10, 30, and 60 s. The sample surfaces were studied before and after the heat shock using optical microscopy and profilometry, and the images were analyzed to quantify the damage caused by the heat shock. The complexity of the surface crack patterns was quantified using fractal dimension of the crack patterns, which were used to explain the results of the mechanical testing. Even though the heat shock also causes damage below the surface which cannot be quantified from the optical images, the presented surface crack pattern analysis can give a reasonable estimate on the drop rate of the tension strength of the rock.