Temperature-dependent mode I fracture and crack propagation in mudstone: insights from full-field DIC analysis

Temperature-dependent mode I fracture and crack propagation in mudstone: insights from full-field DIC analysis | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Temperature-dependent mode I fracture and crack propagation in mudstone: insights from full-field DIC analysis Yuqi Liu, Lie Kong, Ziming Deng, Yimo Zhu, Shengqi Yang, Junlong Shang This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9372267/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Temperature variations strongly influence the fracture behaviour of sedimentary rocks, with direct implications for the safety and performance of thermally affected subsurface systems. This study investigates the Mode I fracture behaviour of mudstone over a temperature range of 25–350°C using semi-circular bend (SCB) tests combined with Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results show a systematic increase in fracture toughness with temperature. Full-field measurements reveal that deformation localisation consistently initiates at the notch tip and propagates towards the specimen boundary, but with varying full-field features with increasing temperature. Strain development follows three distinct stages: a quasi-linear stage, a nonlinear acceleration stage, and a rapid escalation stage immediately prior to failure. Normal and shear strains evolve concurrently, indicating coupled deformation during crack propagation. Crack growth behaviour exhibits strong temperature dependence. Higher temperatures promote increasingly unstable crack propagation, characterised by sharper acceleration near peak load and more irregular crack paths, reflecting enhanced microstructural heterogeneity and thermal damage. These findings provide new insights into temperature-dependent fracture mechanisms in mudstone and inform improved design, risk assessment, and long-term stability evaluation of underground infrastructure and underground engineering applications. Mudstone Digital Image Correlation Mode-I fracturing Full-field deformation Thermal effect Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9372267","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":628575817,"identity":"6cc0f898-cd51-471c-9b08-af4bb765c612","order_by":0,"name":"Yuqi Liu","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"School of Engineering, The University of Manchester","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Yuqi","middleName":"","lastName":"Liu","suffix":""},{"id":628575818,"identity":"f27d33fe-0567-43af-a91c-7bd31bf06c78","order_by":1,"name":"Lie 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This study investigates the Mode I fracture behaviour of mudstone over a temperature range of 25\u0026ndash;350\u0026deg;C using semi-circular bend (SCB) tests combined with Digital Image Correlation (DIC). The results show a systematic increase in fracture toughness with temperature. Full-field measurements reveal that deformation localisation consistently initiates at the notch tip and propagates towards the specimen boundary, but with varying full-field features with increasing temperature. Strain development follows three distinct stages: a quasi-linear stage, a nonlinear acceleration stage, and a rapid escalation stage immediately prior to failure. Normal and shear strains evolve concurrently, indicating coupled deformation during crack propagation. Crack growth behaviour exhibits strong temperature dependence. Higher temperatures promote increasingly unstable crack propagation, characterised by sharper acceleration near peak load and more irregular crack paths, reflecting enhanced microstructural heterogeneity and thermal damage. These findings provide new insights into temperature-dependent fracture mechanisms in mudstone and inform improved design, risk assessment, and long-term stability evaluation of underground infrastructure and underground engineering applications.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Temperature-dependent mode I fracture and crack propagation in mudstone: insights from full-field DIC analysis","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-29 18:40:37","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9372267/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"35aec4ff-e27d-48bd-9695-18160d1f79da","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 29th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-29T18:40:37+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-29 18:40:37","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9372267","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9372267","identity":"rs-9372267","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}