Crack initiation in clay observed in beam bending

"Tensile cracking in clay is an important phenomenon that affects the strength and permeability of clays in many facilities, such as dams, embankments and landfill liners, as well as being a precursor to slope failures in the natural terrain. This study investigates the stress-strain criteria for cracking in clays by performing four-point bending tests on consolidated kaolin clay beams. Load-controlled and strain-controlled tests were performed on clay beams with varying initial suction to understand the stress-strain criteria for crack initiation in clay. "