Fracture properties of marble–mortar compounds

Marble panels for outdoor cladding of buildings are generally fastened with mortar and/or anchors. Due to environmental influences (e.g. solar heat, rain and snow), such panels can start to bow and crack, such that eventually they may detach from the wall, possibly causing damage to humans and the environment. Different marble–mortar compounds have been tested for their mechanical and fracture-mechanical characteristics (adhesive strength, notch tensile strength, specific fracture energy, crack growth resistance and characteristic length) by means of the pull-out test and the wedge-splitting method. The propagation of a crack in the marble–mortar compound is characterized on the basis of fracture-mechanics and by use of the load displacement curve. The advantages of using a mortar bed rather than anchors are considered.