The objective of this investigation was to test the effectiveness of the Acoustic Emission (AE) measurements in determining the critical stresses during four-point bending of mortar beams. Within the measuring procedure the parameter σcr/σ300 was calculated and analysed. Additionally, the influence of cement replacement by high calcium fly ash (HCFA) on the process of crack healing was discussed. Mortar beams with different content of HCFA and reinforced by steel microfibres were prepared for tests. After curing in standard conditions the beams were subjected to four-point bending test in order to introduce the pre-cracking. Thereafter the beams were cured in the lime water and loaded after 56 and 112 days in the same way as for the first time. Additionally the microstructure of mortars was studied in a stereo optical microscope as well in an electron scanning microscope including the Energy Dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). The results of microstructural characterization of mortar containing HCFA from lignite combustion are presented. The applied load level slightly exceeded the critical stress, producing intense crack growth processes however did not significant affected the load capacity of the beams. During the consecutive loading the decreasing tendency of σcr/σ300 ratio was noted. The obtained results confirm that the latter parameter can be applied as a measure of the composite degradation level for the elements carrying the repeated loads of amplitude close to the critical stress of the structure and also that the cement replacement with HCFA influences the process of crack healing.

Dynamic Mine disasters can be induced by the instability and failure of a composite structure of rock and coal layers during coal mining. Coal seam contains many native defects, severely affecting the instability and failure of the compound structure. In this study, the effects of coal persistent joint on the strength and failure characteristics of coal-rock composite samples were evaluated using PFC2D software. The results show that with the increase of included angle α between the loading direction and joint plane direction, the uniaxial compressive stress (UCS) and peak strain of composite samples first decrease and then gradually increase. The elastic moduli of composite samples do not change obviously with α. The peak strain at α of 45° is the lowest, and the UCS at α of 30° is the smallest. This is inconsistent with theoretical analysis of lowest UCS at α of 45°. This is because that the local stress concentration caused by the motion inconformity of composite samples may increase the average axial stress of upper wall in PFC2D software. Moreover, the coal persistent joint promotes the transformation from the unstable crack expansion to the macro-instability of composite samples, especially at α of 30° and 45°. The majority of failures for composite samples occur within the coal, and no obvious damage is observed in rock. Their failure modes are shear failure crossing or along the coal persistent joint. The failure of composite sample at α of 30° is a mixed failure, including the shear failure along the persistent joint in coal and tensile failure of rock induced by the propagation of coal persistent joint.

Theoretical tensile strength of brittle materials is 102-104 times larger than real strength. The particle structure, apart from the force of atomic bonds in an ideal crystal, affects real strength. A single-phase particle, spatially continuous and homogenous from the point of view of its chemical composition, is assumed to be the basis. A real particle is formed by means of introducing pre-existing microcracks and other geometrical and physical internal defects. The size distribution and number ofthese defects, affecting the particle strength, form the mechanical structure ofa particle. Since both the number and size ofpre-existing microcracks are randomvariables, respectively the particle tensile strength iś°"a random variable, described by Weibull's distribution. This paper has analysed the effect of particle structure on its tensile strength from the point of view ofthe weakest link theory and the statistical theory of fracture. In both cases for the distribution is obtained whose parameters are connected with the distribution ofmicrocracks lengths (formulas 5 and 15). The next part of the paper shows the results ofempirical tensile strength tests oflimestone and porphyry particles. The authors set distribution functions of tensile strength (formulas 20-22 and figures 3-5) and calculatedWeibull's moduli of the tested samples and the average particle strength. The average particle tensile strength is connected with the particle size by one of the formulas (25), depending on the fact whether particle fracture resulted from stimulating the volume, surface or edge microcracks. In case of limestone (one-component material) the particle fracture is caused by edge microcracks (formula 27a) while for porphyry (multi-component material) by surface microcracks (formula 27b). The dependence of crushing ratio on particle strength is described by an increasing power function (formulas 29-32). The exponent in this dependence is correlated with Weibull's modulus (formula 33). The presented results concern two raw materials. Further investigations will decide whether the obtained results are of general character, concerning all materials.