Principle and equipment are the same as for the test for tensile strength of hydraulic-cement mortar. The test specimen has the shape of a briquet. While in the original cement mortar test the briquet is cast in a special mold, it is prepared from rocks in different ways, depending on how easily they can be cut and shaped.
Soft rocks, which cannot be core-drilled with a carboloy or diamond bit, are simply hand-cut. Only two dimensions need be watched. The first is the 1-in. diam at the narrowest cross-section of the briquet. The other critical measure is the radius of curvature of the waistline, as the roller supports in the grips have a fixed distance.
Hard rocks, limestones, igneous, and metamorphic rocks can only be diamond-drilled or diamond-cut. Here the method of getting the tension briquets by accurate placing of EX-drill holes is especially economical.
