Sensing Temperature and Stress Distributions on Rock Samples under Mechanical Loading

In the exploration of planetary materials using robotic probes, one of the key priorities is to establish fundamental level understandings on the mechanical response of materials under different levels of loading. In this context, though a number of strength characterisation tools are applied in the space industry, whole-field visualization of stress and temperature distribution on rock samples and their potential relevance to fracture under external loading is not yet well exploited. In this work, we apply two types of tomography namely (i) IR tomography and (ii) PSAT tomography to understand the variation of temperature and shear stress distribution respectively anywhere on the samples at point scale. Sandstone is used as a simulant material here. Potential links between the tomography measures and the fracture strength of the sandstone are revealed in this work.