Direct shear testing studies the boundary conditions of natural (or artificially induced) faults or joints in fractured rocks, including cylindrical core samples and prismatic specimens. Typically, a specimen shear box holds the rock sample while a biaxial loading system applies perpendicular and shear forces simultaneously. Examining faults under various loading conditions helps predict in situ performance, resistance to sliding and stability of rock fault planes under changing stress conditions. Direct shear testing also helps reproduce natural boundary conditions of a rock joint or fault plane

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