(Solved): A classical experiment of fracture mechanics is the cleavage experiment of Obreimoff on mica (J ...

A classical experiment of fracture mechanics is the cleavage experiment of Obreimoff on mica (J. W. Obreimoff, The Splitting Strength of Mica, Proc. R. Soc. Lond. A 1930 v127, doi: 10.1098/rspa.1930.0058). In this experiment, a wedge of height $h$ is slowly introduced in a mica mineral, causing that a thin layer of thickness $d$ splits apart from the rest of the mineral. Consider the cleaved part of the mineral as a beam of length $\mathrm{C}(d<<\mathrm{C})$ In view of the experiment, in which situation is the crack growing (dead load, fixed grips, etc....)? Select one or more: a. Fixed Grips b. Dead Load c. It will be a mixed case between both d. With the information given is not possible to assess the load case