It is well known that the pads used in splitting tests have a great influence on the splitting tensile strength of concrete. This study was aimed at clarifying the effect of the padding materials on the splitting tensile strength of concrete in relation to the fracture mechanism of concrete by carrying out the experiments and the FEM analyses on both the actual and model concrete. The experimental results of the actual concrete showed that the influence of the padding materials on the splitting tensile strength depended on the types of fine and coarse aggregate, the volume fraction of coarse aggregate in concrete and the friction between pad and specimen. The FEM analyses showed that the stress distribution within the model concrete was not so much affected by the padding materials before cracking, while, after cracking, the padding materials influenced the initiation and development of cracks as well as the stress distribution of the model concrete. These facts suggest that the effects of the padding materials on the splitting tensile strength of concrete are closely related to the complicated structure of concrete.
