The bearing strength of concrete for strip loadings

Synopsis Results are reported for tests to failure on 39 concrete blocks loaded through rigid plates extending across the full width of the block. Expressions are developed for the ultimate bearing capacity andfor the length at which the crack on the axis of the load propagates spontaneously. These expressions predict correctly the ultimate strengths measured here and in previous investigations. It is shown that the pattern of cracking remote from the loaded area affects the ultimate strengths significantly, and that the general behaviour is not improved by the provision of a cut-out.