Size-scale and slenderness influence on the compressive strain-softening behaviour of concrete: experimental and numerical analysis

In this article the compressive mechanical behaviour of quasi-brittle materials is analysed by means of experimental tests and by using an ad hoc algorithm for numerical simulations based on the Pseudo-traction and the Boundary-element methods. The experimental analysis is carried out on specimens with three different size-scales, three different values of slenderness and two boundary conditions. The numerical analysis was carried out by taking into account the initial random crack distribution, considering the mutual crack interaction, the crack-boundary interaction and the internal friction between the faces of the cracks. The numerical results, in good agreement with the experimental data, highlight the characteristic strain-softening behaviour of quasi-brittle materials, and the influence of size-scale and slenderness on the structural response. By observing the evolution of the crack patterns, it is possible to emphasize, both experimentally and numerically, the transition from crushing to splitting collapse by increasing the specimen slenderness, as well as the transition from ductile to brittle behaviour by increasing the specimen size-scale.