In the present paper the compressive mechanical behaviour of quasi-brittle materials is analysed by means of experimental tests and by using an ad hoc boundary element algorithm for the numerical simulations. The experimental analysis is carried out on specimens with…
In the present paper the compressive mechanical behaviour of quasi-brittle materials is analysed by means of experimental tests and by using an ad hoc boundary element algorithm for the numerical simulations. The experimental analysis is carried out on specimens with three size- scales, three different slendernesses and two boundary conditions. The numerical analysis was carried out by taking into account the initial random crack distribution, considering the mutual interaction, the crack- boundary interaction and the internal friction between the faces of the cracks. The numerical simulations, in good agreement with the experimental results, 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 crashing collapse to splitting collapse by increasing the specimen slenderness, as well as the transition from ductile to brittle behaviour by increasing the specimen size-scale. words: Concrete, compression, strain-softening, boundary elements.