Experimental and numerical simulations are presented order to define the failure mechanism of cementitious materials. Triaxial tests on 95 mortar cylinders show there is a change in the failure plane orientation as confining pressure increases. The is characterized by a…
Experimental and numerical simulations are presented order to define the failure mechanism of cementitious materials. Triaxial tests on 95 mortar cylinders show there is a change in the failure plane orientation as confining pressure increases. The is characterized by a distinct surface or surfaces change orientation from nearly vertical to as confinement increases. Cap blocks are used to relieve the friction between the platens and the specimens under triaxial loading. The same_ conclusion is obtained by numerical analysis that includes a realistic 3- dimensional meso-structure simulation. A modified Gauss point method is applied to guarantee efficiency accuracy of the finite analyses. The criterion and the low strength criterion are used to simulate the mechanism.