Abstract
The sensitivity of the empirical exponent of Bazant's size-effect scaling law on structural geometry is clarified through numerical experiments. For large centre- cracked tension panels, made of a linearly softening material, the best-fitting exponent is 0.90, whereas for large edge-cracked panels it is 0.75. For edge-cracked panels, the value of the exponent increases as a function of increasing crack-length-to-width-ratio. The results indicate that with structures of brittleness numbers below unity, reliable predictions of strength require the size-effect scaling law to be fitted for any particular structural geometry.
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Östlund, S., Kärenlampi, P. Structural geometry effect on the size-scaling of strength. International Journal of Fracture 109, 141–151 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011045510152
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1011045510152