Application of size effect to compressive strength of concrete members

Abstract

It is important to consider the effect of size when estimating the ultimate strength of a concrete member under various loading conditions. Well known as the size effect, the strength of a member tends to decrease when its size increases. Therefore, in view of recent increased interest in the size effect of concrete this research focuses on the size effect of two main classes of compressive strength of concrete: pure axial compressive strength and flexural compressive strength. First, fracture mechanics type size effect on the compressive strength of cylindrical concrete specimens was studied, with the diameter, and the height/diameter ratio considered as the main parameters. Theoretical and statistical analyses were conducted, and a size effect equation was proposed to predict the compressive strength specimens. The proposed equation showed good agreement with the existing test results for concrete cylinders. Second, the size, length, and depth variations of a flexural compressive member have been studied experimentally. A series of C-shaped specimens subjected to axial compressive load and bending moment were tested. The shape of specimens and the test procedures used were similar to those by Hognestad and others. The test results are curve-fitted using Levenberg-Marquardt’s least squares method (LSM) to obtain parameters for the modified size effect law (MSEL) by Kim and co workers. The results of the analysis show that the effect of specimen size, length, and depth on ultimate strength is significant. Finally, more general parameters for MSEL are suggested.