Compression Specimens Research Articles

ANALISIS MUTU BETON TERHADAP BETON PASCA BAKAR

A fire is an unwanted disaster, in the framework of a post-fire building structure it becomes the basis for deciding whether the building structure can still be used or not. The rise in high temperatures in concrete structures will result in changes in concrete, the problem faced is how to handle post-fire buildings. From this explanation, this research will discuss the strength of concrete structures, especially the ratio of normal concrete to concrete that has been burnt with variations in duration of burning 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours under normal conditions. Concrete compressive strength testing was carried out when the specimens reached the age of 3 days, 7 days, 14 days, 21 days, and 28 days with cylindrical specimens and the flexural strength of concrete was carried out when the specimens reached 28 days. The number of concrete compressive strength test specimens is 36 unit, and the flexural strength is 12 unit. The normal quality of concrete used is 30 MPa. From the results of the analysis regarding the tests carried out on compressive strength, it can be concluded that from the results of the compressive strength tests of 1 hour, 2 hours and 3 hours it decreased by 26.83%, 41.46% and 59.67% compared to concrete normal, for the flexural strength test results of 1 hour, 2 hours, and 3 hours decreased by 33.25%, 66.75%, and 66.75% compared to normal concrete.

Dynamic recrystallization mechanisms of as-forged Al–Zn–Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloy during hot compression deformation

The thermal deformation behavior of as-forged Al–Zn–Mg-(Cu) aluminum alloy at strain rate 0.001–1 s−1, temperature 663–783 K and deformation degree 0–60% was studied by isothermal compression test, and an accurate strain-compensated Arrhenius constitutive equation was established. Based on the microstructure characteristics of compressed specimens, the effects of strain rate, temperature and strain on dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior and substructure evolution were determined. The results show that the alloy undergoes discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX), continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) and geometric dynamic recrystallization (GDRX) simultaneously at high temperature and low strain rate (743 K, 0.001–0.01 s−1), where CDRX includes microshear band assist (MSBA), homogeneous increase of misorientation (HIM) and progressive lattice rotation near grain boundaries (LRGB). However, with decreasing temperature and increasing strain rate, GDRX basically disappears, and DDRX becomes the main DRX mechanism. At medium to high strain rate (0.1∼1 s-1), high-density dislocations accumulate at the grain boundaries and numerous microshear bands form inside grains during the early deformation stage. The misorientation angles of these pre-existing geometrically necessary boundaries gradually increase with temperature and strain, ultimately transforming into subgrains and DRX grains.

The Effects of Self-Polymerized Polydopamine Coating on Mechanical Properties of Polylactic Acid (PLA)-Kenaf Fiber (KF) in Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM).

This research examines the impact of self-polymerized polydopamine (PDA) coating on the mechanical properties and microstructural behavior of polylactic acid (PLA)/kenaf fiber (KF) composites in fused deposition modeling (FDM). A biodegradable FDM model of natural fiber-reinforced composite (NFRC) filaments, coated with dopamine and reinforced with 5 to 20 wt.% bast kenaf fibers, was developed for 3D printing applications. Tensile, compression, and flexural test specimens were 3D printed, and the influence of kenaf fiber content on their mechanical properties was assessed. A comprehensive characterization of the blended pellets and printed composite materials was performed, encompassing chemical, physical, and microscopic analyses. The results demonstrate that the self-polymerized polydopamine coating acted as a coupling agent, enhancing the interfacial adhesion between kenaf fibers and the PLA matrix and leading to improved mechanical properties. An increase in density and porosity was observed in the FDM specimens of the PLA-PDA-KF composites, proportional to their kenaf fiber content. The enhanced bonding between kenaf fiber particles and the PLA matrix contributed to an increase of up to 13.4% for tensile and 15.3% for flexural in the Young's modulus of PLA-PDA-KF composites and an increase of up to 30% in compressive stress. The incorporation of polydopamine as a coupling agent in the FDM filament composite led to an improvement in tensile, compressive, and flexural stresses and strain at break, surpassing that of pure PLA, while the reinforcement provided by kenaf fibers was enhanced more by delayed crack growth, resulting in a higher strain at break. The self-polymerized polydopamine coatings exhibit remarkable mechanical properties, suggesting their potential as a sustainable material for diverse applications in FDM.

Numerical and experimental investigations on the mechanical behavior of additively manufactured novel composite materials for biomedical applications

Polymer composites have a great scope which provides improvised mechanical and chemical properties than matrix material. Although most composite materials are relatively strong, they are not sustainable. The sustainability and reusability of the material is significantly affected by the incorporation of non-degradable fillers. Bael bark is a naturally occurring material with numerous medical properties; in this study, Bael bark was dried, synthesized and converted into nano-filler for integrating them in polylactide (PLA) matrix. PLA is a widely used biopolymer in the biomedical sector. The filler and matrix material are both biodegradable; therefore, the resulting composite is also expected to be biodegradable. This study aims to develop a composite comprising Bael bark and PLA, which is a better alternative to PLA in terms of strength and sustainability. Bael bark-reinforced PLA matrices were synthesized with different Bael bark compositions, i.e., 5 wt.%, 10 wt.%, 15 wt.%, and 20 wt.%. Subsequently, the resulting composites were subjected to filament characterization tests such as single fiber tensile test (SFTT), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). Notably, all extruded composites exhibited a uniform distribution of filler materials. Tensile, compression, and flexural tests were also conducted on the additively fabricated samples. The tensile strength, compressive strength and Flexural strength of composite specimens were higher than neat PLA material, with increments of 39%, 33.8%, and 33.9%, respectively, for the composite made with 15 wt.% composites. Using a commercial finite element code ABAQUS, numerical simulations were performed on tensile, compression and flexural specimens. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results.

Hot Deformation Behavior and Processing Maps of Pure Copper during Isothermal Compression.

In this study, pure copper's hot deformation behavior was studied through isothermal compression tests at deformation temperatures of 350~750 °C with strain rates of 0.01~5 s-1 on a Gleeble-3500 isothermal simulator. Metallographic observation and microhardness measurement were carried out of the hot compressed specimens. By analyzing the true stress-strain curves of pure copper under various deformation conditions during the hot deformation process, the constitutive equation was established based on the strain-compensated Arrhenius model. On the basis of the dynamic material model proposed by Prasad, the hot-processing maps were acquired under different strains. Meanwhile, the effect of deformation temperature and strain rate on the microstructure characteristics was studied by observing the hot-compressed microstructure. The results demonstrate that the flow stress of pure copper has positive strain rate sensitivity and negative temperature correlation. The average hardness value of pure copper has no obvious change trend with the strain rate. The flow stress can be predicted with excellent accuracy via the Arrhenius model based on strain compensation. The suitable deforming process parameters for pure copper were determined to be at a deformation temperature range of 700~750 °C and strain rate range of 0.1~1 s-1.

Enhanced forming accuracy and mechanical property of CoCrFeMnNi high entropy alloy by ultrasonic and cryogenic fields-assisted deformation

A novel method for enhancing the forming accuracy and mechanical property of high-entropy alloy micro-parts was proposed using the combination of ultrasonic and cryogenic fields. The influence on the shape factor, microstructure, and hardness of compressed specimens was discussed, respectively. The results show that with the addition of cryogenic fields, the increase in forming accuracy is more significant during ultrasonic vibration-assisted forming due to the improved lubrication condition, and the dominant mechanism changes from dislocation slip to twinning deformation, which can effectively weaken the softening effect and enhance the material hardness.

Tensile, Compressive, and Flexural Characterization of CFRP Laminates Related to Water Absorption

CFRP structures are often exposed to humid environment resulting in water absorption and causing property degradation. Water swelling and its effect on tensile, compressive, and flexural properties were investigated according to ASTM standards. Fracture modes were evaluated by analyzing micrographs of fracture areas. The specimens were cut from twill wave CFRP composite plates fabricated using a vacuum infusion technique. Some of them were immersed in water prior to being mechanically tested. It was found that tensile strength, as well as compressive, and flexural strength and moduli decreased due to water swelling, but fracture strain was found to increase due to water swelling. The most severely affected by water swelling is flexural strength (decreased by 25.72%), and the least is compressive modulus (decreased by 1.89%). Tensile specimens underwent fibre breakage followed by matrix cracking, compressive and flexural specimens showed fibre buckling followed by kinking and crushing where flexural specimens failed in their compressive side. In conclusion, water absorption has a bad impact on the composite strength.

Experimental study of pure shear fracture in rock-type materials

Based on the criterion of local symmetry, under pure shear a fracture in rock-type materials will gradually grow to the direction where the local mode II loading is smaller. Eventually a pure mode I fracture occurs. However, once the specimen size is small and the condition changes from small scale yielding to large scale yielding, it is a challenge to predict the fracture direction by quantitative evaluation of the local shear influence. In this study, to predict the fracture direction, three types of specimens were tested to create the loading of pure shear: the angled edge crack semi-circular specimens under three-point bending (SCB), the centrally cracked Brazilian disk (CCBD) specimens, and double edge notched compression (DENC) specimens. The tested materials are the marble and graphite. Experimental results are analyzed to obtain information of the local shear influence by a parameter η, which is defined on non-symmetric distribution of opening displacements along the fracture process zone (FPZ). The minimum value of η is set to 1, which suggests a pure mode I fracture. When η is larger than 1, a larger η corresponds to a larger shear influence. After the first fracture kink, three different potential fracture directions are identified in this study: (i) it can change to where the local shear influence is smaller, as observed in the SCB specimens, because parameter η decreases from a finite value (larger than 1) to 1; (ii) it can maintain the current fracture direction, as observed in the CCBD specimens, because parameter η maintains a finite value within a range 1.5–2.5; (iii) it can turn to where the local shear influence is larger, as observed in the DENC specimens, because parameter η increases from a finite value (larger than 1) to the infinity. This study clearly demonstrates the complexity of fracture process and the importance of the local information to understand fracture mechanism under large scale yielding.

Effect of stress state on adiabatic shear banding in Al2024-T351

Cubic uniaxial compression and angled cubic biaxial shear-compression specimens are a preferable choice in the context of developing empirical data for models such as the Generalized Incremental Stress State Dependent Damage Model (GISSMO), with a strain-rate dependent extension. The angled cubic specimens introduce a multiaxial stress state of combined shear and compression. Al2024-T351 specimens have been impacted using a direct impact Hopkinson bar coupled with Digital Image Correlation (2D-DIC). 2D-DIC has been used to track the full-field strain evolution of all specimens and obtain the fracture strains for fractured specimens. The shear strain evolution related to failure along the shear planes can be acquired using 2D-DIC, and a quantitative measurement of fracture initiation is acquired from the DIC data. It is also highlighted that the transverse displacement contours can offer qualitative information about the effects of friction on proportional loading during uniaxial compression. Interrupted tests using stop rings are conducted for angled cubic specimens to identify the critical strains for the initiation of adiabatic shear bands (ASBs), which can be defined as the GISSMO instability strains. ASBs are confirmed using the optical microscope, and it is found that for a constant impact momentum, the specimens with a greater shear to compressive stress state exhibit a higher tendency to form ASBs at lower major axial strains. It is also found that ASBs are observed using the optical microscope with no loss of flow stress, and that angled specimens exhibit a lower flow stress than uniaxial compression specimens at higher strain rates. Lastly, pre-impact and non-fractured post-impact Vickers microhardness tests have been conducted, and it is found that for all specimens, the material is on average about 20% harder after impact in regions away from the ASB, and further that regardless of stress-state, the ASB is consistently about 30% harder than the pre-impact microstructure.

Fracturing Behaviors and Mechanism of Serial Coal Pillar Specimens with Different Strength

The fracturing behaviors of serial coal pillars is significant for understanding their failure mechanism. To reveal this, the bearing stress, acoustic emission, electrical resistivity, local strain, force chain distribution, and cracks evolution of serial coal pillars under uniaxial compression were evaluated by experiment and numerical simulation. The results show that four bearing stages are observed during the fracturing process (i.e., nonlinear growth, linear growth, yielding growth, and weakening stages). The acoustic emission features, electrical resistivity responses, strain develops, force chain distributions, cracks evolutions, and local displacement are highly consistent to illustrate the fracturing behaviors. System fracturing of serial coal pillar specimens is appeared along with the collapse of lower uniaxial compressive strength coal pillar specimen. The limit bearing capacity of serial coal pillar specimens is almost equal to the strength of lower uniaxial compressive strength coal pillar specimen. The unbalanced deformation characteristics of serial coal pillar specimens are presented due to the strength differences. The evolution of the key deformation element is the rooted reason for the overall fracturing mechanism of serial coal pillar specimens. For serial coal pillar specimens with different strengths, the critical condition of system fracturing is that the sum of secant modulus of upper and bottom coal pillars is zero, which is expected to predict the system fracturing of serial pillars in the underground coal mining.

Gypsum and quartz specimens in compression failure: Fracto-emissions and related stoichiometric balances

Extensive experimental investigations were conducted on Gypsum and Quartz compression specimens of different sizes. They were brought to complete failure, showing two different failure modalities: (1) Very brittle loading drop for micro-crystalline Gypsum and Quartz; (2) Stable strain-softening behaviour for macro-crystalline Gypsum. All the tested specimens emitted acoustic and electromagnetic waves and the single events cumulated up to the peak load. On the other hand, neutron emissions were evident only for the largest specimens. The significant chemical composition changes occurring on the fracture surfaces are consistently explained by the assumption of Low-energy Nuclear Reactions (LENR), both fusion and fission. It is the first time that fusion reactions emerge from crushing tests, whereas fission reactions have already consistently explained the results related to other materials like the iron-rich natural rocks. Therefore, a correlation emerges between fusion nuclear reactions and strain-softening mechanical behaviour, as well as between fission nuclear reactions and brittle mechanical behaviour.

Analisis Kekuatan Mekanik Komposit Polimer Diperkuat Serbuk Kulit Kerang

In recent decades, the development of composite material technology has continued to increase rapidly and has been used for various applications as an alternative material to replace metal. In line with growing environmental issues, the utilization of natural materials which are abundant in nature and easy to find is the main priority for composite building materials. In this study, shell powder was used as a reinforcing material for epoxy polymer composites. The aims of this study were to obtain the average compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of shell powder-reinforced polymer composite materials, to calculate the distribution of test results using the PDF method, and to calculate the contribution of shell powder to the mechanical properties mentioned using the ANOVA method. The tensile, compressive, and flexural test specimens follow the test specimen standards of ASTM D638, ASTM D7264, and ASTM D695 respectively. The composition of shell powder consists of 10%, 30%, and 50%. Testing of these mechanical properties using a UTM-type hydraulic test equipment model WEW-300D with a capacity of 300 kN. The test results show an increase in the mechanical properties of the material. The increase occurred in compressive and flexural strength where the composition was given up to 30% and 50%, namely between 120 – 125 MPa. However, increasing the composition of shell powder at 30% and 50% actually resulted in a decrease in tensile strength between 12 – 9 MPa. Finally, based on the results of ANOVA analysis, it was shown that the addition of shell powder as a reinforcement for polymer composites significantly improved their mechanical properties.

Workability and dynamic restoration mechanisms of Al-6.2Zn-2.1Mg-0.15Zr alloy during medium temperature compression

Medium temperature compressions were implemented in the range of 433–593 K and 0.001–5 s−1 to reveal the workability and dynamic restoration mechanisms of quenched Al-6.2Zn-2.1Mg-0.15Zr alloy. The activation energy evolution with processing parameters was inspected through the modified kinetic equation that derived by integrally considering the strain and deformation parameters, and the results suggested activation energies decreased with the increasing strain rate and deformation temperature while less affected by the increase of strain at a specific strain rate condition. The 3D processing map was constructed to optimize the processing regions, in which two unstable domains yielded by distinct microscopic instabilities were marked whilst the safe working regions could be identified at 533–593 K, 0.001–0.1 s−1 with dissipation efficiency >20%. The microstructural evolution of the compressed specimens was examined, and the results confirmed different types of dynamic recovery (DRV) involving dislocation migration and rearrangement were dominate restoration process during the compression. Also, the microstructures of the specimens deformed at unstable domains were characterized, the results revealed fluctuating flow localization, micro cracking and particles debonding as well as dynamic strain aging were responsible for compression failure.

Behavior of geomaterial composite using sugar cane bagasse ash under compressive and flexural loading

The sugar industry produces a huge quantity of sugar cane bagasse ash in India. Dumping massive quantities of waste in a non-eco-friendly manner is a key concern for developing nations. The main focus of this study is the development of a sustainable geomaterial composite with higher strength capabilities (compressive and flexural). To develop this composite, sugarcane bagasse ash (SA), glass fiber (GF), and blast furnace slag (BF) are used. Ash generated from burning sugar cane in the sugar industry is known as sugar cane bagasse. To check the suitability of this secondary waste for use in civil engineering and to minimize risk to the environment in the development of sustainable growth, a sequence of compressive and flexural strength tests was performed on materials prepared using sugar cane bagasse ash (SA) reinforced by glass fiber (GF) in combination with blast furnace slag (BF) and cement (CEM). The effects of the mix ratios of glass fiber to bagasse ash (0.2%–1.2%), blast furnace slag to the weight of bagasse ash (10%), cement binding to bagasse ash (10%–20%), and water to sugar cane bagasse ash (55%) regarding the flexural strength, compressive strength, density, tangent modulus, stress–strain pattern, and load–deflection curve of the prepared materials were studied. According to the findings, compressive strength achieved a maximum strength of 1055.5 kPa and ranged from 120 to 1055.5 kPa, and the flexural strength achieved a maximum strength of 217 kPa and ranged from 80.1 to 217 kPa at different mix ratio percentages. The value of the initial tangent modulus for the cube specimens ranged between 96 and 636 MPa. For compression specimens with 20% cement, the density decreased from 1320.1 to 1265 kg/m3, and the flexural strength decreased from 1318 to 1259.6 kg/m3. With limitation in lower percentages of C/SA, the specimen cannot sustain its shape even after curing period. In comparing the previous research with the present experimental work, it was observed that the material proposed here is lightweight and can be utilised as a filler substance in weak compressible soils to improve their load-bearing capacity.

Finite element assisted self-consistent simulations to capture texture heterogeneity during hot compression

Abstract In the present work, finite element simulations were performed to capture the influence of friction and temperature gradient on the local strain distribution across the cross-section of a hot compressed specimen. The finite element predicted deformation histories for different regions of the hot compressed sample were exported to the viscoplastic self-consistent model to perform texture simulations in the variable velocity gradient mode and to capture the texture heterogeneity. Differences in texture intensity as well as characteristics were observed depending upon the distance from the central region of the hot compressed sample. It was observed that a double fiber texture with {110} and {100} parallel to the compression direction evolved in the central region of the specimen, which accommodates the highest amount of local plastic strain. On the other hand, only {110} fiber evolved in the region close to the dead zone, which accommodates the least amount of local plastic strain. Furthermore, volume fraction of the {100} fiber was observed to be sensitive towards strain rate sensitivity, where a higher rate sensitivity enhances the shear rates on the non-octahedral slip systems resulting in strengthening of {100} texture fiber.

Study on the Mechanical Properties of Cast-In-Situ Phosphogypsum as Building Material for Structural Walls

The application of cast-in-situ phosphogypsum as the wall material of building structures can greatly reduce the environmental pollution caused by phosphogypsum. Through the uniaxial compression test of cast-in-situ phosphogypsum specimens, the compressive strength of cast-in-situ phosphogypsum is determined, the constitutive relationship of the material is drawn up, and the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio of the material are determined. The results show that when the strain of the specimen is close to the peak strain, the cast-in-situ phosphogypsum has brittle properties and rapidly fails, where the failure state is mainly splitting failure. The retarder has a great influence on the peak stress. When the content of the retarder is about 0.3%, the peak stress is 8.6 MPa and the ultimate strain is 2.54 × 10-3, while the peak stress is 2.8 MPa and the ultimate strain is 2.01 × 10-3. The three segment constitutive fitted equations reflect all the characteristics of the compression specimen. When the strength of the cast-in-situ phosphogypsum is high, the elastic modulus is also high. When the content of the retarder is about 0.3%, the elastic modulus is 5300 MPa, and when the content of retarder is far greater than 0.3%, the elastic modulus is 2000 MPa. The Poisson's ratio of material is recommended as 0.19.

Strength determination for rough substrate-coating interfaces with three-dimensional defect structure

Quantitative information on the strength of interfaces between thin ceramic coatings and their substrates is crucial when aiming to understand their failure behavior. Many technically relevant substrate-coating interfaces are not ideally planar, but rather rough and contain stress concentrators forming three-dimensional defect structures. An example for such a realistic case, a polycrystalline diamond coating that partially penetrates voids and cavities in its Co binder-depleted WC-Co hard metal substrate, was investigated within the current work with respect to its unknown interface strength behavior. Special focus was laid on the influence of the applied load direction on the observed fracture behavior. Micromechanical specimens were produced via focused ion beam milling as geometry variants of a micro shear compression specimen with their loaded areas' relative inclination towards the substrate-coating interface varied from 0° to 88°. Specimen loading was performed until fracture with a flat punch indenter in a scanning electron microscope. The recorded fracture loads were associated with the spatial stress distributions at fracture via finite element-based analysis. A plateau of the determined maximum principal stress triggering fracture in the ceramic-ceramic interfaces was found for inclination angles ≥45°. This plateau value was identified as the interface strength by observation of the crack path at the substrate-coating interface via scanning electron microscopy and analysis of the effectively loaded interface area values. The presented novel material testing technique gives first and previously not accessible insight into the fracture behavior of rough substrate-coating interfaces with complex defect structure.

Study of pre-precipitated δ phase promoting deformation twinning and recrystallization behavior of Inconel 718 superalloy during hot compression

The delta (δ) processing strategy is an efficient heat treatment to refine and homogenize the grain microstructure of Inconel 718 superalloy (IN718). However, the microstructure becomes complicated by the effect of pre-precipitated δ phases, due to the coupling of precipitations, high temperature, and loading stress. The present study aims to clarify the effect of δ phases on the microstructure evolution of IN718, especially the promoting effect on deformation twins (DTs) and dynamic recrystallization (DRX) behavior. The results show that the promoting effect of δ phases on the formation of DTs was attributed to the lower stacking fault energy (SFE) caused by the precipitation of δ phases and the local stress concentration caused by the distribution of δ phases. The area fraction of DRX grains in the compressed δ-containing specimen was 21% higher than that in the compressed δ-free specimen, which was associated with the discontinuous dynamic recrystallization (DDRX) nucleation stimulated by the single δ phase and the continuous dynamic recrystallization (CDRX) nucleation promoted by the distribution of δ phases. Furthermore, a novel heteroepitaxial recrystallization (HERX) mechanism was found based on inverse precipitation from the undissolved δ phase to γ matrix phase grains with a crystallographic orientation relationship of (0_10)[102]δ//(__111)[011]HERX.

Mechanical Performance over Energy Expenditure in MEX 3D Printing of Polycarbonate: A Multiparametric Optimization with the Aid of Robust Experimental Design

Sustainability and energy efficiency of additive manufacturing (AM) is an up-to-date industrial request. Likewise, the claim for 3D-printed parts with capable mechanical strength remains robust, especially for polymers that are considered high-performance ones, such as polycarbonates in material extrusion (MEX). This paper explains the impact of seven generic control parameters (raster deposition angle; orientation angle; layer thickness; infill density; nozzle temperature; bed temperature; and printing speed) on the energy consumption and compressive performance of PC in MEX AM. To meet this goal, a three-level L27 Taguchi experimental design was exploited. Each experimental run included five replicas (compressive specimens after the ASTM D695-02a standard), summating 135 experiments. The printing time and the power consumption were stopwatch-derived, whereas the compressive metrics were obtained by compressive tests. Layer thickness and infill density were ranked the first and second most significant factors in energy consumption. Additionally, the infill density and the orientation angle were proved as the most influential factors on the compressive strength. Lastly, quadratic regression model (QRM) equations for each response metric versus the seven control parameters were determined and evaluated. Hereby, the optimum compromise between energy efficiency and compressive strength is attainable, a tool holding excessive scientific and engineering worth.

Understanding the effect of specimen size on the properties of fine-grain isotropic nuclear graphite for irradiation studies: Mechanical properties

Programs at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are investigating the effects of neutron irradiation in the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) on properties of fine-grain isotropic nuclear graphites. Specimens were irradiated in the HFIR flux trap, which requires using specimens that are smaller than the sizes recommended by ASTM standards. This work has investigated whether subsized specimens can be used to reliably predict strength behavior. The results show that (1) tensile strength was loosely coupled to specimen volume, (2) the compression specimens had a slightly higher strength for larger volumes, (3) the uniaxial flexural strength was nearly independent of specimen effective area for one orientation whereas the other orientation showed a slight strength–size scaling Weibull behavior, and (4) equibiaxial flexural strength followed traditional strength–size scaling Weibull behavior. These results suggest that fine-grain graphite is more similar to ceramics than to medium- and large-grained graphite with respect to both the strength-limiting flaws (Griffith theory) and the effect of machining on the strength behavior. This work shows that using specimens that are smaller than ASTM recommendations are suitable for investigating the strength changes caused by neutron irradiation because the primary interest is the relative change in the strength distribution parameters rather than their absolute values.