Size effect on structural strength
Deviation with the scale in the theories of elastic or plastic structures / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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According to the classical theories of elastic or plastic structures made from a material with non-random strength (ft), the nominal strength (σN) of a structure is independent of the structure size (D) when geometrically similar structures are considered.[1] Any deviation from this property is called the size effect. For example, conventional strength of materials predicts that a large beam and a tiny beam will fail at the same stress if they are made of the same material. In the real world, because of size effects, a larger beam will fail at a lower stress than a smaller beam.
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The structural size effect concerns structures made of the same material, with the same microstructure. It must be distinguished from the size effect of material inhomogeneities, particularly the Hall-Petch effect, which describes how the material strength increases with decreasing grain size in polycrystalline metals.
The size effect can have two causes:
- statistical, due to material strength randomness, likelihood of a critical flaw occurring in a high-stress location, and increasing volume increasing the probability of a serious flaw.
- energetic (and non-statistical), due to energy release when a large crack or a large fracture process zone (FPZ) containing damaged material develops before the maximum load is reached.