A general relationship between porosity and uniaxial strength of engineering materials

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of engineering materials, whether of natural or artificial origin, varies with their internal structure. As the uniaxial strength σuis commonly used to characterize basic responses to external loading, it is of value to evaluate the effect of porosity n on the magnitude of σu. The authors first review some existing relationships developed and applied to quantify the influence of n on uniaxial strength, in compression (σc) and in tension (σt). A new general formulation, applicable to various materials over a wide range of porosities, is then proposed. Using experimental data from different sources, the validity of this new relationship is demonstrated and briefly discussed.Key words: uniaxial strength, compression, tension, porosity, porous media, experimental results, soil, rock, concrete.