Prediction of bending rupture strength of non-linear materials with different behavior in tension and compression

Many materials have quite different stress-strain relations in tension and compression. Examples include such diverse materials as rock, cast iron, concrete, tire cord-rubber and soft biological tissues. It is shown by analysis in this paper that DBTC (different behavior in tension and compression) has a profound effect on the flexural strength as predicted by application of fundamental continuum mechanics relations. The theory is applied to a non-linear material model which is shown to be applicable to two widely different materials: concrete, which has more strength degradation in tension than in compression, and steel cord-rubber, which has strength which is enhanced in tension by cord strengthening and degraded in compression by cord microbuckling.