A general relationship between porosity and uniaxial strength of engineering materials

TLDR

Engineering materials’ mechanical behavior depends on internal structure, and uniaxial strength is used to assess how porosity influences their load‑bearing capacity. The study proposes a general formulation linking porosity to uniaxial strength that applies across a wide range of materials. The authors review existing compression and tension porosity–strength models, derive a new general relationship, and test it against experimental data from multiple sources. Experimental validation shows the new relationship accurately captures the effect of porosity on uniaxial strength across diverse materials.

Abstract

The mechanical behavior of engineering materials, whether of natural or artificial origin, varies with their internal structure. As the uniaxial strength σ u is commonly used to characterize basic responses to external loading, it is of value to evaluate the effect of porosity n on the magnitude of σ u . The authors first review some existing relationships developed and applied to quantify the influence of n on uniaxial strength, in compression (σ c ) and in tension (σ t ). 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.