Analytical and numerical study of the size effect on the failure response of hierarchical structures

Recent interests in developing bio-inspired structures necessitate a better understanding of the onset and evolution of failure in hierarchical structures. With the use of different constitutive models, analytical and numerical studies are performed to explore the size effect on the structural failure response of bar members in a parallel arrangement. It is found from the analytical and numerical results that the shorter the member, the more likely for stable softening to occur if there is only one member in the system, and that the larger the member number in the system, the more energy dissipation is associated with the postlimit regime.