Splitting tensile behavior of autoclaved aerated concrete: Comparison of different specimens’ results

•Brazilian tests on cylindrical and cubic specimens made of autoclaved aerated concrete.•Experiments with digital image correlation and strain gauges.•3D nonlinear FEM simulations of failure mechanisms.•Original method for mechanical characterization of concrete in tension.•The method provides reliable estimation of elastic constants. This research presents results of the experimental and numerical study of Brazilian tests on cylindrical and cubic specimens made of autoclaved aerated concrete. Failure mechanisms are discussed based on spatial finite element simulations and experiments with the digital image correlation and strain gauges. The simulations have been carried out using the constitutive model of isotropic plasticity with the Mohr-Coulomb yield condition and the strain softening hypothesis. A new method of determining of elastic constants for the cylindrical specimen has been developed. The Young’s modulus and the Poisson’s ratio are determined by fitting the theoretical solutions into the displacement field obtained experimentally.