Inverse analysis of the wedge-splitting test

The amount of information which it is possible to retrieve from the wedge-splitting test is investigated. Inverse analysis is undertaken based on the analytical hinge model for various multi-linear softening curves. This showed that the commonly used bi-linear softening curve can be replaced by an up to quad-linear curve, which is reflected by increased accuracy of the test simulation. Furthermore it was demonstrated that the next refinement of the softening curve leads to convergence problems due to problems with local minima. Finally, the semi-analytically obtained results are verified using FEM simulations.