The bending of the beam leads to compression in the upper part of the beam, and to tension in the lower part. This can also be understood as a Strain Gradient and Stress Gradient (see also the figure below). In GeoDict, the flexural test is computed based on these gradients. If Flexural Deflection or Flexural Force are defined, these gradients are automatically computed by GeoDict.

The load type can be defined as Flexural Deflection or Flexural Force, or alternatively as Strain Gradient or Stress Gradient. It is recommended to only use Flexural Deflection or Flexural Force here, the other (gradient) options are expert options. If possible, Flexural Deflection should be used, since it usually leads to a better convergence behavior than Flexural Force (see explanation related to Load Type for Deformations and Guidelines for Plasticity, Damage and Failure models ).

The support span is the distance between the two supporting pins, as indicated in the picture under Experiment and Sample Size. It must be entered in the user interface, since the structure in GeoDict is usually a small cutout of the full sample.

The Beam Width is perpendicular to the beam and bending directions. It influences the ratio between load and deflection (since the beam can carry higher loads if it is wider), but it has no influence on the effective material parameters like the flexural modulus. The value of the Beam Height cannot be changed, since height of the beam is the height of the structure in GeoDict.

In the Load Table, the load steps and the corresponding times can be defined. For computing the flexural modulus, one step is sufficient. For more complex, non-linear materials, like e.g.  plasticity and damage, more load steps are necessary to analyze their effects