*2.3.1 Geometry and discretization*

All the cross sections to be analyzed are expected to be symmetric in both horizontal and vertical directions due to the homogenous pressure that they are subjected to. The finite element models constructed, take full advantage of this geometric symmetry by simulating only one quarter of each cross section. This reduces computational time significantly **Table 1**.

Solid 3D elements with an approximate global size of 2.5 mm were used to create a fine mesh representative of the geometric features (**Figure 3a**).
