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When considering a sctructural element with a re-entrant corner, the experimental analysis shows how the failure load increases with the angle of the corner. In other words, the failure load increases with a decrease of the mass of the structure, in opposition to what we are used to observe in plasticity. To predict this behaviour, a theory, based substantially on the hypotesis of existence of a fracture quantum, is herein presented. Theoretical predictions and experimental results seem to agree satisfactorily.