Two physical experiments are performed to verify the effectiveness of beam-particle model for simulating the progressive failure of particulate composites such as sandstone and concrete. In the numerical model, the material is schematized at the meso-level as an assembly of discrete, interacting particles which are linked through a network of brittle breaking beams. The uniaxial compressive tests of cubic and parallelepipedal specimens made of carbon steel rod assembly which are glued together by a mixture are represented. The crack patterns and load-displacement response observed in the experiments are in good agreement with the numerical results. In the application respect of beam-particle model to the particulate composites, the influence of defects, particle arrangement and boundary conditions on crack propagation is approached, and the correlation existing between the cracking evolution and the level of loads imposed on the specimen is characterized by fractal dimensions.