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The paper aims at a numerical study of strength and deformation behaviors of rocks under different loading conditions in uniaxial compression with an elasto-plastic cellular automaton (EPCA2D) code. Two loading conditions, i.e. with and without considering frictions between loading platens and rock specimen's ends, are used in the failure processes of heterogeneous rocks. Rock specimens are assumed to be the same heterogeneity, i.e. the specimens with different sizes have the same probability of containing flaws. Under this condition, it is concluded that the strength and deformation behaviors of rocks are influenced by the heterogeneity a little. The mismatch of elastic properties of the platen and the rock in influencing the stress distribution at the ends of the specimen is the dominant cause for the so-called strength and deformation size effects, which in turn affects the final failure patterns of rocks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]