The prevalence and consistency of segmented materials in nature have resulted in increased research attention aiming to use them to produce tough materials from brittle and fragile basic constituents. Therefore, studies have been conducted to determine the underlying mechanics of segmented materials. Some investigators argue that segmented configurations are better described as engineered structures rather than materials because their properties arise from geometry and assembly rather than intrinsic composition. In this study, a computational model was developed to predict the kinematics and kinetics of an array of linear elastic blocks that form a beam under a transverse load, in which the blocks interact via contact and dry friction. The model was experimentally validated and used to explore the design space characterized by the number of blocks and friction coefficient between them. The results showed that the mechanical response increased with increasing friction akin to block fusion, and with an increasing number of blocks analogous to the separation of the scale argument of periodic materials. The increase in friction coefficient from 0.2 to 1.0 improved strength by up to 6 × at low N (N = 3), without changing the deformation modes. Although increasing f and N induced a transition in the deformation mode to “hinging,” with strength increasing by up to 3 × (e.g., at N = 7, f = 1.0), competition with the increased compliance associated with higherN remains. These findings show that increasing friction or block number promotes the transition of segmented structures toward continuum-like behavior, offering insight into the design of architectured materials with tunable properties.