Mechanical damage of ordinary or prestressed reinforced concrete beams under cyclic bending

The behaviour of metallic materials under repeated loading has been examined since the 19th century, but extended studies are more and more needed especially for reinforced concrete structures such as bridges, where high-cycle fatigue phenomena can be significant. In the present paper, a theoretical model based on fracture mechanics concepts is proposed in order to analyse the mechanical damage of ordinary or prestressed reinforced concrete beams with a rectangular or a T cross-section subjected to cyclic bending. Local phenomena, such as fracturing or crushing of concrete and yielding or slippage of the longitudinal steel reinforcement, are examined. Further, fatigue life is predicted by applying a crack growth law, and the energy dissipated during the plastic shake-down phenomenon is evaluated.