PROPOSAL FOR FATIGUE LIFE PREDICTION METHOD FOR CONCRETE SLABS SUBJECTED TO CYCLIC WHEEL-TYPE LOADS

Abstract

 The paper aims to develop a fatigue life prediction method based on the failure mechanism of reinforced concrete slabs subjected to cyclic moving wheel-type loads. In this study, the failure modes of RC slab were classified into three types, and the fatigue life was evaluated based on its failure mode. First, a residual shear strength reduction model based on the fatigue failure mechanism of the beam-formed members of RC slabs was developed by experimental approach. Then, a fatigue life prediction equation for RC and PC slabs subjected to cyclic moving wheel-type loads was proposed, which can take into account effect of transverse reinforcement ratio, compressive strength of concrete, and support conditions. The proposed method consists of a shear capacity equation and an S-N curve equation, and can evaluate both constant loads and stepped incremental loads. The applicability of the proposed method was verified by evaluating the experimental results. The model showed better accuracy in fatigue life prediction than the existing prediction equation.