Abstract
This paper discusses the path dependency of high cycle fatigue behaviors of RC bridge slabs under various loading histories in use of laboratory experiments and numerical behavioral simulation.
A prototype standard RC slab and another two specimens, which were initially loaded statically in advance, were prepared for the subsequent wheel-type loading. All three of them were tested under a moving load of 160kN. Observed is the independency of the progressive mid-span deflection on the loading histories. Furthermore, the same trend is rather observed at a level of 220kN as well with another set of specimens of exactly the same shape and dimension.
The observed phenomenon in the experiments was successfully simulated by direct path-integral 3D nonlinear FE analysis considering the varying boundary conditions from the preliminary loading state to the main one to introduce the high cycle fatigue damages.
