FATIGUE FAILURE MECHANISM OF REINFORCED CONCRETE BRIDGE DECK SLABS

The aim of the paper is to clarify the fatigue failure mechanism of reinforced concrete slabs under moving wheel loads. Seven slabs with full scale dimensions were tested under static load, central pulsating loads, and moving pulsating loads. To investigate deflection characteristic and reserve fatigue strength of cracked slabs subjected to actual traffic loads, especially, four test slabs were were sawn out from two distressed bridge decks. Experimental findings were mainly as follows: rubbing together of crack faces due to the repeatedly moving loads eventually produced a slit with a narrow opening in the cracked section; the formation of the slit reduced both flexural and shearing rigidities of the slab; if rain water were poured into the cracked section, the reductions of these rigidities were remarkably accelerated and caused the slab surface to collapse prematurely. Three-dimensional stress analysis in the vicinities of cracks predicted their penetration through the entire depth of the slab. It was found that the process of the penetration consisted of two stages: the first stage was a growth of flexural cracks occurring at the bottom surface of the slab, beneath the wheel load, and the second stage was a progression of twisting cracks occurring at the top surface, when the wheel load had moved away. /Author/

Media Info

  • Media Type: Print
  • Features: Figures; References; Tables;
  • Pagination: pp 136-144
  • Monograph Title: Bridge Engineering. Volume 1
  • Serial:

Subject/Index Terms

Filing Info

  • Accession Number: 00183757
  • Record Type: Publication
  • ISBN: 0309026962
  • Files: TRIS, TRB
  • Created Date: Dec 3 1978 12:00AM