Fatigue Characterization Of A High-Performance Steel Fiber Reinforced Concrete (HPFRC) By Means Of Compressive, Flexural, And Z-Type Shear Tests

The use of fiber-reinforced concretes (FRC) for infrastructures subject to fatigue loading can result into an extension of their service life by providing enhanced ductility and toughness. The cyclic actions might affect the fiber-matrix interface and it is necessary to assess to what extent the degradation hinders the mechanical properties of these materials. Currently, the only predictive models for fatigue life and performance reduction are empirical. Therefore, a mechanical characterization is required for any mix whose composition and performance might differ from the one pertinent to the database the models are based on. This work presents the effect of high-cycle fatigue on a high-performance fiber-reinforced concrete (HPFRC) with hybrid fiber reinforcement. The material was characterized under compressive, flexural, and shear loads at various stress ranges. The Palmgren-Miner rule was applied to predict the fatigue life of the material. The results showed the effects of fatigue loading on the strength of the material. The compressive strength remained constant in most cases, while the flexural and the shear performances were slightly reduced by the cycling process. The predictive capacity of the P-M model proved to be reliable only in limited scenarios.