Fatigue life estimating for chloride attacked RC beams using the S-N curve combined with mesoscale simulation of chloride ingress

Chloride ingress governs the rebar corrosion, significantly influencing the fatigue life of the RC structures. The S-N curve considering the chloride ingress is proposed based on the fatigue tests of nineteen beams. The mesoscale numerical method is applied to simulate the chloride ingress in fatigue-loaded concrete. The S-N curve combined with the mesoscale simulation of chloride ingress is proved to be reasonable for the fatigue life estimating. Additionally, it is found that water-to-cement ratio of <= 0.4 and aggregate content of >= 50% are suggested to improve the fatigue life, and stress level is better to consider for the durability design.

Automated summary

The ingress of chloride has a significant impact on rebar corrosion and the fatigue life of RC structures. By conducting fatigue tests and numerical simulations, the influence of chloride ingress on fatigue life is studied, and a corresponding S-N curve is proposed.