Flexure fatigue strength and failure probability of self compacting concrete made with RCA and blended cements

The examination of the fatigue strength of self-compacting concrete (SCC) under flexural loads is the prime objective of the present investigation. SCC comprises recycled concrete aggregates (RCA) and blended cements, i.e., either silica fume (SF) or metakaolin (MK), which differentiates it from the reference mix. Fatigue life data has been accumulated by conducting flexural fatigue tests on beam specimens of size 100 mm x 100 mm x 500 mm. The existing fatigue equations based on S-N relationships have been tested with the experimental data and proposed to predict the flexural fatigue strength for SCC constituting RCA and blended cements. An approach based on failure probability (P-f) has also been adopted for the prediction of flexural fatigue strength of SCC mixes. Therefore, S-N-P-f curves have been generated for various SCC mixes under consideration. Several mathematical equations have also been proposed for various SCC mixes to predict the flexure fatigue strength at the desired level of failure probability (P-f). Endurance limit has also been evaluated for various SCC mixes. The introduction of blended cements in SCC mixes constituting RCA enhances the endurance limit, but the enhancement of endurance limit is most prominent in SCC mix containing RCA and MK.

Automated summary

The fatigue strength of self-compacting concrete (SCC) under flexural loads is examined in this study. Flexural fatigue tests were conducted on beam specimens to accumulate fatigue life data, and mathematical equations for predicting fatigue strength were proposed. Blended cements have a significant impact on the fatigue strength of SCC, with the mix containing RCA and MK enhancing the endurance limit.