Application of Damage Mechanics to Describe the Behavior of Concrete under Fatigue and Freeze-Thaw Processes
Abstract
Concrete has been used in dams, bridges, and highway pavements in which freeze-thaw process and cyclic loading are important factors affecting its mechanical behavior. Damage caused by frost expansion is a primary concern when designing concrete structures in cold regions. The onset of damage within concrete can be accelerated when a freeze-thaw cycle occurs while a structure is subjected to an external loading. Also, concrete under fatigue loading gradually loses its strength with an increase in the number of load cycles. It is widely accepted that concrete shows more flexible behavior under freeze-thaw process and fatigue loading due to wide-spread microcracks occurred during both conditions. Therefore, concrete deteriorates under such processes and its mechanical properties such as strength, stiffness, and ultimate strain will change. In order to predict the mechanical behavior of concrete under such circumstances, a rate independent model is extended to cover fatigue loading and freeze-thaw cycles.