Prediction of size effect and non-linear crack growth in plain concrete under fatigue loading

A new method is proposed that uses inverse analysis to calculate cyclic induced bridging stresses along a dominant crack face in a plain concrete three-point bending single edge notch specimen. Peak to peak low cycle fatigue data is used to back-calculate the bridging stresses and an equivalent crack resistance curve is derived with a weight function. Fourteen specimens were tested under low cycle fatigue and two were tested under high cycle fatigue. The results of this study indicate that the equivalent cyclic crack resistance curve obtained under low cycle fatigue can be used to predict the equivalent cyclic crack resistance under high cycle fatigue and explain the decelerating crack growth phenomenon and size effect in plain Portland cement concrete.