Fatigue Crack Growth in RCC T Beam Under Cyclic Load: A Numerical Study
摘要
Failures of RCC bridges are quite common these days which are important to be studied. It is often associated with the failure of RCC girders subjected to repetitive wheel loads. The present study aims to develop a computational FE model of a simply supported RCC T-beam subjected to various repetitive loadings to assess its modal properties and crack consequences, which may be extended to determine the expected remaining fatigue life. The considered T-beam models with periodic loading resemble the real-life bridge girders subjected to repetitive axle loading and subsequent distress. A parametric numerical study is performed considering changes in amplitude and frequency of the load cycles, material properties. The eXtended Finite Element Method (XFEM) is adopted for the enriched crack region to evaluate the remaining life of the RCC T-beam considered. The entire study is divided into two parts: the first part is performed using a dynamic explicit analysis where the flexural damage and crack patterns are evaluated. In the second part of analysis, crack propagation is studied using XFEM method to evaluate the stress intensity factor (SIF) and location of crack tip. The entire Finite Element Analysis has been carried out using Abaqus/CAE 6.14-5. Finally, the remaining life of the RCC T-beam to withstand the same kind of repetitive loading is predicted using the Linear Elastic Fracture Mechanics (LEFM) approach for quasi-brittle materials like RCC. It seems that the remaining life of the flexural member depends on the loading as well as material properties, particularly on the stress intensity factor and fracture toughness. The present study seems to be important for the remaining life assessment of the RCC bridge girders with respect to their safety and durability.