Role of longitudinal reinforcement on the behavior of under reinforced concrete beams subjected to fatigue loading

In this work, the role of steel reinforcement in under reinforced concrete beams when subjected to flexural fatigue loading is studied using the acoustic emission (AE) technique. Three-point bend notched beams of three different sizes and with varying reinforcement ratios are subjected to step-wise increasing variable amplitude fatigue loading. The crack mouth opening displacement (CMOD) and AE parameters are analyzed to study the evolution of damage, load carrying and failure mechanisms in under reinforced concrete beams. It is concluded that the presence of reinforcement substantially increases the fatigue life. Further, the CMOD could be used as a criterion for failure in reinforced concrete beams under fatigue loading.