Realistic models for local bond stress-slip of reinforced concrete under repeated loading

The crack widths of reinforced concrete flexural members are influenced by repetitive fatigue loadings. The bond stress-slip relation is necessary to estimate these crack widths realistically. The purpose of the present study is, therefore, to propose a realistic model for bond stress-slip relation under repeated loading. To this end, several series of tests were conducted to explore the bond-slip behavior under repeated loadings. Three different bond stress levels with various number of load cycles were considered in the tests. The present tests indicate that the bond strength and the slip at peak bond stress are not influenced much by repeated loading if bond failure does not occur. However, the values of loaded slip and residual slip increase with the increase of load cycles. The bond stress after repeated loading approaches the ultimate bond stress under monotonic loading and the increase of bond stress after repeated loading becomes sharper as the number of repeated loads increases. The bond stress-slip relation after repeated loading was derived as a function of residual slip, bond stress level, and the number of load cycles. The models for slip and residual slip were also derived from the present test data. The number of cycles to bond slip failure was derived on the basis of safe fatigue criterion, i.e., maximum slip criterion at ultimate bond stress.