Fatigue characteristics of high-strength concrete with very high numbers of load cycles

Fatigue characteristics of high-strength concrete with very high numbers of load cycles For more and more filigreed as well as prestressed concrete structures very high numbers of load cyclesN> 10(7) occur during service life. This shall be implemented in adequate design rules. Therefore, technical specifications reflecting cyclic actions with very high numbers of load cycles and a sufficient precise understanding of fatigue behavior of the building materials are necessary. Currently available design rules based on S-N curves for concrete building components are verified by testing up to a number of load cycles N of not more than N= 10(7). Using a special test rig at IMB/MPA Karlsruhe of Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), tests with specimens made of a high-strength concrete grade C120 were carried out, including the development and verification of the suitability of this test method. The following article summarizes the test results and points out unknown thematic aspects due to fatigue of concrete structures with very high numbers of load cycles.