Estudio del comportamiento de una sección de hormigón armado sometida a cargas repetidas de flexión

Study of the behaviour of a reinforced concrete section under repeated flexural loads

This paper presents a simplified method for analyzing the behaviour of a reinforced concrete member subjected to fatigue flexural loads. This model is obtained as evolution of the used ones for studying the large amplitude loads, and it results on stresses and deformations qualitatively similar to a model of damage. The paper illustrates how degradation of concrete causes a process of redistribution of stresses of the concrete compression zone and the increase of plastic strains and curvatures, which may induce fatigue of the reinforcing steel. The developed methodology has been used for understanding results of experimental tests, obtaining as well conclusions of the material degradation and the evolution of the tension-stiffening effect.