Nonlinear damage accumulation of concrete subjected to variable amplitude fatigue loading

To account for the load sequence effect, damage fatigue models with nonlinearity in propagation and accumulation have been developed. This paper reviews five classical nonlinear fatigue models used to predict the life times of concrete under variable amplitude loadings. Experimental results from literature are used to validate the five classical prediction models. It can be found that Hilsdorf and Kesler model yields unsafe or conservative predictions, and the other four models are more suitable for predicting life times of concrete. In this paper, the author used a new nonlinear damage model based on the nonlinear continuum damage mechanics to predict fatigue life of concrete. The model considers fatigue limit, loading parameters, the unseparable characteristics for the damage parameter and the load sequence effect. The validity of the nonlinear fatigue damage model is checked against tests from literature.