Experimental investigation of bond behaviour under repeated loading

Abstract

The deterioration of bond between reinforcing steel bars and the surrounding concrete will be investigated under conditions of cyclic loading. An experimental campaign is planned in which a reinforced concrete tension chord will be subjected to axial cyclic tensile loading. The use of distributed optical fibre sensors applied directly to the surface of embedded reinforcing steel bars, will enable a continuous measurement of strains along the bar length with minimal disturbance of the bond properties. The variation of steel strains thus captured can serve as an indicator for the degradation of bond throughout the fatigue life of a structural member. The present paper provides a review of recent work on fatigue of reinforced concrete with particular focus on bond behaviour as well as an overview of the proposed experimental campaign.