Experimental investigation on fatigue of concrete cantilever bridge deck slabs subjected to concentrated loads

In this paper, the fatigue behavior of cantilever bridge deck slabs is investigated. A specific experimental programme consisting on eleven tests under concentrated fatigue loads and four static tests (reference specimens) is presented. The results show that cantilever bridge deck slabs are significantly less sensitive to shear-fatigue failures than beams without shear reinforcement. Some slabs failed due to rebar fractures. They presented significant remaining life after first rebar failure occurred and eventually failed due to shear. The test results are finally compared to the shear-fatigue provisions of the fib-Model Code 2010 and the Critical Shear Crack Theory to discuss their suitability.