ABSTRACT
ABSTRACT: The leaking expansion joints are a major source of multi-span bridge deteriorations in Canada and North America. Expansion joints can be replaced by flexible link slabs made of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) forming a joint free bridge. ECC is a special type of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite with high strain hardening characteristic and multiple micro-cracking behavior under tension and flexure. The locally available aggregates and supplementary cementitious material (SCM) have been used to produce sustainable and cost effective ECC mix for the link slab application. The use of flexible ECC link slab in joint free bridge deck has been an emerging technology. Limited research has been conducted on the fatigue performance of such ECC link slabs. This paper presents the results of experimental investigation on ECC link slabs subjected to flexural fatigue loading at stress levels of 40% and 55% for 400000 cycles. The structural performance of ECC link slabs is compared with their self-consolidating concrete (SCC) counterparts based on load-deformation/moment-rotation responses, residual strength, strain developments, cracking patterns, ductility index and energy absorption. The ECC link slabs showed superior performance even at higher fatigue stress level compared to their SCC counterparts exhibiting higher post-fatigue residual strength, energy absorbing capacity and ductility with overall lower fatigue damage evolution.
