Fatigue damage evolution of modified recycled aggregate concrete

Basalt fiber (BF) and nano-silica (NS) are used to improve the properties of recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) and produce modified RAC (MRAC). The fatigue failure patterns of the MRAC were observed through a uniaxial compression fatigue test, and the reasons for the different patterns were explained. The effects of the stress level, replacement rate, and loading frequency on the fatigue life were investigated, and the effects of BF and NS on the fatigue strain, damage evolution, and energy dissipation evolution of MRAC were analyzed. The enhancement mechanism of BF and NS on RAC was revealed using microstructural analysis techniques, such as scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and computed tomography (CT). The results showed that the fatigue failure modes of the MRAC could be divided into split, shear, and mixed failures. The fatigue life and fatigue strain of RAC exhibited a pattern of initially increasing and subsequently decreasing with an increase in the BF content (from 0 kg m −3 to 3 kg m −3 and then to 6 kg m −3 ). At stress level of 0.80, the average fatigue life of the specimens increased by 76.15 % compared to RAC when the BF doping was 3 kg m −3 ; however, when the BF doping was increased to 6 kg m −3 , the average fatigue life of the specimens increased by only 47.68 % compared to RAC. The mixed BF and NS improved the fatigue life of RAC more than the single mixed BF or NS. Fatigue equations and unified single logarithmic fatigue equations, including fiber parameters, were established to accurately describe the relationship between the fatigue stress level, fatigue life, and failure probability. The fatigue strain gradually decreases with increasing NS content (0–2 %); with increasing loading frequency (from 1 Hz to 10 Hz and then to 15 Hz), the fatigue strain gradually decreases. The fatigue life of the MRAC decreased dramatically at low loading frequencies (1 Hz) and then steadily increased as the loading frequency increased. BF and NS have an improving effect on the porosity of microstructure, improve the fatigue life of RAC, and BF exhibits a more significant improvement than NS. A composite fatigue damage model that comprehensively considers the contribution rates of NS and BF was established, and the fatigue damage evolution of the MRAC was predicted.