Does a representative volume element exist for fatigue life prediction? The case of aggregate composites

In a previous work, discrete modeling and a statistical approach were used to quantify the minimal representative volume element (RVE) size for aggregate composites, such as bituminous materials in the linear elastic regime (Comput. Mater. Sci. 2005; 33 :467–490). In this paper, the discrete model is extended to strain‐softening behavior under cyclic loading. The existence of a RVE for fatigue life prediction is numerically proved and its minimal size is determined. It is found that it is much larger than the minimal RVE size in the elastic regime. Copyright © 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.