Tensile Strain Capacity Prediction of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) Using Soft Computing Techniques

Plain concrete is strong in compression but brittle in tension,having a low tensile strain capacity that can significantly degrade the long-term performance of concrete structures,even when steel reinforcing is present.In order to address these challenges,short polymer fibers are randomly dispersed in a cement-based matrix to forma highly ductile engineered cementitious composite(ECC).Thismaterial exhibits high ductility under tensile forces,with its tensile strain being several hundred times greater than conventional concrete.Since concrete is inherently weak in tension,the tensile strain capacity(TSC)has become one of the most extensively researched properties.As a result,developing a model to predict the TSC of the ECC and to optimize the mixture proportions becomes challenging.Meanwhile,the effort required for laboratory trial batches to determine the TSC is reduced.To achieve the research objectives,five distinct models,artificial neural network(ANN),nonlinear model(NLR),linear relationship model(LR),multi-logistic model(MLR),and M5P-tree model(M5P),are investigated and employed to predict the TSCof ECCmixtures containing fly ash.Data from115 mixtures are gathered and analyzed to develop a new model.The input variables include mixture proportions,fiber length and diameter,and the time required for curing the various mixtures.The model’s effectiveness is evaluated and verified based on statistical parameters such as R2,mean absolute error(MAE),scatter index(SI),root mean squared error(RMSE),and objective function(OBJ)value.Consequently,the ANN model outperforms the others in predicting the TSC of the ECC,with RMSE,MAE,OBJ,SI,and R2 values of 0.42%,0.3%,0.33%,0.135%,and 0.98,respectively.

Effect of the Retarder on Initial Hydration and Mechanical Properties of the"one-step"Alkaliactivated Composite Cementitious Materials

This paper studied the effects of different retarders on the performance of the"one-step"alkali-activated composite cementitious material(ACCM)which is composed of ground granulated blast slag(GGBS)and fly ash(FA),and analyzed its mechanical properties,hydration mechanism,and retardation mechanism.The effects of retarders on the hydration products,mechanical properties,and hydration kinetics of ACCM were investigated using XRD,SEM,FTIR,EDS,and thermoactive microcalorimetry.The results showed that Na_(2)B_(4)O_(7)·10H_(2)O(B)delayed the exotherm during the alkali activation process and could effectively delay the setting time of ACCM,but the mechanical properties were slightly decreased.The setting time of ACCM increased with the increase in SG content,but the mechanical properties of ACCM decreased with the increase in SG content.C1_(2)H_(22)O_(11)(CHO)could effectively delay the hydration reaction of ACCM and weakly enhanced the compressive strength.H_(3)PO_(4)(HP)at a concentration of 0.05 mol/L had a certain effect on ACCM retardation,but HP at a concentration of 0.07 and 0.09 mol/L had an effect of promoting the setting and hardening time of ACCM.

Experimental and numerical study on flexural behaviors of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite beams

To investigate the flexural behaviors of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite （ECC） beams, the behaviors of the steel reinforced ECC beam and the conventional steel reinforced concrete beam subjected to flexural load are experimentally compared. The experimental results show that the flexural strength and ductility of the steel reinforced ECC beam are 24.8% and 187.67% times larger than those of the steel reinforced concrete beam, and the substitution of concrete with ECC can significantly delay the propagation of cracks. Additionally, a simplified constitutive model of the ECC material is used to simulate the flexural behaviors of beams by the finite element analysis （FEA）. The results show a good agreement between the simulation and test results. The crack width of the steel reinforced ECC beam can be limited to 0.4 mm under the service load conditions. The application of ductile ECC can significantly increase the flexural performance in terms of flexural strength, deformation capacity and ductility of the beams.

Development of engineered cementitious composites with local ingredients

In order to reduce the cost of high performance polyvinyl alcohol（PVA） fiber reinforced cementitious material（called engineered cementitious composites,ECC）,a ductile ECC material is developed using domestic PVA fibers along with other local ingredients,such as fly ash,cement and sand.In addition to the economic analysis of ECC,the four-point bending test and the optical microscope are employed to investigate the deflection capacity of ECC,its crack width and the occurrence of the self-healing phenomenon.The experimental results suggest that ECC made with domestic ingredients exhibits larger deformability and the average crack width is controlled around 60 μm.Furthermore,the self-healing behavior is observed in cracks of the specimens after cycles of wet and dry curing.The economic analysis shows that the cost of ECC can be greatly reduced via employing domestic PVA fibers.It is,therefore,feasible to produce low cost ECC material employing domestic PVA fibers,while simultaneously retaining high material ductility.

Impact Properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites with High Volume Fly Ash Using SHPB Test

The split Hopkinson pressure bar （SHPB） testing with diameter 40 mm was used to investigate the dynamic mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composites （ECCs） with different fly ash content. The basic properties including deformation, energy absorption capacity, strain-stress relationship and failure patterns were discussed. The ECCs showed strain-rate dependency and kept better plastic flow during impact process compared with reactive powder concrete （RPC） and concrete, but the critical compressive strength was lower than that of RPC and concrete. The bridging effect of PVA fiber and addition of fly ash can significantly improve the deformation and energy absorption capacities of ECCs. With the increase of fly ash content in ECCs, the static and dynamic compressive strength lowered and the dynamic increase factor enhanced. Therefore, to meet different engineering needs, the content of fly ash can be an important index to control the static and dynamic mechanical properties of ECCs.

Mechanics Behavior of Ultra High Toughness Cementitious Composites after Freezing and Thawing

Mechanical behaviors of UHTCC after freezing and thawing were investigated,and compared with those of steel fiber reinforced concrete（SFRC）,air-entrained concrete（AEC） and ordinary concrete（OC）.Four point bending tests had been applied after different freezing-thawing cycles（0,50,100,150,200 and 300 cycles,respectively）.The results showed that residual flexural strength of UHTCC after 300 freezing-thawing cycles was 10.62 MPa（70% of no freezing thawing ones）,while 1.58 MPa（17% of no freezing thawing ones） for SFRC.Flexural toughness of UHTCC decreased by 17%,while 70% for SFRC comparatively.It has been demonstrated experimentally that UHTCC without any air-entraining agent could resist freezing-thawing and retain its high toughness characteristic in cold environment.Consequently,UHTCC could be put into practice for new-built or retrofit of infrastructures in cold regions.

Damage evolution model of strain hardening cementitious composites under the uniaxial stress state

The deformation and damage behaviors of strain hardening cementitious composites （SHCC） under the uniaxial stress state were investigated in this paper. Two ductile failure-based constitutive models were introduced to describe the uniaxial tension and compression properties of SHCC only using a few parameters. The computation method of model parameters was developed to ease the simulation procedures. Damage evolution of the SHCC was simulated by the formulation of continuum damage mechanics subsequently. The results show that the proposed models fit the stress-strain curves reasonably well, and the damage variables show different growth rules under uniaxial tension and compression. It is concluded that the proposed method can not only simply simulate the constitutive behavior of SHCC with the reasonable accuracy but also capture the characteristic of material degradation.

Electromagnetic Shielding and Absorption Properties of Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites

In order to investigate the electromagnetic shielding effectiveness （SE） and absorbing properties of fiber reinforced concrete, steel fiber, carbon fiber and synthetic polyvinyl alcohol （PVA） fiber reinforced concrete were researched. The results show that with the increase of fiber Volume fraction, the SE and trend of frequency change of corresponding fiber reinforced concrete are enhanced. When the volume content of steel fiber is 3%, the SE of concrete is above 50 dB and its frequency is above 1.8 GHz. Moreover, in the range of 8-18 GHz, steel fiber, carbon fiber and PVA fiber all can improve the microwave absorption properties of concrete. The concrete with 0.5% carbon fiber can achieve the best absorbing property, the minimum reflectivity is about -7 dB; while steel fiber optimal volume fraction is 2%. The reflectivity curve of PVA fiber reinforced concrete fluctuates with the frequency, and the minimum value of the reflectivity is below -10 dB. The results show that fiber reinforced concrete could be used as EMI（electromagnetic interference） prevention buildings by attenuating and reflecting electromagnetic wave energy.

Uniaxial Compressive Properties of Ultra High Toughness Cementitious Composite

Uniaxial compression tests were conducted to characterize the main compressive performance of ultra high toughness cementitious composite （UHTCC） in terms of strength and toughness and to obtain its stress-strain relationships. The compressive strength investigated ranges from 30 MPa to 60 MPa. Complete stress-strain curves were directly obtained, and the strength indexes, including uniaxial compressive strength, compressive strain at peak stress, elastic modulus and Poisson＇s ratio, were calculated. The comparisons between UHTCC and matrix were also carried out to understand the fiber effect on the compressive strength indexes. Three dimensionless toughness indexes were calculated, which either represent its relative improvement in energy absorption capacity because of fiber addition or provide an indication of its behavior relative to a rigid-plastic material. Moreover, two new toughness indexes, which were named as post-crack deformation energy and equivalent compressive strength, were proposed and calculated with the aim at linking up the compressive toughness of UHTCC with the existing design concept of concrete. The failure mode was also given. The study production provides material characteristics for the practical engineering application of UHTCC.

Mechanical property of strain-hardening cementitious composites modified with superabsorbent polymers

In order to improve the tensile property, flexuralproperty and drying shrinkage of strain-hardening cementitiouscomposites （SHCC）, mixtures quantitatively modified withsuperabsorbent polymer （SAP） were investigated. Theuniaxial tensile test, the four-point bending test, thecompressive test, the drying shrinkage test and theenvironmental scanning electron microscope （ESEM） wereemployed to investigate the tensile strain capacity, flexuraldeformation capacity, compressive strength, drying shrinkage,crack width and self-healing of SHCC. The experimentalresults show that SHCC modified with SAP particles exhibitsexcellent ductility and deformability, and the tensile strain isup to about 4.5% and the average crack width is controlledaround 40 μm. Meanwhile, the drying shrinkage of SHCCmodified with SAP particles can reduce by about 60%.Furthermore, the self-healing behavior is observed in thecracks of specimen after three cycles of high-low relativehumidity curing, and the self-healing products can completelyfill the cracks of SHCC specimens modified with SAPparticles. It is, therefore, feasible to produce SHCC materialmodified with SAP particles, while simultaneously retaininghigher material ductility.

Effects of Water/Binder Ratio on the Properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites

The effects of water/binder ratio （w/b） on the toughness behavior, compressive strength and flexural strength of engineered cementitious composites （ECC） were investigated. The w/b ratios of 0.25, 0.31, 0.33 and 0.37 were selected and the specimens were tested at the ages of 7 d and 28 d. The experimental results showed that there was a corresponding increase in first cracking strength, modulus of rupture, compressive strength and flexural strength with the decrease of w/b. Within the w/b range of 0.25-0.37, higher w/b was found to have improved effects on deflection, strain hardening index and toughness index of ECC. In the permission of meeting the requirement of compressive strength grade, selecting higher w/b in mix design will help to obtain robust ECC.

Deformation behavior of high performance fiber reinforced cementitious composite prepared with asphalt emulsion

A novel engineered cementitious composite(ECC) was prepared with the complex binder of Portland cement and asphalt emulsion.By adjusting the amount of asphalt emulsion,different mixture proportions were adopted in experiments,including four-point bending test,compressive test,and scanning electric microscopy(SEM).The SEM observation was conducted to evaluate the contribution of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA) fiber and asphalt emulsion to the composite toughening mechanism.The tests results show that the most remarkable deflection-hardening behavior and saturated multiple cracking are achieved when the content of asphalt emulsion is 10%.However,excessive content of asphalt emulsion causes severe damages on the deformation behavior as well as loss in compressive strength of the mixture.SEM observation indicates that the influence of asphalt emulsion on the fiber/matrix interfacial property changes the dominant fiber failure type from rupture into pull-out mode,and thus causes beneficial effects for strain-hardening behavior.

Mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol-basalt hybrid fiber engineered cementitious composites with impact of elevated temperatures

In the present study,the mechanical properties of polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)-basalt hybrid fiber reinforced engineered cementitious composites(ECC)after exposure to elevated temperatures were experimentally investigated.Five temperatures of 20,50,100,200 and 400℃ were set to evaluate the residual compressive,tensile and flexural behaviors of hybrid and mono fiber ECC.It was shown that partial replacement of PVA fibers with basalt fibers endowed ECC with improved residual compressive toughness,compared to brittle failure of mono fiber ECC heated to 400℃.The tension tests indicated that the presence of basalt fibers benefited the tensile strength up to 200℃,and delayed the sharp reduction of strength to 400℃.Under flexural load,the peak deflections corresponding to flexural strengths of hybrid fiber ECC were found to be less vulnerable ranging from 20 to 100℃.Further,the scanning electron microscopy(SEM)results uncovered that the rupture of basalt fiber at moderate temperature and its pullout mechanism at high temperature was responsible for the mechanical evolution of hybrid fiber ECC.This work develops a better understanding of elevated temperature and basalt fiber impact on the residual mechanical properties and further provides guideline for tailoring ECC for improved fire resistance.

Flexural behavior of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite beams

In order to enhance the durability of steel encased concrete beams, a new type of steel reinforced engineered cementitious composite(SRECC) beam composed of steel shapes, steel bars and ECC is proposed. The theoretical analyses of the SRECC beam including crack propagation and stress-strain distributions along the depth of the composite beam in different loading stages are conducted. A theoretical model and simplified design method are proposed to calculate the load carrying capacity. Based on the proposed theoretical model, the relationship between the moment and corresponding curvature is derived. The theoretical results are verified with the finite element analysis. Finally, an extensive parametric study is performed to study the effect of the matrix type, steel shape ratio, reinforced bar ratio, ECC compressive strength and ECC tensile ductility on the mechanical behavior of SRECC beams. The results show that substitution concrete with ECC can effectively improve the bearing capacity and ductility of composite beams. The steel shape and longitudinal reinforcement can enhance the loading carrying capacity, while the ductility decreases with the increase of steel shape ratio. ECC compressive strength has significant effects on both load carrying capacity and ductility, and changing the ultimate strain of ECC results in a very limited variation in the mechanical behavior of SRECC beams.

Tensile properties of strain-hardening cementitious composites containing polyvinyl-alcohol fibers hybridized with polypropylene fibers

Partially replacing polyvinyl-alcohol(PVA)fibers with polypropylene(PP)fibers in strain-hardening cementitious composites(fiber hybridization)modify certain mechanical properties of these materials.The hybridization based on the introduction of low-modulus hydrophobic polypropylene fibers improves the ductility and the strain-hardening behavior of the cementitious composites containing polyvinyl-alcohol fibers of different types(PVA-SHCC).Pull-out tests indicate that adding PP fibers increases the energy capacity of the hybrid composite with respect to the material containing only PVA fibers under tensile loading,and PP-fiber geometry(i.e.,section shape and length)is a key factor in enhancing the strain capacity.

Properties and Microstructure of Polymer Emulsions Modifi ed Fibers Reinforced Cementitious Composites

The synthesis and characterization of a new class of cementitious composites filled with polymer emulsions were investigated, and their superior mechanical strength and durability properties compared to composites devoid of fi llers were reported. Polymer emulsions were utilized to mechanically reinforce the composite and bridge the cement, fly ash, aggregate and fibers. The results reveal that the epoxy emulsion and poly（ethylene-co-vinyl acetate） emulsion markedly enhance the mechanical and durability properties of cemetitious composites. The fi bers can be pulled out in the form of slip-hardening and the abrasion phenomenon can be observed clearly on the surface of the fibers. The hydration extent of cement is higher than that of the pristine composites. The polymer modified cementitious composites designed on micromechanics, have fl exibility and plasticity which could be applied for a novel form of multifunctional materials with a range of pipeline coatings applications.

Shrinkage Reducing Measures for Engineering Cementitious Composites

Inhibition measurement of shrinkage of engineering cementitious composites （ECC） was investigated due to typical ECC with higher free drying shrinkage.The effects of expanded admixture （EA）,shrinkage reducing admixture （SRA）,coarse sand＋stone powder （CS＋SP） and superabsorbent polymer （SAP） on drying shrinkage and mechanical properties were studied.The experimental results show that ECC incorporating EA,SRA and coarse sand can retain around 60% of the typical ECC＇s free drying shrinkage.Superabsorbent polymerl（SAP） can delay the development of free drying shrinkage of ECC at different ages,and the effect of SAP is not distinct like the actions of EA,superabsorbent polymer（SRA） and coarse sand.Significantly,SAP may act as artificial flaw to form a more homogeneous defect system that increases the potential of saturated multiple cracking,hence the ductility of ECC will be improved greatly.

Characteristics of Self-Healing Microcapsules for Cementitious Composites

Urea formaldehyde/epoxy resin microcapsules were prepared by an in situ polymerization method and the effect of emulsifier on the syntheses process of the microcapsules was discussed. The surface morphology of the microcapsules was observed by optical microscopy and scanning electron microscopy（SEM）. Chemical structure was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy（FTIR）. Thermal stability was obtained using simultaneous thermal analysis（STA）. The microcapsules were composed of urea-formaldehyde resin shell and epoxy resin core. Emulsifier played an important role in the polymerization process when the core material was packed by pre-polymer, so the effects of different emulsifiers（OP-10, SDS and SDBS） were discussed respectively. Results showed that the particle size of the microcapsules was uniform when SDBS as an emulsifier. Microcapsules showed good thermal stability below 240 ℃ and the initial decomposition temperature of the microcapsules was 265 ℃. The core materials released after microcapsules rupturing, which could be proven by the images of SEM. When implanted in cementitious composites, complete shape of microcapsules and good interface between microcapsules and cement specimen substrate could also be observed.

Methods of Modifying the Brittle Behavior of Cementitious Composites

We put forward effective methods of increasing the tensile strain of cementitious composites with 2% PVA fiber and high fly ash content. The test results show that curing condition has a significantly effect on the tensile performance. It is approved that the specimens incorporated appropriate volume fraction rubber powder and lightweight aggregate greatly increase the tensile strain of composites at medium-term age, but indefinitely at long-term age. To a certain extent, EVA can limitedly enhance the tensile performance of comentitious composites owing to the formation of polymer membrane and the hindered hydration of cement.

Study of the Superficial Modification of Sisal Fibres with Lignin, and Its Use As a Reinforcement Agent in Cementitious Composites

The objective of this work was to evaluate different superficial treatments of sisal fibres employing lignin,and their use as a reinforcement agent in cementitious composites.The treatments consisted of superficially impregnating sisal fibres(S)with organosolv lignin(LO),organosolv lignin and glutaraldehyde(LOG),Kraft lignin(LK)and Kraft lignin and glutaraldehyde(LKG).The fibre modifications were verified by FTIR-ATR and SEM analyzes,and the presence of lignin on the surface of the fibres was evidenced,confirming the effectiveness of the treatments.The mechanical,thermal(by TGA)and water absorption properties of the fibres before and after the modifications were also investigated.After treatment,the modified fibres presented an expressive reduction of the water absorption and did not show significant changes in the mechanical properties when compared with the natural unmodified sisal fibre(SNAT).It was verified an increase in the thermal stability of the treated fibres which can be attributed to the insertion of lignin on the fibres.To evaluate the performance of the fibres in the cementitious composites,cement plates(CP)were produced with different treated fibres(CP-SLOG,CP-SLO,CP-SLKG,CP-SLK)and fibres without treatment(CP-SNAT).The composites were evaluated concerning to the water absorption,porosity and mechanical properties.The fractured regions were also investigated by SEM.All composites prepared showed similar values of absorption and porosity indexes.From the mechanical properties,the composites prepared with modified fibres showed a significant increase in the modulus of rupture and modulus of elasticity compared with CP-SNAT,while toughness was similar to all samples.From the SEM images,it was observed that the modified fibres immersed in the cementitious plates showed no degradation,indicating that the impregnation of lignin acted as a protective agent of the fibres.Therefore,the treatments of the fibres with lignin led to a significant improvement in the properties of the composites generating a treatment with potential for industrial application.