Flexural/Tensile‐Strength Ratio in Engineered Cementitious Composites
Publication: Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering
Volume 6, Issue 4
Abstract
In this paper the flexural behavior of a strain‐hardening engineered cementitious composite (ECC) is studied and compared with that observed in a regular fiber‐reinforced cementitious composite (FRC). Unlike concrete or regular FRC, ECC materials are characterized by their ability to sustain higher levels of loading after first cracking while undergoing additional straining. This strain‐hardening behavior gives ECCs a significant advantage under flexural loading. In quasi‐brittle material such as regular FRC, the ratio of flexural strength (the modulus of rupture) to tensile strength is known to vary between 1 and 3, depending on the details of the reinforcement and the geometry of the specimen. In this paper, the strain‐hardening behavior observed in an ECC led to a high flexural‐strength‐to‐tensile‐strength ratio. In a third‐point bending test, the flexural strength of an ECC was measured to be five times its tensile (first‐cracking) strength. This result was also predicted by a simple theoretical model. The model can be used for the purpose of optimizing the flexural strength of ECCs.
Get full access to this article
View all available purchase options and get full access to this article.
References
1.
Aveston, J., Mercer, R. A., and Sillwood, J. M. (1974). “Fiber reinforced cements—Scientific foundations for specifications.” Composites standards testing and design, IPC Science and Technology Press, Guildford, U.K., 93–103.
2.
Hillerborg, A., Modéer, M., and Petersson, P. E. (1976). “Analysis of crack formation and crack growth in concrete by means of fracture mechanics and finite elements.” Cement and Concr. Res., 6(6), 773–782.
3.
Krenchel, H., and Stang, H. (1988). “Stable microcracking in cementitious materials.” Proc. 2nd Int. Symp. on Brittle Matrix Composites—BMC 2, A. M. Brandt and I. H. Marshall, eds., Elsevier Applied Science, London, England, 20.
4.
Li, V. C. (1993). “From micromechanics to structural engineering—The design of cementitious composites for civil engineering applications.” J. Struct. Mech. and Earthquake Engrg., Tokyo, Japan, 10(2), 37–48.
5.
Li, V. C., and Hashida, T. (1992). “Ductile fracture in cementitious materials?” Fracture mechanics of concrete structures, Z. P. Bazant, ed., Elsevier Applied Science, London, England, 526–535.
6.
Li, V. C., and Leung, C. K. Y. (1992). “Steady state and multiple cracking of short random fiber composites.” J. Engrg. Mech., ASCE, 118, 2246–2264.
7.
Li, V. C., Maalej, M., and Hashida, T. (1994). “Experimental determination of stress‐crack opening relation in fiber cementitious composites with crack tip singularity.” J. Mater. Sci., 29(10), 2719–2724.
8.
Maalej, M. (1994). “Fracture resistance of engineered fiber cementitious composites and implications to structural behavior,” PhD thesis, University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, Mich.
9.
Maalej, M., and Li, V. C. (1994). “Flexural strength of fiber cementitious composites.” J. Mater. in Civ. Engrg., ASCE, 6(3), 390–406.
10.
Marshall, D., and Cox, B. N. (1988). “A J‐integral method for calculating steady‐state matrix cracking stress in composites.” Mech. of Mater., 7(2), 127–133.
11.
Mishra, D. K. (1994). “Performance of engineered cementitious composites under shear load,” PhD thesis, University of Michigan, at Ann Arbor, Mich.
12.
Ward, R., and Li, V. C. (1990). “Dependence of flexural behavior of fiber reinforced mortar on material fracture resistance and beam size.” ACI J. Mater., 87(6), 627–637.
13.
Zhu, Y. (1990). “The flexural strength function for concrete beams without initial cracks.” Proc. 8th European Congress of Fracture: Fracture Behavior and Design of Mater. and Struct., Vol. 2, D. Firrao, ed., Chameleon Press Ltd., London, England, 599–604.
14.
“Standard test method for flexural strength of concrete (using simple beam with third‐point loading).” (1983). ASTM C78‐75, 1983 annual book of ASTM Standards, Vol. 04.02, ASTM, Philadelphia, Pa., 39–41.
Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Copyright
Copyright © 1994 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Jan 24, 1994
Published online: Nov 1, 1994
Published in print: Nov 1994
Authors
Metrics & Citations
Metrics
Citations
Download citation
If you have the appropriate software installed, you can download article citation data to the citation manager of your choice. Simply select your manager software from the list below and click Download.