Engineered Cementitious Composites: An Innovative Concrete for Durable Structure

This paper reviews recent research on the durability properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), a special type of high-performance fiber reinforced cementitious composites designed with micromechanical principles, under various environmental and mechanical loads. The durability subjects include (a) ECC cracking and transport properties (permeability, absorption and diffusion), (b) corrosion resistance (c) freeze-thaw and salt scaling resistance, (d) performance under hot and humid environment, and (e) performance under high alkaline environment. The research results indicate that due to intrinsic self-control tight crack width and high tensile strain capacity, many durability challenges confronting concrete can be overcome by using ECC. The enhanced performances of ECC under mechanical and environmental loads are expected to contribute substantially to improving civil infrastructure sustainability by reducing the amount of repair and maintenance during the service life of the structure.