Abstract
Engineered Cement Composite (ECC) materials have the potential to be used in applications where a level of pseudo-ductility under tensile stress is required. Most previous work has focussed on comparatively thin specimens. For future civil engineering applications, however, it is imperative that the behaviour of thicker specimens is understood. In the present work, specimens containing cement powder, water, polymeric fibres and admixtures were manufactured following two different processes and tested in tension. Multiple matrix cracking was observed during tensile testing, leading to a pseudo-ductile behaviour. Complementary measurements of sample density and porosity suggest that a high porosity could be linked with an enhanced tensile strain-to-failure whereas high density is associated with a high maximum stress. The fibre dispersion, assessed by scanning electron microscopy, indicated that mechanical performance was enhanced with increasing proportion of fibres aligned along the tensile test axis, and this orientation can be linked to the manufacturing process.
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Acknowledgement
The authors would like to acknowledge funding for this research from the EPSRC (through the MiNMaT Industrial Doctoral Centre, University of Surrey, EPSRC Grant No. EP/G037388/1) and Morgan Sindall Underground Professional Services Ltd. The help of our colleagues, Mr David Fisher, Mr Daniel North and Mr David Renard of Morgan Sindall; and Mr Chris Burt, Mr Peter Haynes and Mr Nigel Mobbs from the University of Surrey, is much appreciated.
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Boughanem, S., Jesson, D.A., Mulheron, M.J. et al. Tensile characterisation of thick sections of Engineered Cement Composite (ECC) materials. J Mater Sci 50, 882–897 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8649-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10853-014-8649-6