• Computers and Concrete
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• v.7 no.5
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• pp.455-468
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• 2010

This paper presents a prediction and simulation method of tensile stress-strain curves of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC). For this purpose, the bridging stress and crack opening relations were obtained by the fiber bridging constitutive law which is quantitatively able to consider the fiber distribution characteristics. And then, a multi-linear model is employed for a simplification of the bridging stress and crack opening relation. In addition, to account the variability of material properties, randomly distributed properties drawn from a normal distribution with 95% confidence are assigned to each element which is determined on the basis of crack spacing. To consider the variation of crack spacing, randomly distributed crack spacing is drawn from the probability density function of fiber inclined angle calculated based on sectional image analysis. An equation for calculation of the crack spacing that takes into quantitative consideration the dimensions and fiber distribution was also derived. Subsequently, a series of simulations of ECC tensile stress-strain curves was performed. The simulation results exhibit obvious strain hardening behavior associated with multiple cracking, which correspond well with test results.

• Steel and Composite Structures
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• v.46 no.1
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• pp.75-92
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• 2023

The novel composite cold-formed steel (CFS)/engineered cementitious composites (ECC) beams have been recently presented. The new composite section exhibited superior structural performance as a flexural member, benefiting from the lightweight thin-walled CFS sections with improved buckling and torsional properties due to the restraints provided by thinlayered ECC. This paper investigated the shear performance of the new composite CFS/ECC section. Twenty-eight simply supported beams, with a shear span-to-depth ratio of 1.0, were assembled back-to-back and tested under a 3-point loading scheme. Bare CFS, composite CFS/ECC utilising ECC with Polyethylene fibres (PE-ECC), composite CFS/MOR, and CFS/HSC utilising high-strength mortar (MOR) and high-strength concrete (HSC) as replacements for PE-ECC were compared. Different failure modes were observed in tests: shear buckling modes in bare CFS sections, contact shear buckling modes in composite CFS/MOR and CFS/HSC sections, and shear yielding or block shear rupture in composite CFS/ECC sections. As a result, composite CFS/ECC sections showed up to 96.0% improvement in shear capacities over bare CFS, 28.0% improvement over composite CFS/MOR and 13.0% over composite CFS/HSC sections, although MOR and HSC were with higher compressive strength than PE-ECC. Finally, shear strength prediction formulae are proposed for the new composite sections after considering the contributions from the CFS and ECC components.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
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• 2008.04a
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• pp.1009-1012
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• 2008

The fiber dispersion performance in fiber-reinforced cementitious composites is a crucial factor with respect to achieving desired mechanical performance. However, evaluation of the fiber dispersion performance in the composite PVA-ECC(Polyvinyl alcohol-Engineered Cementitious Composite) is extremely challenging because of the low contrast of PVA fibers with the cement-based matrix. In the present work, an enhanced fiber detection technique is developed and demonstrated. Using a fluorescence technique on the PVA-ECC, PVA fibers are observed as green dots in the cross-section of the composite. After capturing the fluorescence image with a Charged Couple Device(CCD) camera through a microscope. The fibers are more accurately detected by employing a series of process based on a categorization, watershed segmentation, and morphological reconstruction.

• Journal of the Korea institute for structural maintenance and inspection
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.75-82
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• 2015

In this study, experimental research was carried out to evaluate steel reinforced ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composites) column, which exhibits excellent crack control property and highly ductile behavior. Ordinary portland cement and high volume fly ash were used as binding materials in the mixture proportions for the purpose of achieving a high level of multiple cracking property with the tightly controlled crack width. To compare with the cyclic behavior of steel reinforced ECC column specimen, a conventional reinforced concrete column was prepared and tested under reversed cyclic loading condition. Based on the cyclic load test, ECC column exhibited higher cyclic behavior, compared to the conventional RC column, in terms of load carrying capacity and energy dissipation capacity.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
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• v.30 no.2
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• pp.211-223
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• 2008

A number of studies have suggested that the use of high ductile and high shear materials, such as Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) and High Performance Fiber Reinforced Cementitious Composites (HPFRCC), significantly enhances the shear capacity of structural elements, even with/without shear reinforcements. The present study emphasizes the development of a nonlinear model of shear behaviour of a HPFRCC panel for application to the seismic retrofit of reinforced concrete buildings. To model the shear behaviour of HPFRCC panels, the original Modified Compression Field Theory (MCFT) for conventional reinforced concrete panels has been newly revised for reinforced HPFRCC panels, and is referred to here as the HPFRCC-MCFT model. A series of experiments was conducted to assess the shear behaviour of HPFRCC panels subjected to pure shear, and the proposed shear model has been verified through an experiment involving panel elements under pure shear. The proposed shear model of a HPFRCC panel has been applied to the prediction of seismic retrofitted reinforced concrete buildings with in-filled HPFRCC panels. In retrofitted structures, the in-filled HPFRCC element is regarded as a shear spring element of a low-rise shear wall ignoring the flexural response, and reinforced concrete elements for beam or beam-column member are modelled by a finite plastic hinge zone model. An experimental study of reinforced concrete frames with in-filled HPFRCC panels was also carried out and the analysis model was verified with correlation studies of experimental results.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.67-75
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• 2008

An engineered cementitious composite produced with slag particles (Slag-ECC) had been developed based on micromechanical principle. Base grain ingredients were properly selected, and then the mixture proportion was optimized to be capable of achieving robust tensile ductility in the hardened state. The rheological design is performed in the present study by optimizing the amount of admixtures suitable for self-consolidating casting and shotcreting process in the fresh state. A special focus is placed on the rheological control which is directly applicable to the construction in field, using prepackaged product with all pulverized ingredients. To control the rheological properties of the composite, which possesses different fluid properties to facilitate two types of processing (i.e., self-consolidating and shotcreting processing), the viscosity change of the cement paste suspensions over time was initially investigated, and then the proper dosage of the admixtures in the cement paste was selected. The two types of mixture proportion were then optimized by self-consolidating & shotcreting tests. A series of self-consolidating and shotcreting tests demonstrated excellent self-consolidation property and sprayability of the Slag-ECC. The rheological properties altered through this approach were revealed to be effective in obtaining Slag-ECC hardened properties, represented by pseudo strain-hardening behavior in uniaxial tension, allowing the readily achievement of the desired function of the fresh Slag-ECC. These ductile composites with self-consolidating and shotcreting processing can be broadly utilized for a variety of applications, e.g., in strengthening seismic resistant structures with congested reinforcements, or in repairing deteriorated infrastructures by shotcreting process.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.18 no.1 s.91
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• pp.21-28
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• 2006

This paper presents both experimental and analytical studies for the development of an ECC(Engineered Cementitious Composites) using ground granulated blast furnace slag(slag). This material has been focused on achieving moderately high composite strength while maintaining high ductility, represented by strain-hardening behavior in uniaxial tension. In the material development, micromechanics was adopted to properly select optimized range of the composition based on steady-state cracking theory and experimental studies on matrix, and interfacial properties. A single fiber pullout test and a wedge splitting test were employed to measure the bond properties of the fiber in a matrix and the fracture toughness of mortar matrix. The addition of the slag resulted in slight increases in the frictional bond strength and the fracture toughness. Subsequent direct tensile tests demonstrate that the fiber reinforced mortar exhibited high ductile uniaxial tension behavior with a maximum strain capacity of 3.6%. Both ductility and tensile strength(~5.3 MPa) of the composite produced with slag were measured to be significantly higher than those of the composite without slag. The slag particles contribute to improving matrix strength and fiber dispersion, which is incorporated with enhanced workability attributed to the oxidized grain surface. This result suggests that, within the limited slag dosage employed in the present study, the contribution of slag particles to the workability overwhelms the side-effect of decreased potential of saturated multiple cracking.

• Journal of the Korea Concrete Institute
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.513-522
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• 2008

The fiber dispersion performance in fiber-reinforced cementitious composites is a crucial factor with respect to achieving desired mechanical performance. However, evaluation of the fiber dispersion performance in the composite PVA-ECC (Polyvinyl alcohol-Engineered Cementitious Composite) is extremely challenging because of the low contrast of PVA fibers with the cement-based matrix. In the present work, an enhanced fiber detection technique is developed and demonstrated. Using a fluorescence technique on the PVA-ECC, PVA fibers are observed as green dots in the cross-section of the composite. After capturing the fluorescence image with a Charged Couple Device (CCD) camera through a microscope. The fibers are more accurately detected by employing a series of process based on a categorization, watershed segmentation, and morphological reconstruction.