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Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites

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A special issue of Materials (ISSN 1996-1944). This special issue belongs to the section "Construction and Building Materials".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (10 January 2023) | Viewed by 10970

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Chung-Chan Hung

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Guest Editor

Department of Civil Engineering, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 701, Taiwan
Interests: UHPC; ECC; high-strength concrete materials and structures; structural retrofitting and rehabilition

Dr. Honghao Li

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Guest Editor

School of Civil Engineering, Harbin Institute of Technology, Harbin 150096, China
Interests: UHPC

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Ultra-high Performance Concrete (UHPC) and Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) are two distinctive classes of high performance, fiber-reinforced cementitious composites. Due to their superior mechanical and durability properties, the applications of UHPC and ECC have been extensively studied, especially with respect to earthquake-resistant structures, durability, structural repairs and retrofitting, and bridge systems. Particularly, the production of UHPC and ECC members using 3D printing technology has been recently explored. The application of UHPC and ECC as a replacement for conventional concrete materials in RC elements necessitates a comprehensive understanding of the behavior of the materials under various types of loadings. This Special Issue is intended to include the studies that make significant advances in UHPC and ECC, inlcuding materials devleopment, mechanical and durability properties, structural applications, the production of materials and structures, analytical methods, computational models, experimental approaches, etc.

Dr. Chung-Chan Hung
Dr. Honghao Li
Guest Editors

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Keywords

UHPC
ECC
materials development
mechanical and durability properties
3D printing
structural applications

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 7250 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Synergetic Effect of Superabsorbent Polymer and CaO-Based Expansive Agent on Mitigating Autogenous Shrinkage of UHPC Matrix

by Yang Chen, Rong Xian, Jiawei Wang, Zhangli Hu and Wenbin Wang

Materials 2023, 16(7), 2814; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16072814 - 31 Mar 2023

Cited by 10 | Viewed by 1645

Abstract

The hybrid use of a superabsorbent polymer (SAP) and expansive agent (EA) is beneficial for mitigating the autogenous shrinkage of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) without compromising strength. However, the unclear mechanisms behind the synergetic effect of the two materials may hinder the more effective applications of this method. This study clarifies the interactions between SAP and CaO-based EA (CEA) in a UHPC matrix by quantifying the content and distribution of water and hydration products, underlining their influence on the strength and autogenous shrinkage evolution. The high strength of 135 MPa can be achieved in systems with a reasonable combination (S1E1, 0.1 wt%SAP, and 1 wt%CEA), and after 7 days, a 24% reduction in shrinkage was found in the same system, which is more effective than the use SAP or CEA alone at the same dose. The mitigating effect on the autogenous shrinkage of a UHPC matrix with hybrid materials at different stages depends on the competition between the water retention for self-desiccation and portlandite formation. With the continuing formation of hydration products, the microporosity of UHPC matrix under internal curing conditions at 28 d is considerably reduced, resulting in a more compact microstructure. This study also finds a suppressed crystallization pressure of growing portlandite in the extra space provided by emptied SAP, which explains the lost expansion of CEA. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites)

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19 pages, 6566 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effect of Ambient Temperature on the Mechanical Properties of High Ductility Concrete

by Lijuan Chai, Bo Chen, Liping Guo, Biaokun Ren, Zhichun Chen and Tianyong Huang

Materials 2023, 16(6), 2465; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16062465 - 20 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1570

Abstract

This study analyzes the mechanical properties of high ductility concrete (HDC) under different ambient temperatures to provide a parameter basis for the design of HDC bridge deck link slabs. Five temperatures (−30, 0, 20, 40, and 60 °C) were designed to investigate the compressive, tensile, and flexural properties of HDC after temperature treatment and analyze the pore structure. The results show that, compared with the HDC performance at room temperature (20 °C), the compressive strength, ultimate tensile strength, and flexural strength decreased after treatment at low temperatures (−30 and 0 °C), while the strength increased after treatment at high temperatures (40 and 60 °C). After experiencing low- and high-temperature treatments, the ultimate tensile strain and ultimate deflection of the HDC increased. The tensile and flexural failures of the HDC exhibited multiple cracking, and the stress–strain/deflection curve showed a strain/deflection hardening stage. The tensile constitutive relationship can be simplified as a bilinear two-stage relationship. As the temperature increased, the porosity of harmless and less harmful pores in HDC gradually increased, while the porosity of harmful and more harmful pores gradually decreased, resulting in an increase in HDC strength. Based on the influence of temperature on HDC properties, design parameters for the HDC bridge deck link slab structure are proposed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites)

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17 pages, 6694 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Theoretical and Experimental Investigation on the Flexural Behaviour of Prestressed NC-UHPC Composite Beams

by Pengzhen Lin, Weiyi Yan, Hongwei Zhao and Junjun Ma

Materials 2023, 16(2), 879; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma16020879 - 16 Jan 2023

Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2027

Abstract

To investigate the normal section strength and cracking bending moment of normal concrete–ultra-high-performance concrete (NC-UHPC) composite beams, calculation formulas were established considering the tensile strength of UHPC based on the current railway bridge design code. Using the railway T-beam as a template, prestressed NC-UHPC composite beams with different NC layer heights were built. A static bending test was performed, the pressure of the steel strand and the deflection and strain of the beam were measured, and the evolution of cracks in each beam was observed. The calculation formulas of the normal section strength and cracking bending moment of NC-UHPC composite beam were verified by the test. The results showed that the type of strain was similar to load-deflection curves with increasing load; the bending failure process of the NC-UHPC composite beam showed four obvious stages: elasticity, uniform cracking, crack development, and yield. Cracks in the beam started to appear at stage II, developed rapidly at stage III, and stopped emerging at stage IV. The calculation formulas for the normal section strength and the cracking bending moment of the NC-UHPC composite beam were in good agreement with the test values. Normal concrete with a compressive strength of 80 MPa can replace UHPC for the design of NC-UHPC composite beams. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites)

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18 pages, 19726 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Experimental Investigation on the Mechanical Performance of Steel-ECC Composite Girders with Corrugated Webs under Negative Moment

by Zhou Fan, Fangwen Wu, Lanqing He, Runbin He, Keyang Zeng and Zhuangzhuang Liu

Materials 2022, 15(19), 6539; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15196539 - 21 Sep 2022

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1427

Abstract

In order to improve the cracking performance in the negative moment region of composite continuous girder bridges with corrugated webs, engineered cementitious composite (ECC) is used instead of conventional normal concrete (NC). Web and concrete types are used as the main research parameters in experiments. The test results indicate that steel-ECC specimens have a higher flexural load capacity and stiffness than steel-NC specimens. The cracks of steel-ECC specimens are characterised by small width and dense distribution. Nonlinear finite element models are established and verified by experimental results. The simulated load–displacement curves are similar to the experimental ones, and the models have a high degree of accuracy. The ECC slab strength, thickness and width are used as parameters for the investigation to analyse the effect of the ECC slab on the flexural bearing capacity of composite girders. Compared with the results of calculations according to the code, the bearing capacity obtained from the parametric analysis is higher. It suggests that the contribution of the ECC slab needs to be considered when calculating the bearing capacity of the steel-ECC composite girder with corrugated webs. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites)

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16 pages, 4286 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Comparative Study on the Shear Behavior of UHPC Beams with Macro Hooked-End Steel Fibers and PVA Fibers

by Manuel Bermudez, Kuo-Wei Wen and Chung-Chan Hung

Materials 2022, 15(4), 1485; https://doi.org/10.3390/ma15041485 - 16 Feb 2022

Cited by 28 | Viewed by 3321

Abstract

Structural members made of ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) have been attractive to engineers and researchers due to their superior mechanical properties and durability. However, existing studies were focused on the behavior of UHPC members reinforced with micro straight steel fibers at a volume fraction between 1 and 3%. There is a lack of studies on the influence of different types and amounts of fibers on the shear behavior of UHPC structural members. The objective of the study was to experimentally investigate the shear behavior of UHPC beams with macro hooked-end steel (MHS) fibers and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers, which are two of the most used fibers for high-performance fiber-reinforced cementitious composites. The shear behavior of ten large-scale non-prestressed UHPC beams was studied. The experimental parameters included the shear span-to-effective depth ratio, the fiber volume fraction, and the type of fibers. It was found that both MHS fibers and PVA fibers were effective in enhancing the shear performance of the UHPC beams whether the shear transfer mechanism was governed by arch action or beam action. Moreover, the measurement results of the average crack spacing imply the distinct difference in the fiber bridging effects of the MHS fibers and PVA fibers in the UHPC beams. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advances in Ultra-High Performance Concrete and Engineered Cementitious Composites)

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