The Performance of Slag Containing Engineered Cementitious Composites

Abstract

Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a type of fibre reinforced cement-based composite that is used in different construction applications. The use of fly ash in these composites improves tensile strain capacity, multiple cracking behaviour, and durability. However, fly ash is in short supply as many countries are in an effort to phase-out fossil fuels, and are eliminating coal plants. An alternative to fly ash is slag. In contrast to fly ash, the supply of slag is expected to be sustained. Hence, many industries have considered substituting fly ash with slag in the production of ECC. This study was designed to determine the mechanical, and permeability of ECC mixtures containing fly ash and slag. The study contained a total of four mixtures. Two of the mixtures had the ratio of supplementary cementitious materials to cement of 2.2 and two more mixtures had supplementary cementitious materials to cement ratio of 1.2. The water to binder ratio was the same for all mixtures. Test results showed that slag blends improved the mechanical and permeability characteristics.