Use of strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) in real scale applications

Abstract

Strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCCs) or engineered cementitious composites were developed in the early 1990th and have been since then an object of numerous investigation which number increases faster and faster every year. Most of this work has been dealing with laboratory experiments or corresponding theoretical analysis and numerical simulations. Only few examples of a transfer from laboratory scale to real-scale applications of SHCCs are described in the literature. The paper at hand should deliver another contribution to this subject. In particular, the applications of SHCCs for construction of a heavy loaded pavement and for retrofitting a wall of a water reservoir are addressed. Both presented projects are demonstration ones, serving the main purpose of testing the new technology in real scale and investigating challenges arising when laboratory scale is left for a larger one, especially resulting from the real mixing and placement conditions. Both applications were brought into life by industrial partners under close supervision of the authors. They are in service for several years now and under observation by the TU Dresden with respect to cracking behaviour and material deterioration.