Effect of strain rate and fiber type on tensile behavior of high-strength strain-hardening cement-based composites (HS-SHCC)

Abstract

The tensile behavior of four different types of high-strength strain-hardening cement-based composite (HS-SHCC) is investigated under both quasi-static and dynamic loading at strain rates of 0.005 and 20 s−1, respectively. The mixtures consist of the same fine-grained cement matrix, but contain different types of high-performance polymer fiber as dispersed reinforcement. In case of dynamic loading, a new drop-weight testing device is used to apply direct tensile load to a sample with the same geometry as in the quasi-static tests. The mechanical performance of mixtures is explained based on the properties of the fibers and their interactions with the cement-based matrix. Moreover, a comparison between quasi-static and dynamic results is made in order to clarify the effect of loading rate on mechanical properties of various HS-SHCC mixtures.