Strength properties of engineered cementitious composites containing pond ash and steel fiber

Abstract

Concrete technology has seen a recent advancement with the widespread adoption of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC). Typically, ECC consist of cement, fly ash, fine sand, fibers, and occasionally other additives or mineral admixtures. However, there has been no exploration into the effects of combining pond ash with steel fibers on emerging cementitious materials like ECC. In this study, seven ECC specimens were made. One was a control mix, and the other six included pond ash with increments of 10% from 10% to 60%. All seven mixes were maintained at a fixed ratio of fly ash 40% and water-to-binder ratio of 0.3. To boost the fresh mix of the ECC mixes, superplasticizer was introduced at a rate of 1% by volume, and steel fiber was incorporated at a rate of 2% by volume of ECC. Addition of pond ash into ECC results exhibits superior properties than control mix.