Physical and mechanical properties of ultra-high strength and high ductility cementitious composites

Abstract

A new class of fiber reinforced cementitious composites including 2.0% volume fraction of the domestically produced Polyethylene (PE) Fibers with high strength and high modulus is invited in present work, that is the Ultra-High Strength and High Ductility Cementitious Composites (UHSHDCC), which possesses exceptional combined properties of ultra-high compressive strength (exceeding 163 MPa) and ultra-high tensile ductility (more than 6%) with strain hardening and multiple cracking phenomena under quasi-static loads. Some Eco-nano admixture is mixed in it as a part of cementitious binder. The uniaxial tensile test results show that the ultimate uniaxial strength is 7.0 MPa and the average crack width at ultimate strain is 84 μm. The physical properties (like the microscopic morphology, fiber dispersion degree) of UHSHDCC were quantitatively evaluated using different modern analysis equipment like ESEM (environmental scanning electron microscopy) and fluorescence microscope, respectively. The tested mechanical and physical properties are meaningful for making clear the innate characteristics and micro-mechanisms of UHSHDCC.