Mechanical behavior and durability of confined and unconfined engineered cementitious composite exposed to chemical attack

In this thesis, the mechanical performance and the durability of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) specimens under chemical attacks were investigated. Static and cyclic loading tests were carried out for confined and unconfined ECC specimens in order to research the performance after chemical attack. Carbon fiber reinforced polymer (CFRP) and basalt fiber reinforced polymer (BFRP) fabrics were used to achieve the confinement of the specimens. In addition, the use of CFRP/BFRP fabrics as a rehabilitation technique was also studied for the specimens exposed to the chemical environments. Unconfined ECC specimens were also produced as a reference specimens and all specimens were continuously immersed in chemical solutions. The mechanical performance and the durability of specimens were evaluated by means of the visual inspection, weight change, static and cyclic loading tests, failure mode and microscale analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Results indicated that ECC specimens produced with low lime fly ash (LCFA) showed superior performance than the specimens produced with high lime fly ash (HCFA) in the chemical environments. In addition, confinement of ECC specimens with BFRP/CFRP fabrics significantly improved compressive strength, ductility, and durability of the specimens. Both fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) can be used as a rehabilitation material in the chemical environment.