Session A5

Paper #3204

ENGINEERED CEMENTITIOUS COMPOSITES: APPLICATIONS AND

IMPACT OF HIGH TENSILE, SELF-HEALING CONCRETE
Jayne Marks ([email protected], Vidic 2:00), Jon Conklin ([email protected], Vidic 2:00)

Abstract Engineered Cementitious Composite, or ECC, is put that into perspective, there are roughly 7 billion people
a unique type of cement mixture that was initially developed on the planet, averaging out to 1.7 tons of concrete per
by Victor Li at the University of Michigan in 2001 [1]. It person used each year Concrete is one of the most
improves upon current concrete mixes and Fiber Reinforced prominently used construction resources, yet the main types
Concrete (FRC) types due to its unique composition of low of concrete in use tend to have major issues that hinder their
volume fibers and variable composites, that give it a high performance. Concrete is fundamentally a mixture of
tensile strength and the ability to repair itself [2]. The aggregates and paste. The aggregates are sand and gravel or
concrete mix was created based mainly on the interactions crushed stone; the paste is water and Standard Portland
between the microfibers included in the mixture and the cement. When the average person thinks of concrete, this
other materials present (the matrix). These interactions basic mixture is typically what they are thinking of.
create flat steady state cracking of the concrete when under However, this particular type of concrete has drawbacks that
stress [3]. This type of cracking better protects the concrete make it a less than ideal choice for such an important
from the introduction of solvents and corrosive elements resource. This traditional concrete may be strong initially,
while also promoting the reactions that cause self-healing, but it tends to be very brittle and cracks easily under
and these properties are what set Engineered Cementitious mechanical and environmental loads [5]. The cracks that
Composite apart from the concrete currently in use today. develop tend to be very large, allowing sulfates and
The improvement to concrete Engineered Cementitious corrosive agents to permeate through and damage any inner
Composite displays has many societal applications that can steel structures the concrete may be covering. In the event
help improve the current state of the worlds structures of a catastrophe such as an earthquake, a damaged section of
including longer lasting infrastructure, less repair costs, and concrete could be the difference between a building standing
more versatile physical properties of structures it is used in or collapsing.
[4]. For this reason, it is necessary to consider an ideal
This paper will discuss experiments performed to test concrete mixture that would retain the strength of basic
tensile strength, compression resistance, and shrinkage of concrete, while better handling the stresses of the
Engineered Cementitious Composite concrete based on environment that these types of structures experience on a
variations in the composite make up of Engineered daily basis. This ideal concrete would need to be ductile, or
Cementitious Composite that cause it to differ from other able to deform under tensile stress, so it would not crack and
concretes and Fiber Reinforced Concretes in the areas of crumble under mechanical loads, but it would have to retain
ductility, durability, permeability, and other important a large tensile (or bending) strength. The concrete should not
properties. It will also explore the benefits of application to be easily permeated so the infrastructure is kept away from
society and economic advantages while also taking into harmful chemicals, and it should also be easily repaired if
account environmental impacts and cost by citing specific damage is sustained.
examples of Engineered Cementitious Composite use in One improvement that has been used commercially since
society today; such as seismic dampening support columns the 1900s is the addition of small fibers, usually made of
in skyscrapers of Japan, or dam overlay repair. steel or glass, to the concrete mixture. This addition
increases the bending strength of the material due to the
Key Words Cement, Concrete, ECC, Engineered flexible nature of the fibers. These concretes are known as
Cementitious Composite, Fiber Reinforced Concrete, Victor Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC), and while this does solve
Li some of the problems presented by regular concrete, it was
not until 2001 that an ideal concrete solution was developed.
CONCRETE AS IT STANDS This new MIXTURE incorporates the strength of regular
concrete with the flexibility of Fiber Reinforced Concrete. It
Concrete is the most widely used construction material in also exhibits a rather useful quality that far exceeded the
the world [5]. Not only is it used on highways and ability of the other two options. This concrete mixture is
buildings, concrete is a vital component of many other called Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC): the
structures necessary for the function of society such as strong, flexible, and self-healing concrete [3].
underground transit, wastewater treatment, marine
structures, and bridges. Every year, the use of concrete for WHAT IS ENGINEERED CEMENTITIOUS
construction projects globally exceeds 12 billion tons [2]. To COMPOSITE?
University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering March 7, 2013
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Jon Conklin

Engineered Cementitious Composite concrete exhibits

According to a research article published by the many natural, physical qualities that allow it to be applied in
University of Michigan Transportation Research Record, place of standard fiber reinforced concrete as a more
Engineered Cementitious Composite is a special type of dependable, long-term replacement. These characteristics
high performance fiber reinforced concrete containing a include its low permeability along with high tensile strength,
small amount of short random fibers micromechanically flexibility, and resistance to corrosion and spalling, or the
designed to achieve high damage tolerance under severe fragmentation of the concrete under stress [3].
loading and high durability under normal service conditions When stress is introduced to a sample of Engineered
[5]. It was developed in 2001 by Dr. Victor Li at the Cementitious Composite, the major transfer of this stress is
University of Michigan. However, Engineered Cementitious through the formation of micro-cracks in response to a
Composite is no longer confined to the academic research tensile strain. The nature of these cracks is different from
laboratory; it is finding its way into precast plants, that of the cracks seen on other fiber reinforced concretes
construction sites, and repair and retrofitting jobs in due to the fact that flat steady state micro-cracks are formed
countries including Japan, South Korea, Australia, as opposed to localized Griffith crack propagation [3]. The
Switzerland, Canada, and the United States [4]. What former of the stress responses is ideal because when this
makes Engineered Cementitious Composite different from type of micro-cracking occurs, it forms multiple, uniform
other regular and fiber reinforced concretes are the unique cracks over a small area, whereas Griffith crack propagation
properties associated with its specially tailored composites. forms large jagged cracks that are localized and harmful to
These properties include a smaller crack width, superior the strength and permeability of the concrete. Under the
tensile strength, significantly higher ductility, self-healing conditions of steady state flat crack propagation, a process
properties, and low fiber volume [5]. All of these properties known as plasticity occurs where the material strength is
contribute to improving the safety, strength, and higher after the first crack is formed and increases linearly to
sustainability of the structures its implemented into. the final tensile strength factor. These cracks in Engineered
Cementitious Composite then follow simple formulae of
crack potential and width that allows Engineered
CHARACTERISTICS AND PROPERTIES Cementitious Composite to form smaller crack widths.
OF ENGINEERED CEMENTITIOUS These equations used to predict things such as crack width,
COMPOSITE strength, length, and flexibility can be found below.

The introduction and application of Engineered P=(sh-(e+cp+i)) (1)[3]

Cementitious Composite would be pointless without the very
specific qualities and strengths that it exhibits. These special This equation demonstrates that as the sum of the elastic
qualities are based upon its material make up and the tensile strain capacity (e), tensile creep strain (cp), and
interactions with the surrounding environment it strain capacity (i) increase or decrease relative to the
experiences. The characteristics break down into the shrinkage strain (sh), the cracking potential (P) will increase
physical strength and interactions that Engineered or decrease respectively.
Cementitious Composite undergoes, along with the chemical
reactions and properties that allow the process of self-
healing to occur. These physical properties include Lch=EGf /t2 (2)[3]
remarkable tensile (or bending) strength and ductility, which
allow for one of the more important interactions in the This equation demonstrates that as the tensile strength (t)
concrete itself: micro-cracking. The process of micro- increases or decreases relative to the product of the Youngs
cracking exponentially increases the tensile strength and modulus (E) and the fracture energy (Gf), the Hillerborgs
remains within a low degree of permeability. This low material characteristic length (Lch) will decrease or increase
permeability reduces the effects associated with the respectively.
absorption of chemicals which include the weakening of any
underlying support structures and erosion of the concrete W=L(P/(1-L/2Lch) (3)[3]
itself [4]. This increases the lifespan and repair cycle of the
concrete and the structure as a whole, while also creating the In equation 3, crack width (W) is proportional to the
conditions that allow specific chemical reactions to occur product of the crack length (L) and the crack potential
that help to fill in the cracks of the concrete. divided by the crack length minus one divided by the
Hillerborgs material characteristic length. This relates that a
Physical Properties and Stress Interactions of larger cracking potential will result in a greater crack width
Engineered Cementitious Composite which is shown to be the opposite for Engineered
Cementitious Composites.

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Jon Conklin

These equations also show that when cracking potential

(P) is greater than or equal to zero, a single crack forms in
the concrete with a proportional width (W) and the material
will have a larger strain capacity as the number of cracks
increases until the strain capacity value reaches an ultimate
tensile strength. Engineered Cementitious Composite has a
large strain capacity of about five percent (500 times that of
standard concrete), and an extremely low chance of the
formation of localized fracture damage [3].
The formation of these micro-cracks creates a unique
resistance to the absorption of water and chloride ions which
pose the greatest threat to the underlying structure of any
reinforced concrete. Through experimentation and analysis,
it was determined that Engineered Cementitious Composite
exhibits crack width well under the threshold of permeability Engineered Cementitious Composites flexibility
for water and chloride ions under accelerated corrosion exemplified [7]
testing. When compared to that of normal concrete over a 14
week freeze thaw cycle, the traditional concrete was This has been experimented on multiple times and has
deteriorated at such a rapid rate, that it was removed from reached a point of customization to the project that would
testing after five weeks. The Engineered Cementitious allow a longer period between repairs than is already
Composite sample went on to complete the 14 weeks with expected for similar applications of Engineered
no degradation of the surface or strength. Similarly, a 26 Cementitious Composite. One such experiment consisted of
week test of Engineered Cementitious Composite was the addition and substitution of different proportion of glass
conducted in a high temperature and alkaline environment, beads to specifically form a lightweight, coarse aggregate
which, when complete, showed that the Engineered that would lower the density in a uniform manner. This
Cementitious Composite dropped in tensile strain from 4.5% customized, lightweight version of Engineered Cementitious
to 2.75%. While this seems to show a significant degradation Composite showed significant improvement in tensile and
in the concrete, similar traditional concretes are still 250 compressive strength, while allowing for a product that
times weaker in comparison [6]. provided 40 MPa (mega-Pascal) of compressive strength and
Material makeup of Engineered Cementitious Composite 4MPa of tensile strength on average (much higher than other
also plays a part in the properties of strength and concretes) [8]. However, the cost and practicality of certain
micromechanical interactions. The introduction of certain mixtures is regarded as a serious factor to consider when
composites to the mix of Engineered Cementitious application of Engineered Cementitious Composite is
Composite results in a greater compressive and tensile compared to that of standard fiber reinforced concretes.
strength, while also increasing the bond strength between the Along with this same experiment, a sample that had a
underlying structure and the concrete [4]. The increase in density of .93 g/cm3, less than that of water, was deemed
compressive and tensile strength means that Engineered acceptable for application in seismic dampeners with a
Cementitious Composite is able to experience large axially tensile strength of 2.85MPa and a compressive strength of
directed pushing forces and lateral stretching or pulling 28.1MPa [8]. This relationship shows that at a certain point,
forces without showing serious deformation or sharp breaks. the relationship between density and the strength of
This ductility is similar to that seen in metals. The flexibility Engineered Cementitious Composite will drop to a point that
of the material can be seen in Figure 1 below. resembles the compressive strength of standard concrete
while retaining the tensile properties that makeup the major
FIGURE 1 benefits of the application of Engineered Cementitious
Composite.

Chemical Interactions of Self-Healing Engineered

Cementitious Composite

While the durability of Engineered Cementitious

Composite is due to a low permeability and diffusion rate,
along with a high tensile and compressive strength, the long
lifespan is also due to a chemical process of self-healing that
occurs inside the micro-cracks of the concrete. During the
early stages of cracking (fewer than fifty micrometers), the
concrete will engage automatically in a self-healing reaction
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Swanson School of Engineering March 7, 2013
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Jon Conklin

that will mechanically fill in the micro-cracks. It takes place

directly in the crack and under a multitude of environmental The process of self-healing that Engineered Cementitious
conditions ranging from freezing-thawing cycles to chloride Composite undergoes during this time has little effect on the
submersion which allows the self-healing to be dependable tensile strength of the concrete: lowering the overall strength
in real life applications. This process of self-healing stems from 4.5% to 3%, a value well beyond that of standard fiber
from the carbonation of the calcium in the cement matrix, reinforced concrete [3]. Along with this, the introduction of
but only occurs in the presence of specific acidity levels of additives such as fly ash (an industrial waste resulting from
the water and calcium ion concentration at the crack surface. coal-fired thermoelectric power generation) to Engineered
As water moves more slowly through cracks of a smaller Cementitious Composite would allow it to be applied to
width, as opposed to quickly through larger cracks in regular situations where a more consistent self-healing process
Fiber Reinforced Concretes, pH levels will rise as carbonate would be observed. Certain other additives create different
precipitation occurs. This reaction is shown in equation customized properties of Engineered Cementitious
number 4 below [3]. Composite, including the ability to be sprayed as a much
lighter material, higher tensile strength, or higher
Ca2+ + HCO3- <=> CaCO3 +H+(7.5<pHwater >8) (4)[3] compressive strength. These various forms of Engineered
Cementitious Composite make it much more applicable to
As the water, which contains carbon dioxide, penetrates various commercial needs.
the pores of hardened cement paste even deeper, it dissolves
additional calcium ions from the calcium hydroxide. This APPLICATIONS OF ENGINEERED
then raises the pH value of the solution even more towards CEMENTITIOUS COMPOSITE AND ITS
the ideal pH creating a more favorable environment for the
self-healing process. The formation of CaCO3 is the AFFECTS ON SOCIETY
compound that will ultimately fill in the micro-cracks in
which the reaction is occurring.[3] The many positive qualities of Engineered Cementitious
Experimentation has shown that a sample of Engineered Composite have been repeatedly exemplified in a laboratory
Cementitious Composite put under tensile strain and then setting, but the superior physical characteristics also pose
subject to three wet dry cycles, will successfully fill a one many benefits to society through application. Engineered
hundred micrometer crack with calcium carbonate crystals. Cementitious Composites pave the way for many possible
Additional testing in this experiment also showed that the improvements to the current standing of concrete, and in
introduction of fly ash to the Engineered Cementitious some cases, Engineered Cementitious Composite has already
Composite mixture would decrease average crack width to been implemented in construction projects. These cases
around ten micrometers, thus promoting a quicker and more exhibit structures that are more resilient and less susceptible
filled self-healing sample [9]. The results of this experiment to damages. Because sustainability is the capacity to endure,
can be seen in Figure 2. the more durable and longer lasting structures associated
with the use of Engineered Cementitious Composite
FIGURE 2 contribute not only to the sustainability of the worlds
infrastructure, but also to a reduction in maintenance and
repair costs, a better environmental impact, and an overall
improvement of the safety of structures constructed with
concrete.

Cost/Benefit Analysis

When comparing costs of Engineered Cementitious

Composite and regular concrete, it is important to not only
look at the initial manufacturing cost of the product, but to
also consider the cost over the span of the concretes
lifetime. If the initial costs are compared, regular concrete
does exhibit a lower starting value (about three times less
than Engineered Cementitious Composite), but this initial
benefit comes at the price of quality [7]. The prices may
differ in favor of regular concrete, but the long term
financial benefits are substantial enough to drive the market
in favor of Engineered Cementitious Composite. The reason
Engineered Cementitious Composite a) before healing and for the gap in startup price arises from the composition of
b) after healing [9] Engineered Cementitious Composite. Unlike regular cement,
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Jon Conklin

Engineered Cementitious Composite contains tiny fibers that Practical Applications of Engineered Cementitious
drive up the price of production, and while other Fiber Composite
Reinforced Concretes use steel fibers, Engineered
Cementitious Composite typically uses more expensive The superiority of Engineered Cementitious Composite
poly-vinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers. These are fibers made from not only financially, but in overall quality and performance,
poly-vinyl alcohol or a type of plastic [3]. These PVA fibers has caused the beginnings of implementation to the
are more expensive to use, but they weigh considerably less commercial concrete business. Engineered Cementitious
than the steel or glass fibers used in ordinary Fiber Composite has been used in a skyscraper in Japan, a mall in
Reinforced Concrete Similarly, Engineered Cementitious Canada, and a bridge in Michigan. In the specific case of the
Composite has an extremely low fiber volume compared bridge, Engineered Cementitious Composite was used as a
with other Fiber Reinforced Concrete. Both of these factors link slab to connect portions of the bridge deck as seen in
reduce the weight of Engineered Cementitious Composite Figure 3.
compare to other Fiber Reinforced Concrete, and because it
is typical to price concrete based on mass, it is possible that FIGURE 3
using Engineered Cementitious Composite could be cheaper
than Fiber Reinforce Concrete. However both are still
considerably more expensive than basic concrete which
includes no fibers. In order to lower the cost of Engineered
Cementitious composite, the expensive cement that is used
in the mixture to make the paste component of the concrete
can easily be replaced with a less expensive alternative such
as fly ash. This substitution would cause no drastic changes
in function [10, 2]. The practice of adding fly ash has
already been implemented and has been shown to include
benefits other than cost reduction such as less environmental
pollution. The cost of manufacturing Engineered Section of Michigan bridge replaced by Engineered
Cementitious Composite may be high, but in the long term, Cementitious Composite [6]
the concrete proves to help reduce expenses.
The main long term financial benefit of using Engineered Bridges experience necessary movement such as
Cementitious Composite is the reduction of the maintenance expansion and contraction due to temperature, vehicle loads,
costs when compared to regular concrete. Because and settlement. It must be able to withstand all of these
Engineered Cementitious Composite is much more sturdy, stresses, while also exhibiting good riding quality and
less brittle, more flexible, and self-healing, it requires repairs minimal noise. Normally, sections of the bridge deck are
less frequently than other concretes. The brittle nature of connected using mechanical expansion joints, however,
regular concretes leads to repeated cycles of short-term these metal joints can easily fall into disrepair and begin to
repair scenarios which result in increased consumption of deteriorate the bridge structure itself. In the case of the
repair materials and fuels[10]. Dr. Victor Li stated that a bridge in Michigan, the four span simply supported steel
bridge built with traditional concrete will average $350,000 girder bridge with a nine-inch thick reinforced concrete deck
a year in maintenance, user, and environmental costs its so constructed in 1976 underwent construction to replace the
called life-cycle costover 60 years. The same bridge, if deck and include an Engineered Cementitious Composite
built with [Engineered Cementitious Composite], ought to slab. This was the initial implementation of Engineered
have a 50% lower life-cycle cost. That would add up to a Cementitious Composite. Two days after patching, the
savings of $11 million, potentially justifying the much Engineered Cementitious Composite showed no visible
higher initial price tag.[7]. Similarly, structures in better cracking, yet the concrete patch had a clearly visible crack
condition mean less financial repercussions for those using approximately 300mm wide. Ten months after patching, the
them. Currently 32% of US major roads are in poor or maximum Engineered Cementitious Composite crack width
mediocre condition [2]. Driving on these roads costs drivers was 50m while the section of concrete was described as
an average of $22 extra per driver in vehicle operating costs severely deteriorating. Five winters after installation, the
each year totaling $41.5 billion. The implementation of concrete needed re-repaired, but the Engineered
Engineered Cementitious Composite would save money in Cementitious Composite still only showed small cracks [10].
the long term, and that compensates for any discrepancy The reason for this difference in performance is due to the
between initial manufacturing costs of Engineered flexibility of the Engineered Cementitious Composite. It is
Cementitious Composite, Fiber Reinforced Concrete, and better able to handle the thermal expansion and contraction
regular concrete. of the bridge. Also, the micro-cracks that do develop are
either self-healed or small enough to not affect the
functioning of the bridge.

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Jon Conklin

This unique outperformance is the case for all examples from Portland cement, and hot mixed asphalt (HMA) on
of Engineered Cementitious Composite application. Because important environmental statistics.
it can be cast, extruded (pushed through a die of desired
shape and cross sectional area), or sprayed, and has unique FIGURE 5
self-healing capabilities, Engineered Cementitious
Composite is a good choice for a long lasting repair material.
In an experiment involving damaged concrete beams that
were repaired with Engineered Cementitious Composite, it
was found that Engineered Cementitious Composite actually
increased the tensile strength of the beam to levels higher
than the original, undamaged beam [11]. This can be seen in
Figure 4 below.

FIGURE 4

Energy use for regular concrete, Engineered Cementitious

Composite, and HMA (hot mix asphalt) compared [2]

FIGURE 6

Regular concrete beam (left) compared to Engineered

Cementitious Composite beam (right) during a strength
loading experiment [4]
Carbon Dioxide production due to concrete, Engineered
Although Engineered Cementitious Composite has a
Cementitious Composite, and HMA (hot mix asphalt
higher price than regular concrete, using even small amounts
compared) [2]
to repair beams, dams, bridges, and other construction
projects or to coat undamaged structures is an investment in
These figures demonstrate the decrease in energy use and
the stability of the structure. This creates a more sustainable
CO2 emissions that can be achieved by using Engineered
building material, reduces the price of repairs and the
Cementitious Composite, however, there is still room for
amount of materials used for repairs, and helps to lower the
improvement.
negative impact on the environment
The current accepted mixture of Engineered
Cementitious Composite includes a significant amount of
Sustainability and Environmental Impact of Engineered
cement so the adverse environmental effects associated with
Cementitious Composites
this material are still present in Engineered Cementitious
Composite. However, by substituting this with industrial
Cement is responsible for 3% of global greenhouse gas
waste such as sands, kiln dust, and fly ash, the
emissions. Every time 1 ton of cement is produced, 1 ton
environmental effects of the cement production would be
of CO2 is released as well [2]. When structures like roads are
reduced while also disposing of waste. 70% of Engineered
built with regular cement, they need to be repaired more
Cementitious Composites composites may be replaced
frequently. This uses more cement which releases more
without reducing critical mechanical performance
greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. While a road is being
characteristics [10]. Also, as stated previously, the fly ash
repaired, the traffic in that area increases due to
would not only lessen the negative environmental impacts of
constructions and road closings. This congestion leads to
Engineered Cementitious Composite manufacturing, it may
increased fuel use and emissions [2]. Using Engineered
also help to facilitate self-healing reactions better than in
Cementitious Composite can help to slightly decrease this
regular Engineered Cementitious Composite mixtures.
environmental impact which improves the overall
Because sustainability is the ability of a process,
sustainability of the project. Figures 5 and 6 compare
method, or structure to endure over time and to support the
Engineered Cementitious Composite, concrete made only
endurance of society, the reduction of negative
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Jon Conklin

environmental impacts, the increase in the life-span of cement and concrete, Engineered Cementitious Composite
structures using Engineered Cementitious Composite, and meets the requirements set by the American Society of Civil
the decrease in the amount of resources needed to repair Engineers code of ethics and exceeds the performance of the
these structures all show that Engineered Cementitious current material majority.
Composite is a sustainable alternative to regular concrete
Using Engineered Cementitious Composite as a commercial RECOUNTING ENGINEERING
replacement for cement and Fiber Reinforced Concretes CEMENTITOUS COMPOSITE
would lessen the environmental footprint of the cement
industry through not only the reduction of emissions during
manufacturing, but also through the reduction of repair Concrete is an extremely vital component of todays
materials necessary to keep structural conditions safe. society and is used in many different structures that are
critical to the function of the world. Due to the strong yet
The Ethics Behind Engineered Cementitious Composite comparably brittle nature of current Fiber Reinforced
Concrete, very little can be done in terms of high tensile
The most important aspect of any new building material is strains and load bearing applications. Engineered
its safety. If Engineered Cementitious Composite was not Cementitious Composite solves these problems and provides
safe, all of the previously stated characteristics would be even greater advantages in application through its distinctive
irrelevant. In the American Society of Civil Engineers and unique properties of self-healing, high ductility, and
(ASCE) code of ethics, Canon #1 states that engineers shall tensile strength that is 500 times that of standard concretes.
hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public Application on the commercial level benefits many, based
[12]. When using concrete, especially for load bearing on the fact that the standard life cycle of repair is increased
structures such as buildings and bridges, it is absolutely dramatically, the superior strength of the concrete can
essential that the concrete be able to hold up the weight of possibly increase the structural integrity of the projects its
that structure. If the concrete cracks and crumbles under used in, and average maintenance time and cost as a whole is
stress lower than the stress expected to be experienced decreased. This not only improves safety, but also cuts down
during use, the possibility of structural failure could result. on materials used for maintenance which decrease negative
This can cause increased repair costs, malfunctions of environmental impact. The initial starting cost may propose
essential societal systems like dams and water treatment a deterrent to the use of Engineered Cementitious
plants, injury, or even death. Engineered Cementitious Composite, however the long term savings from its
Concrete has been experimentally proven multiple times to application, will out weight the initial expense.
perform exceptionally well under many different types of Experimentation with Engineered Cementitious Composite
loads, stresses, strains, and forces. The strain capacity for is ongoing, and the fields of application are forever
Engineered Cementitious Composite is high enough to be expanding for Engineered Cementitious Composite. The
deemed safe for public use. Similarly, Engineered seemingly unbelievable characteristics of this bendable, self-
Cementitious Composite is able to withstand damage caused repairing concrete are being proven more and more
by factors experienced in society such as varying weather applicable to society as testing and application continues,
conditions, wear, friction and grinding, corrosion, and many and in the future, it should be expected that Engineered
other environmental elements. Engineered Cementitious Cementitious Composite becomes more prevalent in
Composite has an exceptionally long lifetime, and is able to commercial concrete projects.
not only withstand these conditions (as proven by multiple
freeze-thaw, wet-dry tests mentioned above), in the case of REFERENCES
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University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering March 7, 2013
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Jon Conklin

Cementitious Composite/Concrete Layered Repair System librarians who speak to our class about sources, Ms. Galle,
Under Drying Shrinkage Conditions. Journal of John Broscious and Benjamin Hunter our chairs, and Agatha
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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to acknowledge and thank Dr. Vidic,
Nancy Koerbel, Dr. Budny, Beth Bateman-Newborg, the
University of Pittsburgh
Swanson School of Engineering March 7, 2013
8