a b s t r a c tThe presence of deleterious substances and their transport are among the most important factors controlling the durability of cementitious composites. The present paper studies the relationship among the applied mechanical deterioration in terms of splitting tensile deformation, curing conditions and chloride ion permeability of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) that contain different supplementary cementitious materials (SCMs). Three SCMs, representing a wide range of compositions, were used in the study. The splitting tensile deformations are introduced to generate microcracks in ECC specimens, where cylindrical specimens were pre-loaded to different deformation levels. After that, the mechanically pre-cracked and pristine ECC specimens were exposed to three different curing conditions (continuous wet, continuous air, and freeze-thaw cycle) for up to 2 months. Rapid chloride permeability test (RCPT), microscopic observation and microstructural analysis were used to assess the rate and extent of selfhealing. Test results indicate that the SCM type greatly affects the self-healing capability of cementitious composites as measured by chloride ion permeability. Although ECC samples with fly ash have more unhydrated cementitious materials, and therefore, expectedly, a higher capacity for self-healing, more evident self-healing product was observed from the ECC mixture incorporating slag. Therefore, in addition to the crack width distribution and curing condition, the reaction products associated with SCMs have a great impact on the self-healing capability of cementitious composites.

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The effects of natural zeolite on the rheological and workability properties of the grout mixtures were studied. Setting times of grouts were also determined as part of the experimental study. For comparison, grout mixtures were also prepared with a commercially available viscosity modifying admixture (VMA). The experimental results show that addition of natural zeolite modifies both the rheological and workability properties of grouts. For a constant superplasticizer (SP) content, an increase in the zeolite amount significantly increases the yield stress, the apparent and plastic viscosity, and reduces the fluidity and deformability. Moreover, an increase in the amount of SP causes a significant reduction in both the yield stress and plastic viscosity of the grouts. It was also observed that, grouts prepared with natural zeolite addition have a pseudo-plastic behavior, and shear-thinning behavior increases with an increase in the zeolite amount. Therefore, it has been shown that using natural zeolite as a VMA it is possible to obtain grouts that have satisfactory rheological properties, especially if natural zeolite is used in combination with a superplasticizer.

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This paper aims to clarify the effects of sustained flexural loading on the self-healing behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC). Prismatic specimens of ECC mixtures with two different levels of Class-F fly ash content were cast. Flexural loading was applied to the specimens at 28 days age to generate severe amount of microcracks. The specimens were then stored under continuous water or air exposures with or without sustained mechanical loading, for up to 90 days. For specimens under sustained mechanical loading, the applied sustained load level was 60% of the ultimate flexural strength. The extent of damage was determined as a percentage of loss in mechanical properties. The influences of different exposure regimes and sustained mechanical loading on mechanical properties of ECC mixtures were investigated. Microstructural changes within the microcracks were also analyzed.

a b s t r a c tIn this study, size effect on the residual properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) was investigated on the specimens exposed to high temperatures up to 800°C. Cylindrical specimens having different sizes were produced with a standard ECC mixture. Changes in pore structure, residual compressive strength and stress-strain curves due to high temperatures were determined after air cooling. Experimental results indicate that despite the increase of specimen size, no explosive spalling occurred in any of the specimens during the high temperature exposure. Increasing the specimen size and exposure temperature decreased the compressive strength and stiffness. Percent reduction in compressive strength and stiffness due to high temperature was similar for all specimen sizes.

In the development of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), micromechanics-based design theory is adopted to properly select the matrix constituents, fiber, and fiber-matrix interface properties to exhibit strain hardening and multiple cracking behaviors. Despite the micromechanics design constraints, practical applications show that the workability and rheological properties of matrix can affect the fiber dispersion uniformity, which have also direct concerns on composite mechanical properties. For this reason, in this research, parameters of micromechanics-based optimized ECC mixture design, which most possibly affecting the workability and rheological properties, are investigated. An experimental program that contains 36 different ECC mixtures was undertaken to quantitatively evaluate the combined effects of the following factors on workability and rheological properties: water-binder (w/b), sand-binder (s/b), superplasticizer-binder (SP/b) ratios and maximum aggregate size (Dmax). A mini-slump cone, a Marsh cone and a rotational viscometer were used to evaluate the workability and rheological properties of ECC mixtures. Compressive strength and four point bending tests were used for mechanical characteristics of ECC mixtures at 28 days. The effects of studied parameters (w/b, s/b, SP/b and Dmax) were characterized and analyzed using regression models, which can identify the primary factors and their interactions on the measured properties. Statistically significant regression models were developed for all tested parameters as function of w/b, s/b, SP/b and Dmax. To find out the best possible ECC mixture under the range of parameters investigated for the desired workability and mechanical characteristics, a multi-objective optimization problem was defined and solved based on the developed regression models. Test results indicate that w/b, s/b and SP/b parameters affect the rheological and workability properties. On the other hand, for the range of studied aggregate sizes, Dmax is found to be statistically insignificant on the rheological and workability properties of ECC.Scientific and Technical Research Council of Turkey (MAG-108M495