Flexural and shear behaviours of plain and reinforced polyvinyl alcohol-engineered cementitious composite beams

In this paper, the results of an experimental investigation on the flexural and shear behaviours of plain and reinforced polyvinyl alcohol-engineered cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) beams are presented. The PVA-ECC employed in this study, which has a tensile strain capability up to 1%, has been recently developed by the authors using local sand to reduce cost. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of PVA-ECC matrix, transverse reinforcement (stirrups) and longitudinal reinforcement bars on the flexural and shear structural performances of reinforced PVA-ECC beams. Four-point bending tests were conducted and normal steel reinforced concrete beams were tested for comparison. Digital Image Correlation technique was used to monitor single crack development and was validated by LVDT measurements. Experimental results show that PVA-ECC beams present significantly improved flexural behaviour compared with normal concrete beams. Furthermore, PVA-ECC beams without stirrups eventually fail in flexure rather than in shear, and exhibit similar load-deflection, moment-curvature relationships and crack development history when compared with PVA-ECC beams with stirrups.