Mechanical behavior of a polyvinyl alcohol engineered cementitious composite (PVA-ECC) using local ingredients

In this chapter, a PVA-ECC using local dune sand was developed, aiming for a reduced material cost while maintaining a tensile strain capacity that could match the ductility of steel reinforcement commonly used in reinforced concrete structures. A thorough study on the mechanical properties of the developed PVA-ECC under static loading is conducted via experimental investigations. Mechanical properties including Young’s modulus, compressive stress-strain relationship, tensile stress-strain relationship, and flexural properties are reported. Considering the random fiber distribution in the matrix, 18 dog-bone specimens are tested under carefully planned uniaxial tension tests so as to obtain reliable results. The digital image correlation technique is employed to monitor and confirm the alignment of the dog-bone specimens during tensile testing. In addition, statistical analysis is carried out to investigate the probability distribution of the basic mechanical properties of the PVA-ECC.