Experimental and Numerical Study of Engineered Cementitious Composite with Strain Recovery under Impact Loading

• Published in: Applied sciences Vol. 9; no. 5; p. 994
• Main Authors: Nehdi, Moncef, Ali, Mohamed
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.03.2019
• Subjects: Alcohols; Alloys; Blast loads; Cement; Civil engineering; Composite materials; Computer simulation; Concrete; Ductility; Energy absorption; engineered cementitious composite; fiber reinforced; Fibers; finite elements; Heat treatment; Hybrid composites; Impact damage; impact load; Impact loads; Impact resistance; Impact tests; Investigations; Mathematical models; Metal fatigue; Numerical analysis; numerical simulation; Polyethylene; Polyvinyl alcohol; Prestressing; Protective structures; Reinforced concrete; Shape effects; Shape memory; shape memory alloy; Shape memory alloys; Short fibers; Simulation; United States > US
• ISSN: 2076-3417; 2076-3417
• DOI: 10.3390/app9050994

An engineered cementitious composite, endowed with strain recovery and incorporating hybrid shape memory alloy (SMA) and polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) short fibers, was subjected to drop weight impact loading. Numerical simulation of the composite’s impact behavior was performed, and the model predictions agreed well with the experimental findings. Numerical and experimental investigations demonstrated that incorporating SMA fibers in the composite yielded superior impact resistance compared to that of control mono-PVA specimens. Heat treatment stimulated the SMA fibers to apply local prestress on the composite’s matrix owing to the shape memory effect, thus enhancing energy absorption capacity, despite the damage incurred by PVA fibers during the heating process. The superior impact performance of the hybrid composite makes it a strong contender for the construction of protective structures, with a potential to enhance the safety of critical infrastructure assets against impact and blast loading.