Behavior of ECC columns confined using steel wire mesh under axial loading

Abstract

Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is a high-efficiency composite material that possesses work-hardening behavior in addition to its multiple-cracking specifications. It overcomes toughness and cracking problems caused by concrete brittleness due to the tight crack width it has. This paper studies experimentally the behavior of axially loaded reinforced ECC columns, with additional internal confinement using Steel Wire Mesh (SWM), to enhance ultimate capacity, durability, the crack pattern, and reduce the brittleness of traditional columns. Sixteen circular columns, one Normal Concrete (NC) specimen, and fifteen ECC specimens were subjected to axial compression up to failure. The main parameters of the study were the volume fraction of the polypropylene fibers (1%, 1.5%, and 2%), SWM arrangements, and number of SWM layers. Experimental findings demonstrated that ECC specimens exhibited better performance compared to NC specimen concerning crack control efficiency, load capacity, and ductility. As the ECC specimens presented very thin cracks and higher ultimate load in the range of 65.57%–107.39%, with greater ductility in the range of 0.87%–17.39% compared to the NC specimen. Additionally, ECC columns with 1.5% of polypropylene fiber, showed the highest compressive strength, superior durability, and maximum failure load. Moreover, the SWM contributed enhancing the capacity of ECC columns due to its confinement effectiveness. Besides, the full confinement scheme of SWM around the core of ECC columns, regardless of the fiber ratio, exhibited the maximum strength while maintaining appropriate flexibility. Moreover, the ultimate load increased by 16.82%, 13.22%, and 12.86% for fully confined ECC specimens containing PP fibers ratio of 1%, 1.5%, and 2%, respectively compared to their control specimens.