Effect of notch depth ratio and specimen width on mode II fracture properties of ECC

Abstract

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) can be used as repair and reinforcement materials, which can improve the shear performance of the structure. Hence, doubled-notched and unnotched half-symmetric loading tests are used to study the mode II fracture properties of ECC and concrete, and the fracture failure morphology and fracture parameters of ECC and concrete are compared. The effects of the notch depth ratios of 0, 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 and the specimen widths of 200 mm, 250 mm, and 300 mm on the mode II fracture properties of ECC and concrete are investigated. The mode II crack development of ECC can be divided into four stages: microcrack development stage, multiple cracking stage, main crack formation stage, and crack instability development stage. It can be found that ECC not only has high ultimate tensile strain and energy dissipation capacities, but also has obviously better ability to resist the unstable propagation of shear cracks than concrete. ECC can meet the high shear resistance requirements of some parts of the structure.