Effect of Self-Healing on the Different Transport Properties of Cementitious Composites

Abstract

Abstract This research focuses on the effects of self-healing on the different transport properties of microcracked Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) with different maturity levels and incorporating three different mineral admixtures with greatly varying chemical compositions. The effect of self-healing capability on transport properties was assessed using water sorptivity and rapid chloride permeability tests (RCPT). Experimental results revealed that with the selec-tion of proper mineral admixture type and conditioning, a 92% recovery in water sorptivity results is attainable. More-over, a considerable amount of this recovery took place after only 7 days of water curing, significantly lowering the risk of water transport by capillary suction into cracked ECC. Like the sorptivity measurements, most of the chloride ion penetrability values could also be reduced up to a great extent after 30 days of water curing, so most of the results fell into the low penetrability level during this period, as prescribed by ASTM C1202. Although self-healing in terms of RCPT results started to be visible in the first 7 days of water curing, significant improvements needed more time in RCPTs, unlike the sorptivity results. Overall, these findings suggest that the rate of self-healing varies depending on the different transport mechanisms dominant in a given infrastructure type during its service life.