Long-term performance of fiber reinforced cementitious composites with high ductility under seawater attack with different salinities

Abstract

With high toughness and tight crack control, fiber reinforced cementitious composites with high ductility is promising to be applied to hydraulic structures. To study its long-term performance under marine environment, specimens were exposed to seawater with different salinities for 12 months. Mechanical properties were measured periodically accompanied with microscopic analyses. After exposed to seawater with typical salinity (3.5%), the ultimate tensile stress of specimens increased significantly while the strain capacity decreased compared to specimens exposed to water. Interestingly, as the salinity of seawater increased (≥17.5%), the toughness of composites would be enhanced. A reduction in porosity and crack width of specimens exposed to seawater was also detected. Based on the diverse behaviors of specimens exposed to different salinities of seawater in this study, to simulate the real marine environment in laboratory investigations, attention should be.