Mechanical performance of engineered cementitious composite incorporating glass as aggregates

Abstract

Engineered cementitious composites (ECC) are gaining massive attention in the construction industry due to their enhanced mechanical and durability properties compared to that of conventional concrete. However, the high cost associated with ECC as a result of the use of ultrafine silica sand has limited its widespread applications. Therefore, this study was carefully designed and carried out to develop a cheaper and eco-friendly ECC by incorporating glass in the form of beads as aggregates in ECC. This study employs the use of glass to replace the ultrafine silica sand in the ECC in the range of 0–100%. The mechanical performance of the ECC mixtures in terms of the compressive, flexural and tensile properties was evaluated. Results from this study showed that glass can serve as an eco-friendly alternative to the ultrafine silica sand up to 100% replacement in ECC mixtures without any detrimental effects on the mechanical properties. The use of only glass as aggregate in ECC mixtures resulted in a 5.3%, 21.5% and 32.5% increase in the compressive, tensile and flexural strengths, respectively. Sustainability and cost analysis of the mixtures showed that the use of glass as aggregate in ECC mixtures can be used to reduce the cost and embodied carbon by 16.6% and 5.9%, respectively. Also, ECC mixture with only glass as aggregate exhibited strain-hardening like behaviour with multiple cracks formation. Microstructural investigation showed that fibres are well distributed in the matrix.