Nacre-inspired design of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) beams for enhanced impact resistance and energy absorption

Abstract

This paper presents an investigation into the flexural behaviour of bio-inspired engineered cementitious composite (ECC) beams under quasi-static and dynamic bending loads. These beams included a monolithic structure and three additional beams inspired by the structure of nacre. Three-point bending tests were conducted on the beams with different loading rates. The force-displacement response, failure modes, and energy absorption characteristics of these ECC beams were studied. The results indicated that the bio-inspired beams were more ductile, sustaining larger deformation, absorbed more energy, and were more resistant to impact than the monolithic beams. Specifically, under quasi-static bending, the bio-inspired beams sustained 150–300% larger maximum deformation and 55–195% higher energy absorption than the monolithic beams. Moreover, under dynamic bending, the layered beam incorporating polyurethane interlayers showed 27% more energy absorption than the monolithic counterpart. When surface asperities and steel wire mesh were incorporated, the energy absorption capacity was more than doubled.