The mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composites containing limestone powder replaced by microsilica sand

Abstract

In this study, an experimental program is conducted to understand the effect of the limestone powder (LSP) content replaced by silica sand on the composite properties. For this purpose, five different engineered cementitious composite (ECC) mixtures were adopted: ECC mixture with only silica sand (SS) for control purposes and four ECC mixtures in which SS is partially replaced by four levels of replacements (25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% by weight of total SS) of LSP. The properties of ECC mixtures produced were investigated for the ages of 3, 28, and 90 days. It was concluded that the mechanical properties of the ECC mixtures with LSP were in general higher than the reference mixture with only SS for all curing ages. Increase in the LSP content had a positive effect on the performance of the compressive strength, fracture toughness, and flexural strength at the ages of 3 and 28 days while this was not valid at the age of 90 days when compared to the reference mixture. Also, the ductility of the ECC beams strongly depends on the LSP content and specimen age.