Matériaux et constructions

Pseudo-strain-hardening behaviour under direct tensile loading in short fibre reinforced cement composites designed with quantitative guidance from micromechanics has been demonstrated experimentally, and conditions for the ductile behaviour of such engineered cementitious composites (ECC) have been formulated theoretically. In this paper special focus is placed on the influence of matrix properties on composite pseudo-strain-hardening. An experimental program is undertaken to study the dependence of the matrix properties on its mix compositions governed by water/cement and the sand/cement ratios. The theoretical and experimental knowledge thus obtained are combined to propose an innovative procedure for the design of composites using different types of matrix. The study is motivated by the need to develop a new class of ECCs with improved elastic modulus by the addition of fine aggregates to the cementitious matrix. Finally, a new composite is designed, and shown experimentally to exhibit the desirable features of pseudo-strain-hardening behaviour and improved elastic modulus.