Theoretical Analysis and Numerical Simulation of Flexural and Shear Behavior for High-strength Engineered Cementitious Composite Beams

Four-point flexural tests were carried out on 14 reinforced high-strength engineered cementitious composite (HS-ECC) beams. The effects of concrete types, reinforcement ratios of longitudinal bars and stirrups on the flexural and shear behaviors of reinforced beams were explored. Then, the bending capacitity of the HS-ECC beams with stirrups was calculated based on the plane-section assumption and material constitutive models, and the shear capacitiy of HS-ECC beams without stirrups was calculated according to the specifications at home and abroad. Finally, the finite element model of HS-ECC beams was established via Abaqus. It is shown that: all the HS-ECC specimens with stirrups are flexural failure; the ultimate flexural load and the stiffness of HS-ECC beams increase with the reinforcement ratio, but the ductility remains stable; HS-ECC beams with stirrups demonstrate superior flexural performance and crack distribution capacity compared with conventional concrete beams; the failure modes of HS-ECC beams without stirrups vary from flexural failure to shear failure with the increasing reinforcement ratio; the higher the reinforcement ratio of HS-ECC beams, the higher the shear capacity and stiffness, while the lower the ductility; calculation results of the bending capacity of the HS-ECC beams are in good agreement with experimental values; the load-displacement curves of the HS-ECC beams are simulated with the finite element model effectively. © 2022, Editorial Department of Journal of Tongji University. All right reserved.