Influence of supplementary cementitious materials, curing conditions and mixing ratios on fresh and mechanical properties of engineered cementitious composites-A review

Engineering cementitious composites (ECC) is a new type of fibre-reinforced bendable cementitious composite, which is used in various civil engineering applications instead of conventional and fibre reinforced concrete due to its high mechanical and durable properties. In the macro and micro mechanic systems of ECC, the incorporation of different materials plays a vital role in enhancing the properties of ECC. The improper selection of materials with different physical and chemical properties, curing conditions and mixing ratios adversely affects the fresh and mechanical properties. To enrich the fresh and mechanical properties of ECC, the behavior of incorporation of materials are need to be studied in detail. Furthermore, the effect of curing conditions, details of conducting experiments such as methods, types and specimen details with standard codal provisions are very important for achieving better properties of ECC. In these connections, this paper reviews the influences of incorporation of SCM, fibres and fine aggregates on fresh and mechanical properties of ECC, namely compressive strength, direct tensile, splitting tensile and flexural properties. The correlations on mechanical properties of ECC with fibres ratios and water to binder ratios are also highlighted. Moreover, the incorporation of different materials with their microstructure and physical properties, and mix-design, details of experiments used by many investigators are also discussed and listed. In the conclusion, the selection of different materials water to cement ratio and curing conditions for attaining better compressive strength, direct tensile, splitting tensile and flexural properties of ECC are commended.