Engineered cementitious composites for modern civil engineering structures in hot arid coastal climatic conditions

Abstract

Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) is an exclusive type of cement mixture with unique composition of low volume fibers and different composites so as to impart high ductility, high tensile strength besides ability to repair. Conventional concrete and fiber reinforced concrete has brittle nature and hence crack easily under environmental and mechanical loads affecting durability of structures. Efforts to modify the brittle nature of conventional concrete resulted in development of ECCs offering durability under a broad range of environmental exposure, low embodied energy, and negative carbon footprint making it environmentally sustainable construction material with self–healing potential. ECCs demonstrate tight crack width and development of these cracks in fact increase ability of ECCs to resist effects of hot, frost and humid weather conditions besides its low permeability coefficient and higher resistance to steel corrosion compared to other common substitutes. The paper attempts to discover suitability of ECC in a typical hot arid coastal region experiencing extreme harsh climate. It bear upon an in depth review to investigate potential of ECC, influence on pertinent engineering properties and its impact on construction industry in hot arid coastal climatic conditions.