Influence of Cyclic Frost Deterioration on Water Sorptivity of Microcracked Cementitious Composites

Abstract

Engineered cementitious composites (ECCs) are relatively new construction materials characterized by strain-hardening behavior under excessive tensile loading. Unlike conventional concrete materials, which generally show failure after first tensile cracking, ECCs strain-harden upon excessive loading by creating multiple closely-spaced microcracks. Given the fact that crack widths in ECCs are at micron levels, water movement into these cracks through capillary suction requires further attention, especially under frost action. This paper therefore explores the effectiveness of frost action on water movement into microcracked ECCs. The experimental study covered the sorptivity measurements of ECC mixtures produced with mineral admixtures with different chemical compositions after exposure to cyclic freezing and thawing (