A Comparative Study on Mechanical Properties of Conventional Mortar and Engineered Cementitious Composite

Engineered Cementitious Composites abbreviated as ECC (also called Bendable concrete and Flexible concrete). The bending strength or tensile capacity of flexible concrete is in the range of 10 to 15 MPa and compressive strength is up to 70 MPa. It has a self-healing property as the cement particles make reaction with the rain water and makes some complex product that expands and fill the micro cracks that are developed in the flexible concrete. The flexible concrete is proved to be lighter and also proved to be 500 times more flexible than normal concrete. Its ultimate tensile strain capacity is 3 to 5 %. Due to this the concrete is act like a flexible material such as metal. Poly vinyl alcohol fiber (PVA) is added up to 2% to enhance flexibility. A bendable concrete is composed of all the ingredients of a Conventional Mortar plus Fly ash and is reinforced with micromechanically designed poly vinyl alcohol fibers. ECC is class of ultra-ductile fiber reinforced cementitious composites, characterized by high ductility and tight crack width control. A Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber is considered as one of the most suitable polymeric fibers to be used as the reinforcement of engineered cementitious composites (ECC), showing an extensive strain hardening behaviour of the composites, can be used to reduce resources and funds for rehabilitation of structure.