Influence of polyethylene fiber and rebar type on shear performance of engineered cementitious composites beams mixed with seawater and sea sand

Abstract

This study adopted natural seawater and sea sand, and 1%–2% and 12–24 mm polyethylene (PE) fibers to develop seawater and sea sand mixed engineered cementitious composites (SS-ECC). The shear performance of 17 SS-ECC beams without stirrups was then assessed, considering the influence of PE fibers and rebar types. Results showed that increasing the PE fiber content significantly enhanced the tensile strength and flexural toughness of SS-ECC. As the fiber content increased from 1% to 1.5% and 2%, the tensile strength rose by 15.3% and 28.2%, respectively. The fiber length of 24 mm proved optimal, inducing tensile strength gains of 41.1% and 44.2% over lengths of 12 and 18 mm. While PE fibers showed limited impact on the shear capacity of steel-fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) composite bar (SFCB) reinforced SS-ECC beams, they substantially enhanced the shear ductility. The use of low-modulus glass FRP and SFCB rebars reduced the shear capacity, particularly at a higher reinforcement ratio. This study finally proposes a unified shear capacity model for stirrup-free SS-ECC beams, which showed a favorable agreement with existing data. Results from this paper can help to advance the sustainable utilization of sea sand and seawater, and the shear design of SS-ECC components.

Graphical abstract

Keywords

PE fiber / seawater and sea sand / ECC / SFCB / shear performance

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