Review and outlook on durability of engineered cementitious composite (ECC)

Durability is important for construction materials especially when they are used for long-term engineering applications. Engineered cementitious composite (ECC) as a relatively new fiber-reinforced cementitious composite material has attracted broad interest from research and construction communities. ECC has strain-hardening behavior and self-healing ability due to its micro-cracking under tensile loading. These advantages make ECC more durable under various environmental conditions comparing to ordinary concrete. This paper presents an up-to-date review on ECC durability studies in the literature, with detailed discussions on ECC high temperature resistance, permeability resistance, frost and salt corrosion resistance, shrinkage resistance, abrasion resistance, fatigue resistance and etc. These durability discussions are closely related to the behaviors of fiber, matrix and fiber-matrix interface of ECC under various environmental conditions. Finally this paper proposes several research directions related to ECC durability based on the research gaps identified from the comprehensive literature review.