Damage Management of Concrete Structures with Engineered Cementitious Materials and Natural Fibers: A Review of Potential Uses

Mehran Dadkhah and Jean-Marc Tulliani
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Mehran Dadkhah: Lince Laboratory, INSTM Research Unit, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy
Jean-Marc Tulliani: Lince Laboratory, INSTM Research Unit, Department of Applied Science and Technology, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 7, 1-24

Abstract: The importance of the safety and sustainability of structures has attracted more attention to the development of smart materials. The presence of small cracks (<300 µm in width) in concrete is approximately inevitable. These cracks surely damage the functionality of structures, increase their degradation, and decrease their sustainability and service life. Self-sensing cement-based materials have been widely assessed in recent decades. Engineers can apply piezoresistivity for structural health monitoring that provides timely monitoring of structures, such as damage detection and reliability analysis, which consequently guarantees the service life with low maintenance costs. However, concrete piezoresistivity is limited to compressive stress sensing due to the brittleness of concrete. In contrast, engineered cementitious composites (ECC) present excellent tensile ductility and deformation capabilities, making them able to sense tensile stress/strain. Therefore, in this paper, first, the ability of ECC to partly replace transverse reinforcements and enhance the joint shear resistance, the energy absorption capacity, and the cracking response of concrete structures in seismic areas is reviewed. Then, the potential use of natural fibers and cellulose nanofibers in cementitious materials is investigated. Moreover, steel and carbon fibers and carbon black, carbon nanotubes, and graphene, all added as conductive fillers, are also presented. Finally, among the conductive carbonaceous materials, biochar, the solid residue of biomass waste pyrolysis, was recently investigated to improve the mechanical properties, internal curing, and CO 2 capture of concrete and for the preparation of self-sensing ECC.

Keywords: engineered cementitious materials; strain-hardening cementitious composites; natural fibers; self-sensing mortar; self-sensing concrete; biochar (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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