Mechanical property of strain-hardening cementitious composites modified with superabsorbent polymers

In order to improve the tensile property, flexural property and drying shrinkage of strain-hardening cementitious composites (SHCC), mixtures quantitatively modified with superabsorbent polymer (SAP) were investigated. The uniaxial tensile test, the four-point bending test, the compressive test, the drying shrinkage test and the environmental scanning electron microscope (ESEM) were employed to investigate the tensile strain capacity, flexural deformation capacity, compressive strength, drying shrinkage, crack width and self-healing of SHCC. The experimental results show that SHCC modified with SAP particles exhibits excellent ductility and deformability, and the tensile strain is up to about 4.5% and the average crack width is controlled around 40 μm. Meanwhile, the drying shrinkage of SHCC modified with SAP particles can reduce by about 60%. Furthermore, the self-healing behavior is observed in the cracks of specimen after three cycles of high-low relative humidity curing, and the self-healing products can completely fill the cracks of SHCC specimens modified with SAP particles. It is, therefore, feasible to produce SHCC material modified with SAP particles, while simultaneously retaining higher material ductility. © 2017, Editorial Department of Journal of Southeast University. All right reserved.