Flexural behavior of ECC hollow beams incorporating different synthetic fibers

Twelve ECC beams with three different fiber types, along with four normal concrete beams, were tested in this study to evaluate the influence of cross-sectional hollowing on their flexural performance. The fiber types used were nylon monofilament (NM), low-cost untreated polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and polypropylene (PP). Three different square hole sizes of 60, 80, and 100 mm with cross-sectional hollowing ratios of 0.16, 0.28, and 0.44, respectively, were adopted for each group of beams in addition to a solid beam. All beams were tested under four-point loading using a displacement-controlled testing machine. The test results showed that ECC beams can mostly withstand higher cracking and ultimate loads compared to their corresponding normal concrete versions. The results also showed that both the ductility and toughness of the ECC beams are higher than those of the normal concrete beams and that the ductility values of the hollow beams with a hole size of 60 mm are higher than those of the corresponding solid beams. Moreover, hollow ECC beams with hole sizes of 60 and 80 mm exhibited a higher ductility than a solid normal concrete beam.