Finite Element Modeling of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) Prisms and Beams

In this study, 3-dimensional Finite Element (FE) models of prisms and beams subjected to 4 point-loading setup were developed. The objective is to investigate the flexural behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composite (ECC) prisms exposed to different temperatures and to verify the effectiveness of the corresponding FE predictions. Two ECC prism models were analyzed; one model was for an ECC prism tested at room temperature, while the second was for an ECC prism tested after exposure to a temperature of 200° C. Moreover, analysis was conducted and the results were compared for Reinforced Ultra-High-Performance Engineered Cementitious Composite (UHP-ECC) beams and traditional Reinforced Concrete (RC) beams. The impact of two different reinforcement ratios was analyzed for both (UHP-ECC) and RC beams. Comparison between FE models for prisms and beams confirmed that the models provide reasonable predictions of experimental results.