Susceptibility of strain-hardening cementitious composite to curing conditions as a retrofitting material for RC beams

Strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) have recently been developed as repair materials for the improvement of crack control and strength of flexural members. This work focuses on strengthening and flexural enhancement using SHCC layer in tensile regions of flexural members under three different curing conditions. The curing conditions simulate the effect of different environmental conditions prevailing in the central and coastal regions of the Arabian Peninsula on the properties of SHCC as a retrofitting material. In this investigation, beams with SHCC layer were compared to control beams. The beams with SHCC layer of 50-mm thickness were cast. The results revealed that the flexural behavior and the load-carrying capacity of the normal concrete beam specimens under hot and dry environmental conditions were significantly reduced, lowering the ductility of the section. However, compressive strength is comparatively unaffected. Similarly, the hot curing conditions have also led to a notable reduction in the loading capacity of the beam with SHCC layer with a slight effect on its stiffness. On the other hand, steam-curing conditions have shown improvement in load-carrying capacity and a reduction in section ductility of the beam with SHCC layer. It was found that the structural unit retrofitted with SHCC layer was a curing-regime dependent as the tensile and strain-hardening properties of SHCC are highly sensitive to the alteration in the cement hydration process. A normal curing regime was found effective and satisfying the practical, cost, and performance requirements. Accordingly, a normal curing regime could be implemented to retrofit reinforced concrete (RC) beams with SHCC layers as recommended in the study.