Repair and retrofit with engineered cementitious composites

This article presents the novel use of a super ductile fiber reinforced cementitious composite for repair and retrofit of concrete structures. Research in repair and retrofit demands immediate attention because of rapidly deteriorating and heightened safety requirements of civil infrastructures worldwide. The strain-hardening Engineered Cementitious Composites have been developed with the aid of fracture mechanics and micromechanics. It is emphasized that material ductility, and not just strength, can translate into strong and ductile structural performance. This article is extended from an original version presented as a Principal Lecture at the FRAMCOS-3 Conference at Gifu, Japan in October, 1998. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.