Analytical and Numerical Investigation of the Behavior of Engineered Cementitious Composite Members under Shear Loads

This research discusses the performance of engineered cementitious composite (ECC) beams with and without transverse reinforcements using thorough analytical and finite element (FE) approaches under shear. The overall goal of this investigation was to assess the impact of various design characteristics, such as (i) shear span-to-effective depth ratio, (ii) transverse reinforcement ratio, etc., on the shear behavior of ECC beams. Nonlinear three-dimensional (3-D) FE analysis was performed with the commercial software ABAQUS to simulate the shear performance of ECC beams by employing the material properties obtained from the damage plasticity model. The correctness of the proposed FE model was validated with the benchmark experiments available in the literature. The developed FE model accurately computed the ECC beam’s overall load–deflection behavior and failure modes. In addition, the provision available in the Architectural Institute of Japan (AIJ) A-method was successfully employed to assess the shear load-carrying capacity of ECC beams. Furthermore, the effects of transverse reinforcement (p(w)) and shear span-to-depth ratio (a/d) on the behavior of ECC beams were also investigated. From a detailed parametric study, it was understood that a decreased a/d ratio exhibits enhanced load-carrying capacity for beams with and without stirrups for a particular cross-section. It was also observed that for the entire a/d ratio, the amount of stirrups had no substantial effect on the load-carrying capability of ECC beams.