Engineered cementitious composites (ECC): a review on properties, design, sustainability, and applications

Abstract

Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC) are advanced fibre-reinforced materials developed to enhance tensile strength, ductility, crack resistance, and long-term durability. This review explores recent research on ECC, focusing on its mechanical advantages, material composition, and sustainable design strategies. ECCs typically comprise cement, fine aggregate, fly ash, and synthetic fibres, with coarse aggregate excluded to improve crack control. Unlike conventional concrete, ECC exhibits strain-hardening behaviour with tensile strains reaching 2–8% and fine crack widths below 60 μm. These properties enable ECC to absorb significant energy and undergo large deformations without brittle failure. The use of synthetic fibres and high cement content improves performance but raises challenges such as increased cost, shrinkage, and carbon emissions. Strategies to mitigate these include using supplementary cementitious materials and agricultural fibres. ECC has demonstrated effective performance in infrastructure applications such as bridge link slabs, seismic retrofitting, overlays, and repair of deteriorated concrete elements. Its excellent crack control and durability make it suitable for enhancing structural resilience and reducing maintenance demands. Finally, challenges and future directions for cost reduction and improved sustainability are discussed.