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About PVA Fibers : PVA-ECC
PVA: Amazing Tensile and Flexural Strength
PVA-ECC is a unique implementation of PVA fibers in a micromechanically designed matrix invented by Dr. Victor C. Li, professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, and director of the Advanced Civil Engineering Materials Research Laboratory.
ECC is an abbreviation for Engineered Cementitious Composites. In PVA-ECC, the mortar is optimized to work with our REC15x8mm fiber at a volume of 2%. Physically and mechanically, ECC behaves like normal concrete. Under tension, however, ECC behaves more like a ductile metal. The strain capacity during strain-hardening (after first crack) is about 5%, or roughly 500 times more than typical fiber-reinforced concrete. During strain-hardening, multiple microcracks limited to about 60 mm in crack-width form along the length of the tensile specimen. If the specimen is unloaded before final failure, the microcracks are often small enough to prevent the intrusion of water, and may heal if there is sufficient unhydrated lime.
Please visit ECC Technology Network for an excellent discussion of the differences between PVA-ECC and other types of fiber-reinforced concrete. Engineeredcomposites.com (ECC Technology Network) is an independent group of researchers and companies around the world dedicated to the study and application of ECC technologies. |
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Strain-hardening means that PVA-ECC is dramatically stronger in tension than any regular or fiber-reinforced mortar.
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