Deformation behavior of fiber reinforced polymer reinforced engineered cementitous composite (ECC) flexural members under reversed cyclic loading conditions

This study investigates the response of fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) reinforced engineered cementitious composite (ECC) members with a focus on their flexural load-deformation behavior, residual deflection, damage evolution, and failure mode. Critical aspects of conventional FRP-reinforced concrete members—such as interfacial bond strength, flexural crack formation, composite deformation behavior, and brittle failure mode—are briefly reviewed and compared to FRP reinforced ECC. The interaction of linear elastic FRP reinforcement and ECC matrix with ductile stress-strain behavior in tension results in nonlinear elastic flexural response characteristics with stable hysteretic behavior, small residual deflection, and ultimately gradual compression failure.