EXPERIMENTAL STUDY ON FLEXURAL RESPONSE OF ENGINEERED CEMENTITIOUS COMPOSITE (ECC) STRENGTHENED REINFORCED CONCRETE BEAMS

Concrete is the most popular construction material, with more than 11.4 billion tons of concrete consumed annually world wide. It has been reported that 2.2 billion tons of cement was produced in the year 2005. It was estimated that each ton of cement produced generates an equal amount of carbon dioxide, a major contributor for greenhouse effect and global warming. Ordinary Portland cement, though costly and energy intensive is the most widely used ingredient in the production of concrete mixes. Unfortunately, production of cement itself involves emission of large amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a major contributor for greenhouse effect and global warming. Hence, it is inevitable either to search for another material or partly replace it by an alternate material. For example, Pozzolana is a natural or artificial material containing silica in a reactive form. It may be a siliceous or siliceous and aluminous material which in itself possesses little or no Cementitious value. Pozzolana, in finely divided form and in the presence of moisture, reacts with calcium hydroxide at ordinary temperature and form compounds possessing Cementitious properties.