Engineered Cementitious Composite - Field Applications

Field Applications

ECC have found use in a number of large-scale applications in Japan, Korea, Switzerland, Australia and the U.S.. These include:

• The Mitaka Dam near Hiroshima was repaired using ECC in 2003. The surface of the then 60-year old dam was severely damaged, showing evidence of cracks, spalling, and some water leakage. A 20 mm-thick layer of ECC was applied by spraying over the 600 m2 surface.

• Also in 2003, an earth retaining wall in Gifu, Japan, was repaired using ECC. Ordinary portland cement could not be used due to the severity of the cracking in the original structure, which would have caused reflective cracking. ECC was intended to minimize this danger; after one year only microcracks of tolerable width were observed.

• The 95 m (312 ft.) Glorio Roppongi high-rise apartment building in Tokyo contains a total of 54 ECC coupling beams (2 per story) intended to mitigate earthquake damage. The properties of ECC (high damage tolerance, high energy absorption, and ability to deform under shear) give it superior properties in seismic resistance applications when compared to ordinary portland cement. Similar structures include the 41-story Nabeaure Yokohama Tower (4 coupling beams per floor.)

• The 1 km (0.62 mi) long Mihara Bridge in Hokkaido, Japan was opened to traffic in 2005. The steel-reinforced road bed contains nearly 800 m3 of ECC material. The tensile ductility and tight crack control behavior of ECC led to a 40% reduction in material used during construction.

• Similarly, a 225-mm thick ECC bridge deck on interstate 94 in Michigan was completed in 2005. 30 m3 of material was used, delivered on-site in standard mixing trucks. Due to the unique mechanical properties of ECC, this deck also used less material than a proposed deck made of ordinary portland cement. Both the University of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Transportation are monitoring the bridge in an attempt to verify the theoretical superior durability of ECC; after 4 years of monitoring, performance remained undiminished.