Performance of various strain-hardening cement-based composites (SHCC) subject to uniaxial impact tensile loading

SHCC made of normal-strength matrix and PVA, the composite with considerable ductility under quasi-static loading, performed substantially worse at high strain rates than SHCC made with HDPE fiber. This could be traced back to the peculiar alteration of the fiber-matrix interaction depending on the type of fiber and corresponding bond properties (chemical bond in case of PVA fiber versus frictional bond in case of HDPE fiber). Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the effect of the increasing strain rates on the tensile performance of SHCC made with HDPE fibers can be controlled by adjusting the matrix composition, this being facilitated by the consistent and predictable strain rate sensitivity of the interfacial interaction between the HDPE fibers and the surrounding cement-based matrix.