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Engineering
TECHNICAL SEMINAR

FLEXIBLE
CONCRETE
Name : A PAVITHRA Guide
USN : 1RV18CSE01 Dr. T. Raghavendra
Associate Professor
Department of Civil Engineering.
RVCE,
Bengaluru.
11/04/2020
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CONTENTS
Introduction
Literature Review
Definition Of Flexible Concrete
Need for Flexible Concrete
Materials used in flexible concrete
Mix Design
Advantages of flexible concrete
Disadvantages of flexible concrete
Special features of flexible concrete
Uses Of Flexible Concrete
Comparison Of Conventional Concrete and Flexible Concrete
Case Study
Conclusion
References
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INTRODUCTION
 Conventional concretes are almost inflexible.
 The lack of flexibility is a major cause of failure under strain .
It has been pushing factor in the development of an elegant material namely, flexible
concrete also known as Engineered Cementious Composites (ECC.)
Capable to exhibit considerably enhanced flexibility .
ECC is made from the same basic ingredients as conventional concrete but with the addition
of High-Range Water Reducing (HRWR) agent as it is required to impart good workability.
However, coarse aggregates are not used in ECCs (hence it is a mortar rather than concrete).
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WHERE WAS FLEXIBLE CONCRETE FIRST USED?

Mihara Bridge in
Hokkaido,2004
Cable Stayed Bridge
Length:1000m
ECC layer thickkness:38mm
Weight Reduction:40%
Cost Reduction:50%
Expected Service Life:100years
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Author Title Publication Key findings
& Year
Yeonho Park , Thin-walled flexible ELSEVEIR Proposed a new semi rigid pipes, which are flexible
Ali Abolmaali , concrete pipes with 2015 concrete pipes that are reinforced with synthetic fibers
Josh Beakley , synthetic fibers and  The innovative flexible concrete pipe system has the
Emmanuel Attiogbe reduced traditional steel advantages of simplified structural design, thinner pipe
cage walls, lighter weight, improved durability due to the use
of synthetic fibers and potentially lower production cost
due to reduction of steel reinforcement and wall thickness.

Abdulaziz Alsaif Mechanical performance ELSEVEIR Flexible pavements can better accommodate local
,Lampros Koutas, of steel fibre reinforced 2018 deformations, but lack the durability of concrete which is
Susan A. Bernal, rubberised concrete for by nature much stiffer.
Maurizio flexible concrete Rubberised concrete which can be design to have
Guadagnini, pavements stiffness values similar to that of asphalt, can be used as
Kypros Pilakoutas an alternative construction material for flexible
pavements.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Author Title
Manish A. Kewalramani, Engineered cementitious
Osama A. Mohameda, composites for modern civil
Zubair Imam Syeda engineering
structures in hot arid coastal
climatic conditions
Publication & Key findings
Year
ELSEVEIR Conventional concrete has brittle nature and hence
2016 crack easily under environmental and mechanical
loads affecting durability of structures.
ECCs develops crack width which increase ability
to resist effects of hot, frost and humid weather
conditions besides its low permeability coefficient
and higher resistance to steel corrosion compared to
other common substitutes.

Sompote Youwai Deng, Geosynthetic-reinforced Institution of  The problems of flexible pavement like rutting
Warat Kongkitkul, flexible pavement in Thailand Civil Engineers and fatigue cracking due to excessive traffic
Koonnamas Punthutaecha 2012 volumes reduces life srvice.
,Preedithep Anujorn,  Use of Geosynthetic-reinforced flexible concrete
Pornkasem Jongpradist can significantly reduce the distribution of
cracking.
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Author Title Publication & Year Key findings
Kaifu Liu Performance of rigid-flexible- Institution of Civil  Rigid-flexible-pile composite foundation has
Xinyu Xie pile foundation with cushion Engineers been developed and applied to multi-storey
Haitao Liu 2012 buildings to strengthen the upper layers of
soft soil, and to reduce settlement.

J.L.Brown Bendable ASCE Concrete remains cracked until someone

Concrete Repairs 2012 repairs it.
Its Own Cracks But in bendable concrete Instead of fracturing,
the material bends and undergoes a process called
microcracking.
Later, under the right conditions, the tiny
cracks can actually heal themselves
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LITERATURE REVIEW
Author Title Publication Key findings
& Year
Jiajia Zhou, Mechanical Behavior of Fiber ASCE Polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fiber
Jinlong Pan, Reinforced Engineered 2013 reinforced engineered cementitious composite (E
C.K.Y Leung, F. Cementitious Composites in CC) is a class of high performance
Uniaxial Compression cementitious composites with pseudo strain-
hardening behavior and excellent crack control
when subjected to uniaxial tension.

Peerapong Multiple Cracking and Fiber ASCE ECCs developed very large midspan
Suthiwarapirak; Bridging Characteristics of 2012 deflections of more than 1 or 2 mm at the
Takashi Engineered Cementitious ultimate flexural strength compared to the FRC,
Matsumoto, Composites under Fatigue Flexure which showed less than 0.1 mm midspan
Tetsushi Kanda3 deflection.
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DEFINITION OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

What is Flexible Concrete?

A flexible or bendable concrete is an engineered cementitious composite (ECC) that exhibits the property of
ductile material unlike the brittle nature of conventional concrete. The flexible or bendable concrete was
developed by Prof. Victor Li at the University of Michigan.
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NEED FOR FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

It increases the tensile strength of the concrete.

It reduce the air voids that inherent porosity of gel.
It increases the durability of the concrete.
It has been recognized that the addition of small,
closely spaced and uniformly dispersed fibers to
concrete would act as crack arrester and would
substantially improve its static and dynamic
properties.
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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

In a flexible concrete or ECC concrete mix, coarse aggregates are deliberately not used because
property of ECC Concrete is formation of micro cracks with large deflection.
Flexible concrete is composed of:
1. Cement
2. Fibers
3. Fly ash
4. Sand
5. Super plasticizer
6. Water
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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

1. Cement
 Binding material CE

 Color
 Heat of hydration.
 Properties
Cement
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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

2. Fibers
 Flexibility
 Replacement of coarse aggregates
 The fibers used are:
Silica Fibers Glass Fibers
a) silica fibers
b) glass fibers
c) steel fibers
d) polyvinyl alcohol fibers, etc.
 Reinforcement material Steel fiber
Polyvinyl Alcohol Fibers
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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

3.Fly ash
By product
Resemble portland cement but it is CE

chemically different
Cementitious properties

Fly Ash
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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

4. SAND
Natural sand CE

Commercial sand used are silica sands

Beach sands

Silica sand and Silica sand close up

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MATERIALS USED IN FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

5. Superplasticizers
6. Water
Flexible concrete requires higher workability
Fit for drinking
which hence demands superplasticizers.
CE Free from acids, oils, alkalis, or
I. Lignin
other organic Impurities.
II. Naphthalene
 Soft waters also produce weaker
III.Melamine formaldehyde
concrete.
IV.Sulphonate
 Water has two functions in a
V. Polycarboxylate ether
concrete mix.
VI.Lignosulfonate
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MIX DESIGN
The mix design for Flexible concrete or ECC is based on Micro mechanics design basis. It
captures the mechanical interactions among the fiber.
1. Mix proportioning
 ECC contains higher cement content that is typically two or three times higher than normal
concrete.
 Fly ash of two different types can be used
 Usually 2% of fibers are used(1.7-2.5%)
 Sand to cement ratio = 0.11 – 2.2
 Super Plasticizers Dosage= 0.014- 0.02
 water to cemetatious =0.05- 0.25
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MIX DESIGN

2. Mixing
The mixing of ECC Concrete is carried out by using hand mixing. The procedure of hand
mixing is as follows:-
 Sand, cement, 50% of fly ash, 50% of water and super plasticizer is added
 Remaining quantity of fly ash, water and super plasticizer is added
 Once the homogenous mixture is formed, PVA fibres added slowly
 Fresh Properties test
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MIX DESIGN

3. Placing, Compaction and Casting of concrete specimens

 Oiling to moulds
 Tamping
 Levelling

4 . Curing of Concrete Specimen

 28 days to cure
 Hardened properties test
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ADVANTAGES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

Ability to bend like a metal
More Stronger, more durable, and lasts longer than conventional concrete
Self-healing property
Not brittle like a glass
More resistant to cracking
Does not emit that amount of harmful gases
30% - 40% weight reduction
Use of Steel reinforcement is reduced or eliminated
Reduces the cost of the project
Precast concrete.
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DISADVANTAGES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

High initial cost

Skilled labor
Special type of materials cannot be accessible
Quality depends upon the material used and the condition under which it is made.
compressive strength can be lesser than the conventional concrete.
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FEATURES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

The bending strength or tensile capacity ranges from10 to 15 MPa
Compressive strength is upto 70 MPa
Self-healing property as the cement particles make reaction with the rain water and makes
some complex product that expands and fill the micro cracks that are developed in the
flexible concrete
The flexible concrete proved to be 500 times more flexible than normal concrete
Its ultimate tensile strain capacity is 3 to 5 %
The strain capacity in flexible concrete is 300 times more than conventional concrete. Due
to this the concrete is act like a flexible material such as metal
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USES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

Earthquake resistance building: The structure made with the flexible concrete can take
more tensile stresses that it does not break down due to the vibration caused by
the earthquake. In Japan a 60 floor is under construction which uses this concrete
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USES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

Concrete canvas: The
concrete canvas can also
be made with the flexible
concrete. The concrete
canvas is stronger and
durable than the normal
canvas. It can be used in
the military area.
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USES OF FLEXIBLE CONCRETE

For roads & bridges: It can be used in roads and bridges. With the use of flexible concrete
in roads and bridges there is no need of joints such as expansion joint, contraction joint as
the concrete is itself have the ability to change its shape. Moreover the bridges and roads are
more durable and has low repair cost.
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COMPARISON OF CONVENTIONAL AND FLEXIBLE CONCRETE
Point of difference Conventional Concrete Flexible concrete
Durability The normal concrete structure are less durable. The flexible concrete structure are more durable.
Earthquake resistance The structure made with the original concrete are As the flexible concrete does not break easily by
prone to earthquake. They generally forms cracks the earthquake motion. So the structure made with
or may collapse during earthquake. the flexible concrete are more earthquake
resistance.
Self-healing property The normal concrete has very low self-healing The flexible concrete has a very good self-healing
property as it has very low free cement concrete. property as it can heal the micro-cracks itself by the
reaction of carbon dioxide and water.
Repair & maintenance The repair & maintenance cost of concrete structure The repair & maintenance cost of flexible concrete
is high as it developed cracks and other defects. is less as it does not develop that much cracks.
Self-weight The self-weight of conventional  concrete is more. The flexible concrete is 30-40 % lighter than the
conventional  concrete
Reinforcement The steel bar reinforcement is require for taking the The fibre reinforcement can provide the require
tensile load. tensile strength in the concrete so less or may be
steel reinforcement is require.
Curing time The concrete structure generally requires more The flexible concrete requires less curing time
curing time (around 28 days). (generally 7 days)
Labour It requires less skilled labour. It requires more skilled labour
Cost The cost of construction is less as it consist of The initial  cost of construction is more
common material
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CONCLUSION
Flexible concrete is the upcoming advancement in technology which will almost replace the
conventional concrete in countries which are more prone to Natural disaster.
But in India it is still a new material and requires proper research for its use in India
The Cost of Flexible concrete is bit higher than conventional but it can be minimized by
using a small cross section of member sizes and eliminating reinforcement bars.
Flexible concrete consumes 40 % less energy and produces 39% less carbon dioxide than
regular concrete.
Reduces emission of Greenhouse gases
Flexible concrete is a green construction material
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REFERENCES
1. Alsaif, A., Koutas, L., Bernal, S. A., Guadagnini, M., & Pilakoutas, K. (2018). Mechanical performance of steel fibre reinforced
rubberised concrete for flexible concrete pavements. Construction and Building Materials, 172, 533–543.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2018.04.010
2. Brown, J. L. (2009). Bendable concrete repairs its own cracks. Civil Engineering, 79(7), 40–42.
https://doi.org/10.1061/ciegag.0000604
3. Kewalramani, M. A., Mohamed, O. A., & Syed, Z. I. (2017). Engineered Cementitious Composites for Modern Civil Engineering
Structures in Hot Arid Coastal Climatic Conditions. Procedia Engineering, 180, 767–774.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.proeng.2017.04.237
4. Liu, K., Xie, X., & Liu, H. (2010). Performance of rigid-flexible-pile foundation with cushion. Proceedings of the Institution of
Civil Engineers: Geotechnical Engineering, 163(4), 221–227. https://doi.org/10.1680/geng.2010.163.4.221
5. Park, Y., Abolmaali, A., Beakley, J., & Attiogbe, E. (2015). Thin-walled flexible concrete pipes with synthetic fibers and reduced
traditional steel cage. Engineering Structures, 100, 731–741. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.engstruct.2015.06.049
6. Suthiwarapirak, P., Matsumoto, T., & Kanda, T. (2004). Multiple cracking and fiber bridging characteristics of engineered
cementitious composites under fatigue flexure. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 16(5), 433–443.
https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)0899-1561(2004)16:5(497)
7. Youwai, S., Kongkitkul, W., Punthutaecha, K., Anujorn, P., & Jongpradist, P. (2012). Geosynthetic-reinforced flexible pavement in
Thailand. Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers: Ground Improvement, 165(4), 249–258.
https://doi.org/10.1680/grim.11.00018
8. Zhou, J., Pan, J., & Leung, C. K. Y. (2015). Mechanical behavior of fiber-reinforced engineered cementitious composites in uniaxial
compression. Journal of Materials in Civil Engineering, 27(1). https://doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)MT.1943-5533.0001034
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THANK YOU