Engineered cementitious composites (ECC), which are a kind of novel composite building material with high ductility and high toughness, can be utilized in areas susceptible to salt-freezing damage, such as that caused by snowmelt agents, seawater, and saline soils. In this paper, engineered cementitious composites reinforced with polyethylene fibers (PE) are analyzed to study the changes in the flexural static load properties, and flexural fatigue life of PE-ECC specimens after four different freeze-thaw cycles (0, 50, 100 and 150) in fresh water and a 3.5 % mass fraction NaCl solution. The results show that upon reaching 150 freeze-thaw cycles, there was a notable disparity in the relative equivalent flexural strength between specimens subjected to chloride salt freeze-thaw and freshwater freeze-thaw environments, with the former exhibiting a 1.07-fold increase in damage compared to the latter specimens. Using the relative dynamic elastic modulus as the damage variable, a relationship model was made between the relative equivalent flexural strength and the freeze-thaw damage degree of PE-ECC in two freeze-thaw environments. The flexural fatigue life of PE-ECC after freeze-thaw obeyed a two-parameter Weibull distribution, and the P-S-N curves at various reliability probabilities correlated well with the test results. The safety coefficient of PE-ECC varied with changes in freeze-thaw conditions, necessitating an increase in the safety coefficient to assure structural safety in locations with more severe freeze-thaw damage. The results of this study can serve as a reference for the development of freeze-thaw-resistant designs for PE-ECC structures in future applications.

The dumping of titanium slag (TS) and fly ash (FA) could lead to the occupancy of abundant land resources and the pollution of air, soil and underground water. The meso-regulatory function of the lightweight and thermally stable porous TS makes it a feasible material as the fire-resistive cementitious composites (FRCCs). This paper proposed a novel low-carbon FRCC with favorable high-temperature resistance by using TS and FA. Then, the mechanical properties and mechanism improving the heat resistance were systematically studied. The results revealed that the addition of TS with proper quantity decreases the mass loss by 19.6% and degradation degree of mechanical strength by 31.8% after 800 degrees C heating. The thermally stable perovskite and akermanite phases in TS are conducive to improving the stability of mineral phases during high-temperature heating. Meanwhile, the porous structure of TS enhances the thermal insulation of FRCC, which postponed the mineral phase decomposition. In addition, the secondary hydration effect of FA consumes a large amount of Ca(OH)2, which effectively weakens the deterioration caused by the decomposition of Ca(OH)2 after 600 degrees C heating. Based on the CT results, the variations of internal pore structure including pore distribution, porosity, and fractal dimensions, were systematically analyzed. It is found that the TS particles can effectively optimize the internal pore distribution and limit the generation and deterioration of macro-pores. Moreover, the thermal damage model of the prepared FRCC was established by combining the pore structure deterioration degree and residual mechanical strength. Finally, compared with traditional fire-resistive fillers, the low carbon emission of the prepared FRCC was verified.

The conservation of the environment and the protection of natural resources are urgent and current challenges. The objective of this experimental investigation was to evaluate the potential use of aggregates derived from recycled glass waste, blast furnace slag, recycled brick waste aggregates and recycled electronic waste aggregates (textolite) as replacements for natural aggregates in cement -based composites. The experimental tests aimed to investigate how the replacement of natural aggregates with recycled waste aggregates affects various physico-mechanical parameters, including density, compressive strength, flexural strength, abrasion resistance and capillary water absorption. This investigation also included detailed microstructural analysis using optical microscopy, SEM, EDX and XRD techniques. The aim of the research was to explore the potential for soil conservation by reducing the amount of waste to be disposed of, and at the same time to conserve natural resources by identifying alternatives using recycled materials, thereby contributing to the implementation of the circular economy concept. The results of the research confirmed this potential; however, depending on the nature of the recycled aggregates, there are influences on the physico-mechanical performance of the cement composite that can be seen at the microstructural level.