Optimizing approach on Fibre Engineered Cementitious Materials with Self-Healing capacity (SH-FECM) by the use of slurry lime (SL) addition

SH-FECM (Fibre Engineered Cementitious Materials with Self-Healing capacity), developed at NIRD “URBAN-INCERC” Cluj-Napoca Branch in the last five years, are consistently based on Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECCs) concept, elaborated in the early nineties at Michigan University (USA). They all represent a cement-based typology of dispersed reinforcement composites able to develop high deformability by the means of multiple cracking pattern under loading, leading to a cumulative set of valuable material features: metal like behaviour when subjected to loads, brittle failure prevention, increased self-healing potential via the compositional design, etc. The process of development and constant improvement of the SH-FECMs represents a long term theoretical and experimental approach, aiming to establish the optimum raw materials (mostly locally available) compatibility within the cementitious matrix so that the composites would present superior performance under comparative evaluation. This paper presents the first results, evaluated as positive for both, fresh and hardened state materials, regarding the inclusion of Slurry Lime (SL) addition as replacement of the initial lime powder addition (L) in the material composition. The long-term effects are on ongoing investigation, but the initial results are clearly promising, starting from a better fresh state aspect and evaluating for faster setting time and improved early age mechanical behaviour. The beneficial effects are also in terms of economic and ecological aspects, considering that the used lime slurry (SL) addition represents an actual waste resulted from a local, natural stone processing factory. Its use as direct addition in the SH-FECMs mixtures could represent an efficient recycling and waste prevention action, with long term beneficial potential, in terms of Circular Economy principles.