Title: Design of Green Engineered Cementitious Composites for Improved Sustainability

Author(s): Michael D. Lepech, Victor C. Li, Richard E. Robertson, and Gregory A. Keoleian

Publication: Materials Journal

Volume: 105

Issue: 6

Appears on pages(s): 567-575

Keywords: engineered cementitious composite (ECC); green chemistry; green materials; sustainability; sustainable infrastructure

DOI: 10.14359/20198

Date: 11/1/2008

Abstract:
The sustainability of the built environment is increasingly coming to the forefront of infrastructure design and maintenance decisions. To address this, development of a new class of more sustainable cement-based materials is needed. These materials should be developed with respect to the final application in which they will be used. Neglecting the connection between material development, structural design, and sustainability objectives can lead to shorterlived, costly, and resource-intensive structures that require greater maintenance. Within this study, a green materials design framework is presented and used to complete a case study in the design of green materials for a specific infrastructure application. Through deliberate control of composite constituents and the interactions among them, cement-based composites have been developed that incorporate industrial waste streams while not sacrificing critical material properties.