This study explores the mechanical and self-healing enhancements of shape memory alloy–engineered cementitious composites (SMA-ECC). Conventional ECC shows limited resilience under mechanical and environmental stresses, particularly in crack recovery during compression and in the predictive accuracy of constitutive models. While fibers are typically linked to tensile performance, their role under compression is equally critical for structural elements such as columns, beams, and shear walls. To address this, SMA fibers with varying shapes, surface treatments, and volume fractions are incorporated to evaluate their effects on compressive strength and self-healing under monotonic and cyclic loading. The methodology employs monotonic and cyclic compressive tests, combined with DIC techniques, to quantify improvements in mechanical performance and crack healing capabilities. Results indicate that the optimal inclusion of SMA fibers at a 0.75% volume fraction enhances peak compressive strength by 15% compared to conventional ECC. Under cyclic loading, SMA-ECC retains approximately 30% more load-bearing capacity. Additionally, DIC analysis shows a 40% reduction in crack width, demonstrating significant self-healing abilities. Constitutive models validate a 20% increase in elastic modulus, with sandblasted hooked fibers enhancing stress resistance by 25%, while linear fibers treated with abrasive paper reduce crack resistance by 10%. SHapley Additive exPlanations analysis further quantifies how different configurations impact the performance of SMA-ECC, providing critical insights into optimizing fiber shape and treatment. ABAQUS simulations validate these findings, suggesting SMA-ECC’s potential for sustainable construction.
Umar et al. (Sun,) studied this question.