Dynamic Response of Rubberized Engineered Cementitious Composite Columns Under Low-Velocity Lateral Impact

Abstract The increasing demand for resilient and sustainable infrastructure has encouraged the development of advanced cementitious composites with enhanced impact resistance. This study investigates the impact performance of reinforced concrete columns incorporating rubberized engineered cementitious composites (RECCs) through finite element modeling. The primary objective is to evaluate the influence of material composition and reinforcing steel detailing on the dynamic response of bridge columns subjected to low-velocity lateral impacts. Two boundary conditions were examined for the columns, namely free-top and restrained-top boundary conditions. The analysis considered the effects of four key parameters: rubber content in concrete (0–20%), impact velocity (1.5–3.5 m/s), longitudinal reinforcing steel ratio (1.0–2.0%), and stirrup spacing (50–150 mm). The findings demonstrated that although increasing the rubber content from 0 to 20% reduced the ultimate load-carrying capacity by up to 28%, it significantly improved ductility and energy absorption by as much as 76%, highlighting the material’s superior energy dissipation capability. Based on the numerical findings of this validated finite element model, RECC reveals strong potential as a sustainable material for enhancing the impact resilience of RC columns; however, broader experimental validation across different scales and configurations is recommended to confirm this potential prior to practical implementation.