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• Basalt fiber-ECC with unique strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behavior has been developed. • BF-ECC demonstrates an average crack width below 10 μm and crack spacing less than 3 mm. • The tight and saturated cracks are attributed to the bridging behavior of basalt fiber in matrix. Fiber plays a key role in the mechanical properties of Engineered Cementitious Composites (ECC), a new generation of fiber-reinforced concrete with excellent ductility and exceptional crack control capability. However, ECC loses its high ductility when exposed to fire, as the synthetic fibers typically used in ECC melt resulting in a loss of crack-bridging ability in elevated temperatures. In this study, the feasibility of using basalt fiber, an inorganic fiber with high-temperature resistance, to develop ECC is investigated experimentally. The results show that basalt fiber reinforced ECC (BF-ECC) exhibits a very unique strain-hardening and multiple-cracking behavior when compared with typical ECCs. The tensile stress–strain curve of BF-ECC is relatively smooth, with average crack width below 10 μm and crack spacing less than 3 mm. The unique features of BF-ECC are interpreted based on the bridging behavior of basalt fibers. This work paves the way for further developing ECC with high-temperature resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• SHCCs are developed using basalt fiber and calcium aluminate cement. • Tensile stress–strain relationship of SHCC at high temperature is studied. • Compressive stress–strain relationship of SHCC at high temperatures is studied. • Strain-rate effect and specific energy absorption of BF-SHCC are studied. • DIF and strain rate of BF-SHCC at elevated temperatures are calculated. In this study, a basalt fiber strain-hardening cementitious composite (BF-SHCC) with good high-temperature mechanical performance was developed, and its static and dynamic compressive properties at elevated temperatures were investigated. The BF-SHCC lost its strain-hardening behavior at 200 °C. At a constant strain rate, the dynamic compressive strength and specific energy absorption of the BF-SHCC showed an increasing trend over the temperature ranges of 20–200 and 400–600 °C. The tensile and compressive properties of the BF-SHCC depended on its microstructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]