In order to solve the problem of insufficient bonding performance between traditional bare round SMA bars and concrete substrates, a superelastic Ni-Ti SMA ribbed reinforcement is processed in this paper. A superelastic ribbed SMA bar reinforced ECC beam and four control rectangular cross-section adapted beams were experimentally designed and fabricated, and digital image correlation technology was applied for simultaneous observation and collection to calculate and analyse the surface crack development of the beams. The beams were subjected to four-point bending low circumferential unidirectional cyclic loading tests to investigate the mechanical properties of the beams subjected to bending. The results show that the superelastic hysteresis effect of the ribbed SMA bars after ageing heat treatment is similar to that of the bare round SMA bars, and the superelastic properties are improved. The deformation ductility, ultimate load carrying capacity, self-reinstatement capacity and crack control capacity of ECC beams reinforced with ribbed SMA tendons were significantly improved compared with other tested beams. All the beams did not show any slip or fracture of the tensile tendons during the whole loading process, and the tensile tendons worked well with the concrete. Based on the one-dimensional intrinsic model of the material and specific assumptions, a simplified calculation model of the load carrying capacity of the studied composite beams is deduced and established, and its accuracy is effectively verified.