Experimental investigation on tensile behavior of carbon textile reinforced mortar (TRM) added with short polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers

Abstract

Textile reinforced mortar (TRM) composite is a new type of composite consisted of textile and inorganic matrix, which exhibits multiple cracking behavior and high tensile strength. It is considered as an alternative and promising solution to replace fiber reinforced polymer (FRP). This work studies the effect of textile reinforcing ratio, volume content of short polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) fibers and different mix of matrices on the tensile mechanical behavior of TRM. 28 groups of tensile specimens were designed to analyze and compare the crack pattern, failure mode and stress-strain curves under different variables. The experimental results indicate that the PVA fibers can significantly improve the bond properties between carbon textile and matrix and increase the tensile strength and strain. An idealized trilinear stress-strain curve was proposed to consider the special softening stage and evaluate the tensile mechanical behavior. Finally, a fiber index related to PVA fibers content was proposed to calculate the ultimate strength.