Abstract
When producing a Textile Reinforced Concrete structure or element, joining separate textile layers might be a necessity, driven for example by the limited dimensions of commercially available fabrics. A possible way of producing such joints is by overlapping different textile sheets. Overlapped joints, however, need to be cast with particular attention since they might represents weak elements of the structure, leading to premature failure. An experimental campaign was performed, aimed at identifying the effects of a symmetric vs non-symmetric arrangement of the textile fabrics within the overlapping length and tensile characteristics of the matrix on such type of joints. Fifteen specimens, produced using a fully epoxy impregnated carbon textile fabric and an Ultra High Performance Concrete (UHPC) matrix, were tested under tension in a uniaxial setup and measurements were performed using a Digital Image Correlation system. The in-plane and out-of-plane behaviour of each specimen was studied. The results highlight the importance of producing symmetric elements as well as the beneficial effects that the admixture of short dispersed steel fibres to the cementitious matrix provide to such kind of joints
Highlights
Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a new class of concrete composite materials that has drawn the attention of both the scientific community and the construction industry
Known as textile reinforced mortar (TRM), fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) or steel reinforced grout (SRG), consists of the combination of a fabric made of high strength material, which acts as tensile reinforcement and a cementitious matrix, used to bind the fabric and, depending on the application, to carry compressive stresses
In the case of textiles overlapped over their full width, the diagonal cracks may be characterized by a different inclination and reach the side faces of the specimens instead of the front one
Summary
Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a new class of concrete composite materials that has drawn the attention of both the scientific community and the construction industry. Such material, known as textile reinforced mortar (TRM), fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) or steel reinforced grout (SRG), consists of the combination of a fabric made of high strength material (carbon, glass, PBO, high strength steel, etc.), which acts as tensile reinforcement and a cementitious matrix, used to bind the fabric and, depending on the application, to carry compressive stresses. The most common is the direct tensile test [19] Such test, even if influenced by the clamping system [20], tends to provide a characteristic behaviour consisting of three stages: a. The first stage is characterized by the combined response of textile fabric and cementitious matrix; this stage is generally the one that exhibits the highest stiffness
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