Basalt Textile Reinforced Concrete Research Articles

Experimental study and theoretical analysis on tensile properties of concrete reinforced with different polymer-impregnated basalt textiles

Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) has become a new material for strengthening and constructing structures. The mechanical properties of TRC are significantly influenced by the polymer impregnation of textile. However, the influencing mechanisms of different polymers on the mechanical properties of TRC remain unclear. In this study, the effects of polymer impregnations on tensile behavior of basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC) were investigated. The results showed that the epoxy resin-impregnated basalt textile outperformed other polymer-impregnated textiles in improving the tensile properties of concrete, exhibiting an ultimate stress 48%–110% higher than other samples. Increasing the textile layers number from 1 to 3 improved the ultimate stress and energy consumption, with the most notable improvements observed at 146% and 173%, respectively, for samples reinforced with epoxy resin-impregnated textiles. However, the increased textile layers reduced the ultimate strain and fiber strength utilization efficiency due to the inconsistent stress transfer among multi-layer textiles. Only epoxy resin-impregnated textiles reinforced samples exhibited a complete three-stage variation in the tensile stress-strain curve, where the stress fluctuations in the post-cracking stage were attributed to the multiple concrete cracks. In contrast, other polymer-impregnated textile-reinforced concrete samples experienced stress fluctuations in post-cracking stage primarily due to the textile slippage, inconsistent textile fractures, and propagation of initial crack. Furthermore, the epoxy resin-impregnated textiles' superior tensile strength and excellent bond with concrete contributed to reduced stress fluctuation range and smaller stress drop after initial cracking. Finally, an optimized tensile model with high accuracy was proposed to describe the tensile response of polymer-impregnated basalt textile reinforced concrete.

Compressive behavior of masonry columns confined with basalt textile-reinforced concrete

This paper investigates the effect of basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC) confinement on the compressive behavior of masonry columns. The study involved testing thirty-four masonry columns with a rectangular cross-section under concentric and eccentric compression while varying the loading eccentricity and the number of basalt textile layers. The experimental results were analyzed in terms of crack patterns and load-displacement curves, with extracted parameters used to evaluate the compressive performance of BTRC-confined masonry. Results indicate that the BTRC jacketing considerably enhances the load-carrying capacity of masonry columns compared to unstrengthened ones, with higher efficiency observed under eccentric loading. Existing strength models were used to predict the strength enhancement from the BTRC jacket, with some models providing relatively accurate predictions. However, for eccentrically-loaded masonry columns confined with a BTRC jacket, predictions derived from sectional analysis tended to be conservative. Further experiments are needed to establish reliable strength models and accurate sectional analysis methods. Overall, the findings of this study suggest that BTRC confinement can be an effective way to improve the compressive behavior of masonry columns and could be advantageous in the design of masonry structures in earthquake-prone regions.

In-plane shear behavior of brick masonry walls strengthened with basalt textile-reinforced concrete

The in-plane shear behavior of the brick masonry walls strengthened with basalt textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) was mainly investigated. Diagonal shear tests with different strengthening methods and textile layers were performed. Research results show that the BTRC transforms brittle failure of the brick walls into ductile failure, the BTRC and brick wall work well together. Double-sided strengthening is more effective in reinforcing the shear capacity of the masonry walls. The strengthening effect improves with textile layers, especially for double-sided strengthening. Furthermore, the shear strength values calculated by current standard are lower than tests.

A state-of-art review on the mechanical performance of basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC)

A state-of-art review on the mechanical performance of basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC)

Quasi-static, cyclic loading tests of RAC brick masonry walls strengthened by basalt textile reinforced concrete

This study experimentally evaluated the performance of unreinforced masonry (URM) walls, with and without basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC) strengthening, under quasi-static in-plane lateral loading tests. Five half-scaled specimens were constructed using recycled aggregate concrete (RAC) bricks, including unreinforced and BTRC reinforced walls. The first URM wall served as a control specimen, while the remaining four specimens featured varying strengthening configurations, achieved by changing the number of textile layers (two and four) in the BTRC overlay and the strengthening patterns (single and double side). The failure modes, axial deformation behavior, lateral resistance, deformability, stiffness degradation, energy dissipation, and equivalent viscous damping of the tested walls were examined. BTRC strengthening altered the failure mode of URM walls from diagonal cracking accompanied by rocking to rocking and slight shear sliding, thereby maintaining the integrity of the wall at large lateral displacements. Increasing the textile layer enhanced lateral resistance and deformability. Applying a BTRC overlay to a single side of the URM wall yielded satisfactory improvements, with even greater efficiency observed when an equal amount of textiles was evenly applied on both sides. Finally, by taking the contributions of vertical and horizontal fiber yarns into account, a new model involving different failure modes was proposed to estimate the ultimate lateral resistance of BTRC-strengthened masonry walls, showing good agreement with experimental results.

An innovative method for improving the cyclic performance of concrete beams retrofitted with prefabricated basalt-textile-reinforced ultra-high performance concrete

Retrofitting reinforced concrete structures (RC) with textile reinforced concrete is an alternative material. In this paper, the primary objective is to develop a novel type of strengthening method for RC structures by utilizing prefabricated textile-reinforced concrete composites. This study examined the flexural behavior of RC beams retrofitted with prefabricated basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC) panels. An experimental study was conducted on five retrofitted reinforced concrete beams to demonstrate the effectiveness of this strengthening method. A cyclic four-point bending load test was performed to determine the flexural behavior of BTRC retrofitted reinforced concrete beams. Polymer concrete is used to join the BTRC composite panel, which is constructed from layers of ultra-high performance fiber reinforced concrete (UHPFRC) and basalt textile. A comparison is made between the results obtained using cast-in-situ strengthening and those obtained using textile layers. Based on the results, prefabricated BTRC strengthening method was more effective than cast-in-place strengthening in improving the loading carrying capacity of reinforced RC beams. Compared to cast-in-situ retrofitting, the flexural strength was improved by 56%. In addition, the proposed method for connecting prefabricated BTRC composites to RC beams resulted in the tensile rupture of BTRC layers. As a result, BTRC composites can improve the flexural performance of reinforced concrete beams due to their maximum capacity. This method is an effective and affordable method, and the retrofitting technique was successful. The advantages of this method may outweigh the disadvantages of other methods.

Study on the bonding performance between basalt textile and concrete under freeze-thaw cycles

Basalt textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) is an environment friendly building material attracted wide attention in civil engineering. The investigation of the durability characteristic of the BTRC specimen is an important part of guiding the design of BTRC. In this paper, the tensile and flexural performances were investigated by the pull-out test and the four-point bending test with BTRC specimens under different freeze–thaw conditions. Meanwhile, the scanning electron microscope (SEM) is employed in the micro-cracks and bonding performance analysis. The results showed that as the number of freeze–thaw cycles increased, the peak and residual bonding stress are reduced, and the same for the ultimate flexural loading. The paper presents the formulas for calculating the ultimate flexural strength of BTRC under freeze–thaw cycles, and the difference in calculating results is less than 12% of the experimental results. The SEM images are shown that as the number of freeze–thaw cycles increased, the gap between the bonding surface was widened, which also well explains the degradation of bonding performance between fiber bundles and concrete matrix. And the normalized strength degradation law satisfies the function relation well.

Uniaxial tensile constitutive relations of basalt textile-reinforced concrete with different grid sizes

Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is a widely used cement-based composite material reinforced with textile that can be utilized effectively in the construction of thin and lightweight structures. However, its mechanical properties are greatly affected by changes in grid size. In this research, four groups of 48 specimens with different grid sizes are subjected to uniaxial tensile tests on basalt TRC (BTRC) sheets to study the effect of grid size on the tensile performance of BTRC and analyze the failure modes of BTRC sheets at macro- and meso-scales. The Aveston–Cooper–Kelly (ACK) model and finite element simulation are combined to verify the applicability of the ACK model to the stress–strain constitutive relationship equation in the pre-fracture stage of the BTRC sheet underuniaxial tensile test. With the triple linear model, the bond–slip constitutive equation of the whole process of the uniaxial tensile test on the BTRC sheets is deduced. Results show that the BTRC sheets exhibit obvious strain-hardening characteristics under tensile load. The failure mode of the BTRC sheets is typical debonding failure, and the smaller the grid size is, the more microcracks are developed by a single crack. The basalt textile cannot significantly improve the cracking strength of the concrete matrix, but it can effectively increase the ultimate tensile strength of the component. A small grid size equates to good tensile strength and bonding behavior and therefore endows the material enhanced ductility. The bond–slip constitutive equation for the whole process of uniaxial stretching of BTRC sheets is established, and the ACK and triple linear models show good applicability to the solution of the constitutive relationship of the BTRC sheets’ uniaxial tension.

Tensile Behavior of Basalt Textile Reinforced Concrete: Effect of Test Setups and Textile Ratios.

The clevis-grip tensile test is usually employed to evaluate the mechanical properties of textile reinforced concrete (TRC) composites, which is actually a bond test and is unsuitable for determining reliable design parameters. Thus, the clevis-grip tensile test needs further improvement to obtain foreseeable results concerning TRC tensile behavior. This paper presents the experimental results of twenty-one tension tests performed on basalt TRC (BTRC) thin plates with different test setups, i.e., clevis-grip and improved clevis-grip, and with different textile ratios. The influences of test setups and textile ratios on crack patterns, failure mode, and tensile stress-strain curves with characteristic parameters were analyzed in depth to judge the feasibility of the new test setup. The results indicated that with the new test setup, BTRC composites exhibited textile rupture at failure; in addition, multi-cracks occurred to the BTRC composites as the textile ratio exceeded 1.44%. In this case, the obtained results relied on textile properties, which can be considered reliable for design purposes. The modified ACK model with a textile utilization rate of 50% provided accurate predictions for the tensile stress-strain behavior of the BTRC composite derived from the improved test setup. The proposed test setup enables the adequate utilization of BTRC composite and the reliability of obtained results related to the occurrence of textile rupture; nevertheless, further work is required to better understand the key parameters affecting the textile utilization rate, such as the strength of the concrete matrix.

Influences of surface treatment on the mechanical performances of carbon and basalt textiles-reinforced concretes under harsh environments

The exposure to elevated temperatures and alkaline concrete pore solution can deteriorate the polymer coating in textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) and degrade its mechanical performance. To address this concern, this study experimentally investigated the influence of surface treatments on the elevated temperature resistance of carbon textile-reinforced concrete (CTRC) and basalt textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) and durability performance in the marine environment. Three types of surface treatments, including epoxy impregnation, immersion in nano-silica suspension, and combined treatment with the silane coupling agent and nano-silica, were utilized to enhance the elevated temperature resistance and durability properties of CTRC and BTRC. The flexural strength results revealed that the modification effect of nano-silica immersion on the interfacial bonding of CTRC was greater than that of the BTRC, and the improvement can be further enhanced by using the silane coupling agent. In addition, the in-situ three-point flexural tests of CTRC and BTRC specimens were conducted under elevated temperature conditions to examine their elevated temperature resistance. It was found that exposure to elevated temperature decreases flexural performances such as first cracking strength, flexural strength, and flexural toughness of CTRC and BTRC. The elevated temperature resistance of nano-silica-treated specimens is higher than those treated with epoxy impregnation. Furthermore, the treatment with nano-silica increases the aging resistance of both CTRC and BTRC specimens in the simulated marine environment. The research outcomes can serve as a solid base for applying TRC materials in the harsh marine environment.

Acoustic Emission Characteristics and Failure Patterns of Basalt Fiber and Basalt Textile Reinforced Concrete under Flexural Load

ABSTRACT The effects of fiber structure and curing period on the flexural properties of basalt fibers reinforced fine-grained concrete were investigated in this paper. The damage and fracture processes of composites were monitored using acoustic emission technology. The flexural behavior of composites in terms of load-displacement curves, ultimate flexural load, and toughness was studied. The damage and fracture patterns of composites were described using acoustic emission parameters such as ringing count, amplitude, and accumulative energy. In the middle and late periods, basalt textiles outperformed basalt fibers in terms of improving the flexural load of fine-grained concrete. The flexural load improved at first and then decreased as the amount of basalt fibers increased, while the flexural load continued to improve as the amount of basalt textiles increased. Compared with basalt fibers reinforced fine-grained concrete, the flexural load of basalt textiles reinforced fine-grained concrete with 28 days curing period increased by 13.40%, −2.13%, and 75.96%, respectively. In terms of acoustic emission, the basalt textiles reinforced fine-grained concrete released more energy, the intensity and frequency of the acoustic emission signal were higher, and the cumulative ringing count was also greater. The basalt textiles reinforced fine-grained concrete exhibited greater flexural deflection and ductility.

Uniaxial Tensile Constitutive Relations of Basalt Textile-Reinforced Concrete with Different Grid Sizes

Uniaxial Tensile Constitutive Relations of Basalt Textile-Reinforced Concrete with Different Grid Sizes

Investigation on Interfacial Behavior of Modified Basalt Textile Reinforced Concrete Using Acoustic Emission Technique

ABSTRACT The tetrahedral structure of the basalt fabric is damaged when it is corroded by hydroxide ions, which greatly limits its application in the field of construction engineering as a result of the concrete matrix present in a strongly alkaline environment (pH >12.5). In this investigation, the alkali-resistant basalt fabric was successfully assembled by structuring mussel-inspired polydopamine (PDA) and zirconia (ZrO2) coatings on fabric surfaces. SEM, SWCA, XRD, FI-IR, RS, and XPS were used to analyze them. The mechanical properties of the different basalt fiber bundles accelerated aging in sodium hydroxide solution were tested. The interfacial behavior between basalt fiber bundles before and after modification and concrete matrix was studied by the acoustic emission (AE) technique. The results illustrated that dense PDA and ZrO2 coatings were dropped onto the surface of the basalt fabric. After being corroded by alkali solution, the final strength retention ratio of modified fabrics was superior to the original basalt fabric. Load–displacement curves of interfacial behavior could be well correlated with AE data in different loading stages of damage initiation, evolution and propagation. A five-stage linear local bond-slip model was proposed to describe the interfacial process between a basalt fiber bundle and concrete.

Mechanical behavior of masonry columns strengthened with basalt textile reinforced concrete under eccentric loading: Experimental investigation and analytical modelling

The mechanical behavior of masonry columns confined with basalt textile reinforced concrete (BTRC) under eccentric compression was investigated. The main objects of this research include: i) the effects of load eccentricity and confinement ratio on the failure modes of masonry columns; ii) the confinement effectiveness of BTRC on columns involving increases in peak load and ductility; iii) confinement mechanism of BTRC jackets under eccentric loading, i.e., how the confinement was activated; iv) the theoretical predictions of mechanical behavior of masonry columns through an analytical procedure. A total of 20 masonry columns with or without confinement of BTRC jackets were eccentrically loaded and two parameters were varied, i.e., confinement ratio, ρf, and eccentricity-to-section height ratio, e/h. The experimental results were discussed and analyzed in terms of failure modes, load-axial deformation response, load-lateral deflection response and load-strains curves of BTRC jackets. A nonlinear second order iterative procedure was developed to predict mechanical behavior of eccentrically loaded masonry columns, in which the variation of eccentricity along the entire height induced by lateral deformations could be considered. Finally, the theoretical predictions were compared with experimental results to evaluate the findings herein.

Analogy of novel TRC crash barriers with RC crash barrier under impact load

The most popular crash barriers made so far are made up of steel-reinforced concrete (RC), which has high flexural rigidity but poor energy absorption. Consequently, when a vehicle collides with such crash barrier, the vehicle is seriously damaged and occupants may be fatally injured due to the severe impact of the collision. Hence, in order to enhance the safety of road users, a pre-fabricated textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) crash barrier prototype is developed using glass and basalt textile as reinforcement. The experimental investigations are carried out on both glass and basalt TRC crash barrier at the laboratory level under impact load to study the level of impact and deceleration rate. The performance of TRC crash barriers are also compared with RC crash barriers of equivalent calibrated reinforcement ratio. The lesser impact force and the lower rate of deceleration and higher energy absorption characteristics were experienced during the impact test for TRC crash barriers when compared to that of conventional RC barrier. Present study indicates that the application of TRC in crash barriers can improve the safety of the occupants and reduces damages to the impacting vehicles.

Experimental study and analytical modeling on tensile performance of basalt textile reinforced concrete

This study investigates the influence of textile layers on the uniaxial tensile performance of the basalt textile reinforced concretes (BTRCs). The tensile tests were conducted on BTRCs reinforced by three, four and six numbers of basalt textile layers. It was found that the textile reinforcement would enhance the tensile strength, ultimate strain, and total energy absorption of the BTRCs, but also reduced the first crack stress and strain of the cement matrix. Meanwhile, the formation of lateral cracks, debonding and textile pull-out phenomenon can be observed by Digital Image Correlation (DIC) and Scanning Electronic Microscopy (SEM), respectively. The predicted stress–strain relationships by the ACK model are higher and lower than that obtained from the CEB model in the pre- and post-cracking ranges, respectively. Moreover, The Aveston-Cooper-Kelly (ACK) and Comite Euro-International Du Betom (CEB) analytical models were used to predict the tensile stress–strain behaviors in BTRCs. The experimentally measured stress–strain relationships for BTRC can be almost enveloped in the area bordered by the CEB and ACK predicted curves.

Effects of Loading Rate and Temperature on Pullout Response of Basalt Textile–Reinforced Concrete

AbstractThe pullout response of basalt textile embedded in cementitious matrix specimens was investigated under different loading rates and temperatures. Two types of specimens, basalt single yarn ...

Flexural Performance of Basalt Textile-Reinforced Concrete with Pretension and Short Fibers

AbstractThe flexural behavior of basalt textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) with and without pretension and with one of two types of short fibers was investigated using an instrumental four-point be...

Effect of eccentricity on retrofitting efficiency of basalt textile reinforced concrete on partially damaged masonry columns

Retrofitting of damaged and/or ancient masonry structures is of significant importance to increase their structural safety. In this study, a retrofitting technique of basalt-textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) was used to repair partially damaged rectangle masonry columns, and the repairing efficiency was assessed by different parameters. Compression tests with different eccentricities were conducted to explore the mechanical behaviors of initial and BTRC retrofitted masonry columns. The data in terms of crack patterns, load-displacement curves, peak load, ductility and longitudinal strains were analyzed and discussed in depth. Results show that BTRC retrofits can substantially improve the load carrying capacity and ductility of the partially damaged masonry columns under different eccentric loads that display different damage characteristics. The uniaxial constitutive (NTR-PP, NTR-PB and Sargin) models of masonry predict a relatively safe bearing capacity of BTRC-confined columns under eccentric loadings. This BTRC retrofitting technique with the features of cheap, easy-to-construct, long durability and environmental friendliness shows promising potentials in engineering applications. The findings of this study provide an effective way for repairing ancient and/or damaged masonry structures with BTRC.

Effects of short fiber and pre-tension on the tensile behavior of basalt textile reinforced concrete

Tensile behaviors of basalt textile-reinforced concrete (BTRC) with five layers of textile and different volume contents of short carbon, glass, and steel fibers (0.5 vol%, 1.0 vol%, and 1.5 vol% for carbon and steel fibers and 0.5 vol% for glass fiber) are investigated under uniaxial tensile loading by using an MTS load frame. Pre-tensioned BTRC with 0.5 vol% of short carbon and steel fibers is also tested. The reinforcing mechanisms of different short fibers and pre-tension conditions are illustrated, and digital image correlation analysis is performed to obtain full-field strain and crack distribution. First crack stress, ultimate load, and toughness are significantly improved by short fibers and pre-tension. The improving trend differs with the increase in volume fractions of various short fibers. Short glass, steel fibers, and pre-tension can increase crack numbers with reduced crack spacing and width, whereas short carbon fiber exerts no obvious effect. In addition, the shape of cracks changes from linear pattern to curved form due to the addition of short fibers. The critical crack widens quickly, whereas other non-critical cracks diminish when the strain level goes beyond the ultimate strain. On the basis of the Aveton–Cooper–Kelly model, the relationship of the normalized effective factor and interfacial frictional shear stress is derived.