Engineering the Tensile Response of Glass Textile Reinforced Concrete for Thin Elements

Abstract

Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is a composite made with bi-directional non-metallic fabric embedded in a fine-grained cementitious matrix. When engineered appropriately, these composites can reduce material usage for the desired performance, resulting in slimmer sections and enhanced material efficiency, which in turn lowers the CO2 footprint. To facilitate the widespread application of TRC in practice, it is crucial to comprehend the material and structural behavior of these composites, which can pave the way toward an optimized design methodology. In this paper, the tensile response of TRC is studied with different textile geometries, volume fractions and matrix strengths. The influence of the coating impregnation on the effectiveness of the textile to enhance the response of the composite is discussed, with complementing evidence from microstructural observations. The results of tests with different textile configurations indicate a transition in the type of stress–strain response from tri-linear to bi-linear, beyond a certain effective volume fraction. The paper also presents a simplified model to predict the bi-linear response from the efficiency factor-based approach. The insights gained can assist in achieving composite designs with optimized sections and limited tensile stress cracking, ensuring the targeted performance in slender elements.