Understanding the influence of externally bonded TRC on the cracking behaviour of a plain concrete beam

In the last decennia there is an increasing interest in the use of external reinforcement for concrete structures made of both Fibre Reinforced Polymers (FRP) and Textile Reinforced Cementitious composites (TRC). Especially for TRC, one of the main applications could be the crack control within the concrete substrate. Despite numerous studies in this field, the influence of an external TRC layer on the cracking behaviour of the concrete substrate is not yet known. In order to study the basic principles of this interaction, externally reinforced plain concrete beams are experimentally analysed in this paper. More in particular, the influence of the pre-treatment type of the concrete surface is studied, together with the influence of the contact width between the TRC and the concrete. Finally, also a validation of the TRC versus the more established CFRP technique will be performed. The experimental results indicate the need for a pre-treatment of the concrete substrate prior to the application of the TRC, although the exact pre-treatment type has no influence. Additionally, the beneficial influence of enlarging the contact width between the TRC and the concrete substrate on the loadbearing capacity as well as on the crack width are illustrated. These observations in this paper confirm the applicability of a TRC for crack control of the concrete substrate and provide a deeper insight in the basic mechanisms controlling this cracking behaviour.

ISBN:978-2-35158-200-8

Jaar van publicatie:2017

Trefwoorden:external reinforcement, TRC, cracking behaviour, bending

Toegankelijkheid:Open