The need for economical, sustainable, safe, and secure shelter is an inherent global problem and numerous challenges remain in order to produce environmentally friendly construction products which are structurally safe and durable. The use of sisal, a natural fiber with enhanced mechanical performance, as reinforcement in a cement based matrix has shown to be a promising opportunity. This work addresses the development and advances of strain hardening cement composites using sisal fiber as reinforcement. Sisal fibers were used as a fabric to reinforce a multi-layer cementitious composite with a low content of Portland cement. Monotonic direct tensile tests were performed in the composites. The crack spacing during tension was measured by image analysis and correlated to strain. Local and global deformation was addressed. To demonstrate the high performance of the developed composite in long term applications, its resistance to tensile fatigue cycles was investigated. The composites were subjected to tensile fatigue load with maximum stresses ranging from 4 to 9.6 MPa at a frequency of 2 Hz. The composites did not fatigue below a maximum fatigue level of 6 MPa up to 106 cycles. Monotonic tensile testing was performed for composites that survived 106 cycles to determine its residual strength.

In vielen technischen Anwendungen werden Faserverbundwerkstoffe mit Hochleistungsfasern aus Carbon und AR-Glas eingesetzt, die aufgrund ihrer physikalischen und chemischen Eigenschaften ein hohes Festigkeitspotential aufweisen. Damit eröffnen sich neue Anwendungsgebiete, z. B. als textile Bewehrungen für Betonbauteile. Die Garnmaterialien müssen hohe sicherheitstechnische Anforderungen erfüllen. Dazu gehören u. a. eine ausreichende Tragfähigkeit unter Dauerlastbeanspruchung und eine hohe Temperaturbeständigkeit im Brandfall. Zur Spezifizierung dieser Eigenschaften wurden experimentelle Untersuchungen durchgeführt, deren Ergebnisse nachfolgend vorgestellt werden. / Due to their strong mechanical and chemical properties, fiber composite materials composed of high performance carbon and AR-glass fibers lend themselves to many technical applications. Potentially new and innovative application fields should be considered, such as textile reinforcements for concrete components. The yarn materials must meet high technical and safety standards, specifically sufficient load-bearing capabilities under long-term conditions and acceptable strength at high temperatures should fire occur. Research was conducted to document these characteristics. The results are presented in this paper.

Cement penetrability is a key factor in multifilament cement composites. However, the modes of action and the concepts vary because of brittle and ductile fibers. In the case of brittle fibers such as glass, high penetrability of cement products in between the bundle filaments can lead to brittle composite behavior, and therefore addition in ductility is required. In order to have efficient bundle action and high bonding, fillers can be introduced in between the glass filaments, keeping the telescopic mode of failure but at the same time improving the bond and stress transfer within the filaments of the bundle, even at late ages, resulting in a ductile and high strength composite. On the other hand, ductile fibers such as polypropylene (PP), which also developing low bonding with the cement matrix, result in ductile cement composite but with relatively low strength. Therefore, in this case good penetrability of the cement in between the filaments of the bundle is essential in order to maximize the reinforcing efficiency of the bundle by improving bond. The penetrability of the matrix into a fabric structure and especially in between the bundle filaments made up the fabric is a result of fiber- matrix compatibility, which depends on: level of opening and spaces between the filaments, bundle surface properties including wetting and chemical affinity to the cement matrix, matrix viscosity, processing of the composite, and the nature of the fabric junctions and the resulting tightening effects of the bundle, i.e., influenced by the fabric structure itself.

The present study addresses an optimization strategy for maximizing the structural ductility of Fiber Reinforced Concrete (FRC) with long textile fibers. Due to material brittleness of both concrete and fiber in addition to complex interfacial behavior between above constituents the structural response of FRC is highly nonlinear. Consideration of this material nonlinearity including interface is mandatory to deal with this kind of composite. In the present contribution three kinds of optimization strategies based on a damage formulation are described. The performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by a series of numerical examples; it is verified that the ductility can be substantially improved.

Ziel der Arbeiten ist die Entwicklung von Verbindungsgeometrien für ebene, textilbewehrte Betonbauteile auf Basis der Klebtechnik. Zur Charakterisierung des Tragverhaltens geeigneter Verbindungen werden umfangreiche experimentelle Verbunduntersuchungen auf Garn- und Bauteilebene durchgeführt. Mit den so gestalteten Verbindungen mit nachträglichem Verguss lassen sich die Referenzlasten des ungestörten Bauteils erreichen, wobei eine weitere Optimierung der Klebung zur Gewährleistung einer vereinfachten Herstellbarkeit und eines reproduzierbaren Versagensverhaltens anzustreben ist.

An innovative strengthening technique is applied for the first time in this study to provide flexural strengthening in two-way reinforced concrete (RC) slabs supported on edge beams. The technique comprises external bonding of textiles on the tension face of RC slabs through the use of polymer-modified cement- based mortars. The textiles used in the experimental campaign comprised fabric meshes made of long stitch-bonded fibre rovings in two orthogonal directions. The specimens measured 2 x 2 m in plan and were supported on hinges at the corners. Three RC slabs strengthened by textile reinforced mortar (TRM) overlays and one control specimen were tested to failure. One specimen received one layer of carbon fibre textile, another one received two, whereas the third specimen was strengthened with three layers of glass fibre textile having the same axial rigidity (in both directions) with the single-layered carbon fibre textile. All specimens failed due to flexural punching. The load-carrying capacity of the strengthened slabs was increased by 26%, 53%, and 20% over that of the control specimen for slabs with one (carbon), two (carbon) and three (glass) textile layers, respectively. The strengthened slabs showed an increase in stiffness and energy absorption. The experimental results are compared with theoretical predictions based on existing models specifically developed for two-way slabs and the performance of the latter is evaluated. Based on the findings of this work the authors conclude that TRM overlays comprise a very promising solution for the strengthening of two-way RC slabs.

The effectiveness of a new structural material, namely textilereinforced mortar (TRM), was investigated experimentally in this study as a means of confining old-type reinforced concrete columns with limited capacity due to bar buckling or due to bond failure at lap splice regions. Comparisons with equal stiffness and strength fiber-reinforced polymer (FRP) jackets allow for the evaluation of the effectiveness of TRM versus FRP. Tests were carried out on full scale non-seismically detailed RC columns subjected to cyclic uniaxial flexure under constant axial load. Thirteen cantilever-type specimens with either continuous longitudinal reinforcement (smooth or deformed) or lap splicing of longitudinal bars at the floor level were constructed and tested. Experimental results indicated that TRM jacketing is quite effective as a means of increasing the cyclic deformation capacity of old-type RC columns with poor detailing, by delaying bar buckling and by preventing splitting bond failures in columns with lap spliced bars. Compared with their FRP counterparts, TRM jackets used in this study were found to be equally effective in terms of increasing both the strength and deformation capacity of the retrofitted columns. From the response of specimens tested in this study, it can be concluded that TRM jacketing is an extremely promising solution for the confinement of reinforced concrete columns, including poorly detailed ones with or without lap splices in seismic regions.

This study presents a conceptual design process for one-way reinforced concrete slabs cast over Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) Stay-in-Place (SiP) formwork elements, aiming at the minimization of the composite slab cost satisfying Ultimate Limit State (ULS) and Serviceability Limit State (SLS) design criteria. The thin-walled TRC element is considered to participate in the structural behaviour of the composite slab. This distinct function of the TRC element (as formwork and as a part of a composite element) distinguishes the design procedure into two States: a Temporary and a Permanent one. Design parameters such as the type of the textile reinforcement (material), the geometry of the TRC cross-section, the flexural strength of the fine-grained concrete in the TRC element and the compressive strength of the cast in-situ concrete are considered as the main optimization variables.

Die polymere Komponente in reaktiven Zement-in-Polymer (c/p) Dispersionen hat einen entscheidenden Einfluss auf die Bildung der Mikrostruktur von c/p beschichteten Rovings in Beton. Elektronenmikroskopische Untersuchungen zeigen für den gut wasserlöslichen Poly(vinylalkohol) Ca(OH)2- Ablagerungen an der Grenzfläche, während für das hydrophobe Poly(vinylacetat) ein Gefüge aus teilhydratisiertem Klinker gefunden wird. Durch eine zeitliche Verfolgung der Wasseraufnahme mittels kernmagnetischer Resonanzspektroskopie konnte dies auf Unterschiede im Quellungsverhalten als Resultat der unterschiedlichen chemischen Struktur und Reaktivität gegenüber Alkalien zurückgeführt werden.

Infolge des Herstellungsprozesses textiler Bewehrungen ergeben sich unterschiedliche Materialeigenschaften in den beiden Hauptrichtungen (Schuss und Kette). Diese Unterschiede entstehen durch verschiedene Einflussfaktoren, z. B. aus dem Verbundverhalten oder der Querschnittsform der Rovings. Um das Tragverhalten des anisotropen Verbundwerkstoffes Textilbeton experimentell untersuchen zu können, müssen mögliche Einflüsse aus dem Versuchsaubau möglichst gering gehalten werden, bzw. – falls unvermeidbar – in ihrer Wirkung qualitativ und quantitativ bestimmt und bei der Auswertung der Versuchsergebnisse berücksichtigt werden. Auf der Grundlage der durchgeführten umfangreichen experimentellen Untersuchungen wird eine qualitative Bewertung des Versuchsstandes sowie der verwendeten berührungslosen Messtechnik, der Nahbereichsphotogrammetrie, vorgenommen.