Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) is an advanced cement-based material in which fabrics used as reinforcement can bring significant loads in tension, allowing architects and engineers to use thin cross-sections. Previous research projects, developed during the last 10 years mainly in Germany, Israel and the USA, have shown the capabilities of such a material. In this paper an extensive experimental investigation of TRC is presented: tensile tests were carried out to obtain a complete mechanical characterization of the composite material under standard conditions, considering the influence of different variables such as reinforcement ratio, fabric geometry, curing conditions, displacement rate and specimen size

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is a promising high-performance material that has been employed with success in new constructions, as well as a strengthening layer of existing structural components. In this work, we document the optimisation procedure of textile-based composites for new construction and for the seismic retrofitting of under-reinforced concrete elements and masonry buildings. The study, aimed at maximising the material performances avoiding waste of economic resources, was addressed by means of a series of uniaxial tensile tests conducted on a wide set of alkali-resistant (AR) glass fabrics and TRCs. The samples differed in terms of cement-based matrices, embedded textiles and addition of dispersed microfibers. The results highlight the effects of fabric characteristics and introduction of short fibres on the mechanical behaviour, proposing novel comparison parameters based upon the load bearing capacity and the deformation response of the composites. The application of simplified analytical models borrowed from the literature finally revealed the limitations of the available predictive approaches, suggesting future lines of investigation.

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Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) is an advanced cement-based material in which fabrics used as reinforcement can bring significant loads in tension, allowing architects and engineers to use thin crosssections. Previous research projects, developed during the last 10 years mainly in Germany, Israel and the USA, have shown the capabilities of such a material. In this paper an extensive experimental investigation of TRC is presented: tensile tests were carried out to obtain a complete mechanical characterization of the composite material under standard conditions, considering the influence of different variables such as reinforcement ratio, fabric geometry, curing conditions, displacement rate and specimen size.

Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) is a composite made by fine grained matrix and glass fabric reinforcement. The main advantages of this material are the reinforcement orientation in the tensile stress direction, no concrete cover requirement against corrosion and the capability to produce thin and light weight elements. Special attention was given by researchers to the time dependent loss in strength of AR-glass reinforcement embedded in a cement based matrix. Some research has shown durability models to calculate the amount to the strength loss related to material, humidity and temperature. Nevertheless, the behaviour of TRM when exposed to high temperature requires further investigations. A suitable experimental programme was planned to investigate the behaviour of TRM when exposed to high temperatures. Uniaxial tensile tests were performed after thermal cycle on 400 mm x 70 mm specimens 6 mm thick, reinforced with 2 layer of AR-glass fabric. Several thermal thresholds (20, 200, 400 and 600°C) were considered for the mechanical characterization in fire condition. Thermal cycles were performed in an oven using a heating rate of 30°C/h up to the maximum temperature and by a cooling branch at 15°C/h after a stabilization phase at the maximum temperature.