Improvement of Serviceability and Strength of Textile-Reinforced Concrete Elements with Short Fiber Mixes

Nowadays, thin-walled load bearing structures can be realized using textile-reinforced concrete (Brameshuber and RILEM TC 201-TRC, 2006). The required tensile strength is achieved by embedding several layers of textile. By means of the laminating technique the number of textile layers that can be included into the concrete could be increased. To further increase the first crack strength and the ductility and to optimize the crack development, fine-grained concrete mixtures with short fibers can be used. By simultaneously using different types of short fibers, the positive properties of each fiber may be combined. By a schematic stress-strain curve, the demands on short-fiber mixtures are defined. Within the scope of this study, short fibers made of glass, carbon, aramid, and polyvinyl alcohol are investigated in terms of their ability to fit these requirements. Furthermore, examinations to determine the fiber types and fiber volumes are presented. Finally, two hybrid fiber-reinforced concretes are introduced. On the basis of stress-strain curves of textile-reinforced concrete, the advantages of these fiber mixtures are discussed.