Textile reinforced concrete composites for existing structures: Performance optimization via mechanical characterization

Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC), also known in Italy as Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix (FRCM) composite, represents a promising reinforcement solution for the upgrading and the restoring of the load carrying capacity of structural elements unable to meet the requirements imposed by recent technical regulations with respect to seismic actions. The research is focused on the investigation of the mechanical properties of FRCM composites at different scales of analysis; both mechanical characterization of the composite systems (fabric, matrix and dispersed short fibers) and meso-scale tests focussing on the interface bond-slip behaviour are presented in this paper.