Material-minimised construction with extruded textile reinforced concrete

Abstract

The use of textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is particularly suitable for producing sustainable, material-minimised components, as it allows for a significant reduction in the amount of concrete cover required compared to steel reinforced concrete (SRC). Instead of steel, fibres made of glass, aramid or carbon are used as reinforcement, which are processed from rovings into textiles with a polymer or mineral impregnation. Among these, carbon reinforcements have the highest tensile strength and alkali resistance, making them the most durable in concrete and requiring less maintenance over time. An innovative approach is the production of TRC structures by means of extrusion, in which the stiff, fresh concrete is continuously pressed through a shaping mouthpiece, giving the product its final shape. Within the scope of the CRC/Transregio 280, a new mouthpiece was developed that enables the horizontal introduction of stiff, impregnated textiles. The carbon TRC produced in this process showed a textile stress of up to 4,000 MPa. Additionally, solutions are presented that allow the characterization of stiff, fresh concrete and technical limits for shaping fresh, extruded TRC elements. The potential of this new production method is illustrated through the example of a compound component made of extruded TRC elements.