Flexural Strengthening of RC Beams with Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM)

Abstract

In an effort to strengthen the flexural behaviour of reinforced concrete beams, this study tested how well various textile layers and fibre types including basalt and AR-glass fibers performed when used as mortar reinforcement (TRM). In total, four RC beams were cast and put to the test with two-point bending simply supported. Using externally bonded textile reinforced cement with two different types of textile fibres and unique textile layers, the remaining four beams were strengthened. As control beams, two beams without TRM layers were used. A 500kN capacity hydraulic jack is used to progressively introduce the load, and an I-section steel spreader is then used to distribute it to the beam specimen. It was found that in terms of first fracture stress, ultimate strength, flexibility, and reduced crack breadth, the beams reinforced with AR Glass textile layers significantly outperformed the control beams. For all strengthened beams, the overall improvement in flexural capacity brought about by TRM strengthening ranged from 22.72% to 27.27%. The Glass TRM with six layers of textile reinforcement showed better bending strength than Control beam, which was more flexible.