On increasing the crack resistance of reinforced concrete structures by introducing fiberglass nets into the protective layer of concrete

Abstract

Under operating conditions, the protective layer of concrete undergoes significant internal and external influences that lead to the formation of cracks. To increase the reliability and durability of reinforced concrete structures, it is proposed to install fiberglass nets in the protective layer of concrete, which is most susceptible to various aggressive influences during the operation of structures. The purpose of this work was to study the effect of fiberglass nets on increasing the crack resistance of the protective layer of concrete. The forces in the stretched concrete and in the rods of the fiberglass mesh located in the protective layer of concrete are calculated theoretically and using the software package «LIRA-CAD 2016» for a strip of concrete reinforced with a fiberglass mesh. The relative movements of the nodes in concrete and in the grid are determined and the obtained values are compared. As a result of the study, it was found that with a short-term effect of the load, fiberglass nets in the protective layer of concrete do not significantly affect the formation of cracks, with a long-term effect of the load, the presence of fiberglass nets reduces the formation of cracks by up to 2%. After the formation of microcracks in concrete, including from shrinkage deformations, fiberglass nets significantly hinder their further development.