Testing Procedures for the Uniaxial Tensile Characterization of Fabric-Reinforced Cementitious Matrix Composites

Abstract

Fabric-reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) composites made of dry-fiber fabric embedded in an inorganic matrix are advanced cement-based materials designed for retrofitting masonry or concrete structures. Characterization of the tensile behavior of FRCM composites provides the parameters needed for the design of the structural reinforcement and has given rise to numerous research studies on the aspects that influence its mechanical properties. To obtain the tensile behavior characteristics of this composite under different boundary conditions, two test setups were investigated. A clevis grip (pin action) was used to reproduce field boundary conditions from typical installation and to obtain design parameters. A clamping grip was used to obtain a complete characterization of the composite by inducing a tensile failure of each constituent material. Several FRCM systems made with different fabrics were used for the investigation: polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), carbon (C), and glass (G), plus carbon and glass with a special protective coating. This paper offers a critical analysis of the experimental results and provides recommendations for the tensile characterization of FRCM materials

Effect of the Fiber Type and Axial Stiffness of FRCM on the Flexural Strengthening of RC Beams

“…A very important and comprehensive research was performed by Arboleda et al [9] to evaluate the tensile behavior and properties of FRCM composites. The characterization was done under two different boundary conditions, clevis and clamping grips.…”

Fibre-Based Sectional Analysis of Urm Walls With Single-Side FRCM Strengthening

“…The model parameters for the URM constitutive material model were retrieved from the uniaxial compressive tests conducted by the same author [10]. On the other side, FRCM material properties were determined on the basis of available experimental tests on PBO fibers and PBO based FRCM systems [17][18][19].…”

“…The details of this constitutive model can be found in [15] while a representative behavior is reported in Figure 2a where the stress-strain values are normalized with respect to the peak values p and p (dimensionless compression and traction to peak). The constitutive behavior of FRCM material herein proposed is based on mechanical evidences derived from experimental campaigns conducted on different FRCM systems [17][18][19]. A representative behavior is showed in Figure 2b in terms of normalized force, f/fu, vs normalized strain / fu, where fu and fu are the ultimate force and strain at failure of the reinforcing fibers only (or, more in general, of the reinforcing grid embedded in the FRCM system).…”

Tensile characterization of multi‐ply fabric‐reinforced cementitious matrix strengthening systems

“…Consequently, a significant amount of research was devoted in the past few years on the subject of FRCM tensile characterization . In these studies, various types of FRCM fabric were investigated such as carbon, polyparaphenylene benzobisoxazole (PBO), glass, basalt, aramid, steel, and less often, natural/vegetal fabric . Two test methods were commonly considered in the FRCM tensile characterization, namely, clevis‐grip mechanism (i.e., pin action, recommended by AC 434) and clamping‐grip mechanism (recommended by RILEM TC 232‐TDT).…”

“…(a) Clevis‐grip Vs; (b) clamping‐grip mechanism for fabric reinforced cementitious matrix tensile testing …”