Textile reinforced concrete is a high-performance composite material which consists of a mineral matrix and embedded textile reinforcement. The material and energy balance over the complete value chain defines textile reinforced concrete as a very sustainable material. For some years the medium-sized building industry had been showing interest to use the composite material for new products and to develop procedures and services related to the new material.
Up to now, Textile Concrete could only be used successfully where thermal stresses did not play a role. Whilst the characteristics of the textile reinforced concrete are well researched under normal temperatures, there is only little knowledge about its behaviour under semi-thermal (60 - 80 °C) and high temperature (up to 800 °C) stress. The research project had the primary aim to deliver a practice-oriented contribution to the material appropriate dimensioning and design of textile reinforced concrete constructions and to remove the described usage restrictions in the semi-thermal and high temperature area so that new fields of application can be opened up.
The research project thermo.tex included an engineering description of the mechanical behaviour and the behaviour concerning building physics in the semi-thermal and high temperature field. Especially the fine-grained concrete matrix, the textile reinforcement including its coating and the bond of all components were observed. Another key issue was the development of data bases under the special consideration of temperature-dependent material parameters for the usage in standardisation, approval and planning. The project understood itself as a part of the current transition of the high-performance textile reinforced concrete into the industrial practice. By creating foundations for the full usage of the performance capacity of that material, its fields of application are extended clearly.
