Mechanics of natural curauá textile-reinforced concrete

Abstract

In the present work, textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) specimens were produced using high-performance natural curauá unidirectional fabrics as reinforcement. Portland cement was partially replaced by pozzolanic materials to produce a matrix with low calcium hydroxide content. Composites with different numbers of layers and thicknesses were produced. Their mechanical behaviour was evaluated through tensile testing. Crack formation was investigated using an image capture procedure and a digital image correlation (DIC) methodology. From the DIC analysis, it was possible to provide an estimate of the number of cracks, the mean crack spacing and width during the tensile tests. The curauá textile was shown to be a promising reinforcement, resulting in a composite with multiple cracking formation and strain-hardening behaviour. This newly developed composite showed similar mechanical behaviour to that of man-made fibre-reinforced composites. Combined with its low cost and sustainability characteristics, the curauá TRC may represent a good alternative to conventional construction materials.