UNIVERSITY OF PATRAS SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF CIVIL ENGINEERING SECTOR A: DIVISION OF STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

STRUCTURAL MATERIALS LABORATORY

“EXPERIMENTAL INVESTIGATION OF ONE-WAY COMPOSITE RC/TRC SLABS UNDER

FLEXURE”

DIPLOMA THESIS

Co-executed by

THANOPOULOS CHARALAMPOS

KORDAS DIMITRIOS

SUPERVISOR

Assigned

Assistant Professor Catherine Papanicolaou

MARCH 2011

PATRAS, GREECE

Preface

The purpose of the present “diploma thesis” is the experimental investigation of one-way composite composite slabs of Reinforced Concrete (RC) and Textile Reinforce Concrete (TRC) under flexure in one dimension. The graduation project was implemented in the Structural Materials Laboratory, during the academic year 2009-2010, within the division of structural engineering. Dr. Catherine Papanicolaou remained our supervisor during this year and we would like to truly thank her for the ongoing practical and theoretical help, also for her crucial recommendations and her actual interest in making successful and creative this highly demanding project. Moreover, we feel really grateful and committed to the Doctoral candidate, Ioanni Papantoniou who constantly guided and advised us in the experimental part of this research project as well as in the documentation effort to produce a solid proposal in the field of investigation of RC elements cast in permanent TRM formworks. It would a serious failure, if we hadn’t thanked in this point Mr. Kyriako Karlo; the main responsible operator and controller of the SMLab1 machinery and equipment for his help in the use and installation the mechanical tools used. In the end, we need to recognize the support with their ideas and on-site help of the following colleagues, Mr. Lampro Kouta (MSc Candidate) and two undergraduate students; Mr. Chari Gata and Mr. Niko Anagnostou (M.Eng Candidates).

Kordas Dimitrios Thanopoulos Charalampos

Patras, March 2011

1 http://www.sml.civil.upatras.gr/staff_en.html

SUMMARY

The purpose of this Diploma thesis is the investigation of the effectiveness of remaining

forms (molds) constructed by Textile Reinforced Concrete materials (TRC), used as tensile

reinforcing elements in the production process of steel-concrete composite structures.

The 2-D textiles which are used in TRC structural method are new, synthetic materials and

constitute a great challenge in the field of structural engineering. The preparation of the

research required a dedicated effort for the deeper knowledge and application of these

modern techniques and technologies in composite materials. In order to achieve this goal,

two molds were casted in cementitious matrices. The first element was a simple TRC form

and the second one, an one-way TRC slab, being constructed by a fine-graded cement and

glass fiber textiles.

In the first chapter, there is a brief presentation of the properties of the most widespread

construction materials, steel and concrete. There is also an analytical comparison between

the new generation composite materials (RC, FRP, and TRC) and an extended presentation of

precast permanent forms, as external reinforcing elements.

In chapter two a general survey of all fiber types, used in TRC method, and their properties is

given. There are references also, about the yarns and the textiles, according to their type

and shape. Finally it is mentioned the texture and the mechanical properties of matrices,

and presented the production methods of TRC materials.

The third chapter deals with several and different applications of TRC elements used both in

research and real scale.

The experimental procedure is described in the fourth chapter. The production process of

the two composite forms is presented step by step, until the final experiment, a 4-point

bending test.

Concluding, the fifth chapter presents the results of the experiments, analyzes and

demonstrates through diagrams the flexural behavior of the tested TRC slabs.

In general, the application of composite TRC material has significant contribute to the

growth of ultimate load, strengthening the structural durability of the remaining forms.

Current research has shown that this new technique provides modern civil engineers with

the opportunity to build up especially lightweight structures, optimizing the time-cost

relationship and facilitating the work of the technical staff involved. Considering the

development of this innovative method, it’s quite sure that it will play a crucial role in

structural engineering, replacing the typical structural form systems in the near future.