Degradation mechanisms in pavement layers made of textile reinforced concrete under combined mechanical and hygric loads

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Iurie Curosu
• Subject Area: Construction Material Sciences, Chemistry, Building Physics
• Term: since 2025
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 568512076

In addition to its high mechanical performance and non-corrosive reinforcement, textile reinforced concrete is characterized by a pronounced crack control under tensile deformations and represents a possible solution for the construction and repair of highly loaded or damaged pavement surfaces. The thin overlays made of textile reinforced concrete do not require complete removal of the existing concrete layer and can also guarantee a sealing function by minimizing the crack width through a purposeful material design. Compared to the established application scenarios for textile reinforced concrete, such as in the reinforcement or repair of structural elements, the specific service conditions of pavement overlays require the consideration of complex, multiaxial, quasi-static and dynamic loads in direct combination with hygric and thermal exposures. For their reliable design and service-life prediction, their performance and the corresponding degradation mechanisms under the combined effects of the substrate deformations as well as traffic and the environmental loads must be clarified. A particularly relevant load case consists of cyclic traffic loads in combination with in-plane tensile deformations. In view of the low concrete cover and close-meshed textile geometry, the overlapping of the microstructural damage from the out-of-plane loads and the in-plane tensile deformations can considerably accelerate the degradation mechanisms observed in textile reinforced concrete under one-dimensional loads. A possible and very unfavorable damage pattern for roadways consists of local or extensive delamination or concrete spalling along the reinforcement layers. Therefore, the material behavior of textile-reinforced concrete under traffic loads, long-term in-plane tensile loads and hygric exposure will be investigated in the planned project. Within the framework of a systematic experimental test program, the main influencing factors are to be determined, and the relevant degradation mechanisms are to be characterized in relation to different material variations, both mechanically and microstructurally. Finally, the behavior of such systems under the given conditions will be clarified and material and constructive design principles will be formulated.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants