Cyclic behaviour of textile-reinforced cementitious matrix composites (TRC) using distributed fibre optic sensors technology

This paper presents an experimental study on the local and global mechanical behaviours of textile-reinforced cementitious matrix composites (TRCs) subjected to cyclic loading. Two configurations are tested: TRCs with one and two layers. These composites were tested under three different loading modes: monotonic loading until failure, cyclic loading in the pre-cracking stage, and cyclic loading in the crack propagation stage with 3000 cycles. The cyclic loading was followed by a residual tensile test until failure. The TRCs were equipped with distributed fibre optic sensors placed at the core of the specimens. These sensors enable the study of local internal behaviour at the textile/matrix interface and help deduce the evolution of the micro-mechanical parameters of the TRC, such as the load transfer, shear stress and contact mode at the textile/matrix interface. Moreover, the digital image correlation technique is used to assess the evolution of the crack widths for the tested TRCs.

Automated summary

This paper presents an experimental study on the local and global mechanical behaviors of textile-reinforced cementitious matrix composites (TRCs) under cyclic loading, testing two configurations and three loading modes. Fiber optic sensors were used to study local behavior at the textile/matrix interface, while digital image correlation technique assessed crack width evolution.