Project N.5

Title:

Innovative mix design and

strengthening of concrete

with AAM-TRM

Objectives

Development of a TRM system combining AAM optimized mortar with technical textiles, to strengthen existing concrete elements. The aim of this ESR project is to generate a fundamental understanding of the material properties of AAM-TRM and the structural behaviour of concrete members strengthened with AAM-TRM. Research objectives are:

1)	To perform a literature study and get acquainted with the subject matter of AAM mortar and TRM systems, probabilistic design of repair interventions and service life assessment.
2)	To optimize the mix design in collaboration with ESRs 4 and 6, and to characterize the material behaviour.
3)	To perform ‘tension stiffening’ tests no concrete prisms to study the crack development.
4)	To perform large-scale experiments on quasi-static loaded RC beams strengthened with AAM-TRM in flexure, RC beams strengthening in shear, confined RC columns axially loaded in compression.
5)	Develop analytical and numerical models to describe the structural behaviour (prediction of failure modes, strength and deformation capacity) of elements tested as above.
6)	To study the service life assessment, in collaboration with ESR12.

Validate the models with test data and use them to perform parametric studies and to develop design guidelines.

Expected Results

ESR5 will develop an optimized AAM mortar and AAM-TRM system (in collaboration with ESR1,3,5) and will verify experimentally and analytically/numerically the structural behaviour of RC members strengthened in flexure, shear or confined with AAM-TRM. This will enable to adapt design provisions for externally applied reinforcement through AAM-TRM.