The potential of textile reinforced concrete for design of innovative structures

Textile Reinforced Concrete (TRC) is a recent evolution of ordinary reinforced concrete. This relatively new construction material replaces steel reinforcement with high-strength, non-corrosive textile fabrics in order to reduce cover requirements to minimum static values. This allows to cast thin and durable members with a thickness of 10 – 20 mm. To encourage the use in practice of TRC, several researches are focussing on its material and structural response. Within this frame, a number of prototypes have been built to explore the potential application of TRC. In the present research, the material and structural response of TRC are investigated as well as its application on full-scale elements. In this paper, the main results of this investigation are shown to highlight the potential of this material.