Investigation of 3D TRC's by Means of Three Point Bending Tests on Short Beam Specimens

Textile reinforced cements (TRC), combining a cementitious matrix with fibre textiles, are a well-researched subject in literature. The material offers several advantages such as the design of low-weight, slender structures. However, one of the main drawbacks of this composite material is the time consuming manufacturing process using two dimensional fibre textiles. Three dimensional
fibre textile architectures offer a solution to this problem, while retaining the TRC advantages. Most 3D fibre textiles use distance holders to bridge two, or more textile layers at a certain distance from each other. The influence of this distance holder on the mechanical properties of the whole TRC remains relatively unstudied in literature and will be the research topic of this paper. This research
will present the results of three point bending experiments, performed on short TRC beams with a length to thickness ratio of approximately 4 to 1. A comparison is drawn between 3D TRC with fully operational 3D fibre textiles and 2D TRC with the same textile geometry and orientation, but without distance holders. A positive influence on the flexural response is witnessed for the 3D fibre textile, with an increased flexural stiffness up to 35%.