Combining microfibres and 3D textiles in cement composites: towards an optimal casting process

Concrete is the most-used manmade material in the world, but its huge environmental impact and limited durability properties form significant challenges. Textile Reinforced Cementitious (TRC) composites provide a possible solution by reinforcing cementitious elements with fibre textiles instead of the traditional steel reinforcement. This reduces the required cover thickness and hence the amount of required cement. However, wide cracks still form and should be properly repaired. In the presented research, continuous 3D textiles are combined with short microfibres to design a novel material with self-healing features, reducing the need for repair. The use of 3D textiles as reinforcement has demonstrated a superior flexural behaviour in comparison to the traditionally used 2D textiles. The short microfibres, in turn, positively affect the width of the cracks in the cementitious matrix, allowing for narrower cracks that can be healed through the self-healing feature inherent to cementitious material. In this research, the interaction of the short fibres, mixed in the cementitious matrix, with the 3D textiles is investigated with the aim to reach an optimal manufacturing method. The mixture is optimised in terms of fibre type (PP/PVA), length (6 mm/8 mm) and content (between 0.3 – 1.5 v%) to achieve a workable cementitious matrix that allows for penetration of the 3D textiles and an even fibre distribution.