Current and Future Trends in Textiles for Concrete Construction Applications

Textiles, vol. 3, pp. 408–437

Abstract

Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) is a composite material consisting of a concrete matrix with a high-performance reinforcement made of technical textiles. TRC offers unique mechanical properties for the construction industry, enabling the construction of lightweight, material-minimized structures with high load-bearing potential. In addition, compared with traditional concrete design, TRC offers unique possibilities to realize free-form, double-curved structures. After more than 20 years of research, TRC is increasingly entering the market, with several demonstrator elements and buildings completed and initial commercialization successfully finished. Nevertheless, research into this highly topical area is still ongoing. In this paper, the authors give an overview of the current and future trends in the research and application of textiles in concrete construction applications. These trends include topics such as maximizing the textile utilization rate by improving the mechanical load-bearing performance (e.g., by adapting bond behavior), increasing design freedom by utilizing novel manufacturing methods (e.g., based on robotics), adding further value to textile reinforcements by the integration of additional functions in smart textile solutions (e.g., in textile sensors), and research into increasing the sustainability of TRC (e.g., using recycled fibers).

Authors 9

1. Martin Scheurer corresponding Aachen Institut für Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany

2. Danny Friese

   Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany

3. Paul Penzel

   Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany

4. Gözdem Dittel Aachen Institut für Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany

5. Vanessa Overhage Aachen Institut für Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany

6. Lars Hahn

   Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany

7. Kira Heins Aachen Institut für Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany

8. Chokri Cherif

   Technische Universität Dresden

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology, TUD Dresden University of Technology, 01062 Dresden, Germany

9. Thomas Gries Aachen Institut für Textiltechnik

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institut für Textiltechnik, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany