Effect of high temperature on textile reinforced Mortar-to-masonry bond

Abstract

One of the most important factors that define the effectiveness of Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) is their bond capacity to the substrate. This property may be compromised in case of exposure to high temperatures, although the information available on this topic is very limited at the moment. This paper analyzes the bond behavior on clay brick substrates of TRMs with carbon or glass textiles and different hydraulic lime mortar matrix. The effect of bond length and 3 levels of exposure temperature (20, 200 and 400 °C) are studied. The results show that at 200 °C the TRMs analyzed retain a significant part of their bond capacity, although textile slippage within the mortar matrix occurs and the tensile capacity of the fibers cannot be fully exploited, even if the meshes are properly anchored. At 400 °C the bond capacity may be completely lost, and debonding at the matrix-to-substrate interface may occur at very low stresses, depending on the properties of each TRM.