Textile-Reinforced Concrete for Enhancing the Flexural Performance of Reinforced Concrete Beams in India: Effects of Textile Configuration, Concrete Strength, Reinforcement Ratio, Loading Conditions, and Environmental Exposure
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: The deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structures caused by aging, environmental exposure, corrosion, excessive loading, construction deficiencies, and changes in service conditions has increased the need for efficient and durable strengthening technologies. Textile-reinforced concrete (TRC) represents a promising cement-based strengthening system in which high-strength textile reinforcement is embedded within a thin layer of fine-grained concrete. Unlike conventional steel-based strengthening systems, TRC can provide corrosion-resistant reinforcement while maintaining compatibility with existing concrete and requiring only a relatively thin strengthening layer. This study investigates the flexural behavior of RC beams strengthened with TRC, with particular emphasis on textile configuration, concrete strength, conventional reinforcement ratio, loading conditions, interfacial treatment, anchorage, polypropylene-fiber modification, and environmental exposure. The experimental database adopted in the study comprises 14 RC beam specimens subjected to four-point bending. The control beams had a cross-section of 120 × 210 mm and a span of 2,000 mm, while the strengthened specimens incorporated one or two layers of hybrid carbon/E-glass textile. The original experimental results indicate that TRC strengthening increased cracking and yielding loads, enhanced ultimate load-carrying capacity, reduced crack width, and improved structural stiffness. The highest recorded ultimate load was 74.6 kN for the two-layer textile specimen with fine-sand treatment, representing approximately a 26.9% increase relative to the mean ultimate capacity of the two control beams. The corresponding yielding load reached 58.8 kN. Surface treatment, textile-layer number, U-shaped shear anchorage, and polypropylene fibers affected different stages of structural behavior, while the use of an interface agent produced comparatively limited changes. A theoretical sectional model based on strain compatibility, equilibrium, and textile tensile constitutive behavior was also considered. The original comparison between calculated and experimental responses showed errors below 5% for yielding and ultimate loads. For the Indian context, environmental exposure is incorporated as an additional design variable, particularly considering chloride-rich coastal environments, carbonation, moisture variation, temperature, and sulfate exposure. The resulting framework provides a basis for adapting TRC strengthening technology to Indian RC infrastructure while emphasizing textile configuration, reinforcement ratio, bond quality, crack control, ductility, and durability.
Language: English
Subfield: Building and Construction
Field: Engineering
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
OpenAlex ID: W7213953735