Description
In recent years, fabric reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM) became a desirable material in the rehabilitation of concrete structures. The FRCM system features some advantages such as compatibility with the substrate, easier and non-expensive installation on a wet concrete, and ultraviolet degradation resistance. As FRCM is a new material, the existing literature provides limited knowledge on the effectiveness of FRCM in confining concrete. This paper incorporated an experimental program where plain concrete cylinders were confined with FRCM and were tested under uniaxial compressive loading. The experimental testing parameters included concrete grade, number of FRCM layers and the fibres direction. The test results showed that FRCM was effective in confining plain concrete as the compressive strength increased and a ductile behaviour was developed. Providing more FRCM layers did not enhance the confining action. The application of longitudinally oriented fibres had an insignificant effect on the concrete compression behaviour.
