Description
Natural fibre textiles have recently attracted the interest of both academia and industry as an alternative structural reinforcement in Textile-Reinforced Mortars (TRM), as they can offer the required mechanical performance while minimizing their environmental impact. Although the short-term performance of these novel bio-composites has been documented, their durability, which is fundamental to guarantee their long-term effectiveness, is yet to be investigated.
This paper presents the preliminary results of an experimental programme on the tensile performance of flax-TRM systems subjected to accelerated ageing. Composites consisting of two and three layers of flax textiles embedded in a lime-based mortar were conditioned in water for 2000h (~83 days), at controlled temperatures of 23oC and 40oC. Bare textiles were also conditioned in a lime solution for the same duration and temperature conditions to assess and decouple the deterioration mechanisms at the textile and composite scale. The mechanical behaviour of both unconditioned and aged textiles and composites was characterised through uniaxial tensile tests and their response was monitored using a combination of contact and non-contact methods (2D-DIC). The results are assessed in terms of residual mechanical characteristics of constituents and composites, and the critical deterioration mechanisms are identified and commented upon.
