TRC Application Potential to Strengthen and Repair Concrete Structures Exposed to Fire

Exposure to high temperatures, during fire events, can significantly affect the structural safety of existing buildings or infrastructures. Evaluating the effectiveness of retrofitting interventions or the repairability of damaged structures after fire is of fundamental importance to guarantee adequate structural reliability levels. The paper deals with the application potential of textile reinforced composites (TRC) (i.e. Textile reinforced mortar (TRM, Fabric Reinforced cementitious matrix (FRCM), etc.) both in retrofitting and repair techniques for heat damaged concrete elements. Some experimental tests, carried out on standard small scale concrete specimens, exposed to different temperature levels, are presented. The results show that: 1) thermal stress can significantly influences the behaviour of concrete retrofitted through TRC and 2) repair interventions through TRC were able to fully or partially restore the initial strength of the heat damaged material. Averall, textile reinf...