The Effect of Elevated Temperatures on the TRM-to-Masonry Bond: Comparison of Normal Weight and Lightweight Matrices

Abstract

Textile Reinforced Mortar (TRM) is a composite material that has already been successfully used as an externally bonded strengthening means of existing structures. The bond of TRM with various substrates is of crucial importance for determining the degree of exploitation of the textile. However, little is known on the effect of elevated/high temperatures on the TRM-to-substrate bond characteristics while relevant testing protocols are also lacking. This study focuses on the experimental assessment of the TRM-to-masonry bond after exposure of masonry wallettes unilaterally furnished with TRM strips at 120 °C and 200 °C for 1 h. The shear bond tests on cooled-down specimens were carried out using the single-lap/single-prism set-up. Two TRM systems were investigated sharing the same type of textile, which is a dry AR glass fiber one (either in a single-layer or in a double-layer configuration) and different matrices: one normal weight (TRNM) and another lightweight (TRLM) of equal compressive strengths. At control conditions (non-heated specimens) and after exposure at a nominal air temperature of 120 °C, both single-layer TRM systems exhibited similar bond capacities. After exposure at a nominal air temperature of 200 °C single-layer and double-layer TRNM overlays outperformed their TRLM counterparts. A critical discussion is based on phenomenological evidence and measured response values.