The building materials of the future are this kind of textile concrete!

The future building materials are this kind of textile concrete. Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) is durable and can be formed in a variety of shapes and lightweight structures. As the name suggests, traditional TRCs are reinforced with carbon or fiberglass as a fabric rather than steel. A research team at the Fraunhofer Timber Institute in Wilhelm-Klauditz-Institut WKI is replacing these fabrics with environmentally friendly natural fibers. These alternatives match the performance of traditional concrete but are less expensive to manufacture. Researchers will present a prototype of a natural fiber concrete bridge at the BAU2019 trade fair in Munich from January 14th to 19th, 2019.

The bridges in Germany are in danger. Every two on the Rhine have a decay. Reinforced concrete is prone to corrosion and can cause damage to the steel bars before any indication of damage. Now, the industry is considering concrete cracks and rusted steel sheets. Engineers and architects are choosing textile reinforced concrete, a corrosion-resistant building material with long service life and the same structural properties as reinforced concrete. Parts made from this material can be as thin as a few centimeters. It can be cast into a soft, lightweight structure and can be bent into almost any shape with reinforced textiles. In addition to bridges, the material is also suitable for exterior walls and ceilings, which designers can use to decorate furniture and sculpture.

The secret of this high-performance concrete is that it is reinforced with carbon, glass or polymer fibers instead of steel. Researchers at Fraunhofer WKI in Braunschweig want to replace these fibers with textiles based on renewable raw materials, a move that will bring a rich return on the environment and climate. In this case, they combine local products – flax (which can be spun or woven). Researchers can add a bundle of polymer fibers to flax fibers to create a blend of fabrics that meets specific ingredient requirements. Scientists at the FraunhoferWKI Wood Fiber Research Center use rapier looms to weave this material mixture. With this weaving machine, the only weaving machine in Europe, experts are able to produce innovative lightweight composites with complex, specific textile structures and integrated functions. The machine combines traditional craftsmanship with sustainable materials to make it cost effective. They are then embedded in high performance concrete to provide a structural density that is almost completely protected from weathering. This fabric can also be modified with natural resins.

1. Get rid of adverse environmental impacts

Linen-based textiles are embedded in a given component layer. Its stiffness is variable so it can be arranged in the desired shape. It can be thought of as creating curved contours such as domes and circular wall elements. The liquid concrete is then poured onto the textile, which was specially developed inside the Fraunhofer WKI Light and Environmentally Friendly Building Center (ZELUBA). Eco-sustainability is very popular with developers, who try to use a small amount of raw materials.

ZELUBA scientist JanBinde said: "Reinforced concrete consists of aggregate (concrete aggregate, terminology), water, concrete additives, and reinforced textiles made of linen. The quality of reinforced concrete made of linen fabric is higher than in bridges. The quality of reinforced concrete. The matrix (structure) is so dense that harmful substances cannot penetrate into the parts, which can extend the service life for decades."

2. Long-life composite materials

The combination of flax and concrete proved to be an ideal composite in the test, enhancing the durability and load-bearing capacity of concrete through new, environmentally-friendly textiles. The investigators said: "Natural fibers are compatible with building materials, and this is because we can control how textiles are fixed in concrete."

TRC made from renewable energy enables construction workers to erect light and slim bridges that may also be used by motor vehicles. A reinforced concrete bridge spanning 15 meters is about 35 to 40 centimeters thick, and its linen bridge is only 12 to 16 centimeters thick and looks quite slim, which saves a lot of material. Binde said: “Building thin layers is feasible.” Researchers are working to optimize innovative building materials, and construction authorities are still in the process of approving the material.