Forschungspublikationen

Introduction

Carbon concrete is a key technology for resource-efficient construction, enabling concrete savings of up to 80 % and reducing CO₂ emissions by around 50 %. The crucial factor for industrial market entry lies not only in material properties but also in the standardisation and certifiability of semi-finished products and processes. Braiding, an established industrial manufacturing process, produces reproducible, geometrically defined fibre architectures with high process stability, providing a robust basis for design calculations in approval procedures like ZiE or abZ.

Background

Historically, longitudinally ribbed structural steel BST 500 has been the construction industry standard, with bond strengths of 30-40 MPa and concrete compressive strength of 90-120 MPa. The mechanical interlocking of rib rows with the concrete matrix ensures a high structural integration and bond strength. Currently, CFRP reinforcement bars do not meet the requirements for bond strength. This is due to the subtractive or additive manufacturing processes used to create the surface structures (Fig. 1). In subtractive manufacturing, the load-bearing cross-section is reduced and the fibre orientation is interrupted - force transmission takes place entirely via the matrix between the edge and core filaments. Additively applied core-shell structures feature additional interfaces which, under low shear stresses, lead to delamination and premature shearing of the profiled fibres.

Innovation of Braiding Technology

Single-stage manufacturing technologies enable profiled surface geometries without interrupting fibre orientation, ensuring all fibres are firmly anchored without a core-shell structure that is likely to fail prematurely. The established braiding technique allows for standardised, targeted mechanical interlocks between bar ribs and concrete (Fig. 2). This significantly improves the bond strength of non-metallic reinforcement and reduces the gap compared to steel reinforcement (CFRP < 20 MPa). The production of standardised non-metallic reinforcement bars using braiding technology offers significant advantages:

• Targeted shifts in the braiding centre produce variable braided cross-sections and enable precise adjustment of process parameters (e.g. filament tension),
• High tensile strengths with full load-bearing capacity of the fibre cross-section are comparable to those of established rebar,
• High material variability and the potential for sensor integration into the fibre structure enable early failure detection.

Based on a simulations-based design, the research project is developing modified and standardisable braided structures that can be used as impregnated non-metallic reinforcement bars in the construction industry.

Outlook

The targeted bond strength of the GRip-Bars, ranging from 25-30 MPa, combined with the high tensile strengths of rebar and the scalability for large reinforcement cross-sections (diameter of 6-20 mm), makes the new braided reinforcement suitable for use as longitudinal reinforcement in ceilings, beams and columns. This reinforcement system contributes to sustainable construction and enables slim, resource-efficient and corrosion-resistant load-bearing structures that meet the requirements of a sustainable construction industry. Particularly in critical infrastructure such as bridges and tunnels, its high durability and corrosion resistance ensure an extended lifetime while significantly reducing maintenance costs.

Acknowledgement

The IGF project “Textile-reinforced, form-fitting braided rib structures for high-strength fibre-reinforced concrete structures” (IGF-No.: 01IF23608N) by the Textile Research Council e.V. at TU Dresden is funded by the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy via the DLR as part of the programme to promote industrial collaborative research (IGF).

The authors would like to thank the before mentioned institution for providing the financial resources. The research report and further information are available from the institute of Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology at TU Dresden.

Introduction, problem definition and aim of the project

Carbon fiber-reinforced plastics (CFRP) are increasingly used in lightweight applications due to their high stiffness and strength as well as low density, especially in aerospace, transportation, wind energy, sports equipment or construction. Global demand of CFRP is predicted to increase to 197,000 t/a by 2024, almost tripling compared to 2011. This shows an urgent need for solutions to recycle the high quality carbon fiber (rCF) in terms of the circular economy. This is necessary not only due to strict legal regulations, but also for ecological and economic reasons. In recent years, numerous research institutes and companies developed solutions for the reuse of rCF in the fields of nonwovens, injection molding or as hybrid yarns. However, the majority of these works involve the use of rCF in combination with thermoplastic fibers for thermoplastic composites. In the field of rCF-based thermoset CFRP, mainly rCF nonwovens made of 100% rCF have been so far developed. Since the fibers in the nonwovens mostly have a limited length and a low orientation and process-related additional high fiber damage occurs, with these materials only maximum 30% of the composite characteristic values of CFRP components made of carbon filament yarns can be so far achieved.

Currently, the matrix systems used in the field of high mechanical loaded CFRPs are predominantly thermoset. Such components exhibit high dimensional stability, high stiffness and strength as well as are suitable for the implementation of complex component geometries due to low-viscosity matrix systems. However, primary carbon filament yarns are particularly used for these components due to the insufficient properties of rCF. In addition to low sustainability, the utilization of these filament yarns result in at least 200 % higher cost. The production of primary carbon filament yarn requires a high-energy demand of about 230 MJ/kg with a CO2 emission equivalent to 20 kg CO2/kg CF. Here, a significant improvement of the CO2 balance is required to make a substantial contribution to the envisaged climate protection goals of the Federal Republic of Germany and the EU. For this reason, the focus of the project work is the development of novel, sustainable rCF heavy tows made of recycled carbon fibers (rCF) and associated manufacturing technologies for the implementation of cost-effective thermoset composites with high mechanical performance.

Acknowledgments

The IGF project 21612 BR of the Research Association Forschungskuratorium Textil e.V. was funded by the Federal Ministry of Economics and Climate Protection (BMWK) via the AiF within the framework of the program for the promotion of joint industrial research and development (IGF) on the basis of a resolution of the German Bundestag. We would like to thank the above-mentioned institutions for providing the financial resources.

Abstract
Building in a resource-saving way and still exploiting a high performance potential, is that even possible? At the Institute for Textile Machinery and High Performance Material Technology (ITM) at the TU Dresden, such composite optimized profiled textile reinforcements for concrete applications and the related manufacturing technology were developed as part of the research project IGF 21375 BR. On the basis of braiding and forming technology, a new generation of profiled reinforcement yarns was developed with the help of simulation-based investigations. Like ribbed steel reinforcements, these profiled yarns have a very high bond with the concrete matrix, but despite the profiling they almost fully exploit the performance potential of the carbon fibers in terms of tensile properties. In this way, the bond length required for complete force transmission between the textile reinforcement and the concrete can be reduced to just a few centimeters, and up to 80 % of the component-dependent oversizing of the textile reinforcement can be saved. The further development of the multiaxial warp knitting technology for the requirement-based and fiber-friendly processing of the profiled yarns into grid-like reinforcement structures enables the production of profiled textile reinforcement structures with the highest bond properties for use in carbon-reinforced concrete components with maximum material and resource efficiency.

Initial situation and problem definition
As is generally known, climate change is the greatest challenge of the 21st century, which can only be successfully overcome by consistently saving resources and CO2 emissions. Since the construction industry, with a share of approx. 38 % of global CO2 emissions, has made a significant contribution to global warming to date, in particular due to the enormous cement consumption [1], a change to more energy and resource efficiency as well as a growing awareness of sustainability is absolutely necessary. In the course of this, a resource-efficient carbon concrete, consisting of a corrosion-resistant textile reinforcement in combination with a significantly reduced concrete cover, is established in the construction industry as a convincing alternative to conventional steel reinforced concrete [2,3].

Due to the high load-bearing capacity of the textile reinforcement with the smaller concrete cross-sections required, the bond between the textile and the concrete is extremely important. So far, R&D has focused on the development of impregnations and impregnation systems for improved material bond with the concrete matrix [4]. However, only small forces with a shear flow of about 5 - 40 N/mm can be transferred, an efficient utilization of the textile reinforcement is not possible. Solutions with profiling of the yarn surface promise significant improvements in the transmission of bond forces [5]. Therefore, new technologies for the continuous and reproducible production of profiled textile high-performance fiber yarns and their further processing into reinforcement structures were developed within a research project at the ITM of the TU Dresden. These innovative, profiled reinforcements are characterized by their ability to transmit significantly higher bond forces in concrete [6,7]. In particular, this was realized by a form-fitting effect between the textile and the concrete, that meets the specific requirements of a stiff and symmetrical surface profile of the reinforcement yarns in order to guarantee a constant and high force transmission. To generate the yarn profiling, solutions based on braiding technology and forming processes were developed and implemented with the help of simulation-supported studies. The premises were a permanently stable textile structure and a profile with a symmetrical structure. The realization of grid-like reinforcement structures, consisting of the profiled reinforcement yarns, was carried out using the multiaxial warp knitting technology. This was developed further on a modular basis with regard to the existing processes (yarn feeding, weft yarn insertion, knitting process, impregnation and winding) in accordance with the necessary adaptation measures for the fiber-friendly and requirement-based further processing of the profiled reinforcement yarns into grid-like structures.

Development of the innovative profiled reinforcement yarns
For the development of bond optimized profiled reinforcement yarns for concrete applications, a simulation-supported yarn development was carried out on the basis of braiding and forming technology. In particular, the main challenge was to realize profiled yarns with minimal structural elongation, so that, an initial force transmission of the textile reinforcement is possible and the concrete crack widths are minimized [3] if the concrete matrix fails at approx. 0.2 % elongation. For this purpose, a new type of varying braiding structure was developed. Moreover the braiding technology was further developed to enable a low-undulation and pre-stabilization of the braiding yarn structure during the braiding process, yet still ensuring further textile processing. As a result, it is now possible to implement novel vario braiding yarns as well as conventional packing braided yarns, consisting of carbon fibers with nearly eliminated structural elongation, minimal fiber damage and the required pre-stabilization of the yarn structure (see Table 1).

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Performance potential of the new profiled reinforcement yarns
The newly developed profiled reinforcement yarns are characterized by nearly unchanged tensile properties, yet up to 500 % higher bond properties compared to carbon rovings without profile or rovings extracted from reference textiles (see Figure 1). In addition, they do not show any noticeable structural elongation, so that an initial force transmission is possible without additional crack opening after the failure of the concrete matrix. However, an increase in bond strength of more than 500 % from approx. 20 N/mm of the carbon rovings without a profile to over 100 N/mm of the profiled reinforcement yarns was achieved, which is accompanied by a significant increase in material efficiency (see Figure 1). The vario braiding yarns in particular are characterized by very high bond stiffness, which is of particular interest for an initial force transmission. The packing braiding yarns and the profiled rovings with tetrahedral geometry have almost the same bond properties. The bond stiffness is marginally lower compared to the vario braiding yarns, whereas their production is more productive than the vario braiding yarns.

Development of the multiaxial-warp knitting process
To process the newly profiled reinforcement yarns into a grid-like reinforcement structure, a biaxial warp knitting machine Malimo 14022 at the ITM and the corresponding sub-processes (yarn feeding, weft yarn insertion, knitting process, impregnation and winding) were adapted and further developed so that on the one hand the pre-stabilized braiding yarns and the consolidated tetrahedral-shaped profiled rovings can be processed further. For this purpose, the weft thread laying process in particular was modified by developing a new type of weft thread guide for the laying of the pre-stabilized braiding yarns. Since the rigid profiled rovings could not be processed with the conventional weft laying process, a new type stick placement system consisting of a stick magazine and a shaft with profile rollers was developed (see Figure 2). The pre-cut sticks were individually inserted via the stick placement system into a transport chain modified with new fixing elements.

In order to guarantee textile processing, the pre-stabilized braiding yarns were impregnated and consolidated after the warp knitting process, contrary to the rigid profiled rovings, which do not require any further impregnation.. On the basis of extensive production tests, a new type of impregnation system was developed based on the kiss coater process with an additional coating roller for applying an impregnation agent to both sides of the pre-stabilized braiding yarns. Various reinforcement structures were manufactured and characterized with the implemented system technology. Figure 3 shows a new type of profiled textile reinforcement consisting of prefabricated profiled rovings with tetrahedral shape.

Acknowledgments
The IGF research project 21375 BR of the Forschungsvereinigung Forschungskuratorium Textil e. V. is funded through the AiF within the program for supporting the „Industriellen Gemeinschaftsforschung (IGF)“ from funds of the Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Climate Action on the basis of a decision by the German Bundestag.

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