Mechanical characterisation of Textile Ceramic plates. Testing on elastic foundations

• Experimental characterisation of Textile Ceramic Technology (TCT) as a pavement.
• Study of the influence of the elastic foundation on the structural response.
• Definition of the application range and the design criteria for the TCT pavements.

Textile Ceramic Technology (TCT) is a new material composed of ceramic units installed in a grid of steel wires. TCT application as a permeable pavement is expected to be a sustainable and aesthetic solution. In order to use TCT as a pavement, experimental research about the mechanical response of TCT placed on elastic foundations is required. The main aim of this paper is to provide the results of this experimental research. Different TCT types were tested in quasi-static and cyclic conditions. The paper presents also a numerical study and a real site application carried out to further evaluate the technology. Experimental, numerical and application results pointed out that TCT is sufficiently competent, from a mechanical point of view, to be used as a pavement for pedestrian and light traffic.