Research on the flexural performance of RC beams strengthened with TRC under the coupling action of load and marine environment

Textile reinforced concrete (TRC) possesses an excellent bearing capacity and anti-crack and corrosion resistance abilities, making it suitable for reinforcing concrete structures under a harsh marine environment. However, the performance of concrete structures strengthened with TRC under a corrosion environment requires further research. Therefore, the coupling action of loads with a chloride wet-dry cycle and freeze-thaw cycle, on the flexural performance of RC beams strengthened with TRC was studied. The results indicated that under the coupling action of loads and the chloride wet-dry cycle, when the sustained load ratio of beams exceeded 0.2, the larger the sustained load, the wider the initial cracks that appeared in the beams, resulting in chloride ions easily invading the internal concrete. Therefore, the stiffness and bearing capacity of the beams decreased. Moreover, under repeated loading and unloading, the bearing capacity of the beam decreased significantly. The damage of the beams would be serious with the increase of the sustained load under the coupling action of load and the freeze-thaw cycle. Thus, there was a significant decrease in the bearing capacity and stiffness of the beam. In summary, the coupling action of loads and the corrosion environment have a substantial influence on the TRC-strengthened beam, causing a change of the failure mode, bearing capacity and deflection of beams.